AAML: Diamond and Pearl version
by EchidnaPower
Summary: Follow me as I remake the DP episodes in order and in sequence, all so I can add the biggest star besides Ash himself. Misty! Watch her and Ash's love grow as they go on their journey. A Pokeshipping series. Also includes Penguinshipping, Handymanshipping, slight mentions of Contestshipping, and a Brock shipping to be named later. Oh yeah, there's PikachuXBuneary here too.
1. Painful Memories

**So, after reading a bunch of stories, I noticed that there have been no recent ones lately starring Ash and Misty. That's probably because Misty has been out of the loop for so long. Well now I'm going to bring her back into the loop! And basically this story will go along the storyline of Dawn's era, but will quite often have some twists and extras added to accompany Misty. Except for these first few chapters where I actually bring her back into the group. So, in case you need the ages, here you go.**

**Ash: 14**

**Misty: 15**

**Dawn: 13**

**Brock: 17**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1

**Ash's POV**

I never would've guessed that a friendly battle before nightfall would have this effect on me...nevertheless, here I am, awake in the middle of the night, holding the item that was causing me to think about _her._ It was a handkerchief that she had given me before she left a couple of years back. I never imagined that such a frail and harmless item could hurt so much…even though I'm not entirely sure why.

**Normal POV**

**[Flashback]**

"Chimchar, use 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash yelled, ordering his adopted Chimchar to attack his opponent.

"Cha ah ah!" Chimchar's mouth spewed a flame, and then he began spinning which resulted in the fire enveloping him, and he launched towards his foe.

"Piplup, counter with 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn yelled, telling her loyal Piplup to wash away his attacker. Piplup began to glow, and a giant whirlpool stood suspended in mid-air.

Chimchar was getting closer now, and he was just about to make contact, when Piplup finally fired the giant whirlpool towards the flaming monkey. "Char!" Chimchar was hit dead-on by the 'Whirlpool' attack, and Dawn heartily congratulated her Piplup for landing the attack successfully.

And as was his custom, Piplup cockily stood tall, "Piplup!" (Naturally!) he said.

"Ugh, don't be so cocky, Piplup! You should know by now that Chimchar doesn't give up_ that_ easy!" Dawn said disapprovingly.

"Piplup…" (Oh, right) he said dejectedly.

"You alright Chimchar?" Ash asked.

"Chim Chim char!" (Sure, let's keep going!)

Ash smiled, "Alright then, use 'Flamethrower'!"

"Chiiiim Char!" Flames spewed from his mouth, and flew straight towards the penguin-Pokémon.

"Use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn countered.

"Piii plup plup plup!"

Bubbles fired out of the beak of Piplup, and started battling against the incoming 'Flamethrower'. The power levels of the two attacks were nearly matched evenly, but slowly, Piplup's Bubblebeam began gaining the edge. "C'mon Chimchar! Don't give up!" Ash encouraged. Chimchar went all out and started fighting harder, but fatigue was starting to take its toll.

"Keep going Piplup!" Dawn was not necessarily the best choice for battle partner, since she was more inclined towards contest battles rather than full, head-on battles of strength. But versus Chimchar, Dawn and Piplup would be more than enough for the young monkey who had only recently joined Ash's team.

While the two young teens battled for superiority, Brock, the eldest and most responsible of the trio was busy stirring a huge pot of food. _"Those two are _really_ giving it their all, I'd better hurry up with this, they'll be starving once they're done." _he thought. While Brock was more of an established battler than Dawn, he much rather preferred to watch and give helpful tips from the sidelines. Plus his dream to be a Pokémon Breeder had made him much more interested in raising Pokémon than battling them, but that never stopped him from being an onlooker to battles, and that included this high-heated one.

"_Chimchar can't keep this up much longer…gotta think of something fast!" _Ash's panicking would prove to be justified. Despite his cheering and encouragement, Chimchar simply couldn't overcome the type disadvantage and eventually gave out. The now freely flying 'Bubblebeam' nailed the small fire-type dead on and sent him flying…right into Ash. "Oof! Ok…I think that's enough." Ash said with a strained voice, as the weight of Chimchar's body pressed on his chest.

Brock looked up from his cooking pot to see Ash lying on the floor. "You alright big guy?" Brock asked, slightly amused at the sight of Chimchar sitting on Ash.

"Pikapi? Pi pi ka chu?" (Ash? Are you ok?) Pikachu asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm alright guys." Ash said as he dusted himself off. He looked around for his hat, which had been knocked off by the impact of the collision with Chimchar.

"By the way, nice 'Bubblebeam' Piplup." Dawn said, congratulating her Piplup for a job well done. Piplup chirped in thanks and hopped into Dawn's arms for a hug.

Ash spotted his hat laying upside-down behind him. He went to go pick it up, but as he did so, something fell out of his hat. With reluctance, Ash bent down to pick up what had dropped out of his hat. _"Misty's handkerchief."_ Ash tenderly felt the soft fabric in his hands, as memories of past adventures flooded into his mind.

He had always kept it with him, ever since her original departure he had kept it in his signature wardrobe accessory to ensure that he would never, ever lose it. He felt it was extremely important to him, as it was a going away present from his best friend. Usually, the small handkerchief was too light to be noticed by touch, and so it was ignored most of the time.

And although normally the light fabric had always discreetly remained hidden inside of his signature cap, this time it had been jarred loose from the sudden impact, and was causing Ash to unintentionally take a walk down memory lane. He thought of all the fun they had: the arguments, the battles, even the festivals they had partaken in. And it filled him with a sudden sadness to realize that the fabric he held in his hands was the only thing he had left of her besides the lure she had sent him.

"Chim char?" (Ash?) Chimchar said softly, noting his new master's sudden change of expression. Ash was jarred from his thoughts by a concerned monkey, who was lightly tugging on his pant leg.

He smiled and then pet Chimchar's head in reassurance. "I'm ok buddy. Nice battle, return." Ash said as he reached for Chimchar's Pokéball. Chimchar gave one final sound of concern before the red beam sent Chimchar back into his Pokéball. Ash's attention turned back to the handkerchief he was holding in his hands. Why was he taking this object as such as a shock to the system? It didn't do that before.

He was so wrapped into his own world that he didn't even notice Dawn walking up behind him. "What's that Ash?" Dawn said from behind Ash.

"Waahh!" Ash yelled and jumped back in shock. "Geez, Dawn, next time why don't you make a little noise to let a guy know you're there?" he panted.

"I did. You didn't hear me because it looked like you just zoned out." Dawn replied.

"Ahh, it's ok I guess. You didn't mean to scare me." Ash said as he softly placed the handkerchief back into his hat and put it on his head.

"So what was that you were holding Ash?" Dawn asked curiously.

Ash looked away from her. "It was nothing." he said softly.

"Nothing doesn't make you space out like that." Dawn pointed out.

"I said it was _nothing!"_ Ash yelled, with more anger than he intended.

"Alright! Don't bite my head off for gosh sakes!" Dawn stomped away angrily, and Piplup did the same. "Geez, what's up with _him?"_ Dawn asked Brock, who had seen the whole thing.

"I dunno." Brock replied. _"But I might have a pretty good idea."_ Brock had noticed exactly what Ash was holding, and since he was there when Misty had given it to him, he knew what it represented to Ash. Unfortunately, Dawn did not.

Sensing his master's distress, Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and nuzzled it. "Pikapi?" (Ash?) Pikachu asked with concern.

**Ash's POV**

"_I miss having you around Misty. I wish you could still be here traveling with me – err – us. What right does she have to pry into my personal business anyway? On the other hand, what right do_ I_ have to yell at her for no reason? You'd probably yell at me for that wouldn't you Mist?"_ I couldn't help but laugh at what I had just thought. But I knew I had to apologize to my current female traveling partner, so I walked over to where Brock had just started to serve a dinner of one of my favorite meals: Brock's Homemade Chili.

When I got there, I wasn't surprised when Dawn wouldn't even look my way, after the way I snapped at her, I figured she'd be upset. "Hey, sorry about the whole being angry thing Dawn, I didn't mean to lose my cool like that." I had found as the years went by, it was getting easier to apologize. When I was ten, and hanging with Misty, I couldn't apologize for almost anything. Now at fourteen, it was slowly becoming easier to swallow my pride.

Dawn turned her head towards me and gave me a smile, and I gave a friendly smile back. "No need to worry Ash, apology accepted."

"Alright! In that case, Brock, give me a bowl of chili!" I started eating right away, but I found that my appetite had quickly deserted me, I had taken two bites of food, and suddenly, without warning or explanation, I started thinking about Misty again.

"_Why is she in my head all of a sudden? I never had this problem before." _ My red-headed friend had taken over my mind somehow; thoughts of her friendship and camaraderie flooded and nearly drowned my brain. I was jarred from my thoughts again, this time by Brock.

"Did you say something Brock?" I asked wearily.

"Ash, what's wrong? You keep zoning out." he asked with concern.

"There's just a lot on my mind right now Brock."

"Your next gym battle?"

"_Not even close Brocko. But you'd never let me live it down if I told you what - or rather who was on my mind." _I decided to go along with it, and save myself the interrogation. "Yeah, that's it."

"Well, just relax, ok big guy? You'll get through it, just like you always do." I had to admire the way Brock tried to help me out. Under normal circumstances, it probably would've worked…but the circumstances were far beyond normal…at least in my mind.

Uneasy silence passed, before I finally broke it. "I'm going for a walk."

"What about your chili Ash?" Brock asked.

"I'm not really hungry tonight." I said, trying to sound casual. I turned to walk away, when I heard tiny footsteps running up from behind me.

"Pikapi?" (Ash?)

"Hey there Pikachu."

"Pika pika pi pi pika chu?" (So, what's on your mind for real?)

I chuckled at how my friend could read me so well. "Don't worry about me buddy, it's pretty stupid if you ask me."

"Pi chu pi ka pika Pikapi, pi pi ka." (I won't think it's stupid Ash, I'm your friend, you can tell me anything.)

"Well…" Pikachu's encouragement was starting to sway me…I figured if anyone could keep a secret, it was Pikachu. Not just because he was a Pokémon, and the only ones who could understand him without translation were me, and surprisingly, the person who just happened to be plaguing my thoughts, but because we had a friendship that without a doubt would last a lifetime, and I could confide in Pikachu for anything. "Alright buddy, I guess I can tell you." I finally said.

"Pika." (Of course.)

I sat down on a nearby rock, and pulled off my hat. Once Pikachu saw what I was doing, he made a sound that sounded like he had just figured out what was plaguing me. "Pikachupi." (Misty.)

"You nailed it buddy. There's just something about this thing that brings back memories. But it also reminds me that she's not traveling with us anymore." I stroked the handkerchief softly, not even caring that Pikachu was there watching me, he didn't seem to mind though…he could understand how I was feeling.

"Pika pika pi Pikapi." (I miss her too Ash.)

"I guess I'll have to try to get over it…come on Pikachu, let's head back to camp." I put Pikachu back on my shoulder, and trudged back to camp.

I was hoping that the small walk would ease my mental and emotional stress, but all it seemed to do was make me think about it more, since I didn't have to be on guard when it was just Pikachu. And even though I didn't realize it, the stress was doing something to my physical status as well, which was easily pointed out by the way I was trudging. My feet barely left the ground as I dragged them back to camp. When I got back, I noticed that Brock and Dawn had already set up my sleeping bag for me. I took off my hat and set it beside me as I crawled under the covers, with Pikachu not far behind. It didn't take long before I fell asleep, I was pretty tired…but the dream I had was crazy.

I was just lying in my sleeping bag, I rolled over to get comfortable, but instead of seeing Dawn next to me, I saw a fiery red-head, not even a foot away from me. _"Is that M-Misty?"_ I reached over to see if it was real, I moved some strands of hair that had fallen over the image of Misty's face, and I smiled. "Misty, it_ is_ you!" I felt this surge of heat enter the depths of my belly as I stared at Misty's image. Despite how happy I was, I felt confused as to why the sudden burst of heat had entered my body, especially since the campfire was out. But I quickly forgot about that when the image of Misty opened her blue-green eyes at me and smiled. I smiled back and felt the strange feeling increase in intensity, but what happened next caused my spirit to deflate instantly. Although the image was of Misty, her voice came out as…Dawn's?

"Misty? Who's Misty?"

It was then I realized I was dreaming, I woke up and I found Dawn staring at me with confusion. "Umm…sorry Dawn. Never mind." I said, somewhat confused as to why I was disappointed that it was merely a dream. She shrugged and went back to sleep, apparently too tired to pursue her question. I laid on my back for a short while, and then pulled Misty's handkerchief out of my hat for the third time that day.

**[End Flashback]**

All I could do was lie there until fatigue took me over; because there was no way I would get to sleep on my own. _"I wish she would come back and travel with me again, with _all_ of us. But what's the point of dreaming? She has the life of a gym leader now…she wouldn't want to come back and hang with us now." _I had always figured that Misty's life as a gym leader would be glamorous and luxurious; coming back would probably be a downgrade to the life she led now. I felt tears threatening to pour out of my eyes; I shut them to avoid crying. Her friendship was something I held dearly, and I truly did wish I could have her traveling with me like old times, but that reality seemed far-fetched to say the least. All I could do was fight the pain and wait until the night was over, and think about my best friend…my best friend: The gym leader of Cerulean City.


	2. The Wish to be Free

**Now that we've seen how Ash is feeling, let's see what's going on in the world of everyone's favorite gym leader: Misty Waterflower! Thanks for the reviews so far, I didn't think I'd get any to be honest, so they make me feel proud! Enjoy this chapter! I own nothing except the story.  
**_

Chapter 2

**Normal POV**

"I _hate_ being a Gym Leader!" That was the sound that was heard almost every day at the Cerulean City Gym, and it always came from the mouth of Misty Waterflower. Two years ago she had been forced to come back to Cerulean and take over the gym that her three "sensational" sisters were going to abandon in order to take a yearlong cruise around the world.

And now, a year after they finally returned, Misty was still trapped inside the gym, forced to be away from the boy she loved. "Oh, Ash…I wish I was out there with you…instead of being stuck here because of my loser sisters!" she always cried. She had no idea that somewhere in the Sinnoh League, a certain jet-black haired boy was missing her almost as much as she missed him. But the day would prove to get worse for her.

**Misty's POV**

I pushed my red hair out of my face as I battled the third challenger of the day. I had let it grow much longer in the time I was stuck in the gym, but it was proving to be a minor irritation since it kept swishing into my face. _"I'll have to remember to put my hair back up _before_ I start a battle."_ The fact that I had lost two matches in a row, and I was currently losing another one was making me pretty mad too. I was taking on a young boy with a Weepinbell, who strangely enough had already taken out my Staryu and Starmie. But I got my fair share of hits in as well, as I had defeated his Sandshrew with a powerful 'Water Gun' attack from Staryu.

"Misty calls Gyarados!" I threw my final Pokéball out into the water, and my powerful sea monster emerged and gave an intimidating roar, which cut the attack power of my opponent's Weepinbell.

"Weepinbell, use Razor Leaf!" the boy ordered. The Weepinbell fired razor sharp leaves at my Gyarados, and I ordered him to dive underwater to avoid the attack.

Gyarados dove underwater as the leaves flew by without scratching my water dragon. "Now Gyarados, use 'Flamethrower'!" I ordered my Gyarados to use the move I had spent a lot of time perfecting; do you have any idea how hard it is to get a water-type to learn a fire-type attack? Nearly impossible…but I want to become the world's greatest water Pokémon master! And stuff like that is just something I need to work on, but my practice is limited here in the gym, I could be a lot better if I was with…him. Gyarados' Flamethrower easily took care of the boy's Weepinbell, and I congratulated my dragon for a job well done. And in turn, he roared in celebration.

"Alright, this is my last Pokémon, I'm getting that badge…go Pikachu!"

My heart skipped a beat when that Pikachu came onto the battlefield. It reminded me of the boy that I was forced to leave behind two years ago. _"Oh, Ash…"_ I tried my best to get my head straight. _"I've _got_ to snap out of this, I still have a match to win!" _I told myself silently. "Gyarados, use 'Flamethrower' again!"

"Dodge it with 'Quick Attack' Pikachu!" the boy yelled. Gyarados launched Flamethrowers all over the battlefield, and the speedy electric mouse dodged his attacks every time. I could see that he was getting tired from blasting so much, and that I had to do something. "Pikachu, finish it with Thundershock!" the boy screamed.

"Piiikaaa Chuuuu!"

The small jolt was all it took to knock out my exhausted Gyarados, and when I finally realized I had lost, I sadly recalled my dragon. "You did a good job Gyarados." I whispered. I walked to the side of the gym, where I was forced to give away the third Cascade Badge of the day. "You did a good job, here's your reward." I said to him, trying to act cheerful.

"Alright! I got the Cascade Badge!" the boy and his three Pokémon cheered. Seeing his victory dance only reminded me even more of my best friend and secret love. As soon as he was out of sight, I ran back into the gym with tears streaming down my face. I didn't even stop when Daisy appeared to see the outcome of the match, I just ran into my room, slammed the door behind me, and cried.

"Why does everything I see have to remind me of Ash?!" I screamed into the pillow on my bed, trying to muffle the sounds of my pathetic crying...but with my heart in turmoil...it was hard to resist the urge to sob.

**Normal POV**

After seeing Misty run up into her room crying, Lily and Violet appeared next to Daisy. "Like, what's wrong with baby sis?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, she's like, _totally_ off her game." Violet said, agreeing.

"I guess, I should like, go talk to her, huh?" Daisy said with a bit of sympathy. The two sisters nodded in agreement. Daisy quietly walked up the steps that led to Misty's room, and gently knocked on the door. "Misty, can I come in?" she asked softly. When she didn't hear a response, she slowly opened the door, and saw her little sister asleep on her bed with tear-stains on her face. Daisy just shrugged. _"There's nothing I can do while she's asleep."_ Daisy stepped out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her, she actually felt sorry for her little sister, which didn't happen often.

"Did you like, talk to her?" Violet asked as their older sister came back down the steps.

"She actually like, cried herself to sleep. I kinda wish I knew what was wrong." Daisy said sympathetically.

"I'll tell you what's wrong! She's like, lost three straight matches today, and she's only won one in the past three days!" Lily yelled angrily.

"Like, calm down Lil, it's not like she lost on purpose, and she's _still_ better than all of us put together when it comes to battling." Daisy said, actually defending her sister.

"But not fashion!" Violet said randomly.

"Well, yeah, _obviously."_ Daisy said, throwing her long, blonde hair over her shoulder. "But that doesn't explain why she seems so off lately."

"Well, when she wakes up you have to like, pry it out of her." Lily said.

"I'll try, ok?" Daisy said finally, "Now let's get ready for the show tonight."

**THE NEXT DAY**

Misty woke up still mentally exhausted from the stress of the previous day. She had even dreamed of being on the road again with Ash and Brock, which relieved a little of the stress she was feeling. "Azu, Azu!" (Hi mommy!) Misty's little Azurill squeaked, happily bouncing on her tail.

Misty bent down to pick up her Azurill and give her a hug. "Good morning Azurill, how are you feeling today?" Misty said, feeling better with her baby in her arms.

"Azu azu!" (I feel good!) Misty giggled and went to the kitchen to get both her and Azurill some breakfast.

"Here you go Azurill, eat up ok?" Misty said, handing her a bowl of Pokéchow. Azurill nodded and happily started eating. With that taken care of, Misty reached into the cupboard and pulled out a box of cereal with her sister's pictures on them. "Ugh, I can't even _eat_ without them." she muttered to herself. It was times like these when she actually missed _Brock _more than Ash. With much reluctance, Misty finally gave in and poured the cereal into a bowl and poured milk over it. _"I guess it doesn't taste _so_ bad, at least not as bad as I _thought_ it would."_ she finally concluded.

Meanwhile, Daisy had woken up to get her own breakfast, and saw Misty already chowing down on cereal. "I guess now is a good a time as ever." Daisy whispered to herself. Daisy walked into the kitchen, and gave Misty her attempt at a smile.

Misty caught her try, and started wondering. _"Alright, what does _she _want?" _If you asked her, Misty would probably admit that she and Daisy were starting to grow closer, but Misty still had some reservations about her older sisters.

Daisy sat herself down in front of Misty, and tried to get a conversation started. "So, how'd you sleep last night?" Daisy asked, trying to sound friendly.

"…Good." Misty finally said, without meeting her sister's gaze.

"How'd the battle go yesterday?" Daisy tried again, since her first question got a rather apathetic response.

Misty didn't feel in the mood to play games, so she snapped. "What do you want Daisy?" She said too loudly, dropping her spoon back into the bowl in the process.

"Zu?" (Huh?) Misty's outburst caught the attention of Azurill.

"Keep eating sweetie." Misty told it, trying to sound calm.

"Azu." (Ok.) she smiled and went back to breakfast.

"Well?" Misty asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

"(Sigh) Is there something wrong with you Misty?" Daisy asked calmly.

"No Daisy, there is _not._ Why?" Misty asked impatiently.

"Because your battling looks like it's gotten a bit worse lately." Daisy said cautiously.

That was all it took to flare up Misty's temper. "I _knew_ this would have something to do with me losing those battles!" she snarled, "If you're going to torture me because of it, then I don't wanna hear it!" Misty grabbed her bowl of cereal, and stomped back up to her room. She placed her breakfast on the nightstand next to her bed and lied down on her bed face up. "I _hate_ this place...I just want _out_ already." she whispered to herself.

Misty heard Daisy come up and knock on the door again. "Misty, please, I just wanna help." Daisy said from behind the door.

_"If you wanna help, then let me go!"_ Misty thought angrily. She waited a few minutes, and eventually heard the footfalls of Daisy walking back down the steps. _"I miss you Ash."_ Once again her thoughts drifted off to Ash, the boy who was the source of her emotional struggles...the boy she loved.


	3. Confiding in a Friend

**Time to get back to Ash, who by now is feeling the effects of those painful memories. Thanks for the reviews so far, and I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I own nothing except the story.**  
**_**

Chapter 3

**Normal POV**

It had only been a few days since Ash first got hit by the "Misty" memory, but the effect was lasting a lot longer than that. Ash was losing focus easier and easier as the days went by, and the only ones who noticed it right away were Brock and Pikachu.

Ash had even gone as far as to put on his old Kanto outfit which by some miracle still fit the growing boy. He had hoped that wearing some memories would make him feel happy, but nothing could've been further from the truth, he merely felt worse. Dawn really didn't notice the costume change, and Brock didn't comment out of kindness and compassion to Ash, but he was really beginning to wonder.

"Well, according to this map, we should hit Solaceon Town in just a few days." Brock said.

"Yeah, that's great Brock." Ash said sullenly.

_"I wonder if his attitude has anything to do with what happened a few days back."_Brock thought.

"Hey, you know what I just noticed?" Dawn asked.

After noting that Ash was in his own little world again, Brock decided to answer instead. "No, what is it?"

"We haven't been attacked by Team Rocket in a while; it's actually kind of weird to have a few days without someone trying to steal our Pokémon." Dawn said naively.

"Well, I don't know about you Dawn, but I'm not exactly complaining about it. What do you think Ash?" Brock asked, trying to get Ash to snap out of it.

Ash's POV

_"Misty…I can't seem to get you out of my head…ever since I saw your handkerchief again, I've been dreaming that you were here again, on the road, having fun, heck…I even enjoyed the arguments we had. I know we'll always be best friends…but I can't help but wish you were here with me."_

"Ash? Ash?" I heard Brock say.

"Hmm? Oh, Team Rocket?" I answered, vaguely recalling what had been mentioned before. "Yeah, they haven't attacked in a while, have they guys?" I said with a smile. I looked at my two traveling partners, and by the looks on their faces, it seemed like I had said something stupid. "What?"

All of a sudden I felt the ground underneath me start to give, and we all fell in a hole. _"Oh no, not again. Now the balloon will show up, and Team Rocket will start their lame motto again. Well, not this time!"_

Jessie: "An evil as old as the galaxy!"

James: "Sent here to fulfill our destiny!"

I was _so_ not in the mood for their garbage. "I am _not _in a good mood today Team Rocket, so I'll tell you your destiny _now!"_ I yelled.

"How _dare_ you interrupt our motto?!" Jessie screamed back.

"Yeah! Dat's really all we got in dis dumb racket!" Meowth added.

"Get out of here…_now_!" I could feel the rage inside of me, I couldn't explain why I was so mad, but I figured it had something to do with my missing Misty so much.

"Well twerp, what's got _you_ so upset?" Jessie asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, you're usually all happy-go-lucky." James added in the same tone.

"That's _it!_ Pikachu, get them out of here with a 'Thunderbolt'!" I yelled angrily.

"Piiiikaaa Chuuuuu!"

I smirked as I watched Team Rocket disappear over the horizon. But not before hearing: "We're blasting off again!"

"Wobbuffet!"

*PING*

**Normal POV**

Brock and Dawn stood in awe at how angry their friend had gotten, they honestly couldn't believe it. "C'mon guys, let's get out of here." Ash said with anger still in his voice. Ash climbed out of the hole with a boost from Brock, and then Ash pulled Brock out of the hole. And in turn, Brock pulled Dawn out.

"Umm, Ash, is something bothering you?" Dawn asked nervously.

Ash didn't bother to turn around. "Never mind, let's just move on."

_"I'm gonna talk to him when we set up camp tonight, I want the old Ash back." _Brock thought.

They moved on a little further, until a young trainer came out of nowhere, challenging Ash to a battle. Ash felt a sudden surge of adrenaline at the proposition of a battle, so he accepted. "Hey, maybe _this'll_ get Ash back on track!" Dawn said hopefully.

"Yeah…maybe." Brock said, "You guys'll need a ref!" Brock took his spot between the two opposing trainers, "This'll be a one-on-one match, battle begin!" Brock yelled.

"Alright, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash threw out the Pokéball, and Ash's new water weasel came out, ready for battle.

"Ok, I choose Butterfree!" the other boy yelled. In a flash of light, the younger boy's Butterfree appeared and hovered in place in the air, awaiting orders.

"I'll start first! Buizel, use 'Water Gun'!" Ash ordered, getting the battle started.

"Buuii Buiii!"

A powerful stream of water went flying straight for the Butterfly Pokémon. "Dodge it Butterfree!" the boy countered. His Butterfree floated out of the way just before the impact was made.

_Alright! Now I can finally get focused and enjoy myself a bit!"_Ash thought excitedly.

"You can do it Ash!" Dawn yelled from the sidelines.

**Ash's POV**

"You can do it Ash!" I heard a voice cheering me on, but the weird thing was, it sounded like Misty! Was I hearing things? "Misty?" I started to look around anywhere my head would turn, thinking that since I heard her voice, she was hanging around somewhere.

**Normal POV**

"What's going on Brock? What is Ash looking for?" Dawn asked the older teen.

_"Misty, huh? So my theory was right!"_Brock thought.

"Butterfree, use 'Sleep Powder'!" the boy cried.

"Freeee!" The Butterfree floated over Buizel, spraying a sleep-inducing powder, and sure enough, Buizel fell asleep.

"Huh, what the?!" Ash jumped when he realized that Buizel had fallen asleep.

"Now Butterfree, use 'Dream Eater'!" Butterfree's eyes began to glow, and Buizel began to toss and turn as his dream was eaten right in his own mind. The resulting torment caused Buizel to faint.

"B-Buizel…are you ok?" Ash asked as he kneeled down next to his friend.

"Bui bui." (I'll be fine.) Buizel replied softly.

"T-The winner is Butterfree." Brock announced in a shocked tone.

"You did great, take a nice rest." Ash said as he returned Buizel to his Pokéball.

"Ash…lost?" Dawn stated in disbelief.

Pikachu bounded next to his master with his ears drooped. "Pikapi?" (Ash?) Pikachu said sadly. Ash slowly got up, and went to shake the hand of the victor.

"Hey, it was a nice battle!" the boy said.

"Yeah…it was great." Ash said, trying to sound optimistic, but he wasn't doing a good job.

"Thanks a lot man! Seeya around!" the boy said happily, and then he turned to go in the opposite direction. Once the boy was out of sight, Ash's fake smile vanished immediately.

"C'mon guys, let's set up camp." Brock said, trying to break the tension.

"Sure Brock." Ash said dejectedly.

After setting up camp, Brock sent Ash to get some firewood for dinner. _"Now's my chance." _Brock thought, "Hey Dawn, I'm gonna go look for some berries ok?" Brock said to his coordinator friend.

"Sure Brock, we'll be fine." Dawn replied.

And with that, Brock took off in Ash's direction.

**Ash's POV**

"Geez, what is _wrong_ with me?!" I yelled at myself. "I'm _hearing_ Misty, I'm _seeing_ Misty, I'm _dreaming_ about Misty! I wonder if a Hypno got a hold of me while I was asleep and put some sort of curse on me."

"Pikapi, Pikachupi pi _pi_ pika chu." (Ash, Misty is _not_ a curse.) Pikachu told me as he sat on my shoulder.

"(Sigh) I know buddy, but I can't explain it! Why is it that all of a sudden I just want Misty around again?!"

"Pika pika pikachu pi pi!" (Because you like her for gosh sake!)

I flinched when Pikachu told me that. _"Me? Like _Misty?_ Hah! Give me a break. I mean sure, she's my best friend, but that's all she's ever been…right?"_ It was then that I started to question what my true feelings towards Misty were. Sure she was my friend, but was I starting to like her as something more than that? And if that was the case, was that why her absence was hurting more than it ever had before?

"Hey Ash!"

I turned around and saw Brock running towards me, and he looked pretty tired. "Is something wrong Brock?"

"Yeah, something _is_ wrong, it's _you."_ He said plainly.

_"(Gulp) He noticed? I can't let him know!"_ I put on a smile and denied it. "There's nothing wrong with me Brock." I could tell by the look on his face that he didn't buy it.

"Ash, you lost to a beginner trainer with a Butterfree." Brock replied calmly.

"So? Everyone has a bad day every now and then."

"Not only does that not _sound_ like you Ash, I _know_ it's not you."

_"He's not buying it." _I finally thought.

"Pi pikachu Pikapi." (Give it up Ash.) Pikachu said.

I figured the jig was up. Brock wasn't falling for my act. "Sit down Ash." Brock said. I complied, and put down what little firewood I did manage to find. "During the battle with that kid, do you know why you lost?" Brock asked me.

_"Because I lost focus, that's why! But…let's see what Brock's idea is." _I shrugged, "Why Brock?"

"You were looking for Misty. Did you hear her or something?" Brock asked me with one of his eyebrows raised.

_"Oh crud. He definitely knows..." _I sighed inwardly. I guess I couldn't blame him for being concerned, it wasn't like I was doing a good job of hiding my feelings._ "Well, I might as well stop hiding it, maybe I'll get lucky and he can help me."_

"Well Ash?" Brock asked again.

"(Sigh) You got me Brock. I could've sworn I heard Misty's voice, when I did, I lost track of what I was doing."

"It wasn't just today Ash, how long has this been bugging you?" Brock asked calmly. I admired Brock's ability to be patient with me with this. It made things a little easier, but not much.

**Brock's POV**

_"This being patient thing is driving me crazy! I know why Ash is freaking out, but he needs to figure it out on his own… (groan) stay cool Brock."_

**Ash's POV**

"It started a few days ago..." I looked up, and Brock made a face that said to continue. "After the battle with Dawn, I went over to get my hat and put it back on…but something fell out of my hat." I took off my hat, and pulled out Misty's handkerchief. I looked at Brock, and his face now showed that he was in awe. "Misty gave this to me before she left...not sure _why _exactly, but I've always kept it with me. But for some reason…whenever I see it these days, it hurts me…like on the inside."

**Brock's POV**

_"D'oh! Ash you are the densest person I know! She gave it to you because she likes you! And you like her too! Why can't you figure that out?!"_ I thought to myself. _"I guess I'll have to make it obvious for him."_ I looked him straight in the eye. "Ash, I'm gonna ask you this, and I want you to be dead honest with me." I said in the most serious tone I could manage. Ash nodded in understanding. "What are your feelings towards Misty?"

Ash's face scrunched up right before my eyes; I could tell that those rusty gears in his head were turning as he pondered my question. "(Sigh) Brock, I'm honestly not sure…I mean, she's my best friend and all, but I have this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach that's saying I want more." Ash finally said.

_"Hmm…is he finally getting it?"_ I thought.

"At first, I thought I was just hungry…"

_"D'oh…only you would think that Ash."_

"But even after I ate something, I still felt this burning sensation whenever I thought about her…and it's been amplified ever since this thing made a reappearance." Ash said, holding up the handkerchief.

_"Time to point out the obvious, it's now or never." _I thought. "Ash, what would you say if I could tell you _exactly_ why you felt that?"

"I would be pretty grateful, that's what." Ash replied.

"Ok, brace yourself…" I told him. Ash's entire body tensed up when I told him that. As if he knew I was going to say something he didn't necessarily want to hear. "You…love…Misty." I said plainly. As soon as I said the word "love", Ash's eyes started to bug out. _"And cue the denial."_ I thought. My thought would prove correct.

"How can you be so sure Brock?!" he yelled in both frustration and shock.

"Because that's the way I feel every time I see Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy!" I started to daydream without even realizing it. "My heart feels like it's on fire and my stomach feels like it's full of Butterfree! And all I want is to fulfill those feelings inside of me by-" I suddenly felt a stinging sensation in my side.

**Normal POV**

"Croagunk!" (Cool it!) Brock's Croagunk croaked.

"This…feeling…isn't part…of the…equation." Brock strained, feeling the effects of Croagunk's 'Poison Jab'. Ash and Pikachu sweat-dropped at their constantly love-struck friend. Luckily Brock recovered quickly, and got back to the conversation at hand. "Ash, I'm serious though. That feeling you have really is love. I was really hoping you'd figure it out years ago, when Misty was still around." Brock said sullenly.

"Well Brock, it's too late now I guess. There's no way for me to tell her, and she wouldn't feel the same anyway." Ash hung his head.

_"I wish I could tell you this man, but if I told you that Misty loves you, she'd flatten me with her mallet."_ Brock thought. "Ash, you don't know for sure if she doesn't feel the same way." Brock encouraged.

"But Brock, if I tell her and she doesn't feel the same, our friendship will be ruined!" Ash said sadly.

_"Now this, I can help with." _Brock thought.

"Wrong, Ash!" Ash's head jerked back up in shock at the sudden outburst, "You two will be able to stay friends no matter what, you've been through thick and thin together, and that won't be thrown away by a risk that must be taken." Brock said seriously.

"Are you sure Brock? I mean...if I change the way things are now, it might get worse, I mean...Misty _does_ have a tendency to get angry. Ash replied nervously.

"I'll admit that's true, but I know for a fact that Misty is the kind of friend that you can trust with anything." Brock reassured, "You _do _trust her don't you?"

Ash looked at the breeder in training incredulously, "Of _course _I trust her!"

"Then what's the problem?"

Ash smiled and replied, "You know Brock, maybe you're right."

"Don't act so surprised, I have experience with girls and stuff like that." Brock said confidently.

"Yeah, a total of three." Ash said jokingly.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.

"When you see a girl, Croagunk jabs you. Before that, May's little brother Max would pull you away by the ear. And of course, good 'ol Misty, she'd either yank you away the way she taught Max, or smash you with her mallet!" Ash laughed, counting Brock's past failures with girls on his fingers.

Brock face-faulted once Ash finished, knowing he had just been bested by the usually dense Pokémon trainer. With a quick recovery, Brock stood up. "Well, we better get back to camp. Dawn's probably getting worried by now." Brock said, turning around to walk away.

"Hey Brock?" Ash said, as Pikachu jumped back onto his shoulder.

"Yeah Ash?"

"Thanks for talking to me…but…can I ask a favor?" Ash asked, obviously worried about something.

"Yeah, sure, what is it?"

"Don't tell Dawn what we talked about please!" Ash said with panic in his voice, "She'd never let me live it down if she knew about this. She'd probably try to see if Misty liked me back and ruin everything!"

"Pikapi, pi pi pika chu." (Ash, I really think she does though.) Pikachu said, trying to encourage his master.

"I wish I could find out Pikachu, but she's at the gym now." Ash said dejectedly. The duo headed back to the campsite in uneasy silence.


	4. Secret Plans

**Ok, I admittedly made a mistake with an upload, so this chapter has been rewritten. I hope I managed to recapture everything I did before, and if I didn't, I apologize. Well, here we go with Chapter 4.2.  
_**

Chapter 4

**Normal POV**

After speaking with Brock, Ash felt a little bit better since he managed to get the pain off his chest and even explain what was going on. But now a new thought was swirling in his mind. Brock had come right out and said that Ash was in love with Misty, and the normally dense Pokémon Trainer had actually been convinced that it was the truth. But now that he knew the truth, Ash thought that the pain would never go away until he saw Misty again.

As for Brock, the silence was positively unraveling for the breeder, not even Pikachu was making so much as a squeak. So he tried to lighten the atmosphere a little with some friendly conversation. Maybe even something about Misty, maybe he could see if Ash understood what he had said to him.

"So, what did Misty say the last time you talked to her?" Brock asked.

"Well, that was a few months ago...she said that she was starting to train Daisy in battling. Misty was getting tired of handling the entire workload for herself." Ash replied.

"That's understandable. With a gym as popular as Misty's, it'd be nice to get some help." Brock figured, "So how was that going?"

"Well, I asked her that and she said that Daisy might actually be enjo - Brock, that's it!" Ash exclaimed suddenly.

The breeder was caught off guard by Ash's sudden outburst. "What? What's it?"

"I've got a great idea Brock, where's the nearest Pokémon Center?" Ash asked excitedly.

"It's a mile or two north from here...But we can't stay _there_ for the night Ash! We already set up camp!" Brock replied.

"Don't worry Brock; the only one going is _me. _Go ahead and head back to camp; I'll be back as soon as I can!" Ash handed the two small twigs he had managed to find to Brock, and took off down the road, leaving the utterly bewildered breeder to try and figure out what had just happened.

**Brock's POV**

I watched Ash take off down the road with Pikachu hanging on for dear life. "Ok, let me think, what could've brought that on?" I replayed the last few minutes in my head to try and figure out why Ash took off so suddenly. My brain wasn't able to process it in the moment because of the abrupt change of attitude he had, I thought he may have just gone crazy and we'd have to call the men in the white coats to go after him.

_"Well, I asked her that and she said that Daisy might actually be enjo - Brock, that's it!"_

That was where it started. Ash mentioned Misty and Daisy training with each other, but what was the "it" he mentioned?

_"I've got a great idea Brock, where's the nearest Pokémon Center?"_

"An idea huh? That'd be a step up for Ash. Now the big question is...what_ is_ the idea?" As I continued to walk back to camp, holding the two twigs that Ash had oh-so-graciously handed to me before he took, I pondered what Ash's huge revelation could've been. "Maybe he's gonna go call Misty? Nah, that's too sensible for Ash. Maybe he'll find someone who looks like Misty and ask her to join us...uh uh, too crazy even for _him._ Meh, whatever it is, it's _bound_ to be interesting." I decided to give up on trying to figure the complex and yet not so complex mind of Ash Ketchum. It just took too much brain power to unravel the mysteries of his mind. The only ones who could ever read him that easily were Misty and his own mother. And so I finally reached the campsite, where Dawn was still waiting, but she looked kinda tired of being patient.

"Where've you been?!" Dawn asked with her hands on her hips, "I was getting worried."

"I couldn't find any berries out there." I replied.

"Hey, where's Ash? And why are _you_ holding firewood?"

"Uh..." I was hesitant to explain. Ash had quite clearly explained that he DID NOT want Dawn to know how he felt about Misty. And I could understand why. Dawn did have a tendency to meddle in things that were none of her business. "He went to go run an errand. He should be back in no time."

"Well I certainly hope so, I'm starving!" Dawn hissed angrily, her attitude quickly changing from concern to hunger-induced anger.

_"Hurry up Ash! She may not compare to Misty, but an angry Dawn can be pretty scary too!"_

**Ash's POV**

An incredible idea had popped into my brain, I was proud of myself for having it. I ran as fast as I could toward the Center, with Pikachu clinging desperately to my shoulder, not trying to fall off as I continued to speed towards the Center. "Pikapi! Pika pika chu?" (Ash, where are we going?) Pikachu squealed, his eyes squeezed shut to keep out the wind blowing in his eyes.

"To the Pokémon Center Pikachu! We've gotta call an old friend!"

"Pikachupi?" (Misty?)

I chuckled at that, it made sense that Pikachu would think that was my big idea, and it did involve Misty, but not directly, at least not yet. "Nope, we're not calling Misty; we're calling an 'old' friend." I snickered. Pikachu gave an exasperated groan as he understood my pun. We finally reached the Center, and I burst in and looked at the clock, and saw that it was only 8:30 P.M. "Perfect, it's not too late!" I ran to the videophones and quickly dialed the number. I was going so fast that I figured I had to redial the number over eight times.

**Normal POV**

*Ring ring, ring ring, phone call, phone call* Somewhere in the Kanto Region, a videophone was ringing wildly, calling to the recipient of the call to answer it. "Now who could it be at this time at night?"

The phone was answered, and Ash soon appeared on the screen. "Hi Professor Oak!" he said cheerfully.

"Oh, hello Ash! To what do I owe the honor?" Prof. Oak replied. Ash explained his situation to the wise man, making sure to leave out the parts about Misty of course. "I see, hold on just a moment Ash, I'll make the call."

Prof. Oak walked off the screen, leaving Ash and Pikachu waiting in anticipation. "Guess we'll know in a minute, eh Pikachu?" Ash pet the head of his Pokémon partner, who responded with an affectionate purr.

After a few minutes, the Professor came back onto the screen, and sat himself down with a smile on his face. "You're in luck Ash, he should be at your location tomorrow morning." he said happily.

Ash punched the air with excitement. "Thanks a lot Professor, I really appreciate it!"

Just then, Ash's Muk came onto the screen and smothered the Professor. "I think Muk appreciates you for calling!" Prof. Oak said in slight distress.

"Ha ha! Hi Muk!" Ash said. Muk waved his globby hand at his master, while the Professor tried to get out from underneath it. "Ok Professor, thanks for everything, talk to you later!" And with that, Ash hung up the videophone and got up to look at the clock. "Hmm, 8:45, well, I guess that's not so bad." Seeing that he had accomplished his goal sooner than expected, Ash decided that healing his Pokémon, especially Buizel who had taken a beating, would be a good idea. "Hey Nurse Joy, how about a recharge?"

"No problem young man, I'll be back in a few minutes." Nurse Joy replied.

Ash handed the nurse his Pokéballs and Pikachu, and was soon left alone in the lobby to wait. "I hope I'll see you soon Misty."

Meanwhile, Dawn was practically fuming at Ash. She hadn't gotten to eat yet and it was because Ash hadn't gotten any firewood and Brock didn't get to cook. "Where the heck is he?! I swear I'm gonna have to have a long talk with him when he gets back!" Dawn screamed furiously.

_"You're a little late Dawn; I already had one of those with him."_ Brock thought. "Relax, he'll be here soon, I know it." The breeder was trying to sound calm, but he definitely didn't want Dawn to get any angrier, she might start using him as a target to practice contest moves on. Just then, Ash was seen coming up the road, and Brock gave a sigh of relief.

However, Dawn was not satisfied with Ash just coming back; she wanted to get her two cents in, and maybe another dollar's worth of words. "Where have you been?! We haven't even eaten dinner yet thanks to you!" Dawn screamed, her hands getting uncomfortably close to hitting his face.

"Sorry, but it was important." Ash replied, putting his hands up in self-defense.

"More important than _dinner?!_ Ash, you've _never_ missed a meal before, for _any_ reason! What could _possibly_ be so important that you miss out on _food?!"_ Dawn screamed. Now Brock thought this was amusing to watch. He was interested in seeing how Ash would slip his way out of telling the truth.

"I uh...had to...take Buizel to the nearby Pokémon Center!" Ash replied quickly.

_"Hmm, not a bad answer."_ Brock thought.

"After all, a trainer like me should _always_ have his Pokémon in tip-top shape!" Ash added cockily.

_"D'oh, so close. You shoulda just left it at that."_ Brock thought.

"Well whatever, at least you're back." Dawn huffed.

"Yep, I sure am! Now let's eat!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

"Uh, sure Ash, but what'll we make?" Brock asked.

"What do you mean?" Ash replied.

"We have no fire, how do I cook?" Brock asked.

"How can you not have a fire?! I gave you the firewood before I left!" Ash yelled.

"You mean those two twigs you gave me? They burned out before I could even boil any water." Brock replied.

"Oh no, I have to go back out there!" Ash face-faulted in shock, and Dawn and Brock shared a laugh at their unfortunate friend.

After Ash found a few bits and pieces out in the woods, Brock managed to get a strong enough fire to reheat some leftovers. They had themselves a dinner of leftover rice balls that Ash happily scarfed down, and then they got ready for bed.

**Ash's POV**

I began to set out my sleeping bag, and then Misty popped into my head again, but for some reason, I didn't feel as much pain as I had before. _"I sure hope my plan works, I want my Misty back...did I just call her _'my' Misty?_ Wow, I must love her more than I thought..._'love'?_ Wow Brock, you sure did a number on me."_ I knew now that the feelings I had for Misty were pure and genuine, but I hadn't yet grown accustomed to thinking of her like that. But one thing was for sure, I liked it. As I crawled into my sleeping bag, Pikachu walked up and curled himself next to my head for a goodnight's sleep. I pet his head and just waited for morning to come, thinking about Misty the whole night through.

**Normal POV**

The next morning, Ash, Dawn, and Brock were once again on their way to Saffron City. After a little while, they heard a faint roar in the distance. _"That's gotta be him!"_ Ash thought excitedly.

They looked up into the sky, and saw an orange dragon-like creature soaring through the air. "Whoa, check that out Ash, it's a Charizard!" Brock said.

"That's not just _any_ Charizard Brocko." Ash replied.

It took a moment for Brock to understand what Ash had meant by that. _"It's _Ash's_ Charizard!"_

"Charizard! Down here!" Ash yelled. The giant dragon swooped down to where they were, and then he landed, causing the ground around them to rumble a little bit, and he announced his presence with his signature roar while spewing a Flamethrower.

"Aaah!" Dawn was obviously terrified by Ash's dragon. She hid behind the breeder's back as if he could hide her from the large fire/flying-type, and she pulled out her pink Pokédex shakily in order to scan the Pokémon.

"Charizard, the Flame Pokémon, and the evolved form of Charmeleon. Charizard's powerful flame can melt absolutely anything." her Pokédex chirped.

"Hey buddy, how ya been?" Ash asked, patting the dragon's side. Charizard shrugged dismissively with a low grunt.

"How are you and Charla holding up?" Brock asked, always interested in seeing how romantic relationships are turning out. Charizard looked away and growled angrily. "Oh…I see." Brock quickly regretted asking.

"Hey, don't worry about it Charizard, remember you still have friends on your side, we'll always back you up whenever you need it." Ash said, stroking the back of his old friend. Charizard grunted with a small smirk on his face, and motioned for Ash to hop onto his back. Ash did just that, he positioned himself securely onto the dragon's back, and readied for takeoff.

After seeing that, Brock had managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and knew exactly what Ash had in mind. "Good luck Ash." he said.

Ash looked down and stared straight at Brock. "…Thanks Brock…for everything." he replied. "I'll see you guys later, let's go Charizard!" Charizard unleashed a mighty roar, and took off into the skies, leaving Brock and a very confused Dawn behind.

**Dawn's POV**

Ok, had I missed something? First Ash goes into a depression, and then he starts hearing somebody I don't know about, he takes off to the Pokémon Center without telling us and leaves us waiting for an hour, comes back happy, and now a giant dragon showed up out of nowhere and took him away. "What was _that_ all about?!"

Brock took a quick glance at me. "Ash has an errand to run, he'll be back in a couple of days." he said to me.

"A couple of _days?!_ Where the heck is he _going?!"_

"We should probably get to Solaceon Town." Brock said, totally dodging my question.

"Tell me where he's going Brock." I said as calmly as I could.

"Look, he'll be back, just leave it at that."

"No way! I wanna know what's going on!" I started running to try and tackle the breeder, and in turn Brock took off running as well. "I'm gonna get you Brock! I _hate_ secrets being kept from me! I'll find out what's going on if it's the last thing I do!"

**Brock's POV**

_"Make it fast Ash; I don't think I can put up with her for very long!"_

**Ash's POV**

Thanks to Charizard, my plan was in motion. "Think you can make it all the way to Cerulean City Charizard?" Charizard nodded and grunted. Thanks to that training in the Charicific Valley, Charizard was a mighty powerhouse that I could count on whenever I needed him, and this flight to Cerulean was more important than any battle I had ever done, at least in my mind it was.

"Pika pi _pi_ chu pika pi Pikachupi." (So we _are_ going to see Misty.)

I didn't bother to respond. Why repeat what Pikachu already knew? He knew how I felt about Misty, and he knew where we were going. "The plan's going great so far."

"Pi pika pika pi chu pika chu." (I'm still not sure what the plan is though.)

"Heh heh, you'll find out soon enough. But I will tell you this, if it works, it'll make everybody happier." I said, _"Especially me."_ I felt myself blush a little when I added that thought in my mind.

"Pika pika chu." (If you say so.)

With Pikachu in my arms and Charizard carrying me there, I would soon be at my target location, where Misty Waterflower resided. "Get ready Misty, here I come!"


	5. Reunion

**I've crossed valleys, climbed mountains, and...faced a certain illness known as the common cold to bring you this chapter, but I feel it's worth it. In case you didn't know before, I don't own anything except my imagination which created the story. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you continue to read this story. Soon we'll be at the end of my original ideas, and we'll start the Diamond and Pearl episodes + Misty. Enjoy!  
_**

Chapter 5

**Normal POV**

Our heroes are on their way to Solaceon Town, but there seems to be someone missing in their party. "You still haven't told me where Ash went, Brock." Dawn said, glaring at her older friend.

"I already told you, he's running an errand and he'll be back in a couple of days."

"That's not what I wanted to hear Brock, _where_ is he?"

_"Why did you have to make me keep it a secret Ash? She's driving me crazy!"_ All of a sudden, another hole appeared out of nowhere, for the second time that week. _"Yes, now the interrogation will stop for a little while!"_ Brock thought, half-relieved that Team Rocket chose now to show up. Sure enough, the Meowth Balloon floated from above, and Jessie, James, and Meowth began their newest motto.

Jessie: "Listen, is that the voice of surprised twerps I hear?"

James: "It's speaking to me loud and clear."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope and putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name is just as sweet."

James: "When everything is worse, our work is complete."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: We're Team Rocket!"

And all three of them finished with: "In your face!"

And as was his custom, Wobbuffet appeared to enter his input. "Wooo buffet!"

"Mime mime mime!" (That's right!)

"Team Rocket!" Dawn and Brock exclaimed from the hole.

"You know you guys have no sense of consistency?!" Dawn yelled angrily.

"What's dat supposed ta mean?" Meowth yelled back.

"You didn't even use the same motto as last time!" Dawn replied. Team Rocket face-faulted, then quickly recovered.

"We decided to change things up a bit, yesterday's motto was from the days of the brown-haired twerpette, but we didn't even get to finish so what do you care?!" Jessie screamed.

"What is it you want this time?!" Brock yelled at them. _"As if we didn't already know."_

"The same thing we always want! Give us Pikachu!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Um…Jess?" James said timidly.

"What is it James?" Jessie snapped. James pointed down into the hole and counted the number of twerps. "One, two, th – hey! Where's the Pikachu toting twerp?!" Jessie yelled angrily.

_"Uh oh, back to square one."_ Brock thought nervously.

"Yeah Brock, where_ is_ Ash?" Dawn asked, narrowing her eyes at Brock.

"W-Why should we tell you guys anything?!" Brock yelled, ignoring Dawn's question.

"Because if the twerp with the Pikachu isn't here, all the work we put into digging this hole will be wasted!" James said with disappointment.

"Forget dat Pikachu! We'll just hafta settle for nabbin' all de other Pokémon!" Meowth exclaimed.

"Forget it Team Rocket! Let's go Croagunk!" Brock yelled, sending out his faithful frog. Croagunk appeared from his Pokéball and croaked randomly.

"If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get! Go Seviper!" Jessie called out her snake, who hissed savagely. "Seviper, use 'Poison Tail'!" Seviper charged towards the squatting frog with ferocity that could strike fear into the heart's of almost any Pokémon. Any Pokémon that didn't belong to Ash, Brock, or Dawn that is.

"Croagunk! Dodge, and use 'Brick Break'!" Croagunk leaped into the air and avoided the sweeping 'Poison Tail', then his hand glowed and he brought it down hard onto Seviper's head.

"Get up Seviper! Show some spine!" Jessie yelled. Seviper recovered quickly, and got back into battle-ready stance. "Are you going to attack or not?!" Jessie yelled at James.

"Oh, right." James said sheepishly, pulling out a Pokéball. "Carnivine, I choose you!" James exclaimed, sending out his larger grass-type. Carnivine appeared, then immediately turned around to bite James' head affectionately. "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not food?! Use 'Bullet Seed'!" James yelled. Carnivine opened his mouth and the 'Bullet Seed' started raining down on Croagunk, who fell back from the impact.

"Aah! Croagunk, are you alright?" Brock asked with concern.

"Croagunk!" (I'm fine!)

"Alright, use 'Poison Sting'!"

Dawn finally jumped out of the hole and joined the brawl. "Buneary, get out here and use 'Ice Beam'!" She yelled as she called out her rabbit Pokémon.

"Buuuu neary!" Buneary popped out of her Pokéball, and immediately fired a powerful Ice Beam, just as Croagunk launched his Poison Sting. Seviper and Carnivine were knocked back into their respective master's, just in time to be blasted off.

"I can't believe this! We manage to lose even when the twerp and his Pikachu aren't around!" Jessie yelled, fuming at the fact that they had lost again.

"Hey look, we're flying towards da Kanto region!" Meowth exclaimed.

"How do you know that Meowth?" James asked.

"Call it Poké-instinct." Meowth replied.

"Will you two boneheads shut up? Who cares where we're going? The point is…" Jessie yelled.

"We're blasting off again!"

"Wooo buffet!"

*Ping*

"Nice job Croagunk, return." Brock said before recalling his poison frog.

"So Brock, I'm not the _only_ one who would like to know where Ash is." Dawn said, narrowing her eyes at Brock for about the hundredth time that day.

"Good thing I didn't tell, huh?" Brock said, feigning pride.

"Well, Team Rocket is gone now; can you tell me where he is now?" Dawn asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes in an attempt to sway the breeder.

"Sorry Dawn. That information is classified." Brock said calmly.

Dawn had had enough at this point. "(Growl) Buneary, use 'Ice Beam' on Brock until he fesses up!" Dawn said with an evil grin on her face.

"You wouldn't…" Brock said nervously. Buneary fired an 'Ice Beam' at Brock's feet, causing him to jump five feet into the air. _"She_ _would!"_ Brock took off down the road, running from 'Ice Beams' for as long as he could run.

"You can't run forever Brock! I hate having secrets kept from me!" Dawn yelled, chasing after him.

_"If you knew the importance of this secret, you wouldn't be doing this!"_ Brock thought.

**Ash's POV**

"Hey Charizard, thanks for doing this for me." Charizard grunted and shrugged dismissively, but I knew that was his way of saying 'You're welcome'. All that training at the Charicific Valley had made him way stronger than I could have made him by myself. I looked around and saw something flying across the sky, and so did Pikachu. "Look Pikachu, it's not every day you see a shooting star in the daytime!"

"Pika." (Wow.) He said in awe.

I closed my eyes and made a wish. "Please_, after all the trouble me and my friends are going through, let this plan work…and let Misty like me the same way I like her."_ I no longer had any doubts about how I felt about Misty, I did love her…but for how long I've loved her, I wasn't sure. Maybe I always have and never realized it.

"Pikapi, pi pi ka chu?" (Ash, what's on your mind?) Pikachu asked me, nuzzling my neck.

"Oh, I was just thinking about Misty again." As I said that, I felt my cheeks starting to grow warm.

"Pikachupi pi ka chu pika pika." (Misty does like you, I just know it.)

"I sure hope so buddy." I replied. I heard Charizard grunt, as we were nearing our destination. "Cerulean City! We're almost there! Just a little more Charizard!" I encouraged my friend, who I noticed was starting to get severely fatigued. _"We're over an ocean, if Charizard gives out now, we're in serious trouble."_ I thought nervously.

**Misty's POV**

After many more encounters with Daisy, I was starting to become exasperated with the whole situation. Why did she want to talk to me about this so badly? I went to the gym's pool to take a quick swim to try and calm my nerves. I changed into my red bathing suit, and set Azurill by the edge of the pool. _"Ahh, finally, the one place where I can be alone with my thoughts. Underwater!"_ I swam to the bottom of the pool, and started to think. _"I wonder where Ash is right now. Probably battling another gym leader…I can't help but be proud of him…he's fulfilling his dreams…like I want to."_ I thought, _"Who knows, maybe one day one of my sisters will step up and allow me to find him someday. It seems unlikely, but there's nothing wrong with hoping."_ As my breath started to give out, I swam back to the top and took in a big gulp of air.

"Azu azu!" (Look, look!) Azurill cried, pointing her tail towards the gym door.

"What is it Azurill?"

"Azu zu zurill." (I think someone's there.)

"Well, only one way to find out." I picked up Azurill into my arms and hugged her close, there was always a feeling of comfort when I had Azurill with me, but the inner turmoil I was feeling lately was more than Azurill alone could cure. I walked to the door, dreaming that it would be Ash standing there, inviting me in for a hug. But that was impossible…he was all the way in Sinnoh. I finally got to the door and opened it.

**Ash's POV**

"You did awesome Charizard, I'm way beyond proud of you." I rubbed the back of my exhausted dragon, who had just enough strength to land at the edge of Cerulean City. "Now, we'll get you to Nurse Joy so that she can get your strength back up for the flight back." Charizard growled, which was his way of saying "ok". "Charizard, return." I recalled my powerful friend into its Pokéball, which would make the trip way easier. "Alright Pikachu, first stop is the Pokémon Center, and then, Cerulean Gym!" I said excitedly.

"Pi pika chu!" (Alright!) Pikachu exclaimed with the same excitement. I laughed at my friend's enthusiasm.

Luckily for me and Pikachu, the walk wasn't very long, and we reached the Pokémon Center in a total time of maybe ten minutes. "Take good care of Charizard, he went all out to get me here, and he's beyond exhausted." I said as I handed Charizard's Pokéball to Nurse Joy.

"Of course young man. I'll see to it personally, you're welcome to wait if you'd like." She offered.

"No thanks Nurse Joy, I have other plans to attend to."

"Well then, good luck to you." She said cheerfully.

"Seeya Nurse Joy, I'll be back to pick up Charizard!" I waved bye to her and walked out the doors of the center. "And now…" I paused to allow my friend to finish the sentence.

"Pikachupi!" (Misty!) Pikachu shouted ecstatically.

"You got it! So what are we waiting for?!" I ran off in the direction of Misty's gym, excitement running up and down my spine. My stomach felt more and more like Butterfree with every bounding step I took. "_Am I hung- nope, I'm not falling for that again. My stomach is acting this way because of Misty."_ I thought with a smile on my face. At least, I thought that was what it was, until my stomach growled angrily. "Oh, heh heh, looks like I really _am_ hungry." I said with a sweat-drop. Pikachu chuckled at that. "Ok, first we get a snack, and _then_ we go see Misty." Me and Pikachu took a small detour to a nearby hot-dog stand, and I bought a hot-dog for me with packets of ketchup and mustard. I only cared for mustard on my hot-dogs, which worked out since Pikachu had already opened the packets of ketchup and started eating them all. "I guess some things never change, eh Pikachu?" I said, laughing at my friend's face which was now covered in ketchup.

"Pi ka chu!" (That's right!) he replied, licking his face. We finished our lunch in considerable silence.

Before long, we were back on the road to Cerulean gym. "There it is!"

"Pikachupi!" (Misty!)

I ran to the front door of the gym and was about to open it, when I got slammed into the wall by an overly excited kid who was running out of the gym. "We did it! Can you believe it Growlithe?" the boy said happily.

"Growl growl!" (Awesome!) it replied.

The boy ran off with a Cascade Badge in his hand. "Misty lost to a fire-type? Weird…" I said to myself after dusting myself off. I chuckled to myself. "Misty's probably pretty mad now, eh Pikachu?"

"Pika pika." (Yeah, probably.)

"Hmm, I have an idea; Misty hasn't heard my new 'puberty' voice. Let's see if we can make this visit a pleasant surprise."

"Pikapi, pi pi ka chu?" (Ash, what are you going to do?) Pikachu asked suspiciously.

I slammed my fist against the door and yelled: "I'm here to see the Gym Leader of Cerulean!"

**Misty's POV**

I was beyond angry now. I lost to a fire-type! I just knew that Daisy would try to talk to me about _this_ too. I was about to walk up to my room and cry some more, when I heard a determined voice from outside the gym. "I'm here to see the gym leader of Cerulean!" the voice yelled. The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it, but I did know that I was not in the mood for any more battles, so I tried to walk away, but whoever was there kept banging on the door.

I turned around, mallet at the ready, and peered my head out the door with my eyes closed. I didn't want to see the face of the boy I was about to hurt the feelings of. "Well the gym's closed for the day so you'll have to get your dumb badge tomorrow!" I yelled angrily.

"I just said I wanted to see the Gym Leader, I didn't say _anything_ about a badge." the voice replied, suddenly very timid. I opened my eyes and I immediately thought I was dreaming. It just couldn't be…

_"A-Ash?"_


	6. Together At Last: Ash and Daisy?

**Two chapters in one day? What are the odds? Oh well, enjoy this anyway, and I hope I was able to keep the suspense going. Oh yeah, I don't own anything except the story.****  
****_**

Chapter 6

**Misty's POV**

"A-Ash? Is it really you?" I asked in shock.

"Of course it's me, did you think it was Team Rocket or something?" Ash replied with his hand behind his head.

"B-But, how - I mean when...what are you doing here?" I stammered. I still couldn't believe it was real, but nevertheless, here was Ash Ketchum standing in front of me.

**Ash's POV**

_"Thank goodness for puberty. I don't have to look up to see her face anymore; I must be her height at least."_ I thought. "She still seems like she doesn't believe it Pikachu, want to give her a 'Thundershock' to prove it?" I said with a sly grin, I knew that would get her.

"Don't you _dare_ Ash Ketchum!" she yelled angrily.

I chuckled at Misty's expression change. "Well, can I come in or what?" I asked innocently. Misty's expression changed again as she invited me into the gym.

**Misty's POV**

I let Ash walk in first, and it was then I noticed how much Ash had grown. And if I looked real close, I could swear that I could see some muscle tone starting to appear on his arms. After walking into the gym, I turned to face Ash. I had so many questions…but I thought that they should wait until I got used to the fact that he was here. "Well Ash, it's good to see you, but I'm still having trouble believing that you're actually here."

"That 'Thundershock' is still available if you want it." Ash joked. Pikachu's cheeks started to spark playfully.

I ignored the little jab, but I could feel the corners of my mouth starting to turn upwards. "Well it feels good to see you without having to look down, it makes things less awkward." My hand flew to my mouth once I realized what I had said. _"Why did I just say that?! Have I lost my mind?!"_ I regained my composure and saw that Ash had his hand behind his head.

"Well, to be honest, the feeling is mutual since I don't have to look up anymore."

I giggled at his comment.

**Ash's POV**

_"Wow, she's so pretty. I never really stopped to notice that before…I missed a lot." _My cheeks turned a little pink when she mentioned my height, and my hand immediately flew to the back of my head. That was its favorite place to go whenever I got embarrassed. Well, one compliment deserves another. "Well, to be honest, the feeling is mutual since I don't have to look up anymore." I replied. Misty giggled after I said that. She had the sweetest laugh, and she had her hair down, it looked best that way, except now it was a lot longer, flowing down past her shoulders...it really suited her. "And it looks like I'm not the _only_ thing that's grown." Misty's eyes grew wide and her face turned beet red. Why was that? I reached behind her and played with a lock of her red hair. I just couldn't help myself, it was so pretty I _had _to touch it. I just hoped she wouldn't pound me because of it.

**Misty's POV**

"And it looks like I'm not the _only_ thing that's grown." Ash said.

_"W-What does he mean by that?"_ I thought nervously, where had Ash's mind just gone? I saw his hand head for the back of my head, and I felt him play with my hair. _"Oh, he's feeling my hair, he was talking about my hair."_ I felt a sense of relief wash over me once I realized what he had meant, but just as quickly I felt my heart begin to race again when I realized what he was doing._"Wait, Ash Ketchum is feeling my hair!"_ The urge to giggle girlishly was incredible, but I couldn't let him know he was affecting me that way. Now was a good time to start asking questions, since my blush was starting to become uncontrollable. "S-So how'd you get here Ash? The Sinnoh Region isn't exactly across the street." I said as I backed up a few steps and replaced my hair.

"You can thank Charizard for that; he gave it his all to get here." Ash said. I could tell that he was proud of his friend for his effort, that's always been Ash. Proud of his Pokémon no matter what.

"Pikachupi!" (Misty!) Pikachu squealed.

"Oh yeah, how can I forget you Pikachu?" I said cheerfully. I opened my arms for Pikachu, who hopped off of Ash's shoulder and jumped into my arms for a hug. Pikachu squealed with glee as I hugged him tightly. "So why _are_ you here Ash?" I asked innocently. I had no idea that the incoming answer would involve me so much.

**Ash's POV**

"So why _are_ you here Ash?" she asked me sweetly.

_"What do I tell her?" _I thought nervously. "Well, to be honest, I've _really_ missed you Misty, so I decided to stop by." I hoped she would buy it...it wasn't necessarily a lie either.

**Misty's POV**

"Well, to be honest, I've _really _missed you Misty, so I decided to stop by." Ash said.

_"He missed me?"_ I thought. _"Probably as a friend, nothing more."_ I figured he meant only as a friend, but even as a friend, I was flattered. "Well…I – I missed you too…actually." I said, blushing.

"Really?"

"Really." I could feel my blush growing stronger, and if I didn't know any better, it almost looked like Ash was blushing too. I suddenly felt the urge to pull him into a tight hug, but then we were interrupted.

"Hey, what's going on here?" I heard someone say. I turned around to see Daisy walking over, and I immediately tried to get my blush under control. "Hey! It's Misty's boyfriend!" Daisy exclaimed.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend!" I yelled at her. I was surprised when I didn't hear Ash deny it as well. Instead, he looked down at the floor as if he was trying to hide something.

"Are you _sure?_ He doesn't look like he wants to deny it with you." Daisy teased.

I was really getting ticked at my sister.

**Ash's POV**

It hurt to hear Misty deny it so quickly. I don't think I'd mind being Misty's boyfriend. But now was not the right time to say something. I had a plan, and it was now or never. "So Daisy, when was the last time you had a Pokémon battle?" I asked her.

"That was like, a week ago, with Misty."

"Ash, if you want to have a battle, I'd be happy to oblige." Misty said.

_"Please don't hammer me for this."_ I thought nervously. "Thanks Misty, but I want to see if you're not the _only_ Waterflower who can battle." I said with determination.

_"Fine!_ Be that way!" Misty yelled angrily. I watched Misty stomp up the stairs into the stands, she still had Pikachu, so she wouldn't go anywhere. But it hurt to see her mad at me.

"So what do you say Daisy, wanna have a battle?" I asked.

"Well, I don't know, I'm not really in the mood." Daisy replied.

"Oh fine, wait until the people in Cerulean hear that the Sensational Sisters are _chicken!"_ I hoped I could work on her temper, maybe provoke a battle.

"Now wait a minute twerp! _Nobody_ insults me! You want a battle?! Bring it on!" Daisy yelled furiously.

_"Yes." _My plan was coming to fruition.

**Misty's POV**

Why would Ash prefer to fight my sister instead of me? I would be more of a challenge anyway! "Hey Misty, can I like, borrow your Pokémon? Dewgong wasn't feeling great today." Daisy asked me.

"Do what you want! I don't care!" I yelled angrily.

"Thanks sis!" she replied. I growled. I was mad at the whole situation; I didn't even realize I still had Pikachu until he said my name.

"Pikachupi?" (Misty?) he said with concern.

"Oh, sorry Pikachu, do you want to go down there with Ash?" I asked him, trying to keep my cool. I was surprised when Pikachu shook his head no, but I wouldn't complain, at least I had some company while I watched the battle, since Azurill was taking a nap in my room.

**Normal POV**

Ash and Daisy took their respective places on the ends of the pool, and then Ash called out the rules. "Three-on-three match ok?"

"Sounds good, let's do it!" Daisy replied.

"Alright, Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash called out his small fire-type, who looked ahead with determination. "You're going to be facing another water-type Chimchar, so be ready!"

"Chim char!" (Got it!)

"Is that a fire-type Pikachu?" Misty asked.

"Pika pika pi pi pi ka chu." (Yep, it's a long story too.)

"I guess Ash has something up his sleeve."

"Ok, Staryu, get out there!" Daisy called out Misty's sea-star Pokémon, who looked around for its master.

"I'm up here Staryu; you do what she tells you alright?" Misty called from the stands.

"Hyahh!" (Roger!) Staryu went into battle-ready stance.

"I'll start it off! Chimchar use 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar enveloped himself in fire and rammed towards the star-shaped water-type.

"Ok Staryu, use 'Water Gun'!" Daisy ordered. Staryu launched a powerful stream of water from its top point, and countered Chimchar's 'Flame Wheel'.

"You ok Chimchar?" Ash asked.

"Chim chim char!" (I'm fine, let's go!) Chimchar replied, getting back into battle-ready stance.

"Ok Staryu, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Daisy ordered. Staryu fired a stream of bubbles from its top point, and it nailed Chimchar hard.

"Aah! Chimchar!" Ash cried.

"Chimchar is unable to battle, the winner is Staryu!" The referee exclaimed.

"Hey, we won!" Daisy exclaimed excitedly.

"Doesn't it feel good?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, it kinda _does!"_

"Well, get ready for round two! Staravia! I choose you!" Ash called out his flying type, and immediately went on the attack. "Staravia, use 'Aerial Ace'!" Staravia did a flip in the air and charged towards Staryu at incredible speed.

"Dodge it Staryu!" Daisy ordered. Staryu jumped into the water to avoid the attack. "Now use 'Water Gun' again!"

"Dodge it, and then use 'Quick Attack'!" Ash countered. Staravia flew out of the way of the incoming 'Water Gun', and then charged towards Staryu at lightning speed.

"Use 'Rapid Spin'!" Daisy ordered. Staryu began spinning at super speed, and rammed towards the bird at a speed which almost matched Staravia's. The two collided, and both Staryu and Staravia fell to the water, fainted. "Return Staryu." Daisy returned the sea star to its Pokéball.

"Staravia, return." Ash returned his bird to her Pokéball, "You did a nice job, take a good rest." Ash placed the full Pokéball to his belt and looked up to talk to his opponent. "So, Daisy, you having fun yet?"

"Actually, yeah, battling is actually _way_ more fun than I thought it'd be!" Daisy replied.

"Well get ready for round three!" Ash took his final Pokéball off his belt and launched it. "Turtwig, I choose you!" Ash called out his grass-type, who got into battle-ready the second he hit dry land. "Let's do it Turtwig!"

"Twiiig!" (Alright!)

"Ok, Gyarados, let's go!" Daisy yelled, calling out Misty's dragon. Gyarados gave out a roar, which made Turtwig a little nervous. Gyarados looked around for Misty, but this time Daisy spoke up. _"I'm_ using you today Gyarados, Misty's in the stands!" Daisy exclaimed. Surprisingly, Gyarados acknowledged, and went into battle-ready stance. "Alright, use that 'Flamethrower' of yours!" Instead of retaliating, Ash winked at Turtwig, who nodded in understanding.

Turtwig braced himself for the attack, and got immersed in the flames. Turtwig dropped down, and pretended to be fainted, which would give Daisy the match. "Turtwig is unable to battle, the winner is Gyarados, and the match goes to Daisy Waterflower of Cerulean Gym!" the referee exclaimed. Daisy jumped up and down with glee at the fact that she had won.

"Turtwig, return." Ash said, "Hey, nice acting job buddy, take a nice rest." he whispered. With the battle over, Ash met Daisy by the side of the pool and grinned when he noticed the ecstatic expression on the tall woman's face. "So did you enjoy that battle?"

"Yeah, I've gotta do that more often!" Daisy replied.

Misty came down from the stands, and confronted Ash and Daisy. "Well Ash Ketchum, I hope you're satisfied with the fact that you proved that I can't even _battle_ the right way!" she said angrily. Misty then shoved Pikachu into Ash's arms, and ran up the stairs to her room.

"Should I go talk to her?" Daisy asked.

"No, I'll do it." Ash replied grimly. _"This was the risk that came with my plan; I hope that I can fix this the way I had hoped to."_


	7. Tears of Pain and Joy

**Make that three chapters in one day, this'll be the fluffy AAML scene you've been waiting for, but expect many more like this. I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 7

**Misty's POV**

I slammed the door as hard as I could and cried into my bed, which unfortunately woke up Azurill.

"Azu?" (Mommy?)

I should've known better than to come in here while Azurill was sleeping; now I had to be strong. A mother figure shouldn't break down like I was. "I-I'm sorry Azurill, I didn't want to wake you." I wiped the tears from my eyes and took Azurill into my arms and hugged her close, trying to find some form of comfort. Of course, wiping my tears wound up meaning nothing since fresh ones just continued to replace the ones I'd wipe away. _"I should've known better...why do I keep leaving myself open to heartbreak?" _The amount of crying I had been doing over the last few days sickened my stomach. I was supposed to be tough, I was supposed to be strong, I prided myself on being able to keep my emotions hidden...except for the occasional temper tantrum when I get really annoyed...which admittedly was often. Why was it whenever Ash came into my life, I suddenly turned into a simpering child? Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door, and a soft voice from the other side.

"Misty, can I come in?"

_"Speak of the devil."_ It was Ash. What did he want from me now? To tell me I was scrawny? That I would never live up to his expectations? My mind said not to let him in.

"Mist, please?"

Of course, as much as I wanted to listen to my mind, his soft voice was currently speaking to my aching heart, which in turn began screaming at me to let him in. _"Why do you make me do these things?" _I finally gave in and opened the door, but I didn't look his way, I was determined to let him know that I was livid with him.

"Misty, please let me explain." Ash said, his boyish features pleading with me to look at him.

"Explain what?!" I spat, "That you came all this way just to battle my sister?!" At that moment, Pikachu bounded in and took Azurill downstairs to play, which left me and Ash alone to discuss things.

"I _did _have a reason for that. Will you let me explain, please?" Ash asked me softly. I gave him a glare, but I didn't say anything. Ash sat himself down next to me on my bed, and began his explanation. "The last time you and I talked, you said that you were training with Daisy, right?" Ash said. I gave him a nod, but I kept my face turned away. "You said that she might actually be starting to enjoy the whole battling concept. Right?" he asked again. I gave him another nod. I turned my head towards his face, and he smiled at me. I quickly turned my head away again; there was no way I was going to forgive him yet. "Mist, I really _have_ missed you. More than you can probably imagine." Ash said. I turned my head to meet the gaze of his chocolate-brown eyes. They showed that what he was saying was sincere. Another tear rolled down my cheek against my will, and Ash put his finger to my face to wipe it away. My heart was now running a mile a minute, why was it so hard to stay mad at him?

**Ash's POV**

I saw a tear flowing from her beautiful green eyes, and I placed my finger to her face to wipe it away. Where I found the courage to do that, I'll never know, but I got the feeling that if I was going to fix this problem, I had to tell her the whole plan and the motives behind it, including…my love for her. "When I realized that Daisy was enjoying battling, I saw an opportunity…an opportunity…to get you back." I said hesitantly.

**Misty's POV**

_"G-Get me back? What does he mean by that?"_

"I figured that if I gave Daisy a taste of what it was like to win a battle, she'd work at it more." Ash said, "The point _wasn't_ to upstage you Mist, the point was…I wanted Daisy to realize that she didn't need you to stay here anymore."

_"Wait...what could that mean? Maybe...leaving the gym?"_ I thought. My stomach was starting to fill with Butterfree again. I watched Ash pull off his hat, and pull out my handkerchief from inside it. My hand went to my mouth in awe. _"I-I can't believe...you still have it." _

"Misty, this thing has been reminding me of you for a while now, and a few days ago…it…told me that…I want you back." Ash said. I could tell that he was nervous as he spoke.

"Ash...I didn't think you'd still have that after all this time." I could feel myself getting emotional again, but I couldn't muster the strength to prevent it.

"Of course I have it Mist! I've kept it in my hat since the first day you left just so I could make sure I'd never lose it! It's really important to me." Ash replied. I was extremely touched by Ash's statement. I never would've imagined that Ash thought that my old handkerchief meant so much to him, even if he didn't seem to understand the message behind it back then. "Misty, I want you to come traveling with me and my friends in the Sinnoh Region, I need you…I-I…" Ash stammered. Ash was acting strangely. Seeing him nervous wasn't new, but this seemed completely different. It almost sounded like...a confession.

_"Is he going to say what I _think _he's going to say?!" _I wanted to pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming this...and at the same time, I didn't want to tempt fate and possibly end this unbelievable moment.

**Ash's POV**

_"C'mon Ketchum, you've made it _this_ far, there's no way you can back out now…if you do…you may lose her forever."_ I thought. "I love you Misty." I finally told her. I kept my head bowed, and waited for her reply, I figured she'd either accept it, or hit me with her mallet and break my heart along with my head.

**Misty's POV**

"I love you Misty."

He _did_ say it! He _actually_ said it! My heart nearly leaped out of my chest in joy, as I stared at the young boy that I fell in love with four years ago. I decided that since he felt the same, I didn't have to hide anything any longer. I embraced him in a tight hug and said: "I love you too Ash!" I began crying into his chest, but not tears of sadness, these were tears of joy, tears of relief from years of waiting, and tears that I had held in because I had to be tough. I let it all out right then and there, in the arms of someone I finally knew for sure, loved me. _"This is real, this is _actually _real!"_

**Ash's POV**

I suddenly felt someone's arms wrapped around me, so I opened my eyes and saw Misty hugging me tightly, and I felt unbelievable relief when she said that she loved me too. She was crying into my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her to reciprocate her hug. The feeling of having her in my arms was indescribable, and the feeling that had invaded my stomach over the past few days had returned, but it felt good instead of painful now. I immersed myself in the smell of her hair, and I stroked her back lovingly. Having her in my arms, so close to me, only further proved to me that I did indeed love her with all my heart. After a few minutes of just holding each other, Misty looked up at me and smiled, and I smiled back. "So what do you say Mist, will you come with me? I'm sure Charizard can handle it."

"Ash, I don't know…you can't _imagine_ how much I appreciate your effort…and _especially_ your words…but I don't know if Daisy can handle the job." she said honestly.

**Normal POV**

"What are you saying baby sis? That I can't battle for squat?" Daisy said accusingly, but she smiled as she said it.

Ash and Misty released each other and turned beet red, seeing that Misty's older sister had seen them embracing each other. "T-That's not what I meant Daisy…all I meant was…" Misty stammered.

She was going to continue talking, but Daisy cut her off. "Pack your bags Misty! I'm kinda getting tired of seeing you mope around here." Daisy pretended to be angry, but her face contained a smirk.

Misty leaped off of the bed and embraced her sister, who hugged her back awkwardly. "Thank you so much Daisy!" she squealed gratefully. Misty turned around and wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, and Ash gladly hugged her back. I think I'll need a place to go, since my sister's kicking me out." Misty said, playfully sticking her tongue out at Daisy. She then turned back to Ash, her viridian orbs sparkling with joy. "You have any ideas Ash?" she asked sweetly.

"I think I might have one." Ash hugged her tighter, invoking love filled laughter from the new couple.

"Now isn't _that _a pretty picture?" Daisy sighed, "I'm _really _happy for you two!"

"Thanks." Ash acknowledged without turning away from Misty's gaze. However after a moment, something interesting occured to Ash. "Wait a second!" he exclaimed, suddenly glancing at the now startled blonde, "I just realized something! You haven't said 'like' since I got here! What gives?"

Misty's eyes widened in shock, although she wasn't sure if it was because Ash was right, or if it was because Ash had actually noticed. "Hey yeah! What's going on Daisy? You finally losing that Valley Girl mindset?" she teased.

"Oh...um...like?" Daisy shrugged helplessly.

"And here I thought all these years you couldn't help yourself!" Misty exclaimed, her temper quickly rising, "You _knew _it drove me crazy, and you _still _kept saying it!"

Daisy put up her hands in self defense. "Look, the truth is I outgrew it a while back, but I still say it for Lily and Violet's sake! Besides...it's kinda one of the things the Sensational Sisters are known for." Daisy quickly tried to change the subject, "But today isn't about me for once, it's about _you two. _My baby sister's found true love and at such a young age! It's the kinda thing _dreams_ are made of! Now hurry and get packed Misty, you still have to live happily ever after!"

"Well...when you put it that way...I guess I can let it slide." Misty stared back into Ash's russet-colored eyes and got lost in the love emanating from them. _"At this point...I think I could let _anything _slide."_

**LATER**

"Ok Daisy, I'm taking Azurill, Staryu, Politoed, Gyarados, and Psyduck. That leaves you with my Starmie, Goldeen, Caserin, Corsola, and Horsea to battle with. And with your Dewgong and Luverin, that makes seven..." Misty explained.

"Misty, I get it, just get going already, your boyfriend is waiting." Daisy said teasingly.

"He's not my - well, I guess he is." Misty's eyes seemed to twinkle when she said that.

"Oh, and don't worry about Lily and Violet," the blonde said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "I'll tell them what happened when they get back from the beauty salon."

"Well, we gotta get going, seeya later Daisy!" Ash called out.

After one last parting hug with her oldest sister, Misty ran up next to Ash and took his hand, and he squeezed hers back. Then they walked out of the gym doors hand-in-hand, with Pikachu running not far behind. After a short walk, Ash and Misty made it to the Pokémon Center and picked up Charizard, who was now fully refreshed and ready to fly. "Are you_ sure_ about this Ash? I mean…you said Charizard barely made it just carrying _you._ Can he _really_ handle another passenger?" Misty asked a little nervously.

"Don't worry about Charizard; he'll make it for our sakes. You can't_ imagine_ how strong he's gotten since he's trained at the Charicific Valley." Ash said reassuringly. "C'mon out Charizard!" Charizard emerged from his Pokeball and announced his presence with a loud roar, barbequing Ash in the process. "Good…to see…you too buddy…" Ash strained.

"Are you ok Ash?!" Misty exclaimed with concern, a little shocked with herself that all of a sudden seeing Ash hurt wasn't all that amusing anymore. _"I guess when you get together with someone, your perspective on certain things changes a little."_

"Yeah, I'm fine Mist." Ash shook the soot off of himself, "You remember Misty, right Charizard?" Charizard nodded and noticed the new couple holding hands, and Charizard gave Ash a sly smile, which was rare for him. Ash and Misty blushed a bit, and then Charizard motioned for them to hop on. Ash jumped on first, and then pulled Misty up by her hand. Misty secured herself on Charizard's back, and then wrapped her arms around Ash's waist. "We'll probably be flying overnight, you ready?" Ash asked his new girlfriend. Misty nodded with a smile. "Alright Charizard! Let's get back to Sinnoh!" Charizard was just about to take off, when a solid net appeared out of nowhere and covered them completely. "Oh no, give me a break!" Ash yelled angrily.

"Ash, please tell me it isn't who I think it is?" Misty asked in an annoyed tone.

"I made a wish on Team Rocket! Ugh!" Ash yelled in disgust.

"Huh?"

"I'll explain later."

Jessie: "Prepare for trouble!"

James: "And make it double!"

Jessie: "To protect the world from devastation!"

James: "To unite all peoples within our nation!"

Jessie: "To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

James: "To extend our reach to the stars above!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And James!"

Jessie: "Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

James: "Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"

Meowth: "Meeowth! Dat's right!"

"Woooobuu!" (Yeah!)

"Mime mime!" (Yeah!)

"What do you want Team Rocket?!" Ash yelled angrily through the net.

"First, we have a question. Why weren't you with your other two twerpy friends?!" Jessie yelled back.

"Yeah, and what are you doing all the way here in Kanto?! We had to change our motto just to do this!" James continued.

"That's _my_ business! But why are _you_ here?!" Ash growled.

"Your little friends blasted us here. Finding you was mere coincidence, but we take any and every opportunity we can to snatch Pikachu!" Jessie yelled.

"Forget it! Charizard, get this thing off of us with Steel Wing!" Ash ordered. Charizard's wings glowed, and the net disintegrated, revealing a very irate team.

"Hey look! It's da original twoipette!" Meowth exclaimed.

"Now we know why you're here, you came to visit your little girlfriend!" Jessie teased. Team Rocket began to laugh heartily, but stopped when they didn't hear any denials. "Well, aren't you going to deny it?!"

"Our teasing is useless if you don't react!" James yelled.

"Guys, look!" Meowth exclaimed pointing down at the hands of Ash and Misty.

"You mean they finally got together for real?!" James yelled in shock.

"I knew they would! Meowth, you owe me twenty bucks!" Jessie yelled.

"Forget it Jess! Dat bet expired two years ago! Besides, we gotta nab dat Pikachu!" Meowth replied.

"Ash, since we're getting back to old times, can_ I_ blast them off this time?" Misty asked sweetly.

"Sure thing Mist, go for it!" Ash replied.

"Misty calls Gyarados!" Misty called out her powerful water dragon, who gave an intimidating roar.

"Ahhh! A Gyarados!" James cringed in fear, ever since the experience with the Magikarp; James had been terrified of Gyarados.

"Gyarados, blast them off with your 'Flamethrower'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados gave a roar, and flames shot out of its mouth, popping their balloon for the millionth time, and blasting them off back towards Sinnoh.

"Oh great, with the red-headed twerpette back, things are going to be even _harder_ to catch Pikachu." James said sullenly.

"So where are we headed this time Meowth? The Orange Islands?" Jessie asked sarcastically.

"Nope, we're flying back towards Sinnoh, and we'll get dere pretty quick since…" Meowth paused, and all three of them said:

"We're blasting off again!" "Wobbuffet!" *Ping*

"Yeah, way to go Gyarados!" Misty cheered. Gyarados roared in victory, and then returned to its Pokeball.

"Way to go Misty! You sent them packing!" Ash said, congratulating her. "Misty giggled, and thanked Ash for the compliment. "Alright Charizard, let's go!" Ash exclaimed, pointing towards the sky. Charizard roared, and took off with a mighty leap. Misty gasped at the sudden change in altitude, but was quickly comforted by Ash squeezing her hand softly. "Thanks for coming back with me Mist." Ash said, gratefulness evident in his expression.

"Thank _you_ for getting me out of that gym Ash, and I'm sorry for reacting so violently." Misty replied.

"No worries, I'm used to that." Ash said with a sly grin.

"What's_ that_ supposed to mean Ash Ketchum?" Misty asked in an annoyed tone.

Ash decided to let this argument slide. "Full speed ahead Charizard!" Ash exclaimed.

"AAAAAASH!"


	8. Past meets Present

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone, they're highly appreciated. This might be the last original chapter for a while, if you haven't figured it out yet, I'll be making stories out of the episodes of Diamond and Pearl, so this may be the story with the most chapters of any story on the site! (I dunno how many that is but...) I want to make it my mission to see that Misty gets her place in the show like she should have all along, so after this chapter, we'll either start at Solaceon Town and the Unown, or simply another fluffy chapter about Ash and Misty's first day as a couple. I hope you continue to read this story, and I thank you once again for the reviews. I own nothing except this story.  
_**

Chapter 8

**Ash's POV**

I stayed up all night with Charizard, trying to keep an eye on our direction. Every now and then, I would look back to where my beautiful water flower had fallen asleep, leaning against my back, with her arms wrapped around my waist. I still couldn't believe she was actually _my_ girlfriend, I never even bothered to think about having one before, I was sure missing out on a lot. Just half a day and already I knew I would never be able to let go of the feeling that comes with being the subject of a beautiful girl's affection. The hard part would be explaining the whole situation to Brock and Dawn. Brock would take it easier, since he already knew about it, but Dawn would probably squeal about it for weeks. But, I felt that Misty was beyond worth it. I'd finally be able to get my head back on the right track, and I'd have Misty cheering me on, like old times…but not exactly...now they'd be ten times better.

**Normal POV**

Dawn and Brock had reached Solaceon Town, where Brock was fighting off a nasty cold. "AAAACCHHOO!" the ill breeder wiped his nose with a tissue and glared at the coordinator standing next to his bed. "I can't believe you actually had Buneary nail me with that attack Dawn." he said bitterly.

**[Flashback]**

"Dawn, look, I'd tell you if I could, but it's a really important secret!" Brock yelled, still running from Buneary's 'Ice Beams'.

"You'll get tired eventually Brock!"

Brock stopped, as he realized that they had run all the way to Solaceon Town. "Hey Dawn, look! We're at Solaceon To-" Brock was frozen solid by Buneary's Ice Beam.

"Aaah! Buneary! I wanted you to _scare_ him, not freeze him solid!" Dawn yelled with panic.

"Bun bun eary." (I'm sorry.) Buneary said with her ears drooped.

**[End Flashback]**

"I'm sorry Brock, I only wanted to _scare_ you, not _hit_ you." Dawn said apologetically.

"Well, it looks like our plans are on hold until tomorrow; Nurse Joy won't let me go out like this…of course that isn't necessarily a bad thing! I'm going to get undivided attention from Nurse Joy, and while she's comforting and healing me we'll fall in love and we'll work together to heal all the Pokémon and-" Brock was cut-off by Croagunk's Poison Jab. "As…if…I…didn't…feel…bad…enough." Brock strained.

Dawn sweat-dropped, but quickly regained her curiosity. "Brock, if you won't tell me what it is, can you at least tell me when he'll be back?" Dawn asked sweetly.

"(Sigh) He should be back later today, possibly within the next half-hour or so...just a guess mind you, no way to know for sure." Brock finally semi-gave in, his voice all nasally from the stuffy nose he was suffering from. Nurse Joy walked in, and told Dawn to go ahead and let Brock get some sleep.

**Dawn's POV**

_"So, he'll be here soon? Excellent, I'll find out the secret straight from the horse's mouth!" _Dawn thought mischievously.

"Pi pi plup?" (What's up?)

"Oooh, that secret is driving me crazy! I just _have_ to know what it is!" Dawn said with frustration.

"Pi pl- PIPLLUUUUP!" (Well I- LOOK OUT!)

**Misty's POV**

I woke up from possibly the best night's sleep I had in a long time, despite my current location and position. Sleeping upright on the back of a Charizard doesn't seem very comfortable, but I had the best pillow anyone could want. I dreamily looked at the boy in front of me. He was as tall as I was, he might even become taller than I am soon, and muscle was starting to appear on his arms. But with all those physical changes that puberty was doing to him, his heart was the same: Determined, caring, fun-loving, kick-back, and now…loving. Ash looked back at me with those chocolate-brown eyes I loved so much and smiled. He wrapped me into a one-armed hug and greeted me. "Morning Mist." he said softly. I tightened my grip on him and nuzzled my head into his neck, I was in absolute bliss. I had dreamed of being able to do this with him, but as a ten year old, he was absolutely clueless and dense. He still is dense in some things, but at least not in the most important things…at least what I thought was important.

"Morning Ash." I replied softly, with a soft pink shamelessly spreading across my cheeks. I definitely could get used to this feeling.

His expression turned to playful, and he started joking around. "Passengers, we should be arriving in Solaceon Town in a few minutes, please fasten your seatbelts as we prepare for landing, and I'd like to thank you for flying 'Air Charizard'." he joked.

I saw an opportunity to tease him playfully, so how could I refuse? "Hmmph, no on-board meal? Pretty low-class flight."

"Maybe no food, but you sure _slept_ soundly." he said with a wink.

I couldn't help but blush. He got me…I was stunned, but…I wouldn't let him know that…yet. I was quickly startled when I felt a bump in the flight. "A-Ash?" I said nervously.

**Ash's POV**

"Oh no…not _now."_ I thought with panic. "C'mon Charizard, Solaceon Town is only a few yards away, you can make it! Remember your training in the valley? Time to put it into full practice!" I yelled encouragingly.

**Misty's POV**

I was constantly impressed by the fact that even in moments of crisis; Ash was able to encourage his Pokémon without fear. I decided that if he could be strong, I should be strong too.

**Ash's POV**

I felt Misty tighten her grip around me; I was going to comfort her thinking that she was scared, but the face I saw showed determination, not fear. I gave her a nod, and pulled out a Pokéball. "Staravia, I choose you!" I called out my other flying-type, who gave out a shrill cry.

"Ash, that bird looks too small to carry even _Pikachu!"_ Misty exclaimed.

"Just hang on, Staravia isn't carrying anyone!" I replied. "Staravia, get under Charizard and use 'Whirlwind'!"

"Star star!" (Understood!) Staravia flew underneath Charizard and started flapping her wings hard, creating a strong updraft.

"You feel that Charizard? Ride the wind!" I exclaimed. Charizard began gliding under the influence of Staravia's Gust, but it would be a close call to get to the town. We started our descent near Solaceon Town. I was relieved at the fact that we would indeed make it there, but the landing was going to be a really rough one. I grabbed Misty's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Hang on tight Misty!"

**Misty's POV**

I was already hugging him as tight as I could, anymore and I thought I might pop his upper-body off. As we neared the ground, I saw a blue-haired girl with what looked like a small penguin-like Pokémon standing in the way. "Hey, get out of the way!"

**Ash's POV**

"Waah! That's _Dawn!_ Dawn, _move!"_ I yelled at the top of my lungs.

**Dawn's POV**

"Piplup, what's wrong?" I asked, fear rising in my voice. I looked up and saw an orange dragon flying towards me and Piplup at a frightening speed.

"Dawn, move!" I heard a voice shout.

"That's Ash! And he's coming this way!" I grabbed Piplup and dived out of the way, just as Ash's Charizard made a crash landing. When the dust cleared, I noticed that Ash wasn't alone.

**Normal POV**

Ash, Misty, and a very shocked Pikachu slowly opened their eyes, checking to see if every part of their bodies was where it was supposed to be. "A-Are you ok Mist?" Ash asked softly, still gripping Misty's hand. Misty just nodded. "How 'bout you Pikachu?" Ash asked his yellow friend.

"Pi…ka." (Oh…wow.) Pikachu said in shock.

Ash hopped off of Charizard, who was now sprawled out on the floor in utter exhaustion. Ash helped Misty off of the dragon's back, and then tended to his friend. As Ash kneeled down next to Charizard's face, Charizard gave a tired whine. "Charizard, thank you so much." Ash said gratefully. Ash rubbed the neck of his friend, and tears began forming in his eyes, seeing his Pokémon in pain was always guaranteed to make Ash emotional. "I've never been so proud of you Charizard, you were beyond amazing." Misty knelt down next to Ash and noticed that tears were falling from his eyes. "I'll get you to Nurse Joy right away; you're going to be just fine." He gave Charizard a grateful hug, and Charizard gave a low grunt in response. Ash stood up and recalled his friend.

"Pikapi? Pi pi chu?" (Ash? Are you ok?)

"Y-Yeah, I-I'm alright Pikachu." Ash said, trying to hold back his tears.

Misty gave him a hug from behind to try and comfort him. "It's ok Ash; we'll get him to a Pokémon Center as soon as possible." she cooed in his ear.

Ash turned and hugged her back. "Thanks Mist." he whispered.

"You're welcome." Misty replied in the same tone. Pikachu walked up to his master's leg and hugged it too.

**Misty's POV**

I could understand what Ash was feeling right now. The bond that he and his Pokémon shared was a marvel to behold. When one of his friends was hurt, he felt the impact in his heart, but I was glad that I could be there to comfort him from now on. I was feeling bold at that particular moment, so I pulled back a bit, and softly pressed my lips against his cheek.

**Ash's POV**

I forgot about Charizard for a moment when I realized what Misty had just done. _"S-She…_kissed_ me."_ I was surprised by what she had done, but I loved the feeling it brought, it was the perfect cure for this situation. I gave her a reassuring smile, and I broke the embrace.

"What is going on?!" I heard a voice shout.

_"Uh oh, it's Dawn."_ I thought nervously.

**Dawn's POV**

I couldn't believe what I was seeing…I was almost run over by a giant dragon, _Ash's_ giant dragon no less! It crash-landed next to the Pokémon Center, and Ash hopped off of it while helping a red-headed girl off as well. And the weirdest thing was yet to come. The girl gave Ash a hug, and Ash was hugging back! I think she even _kissed_ him! I was in total shock. I ran up to them, I was sick of all these secrets, so I yelled: "What is going on?!"

**Normal POV**

Ash and Misty glanced at each other briefly, and faced the blue-haired girl who was fuming mad. "Ash? Have you lost your mind?! You could've _killed_ someone! Like yourself!" the coordinator screamed.

"Sorry about that Dawn, but hey, meet an old friend of mine: Misty Waterflower." Ash said, quickly changing the subject.

Dawn's expression changed almost immediately. "Waterflower! That's possibly one of the prettiest names I've ever heard! It sounds so unique!" she exclaimed, apparently forgetting what she had been so mad about.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Dawn." Misty said with a sweat-drop.

Suddenly, Dawn started scanning Misty with her eyes from top to bottom and back up again. "Uh, Dawn…what are you doing?" Ash asked, obviously confused.

"I get the feeling I've seen you somewhere before." Dawn said referring to Misty.

"Really? This is the first time I've ever met _you."_ Misty replied, slightly uncomfortable by the way Dawn was scrutinizing her.

Dawn's face suddenly lifted, and she snapped her fingers as she realized why Misty was so familiar. "You're the girl who was on the lure! I didn't recognize you right away because your hair is _down_ instead of in that ponytail!" she exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, she's talking about the mini-Misty lure you sent me." Ash said to Misty.

"Yeah, I _still_ can't believe you wouldn't let me use it though." Dawn pouted.

"Why wouldn't he let you use it?" Misty asked suspiciously, eyeballing her new boyfriend.

_"Uh oh, I know where _this_ is going."_ Ash thought nervously.

"He said it was _way_ too special to him." Dawn said with a wink. Misty glanced at Ash, whose face was now growing redder as they spoke. "But it was fun to see his reaction when he lost it." Dawn said innocently, "He went crazy chasing it down."

Ash got slammed by Misty's mallet after the story ended. "What was _that_ for?!" Ash yelled angrily.

"That was for being careless with mini-Misty!" Misty replied.

Dawn backed off a bit, frightened by Misty's temper tantrum. _"Note to self: stay on her good side at all times..."_

"But didn't you hear the re-" Ash was cut-off by Misty's finger on his lips, which quelled his temper immediately.

"And _this_ is for getting it back." Misty said almost seductively, the redhead then leaned her head to the side and kissed Ash's cheek, which caused them both to turn pink.

"Say, are _you_ the reason that Ash decided to take off so suddenly?" Dawn asked with a sly grin.

_"She must've been driving Brock out of his mind, she looks like she's about to learn the secret of the sphinx. I wonder where he is anyway. Oh well, I guess I better get it over with, why try to hide what can't be hidden?" _Ash reasoned. Ash glanced at Misty and saw that she was at a loss for words, something that was extremely rare for her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him, which caused her to blush harder. "Misty is my girlfriend." Ash stated simply.

Dawn's eyes grew wide and her face showed utter happiness. "Congratulations to the both of you! I never thought Ash was the type to get a girlfriend, but it looks like it's working out." she said giddily. Ash and Misty both blushed as they looked at each other.

"Pi pi plup?" (Are you satisfied?)

"Yes, I'm satisfied Piplup, all I wanted to know was what the secret was." Dawn replied.

"Secret? What secret?" Misty asked.

"Oh, um…I talked to Brock about this whole…_situation._ I told him not to tell Dawn." Ash admitted.

"Yeah, why was that exactly?" Dawn asked, narrowing her eyes at Ash.

"I…just…didn't want you to know yet…but you know _now,_ isn't that enough?" Ash said fearfully. Now both Dawn and Misty were eyeballing him, Misty just enjoyed watching Ash squirm like a Caterpie. "Waahh! I forgot about Charizard!" he exclaimed suddenly. Ash took off in the direction of the Pokémon Center, leaving Misty and Dawn by themselves. _"If I had stayed there any longer, I think I would've melted under their gaze! Those two are worse than Slowpoke's when it comes to staring down!"_

"Pikapi! Pi ka chu!" (Ash! Wait up!) Ash slowed down for his little buddy to catch up to him, and hop on his shoulder, and then together they walked into the center.

**Misty's POV**

_"He'll pay for that escape later. Oh well, gives me a chance to talk to Dawn, she doesn't seem interested in Ash, so I think we can be friends."_ I thought.

"So what's your favorite Pokémon type?" she asked me.

Now this question, I loved! I got all starry-eyed as I told my story. "I _live_ for water-type Pokémon! They're the perfect mixture of style, grace, and power, and my goal in life is to become a water-type Pokémon Master!"

"Wow, that's so awesome! Piplup here is actually a water-type too, aren't you Piplup?" Dawn said cheerfully.

"Pi plup!" (That's right!)

"Well, we better find Ash, say isn't Brock supposed to be here too?" I asked as I turned to walk to the center.

Dawn followed, along with Piplup. "You know Brock too?"

"Yeah, before my sisters called me back to the gym two years ago, I was following Ash on his journeys because he had wrecked my bike running from a flock of wild Spearow."

"He wrecked _your_ bike _too?!_ Pikachu actually _fried_ mine!"

"Somehow I'm not surprised, Ash always had the worst ways of running into people. He did that to May's bike too."

"Oh yeah, Ash brought her up once or twice."

"Oh…really?" I was feeling a bit hurt on the inside, knowing that Ash had mentioned May before.

Dawn neglected to notice, but her next comment changed things. "Yeah, but that's _nothing_ compared to how much he talked about _you, _he never mentioned you by name, but he always talked about a friend of his who he missed a lot."

My face lifted as she said that, I think I even turned a bit pink. We walked into the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy pointed us in the direction of Brock's room.

**Ash's POV**

"Hey Brock, how are ya?" I asked my older friend. I felt a bit guilty knowing that he got sick and he still defended my secret.

"Hey, welcome back Ash. I've felt better, but I'll be alright." Brock reassured.

"How'd you get sick?"

Brock hesitated, and then spoke. "Dawn's Buneary nailed me with an 'Ice Beam'."

"Huh? Why would it do that?" I asked in shock.

"I wouldn't tell Dawn your secret. She didn't mean to actually get me; she just wanted to scare me. But…I don't scare easy." Brock said with a grin. Now I felt really bad, first Charizard, and now Brock. "So…how was your visit with Misty?" Brock asked. I wondered what and how much I should tell him. He knew I loved Misty, but he didn't know she was here, or what happened between us. But I didn't have to worry about telling him she was here, since she and Dawn had just walked in.

**Brock's POV**

"Hi Brock, long time no see." Misty said cheerfully.

"…Ash you brought her to Sinnoh?! How in the world do you expect her to get back to Cerulean?!" I yelled, I had forgotten that I was sick, so after yelling I got a little lightheaded.

"Um…Brock, there's something you should know." Ash said timidly, which was very much unlike him.

"What, what is it?!" I yelled, still upset at Ash's extreme irresponsibility.

"You tell him Mist." Ash offered.

Misty advanced and grinned, I noticed a twinkle in her eyes that I had seen only on rare occasions before, whatever she was about to say was obviously something great, "I'm not going back to the gym Brock; I'm staying here with you guys!"

That would fit the bill. "Really? That's great! Wait…only half great, now I have to listen to you and Ash argue with each other all day again!" I really didn't want that to start again.

_"You_ tell him _this_ part, Ash." Misty said.

"Tell me what?" I asked, now the secret was being kept from me. _"So _this_ is how Dawn felt."_ I watched in awe as Ash placed his arm around Misty's shoulders, and pulled her in close to him.

"Brock, Misty is my girlfriend now." Ash said with a smile. Misty nodded to confirm, then snuggled her head into Ash's neck.

"Awww man! You two finally confessed your love for each other and I missed it?!" I exclaimed with disappointment.

"Heh heh, yep, sorry Brocko. But look on the bright side, there's probably going to be a lot less arguing from now on." Ash said.

I crossed my arms and made the best pouty face I could make, it was all in good fun of course, I was more than happy that now our little family was back together completely. "So Ash, how'd your mom react to your being attached now?"

Ash did a face-fault as he realized something. "I haven't told her yet!" he exclaimed, "I guess I better do it now, huh?"

"That'd probably be a good idea…now everyone out! I feel like I'm gonna sneeze." I said jokingly. I started to fake a sneeze to get everyone to scatter quicker, and after they all left, I laid down for a nap. _"Things are gonna get _very _interesting around here."_

**Ash's POV**

"Come with me Misty, I'm gonna call my mom now." Misty followed me to the nearby videophone, and I motioned for her to stay out of the picture for a moment. After a few seconds, my mom answered. "Hi mom." I said.

"Hi sweetie! How are you?" my mom said excitedly. She always enjoyed when I gave her a call.

"I'm doin' alright, hey I have something important to tell you." I decided to get straight to the point; I was both curious and scared to how she would react.

"Ok, what is it? I'm with you no matter what." she replied.

"I have a girlfriend now." I said.

My mom's face drooped. "Oh…but I always thought that you and your friend Misty made a cute couple." she said.

_"Did _everyone_ think this before I realized it?"_ I wondered. "Actually mom…" I paused and motioned for Misty to come into the picture. "Meet my new girlfriend." I said cheerfully.

Misty blushed and smiled. "Hi Mrs. Ketchum." she said with a wave.

My mom's face lifted to the point of going through the roof. "I am so thrilled for you two! After all the talk my Ash did about you I just _knew_ you two were _destined_ to be together!" she exclaimed.

"Mom!" I felt my face growing flame-hot. I glanced at Misty, who had some blush on her face as well.

"So I guess this is just a short visit then Misty?" my mom asked.

_"Uh oh, I think I know what's coming next."_ I thought.

"Actually Mrs. Ketchum, I'm going to be travelling with Ash and his friends again, I'm no longer needed at the gym, thanks to Ash." Misty said cheerfully.

"Oh really? Ash, I need to speak with you privately." My mom said with a serious tone.

_"I knew it. She wants to explain the 'rules' that I already figured were obvious."_ I thought.

**Misty's POV**

_"Poor Ash, his mom is going to drive him crazy now."_ I thought. I gave Ash a quick kiss for luck, and proceeded to walk away. I couldn't help but giggle when I heard him cry out in disbelief.

"Mom! How irresponsible do you think I am?!"

**LATER**

I saw Ash walking over to me, and he looked rather exhausted, his mom probably gave him the works about traveling with a girlfriend. He plopped down on the couch next to me and gave a big huff. "Geez, you'd think she'd trust me a little more than that. I mean all the stuff she told me, a Slowpoke could've figured it out!" Ash said in an annoyed tone.

"I know, I'm looking at one right now." I teased him.

"Oh yeah?" he replied.

"Yeah!" The banter went back and forth for a few seconds until we both got tired. "So Ash, since Brock doesn't get out until tomorrow, what should we do for the rest of the day?" I asked sweetly, hoping he'd get where I was going with my question.

"I dunno, what do _you_ feel like doing?" Ash asked me. When did Ash become such a gentleman as to let me decide what to do? I wouldn't get the chance to answer, since my stomach decided for me. "Sounds to _me_ like you want to get something to eat." Ash said with one eye closed. I blushed out of embarrassment. "Well, let's get some lunch, then maybe we can see how Dawn's Pokémon Contest training is going. Sound good to you?" Ash suggested. I nodded, and then stood up and took his arm, and we walked to the Pokémon Center to get something to eat. A lunch date with Ash? Nothing could be better.


	9. Present Pranks Past

**Thanks for the reviews everyone. And by the way DeathGoblin, I thought about what you said, and I think you're right. I've decided to only go with episodes that are important...or I can make a decent story out of. ^^ This is the longest chapter so far by far. I hope you all enjoy it. Please continue to read and review!  
_**

Chapter 9

**Normal POV**

After a quick lunch at the Pokémon Center, Ash and Misty went to find Dawn, who was busy working with her new Aipom for the upcoming Solaceon Contest. "We still have a few hours to kill before it gets dark, Ash. What should we do after we find Dawn?" Misty asked her new boyfriend.

"We could always have a Pokémon battle, I've been curious to see how strong you've gotten since the last time we battled." Ash replied, a certain gleam in his eyes.

Misty instantly caught that gleam, and her blood began racing with excitement, "You're on!"

After a bit more walking, they found Dawn training with Aipom. "Alright, let's try it again, Aipom use 'Swift'!" she ordered. Aipom's tail started to glow, and stars came flying out of its tail. "Now, 'Focus Punch'!" Aipom's tail glowed again, as it punched one of the Swift stars towards the circle of stars; it bounced around for a bit, but then fell short. "Aww, we were so close this time too." Dawn said with a discouraged tone.

"How's it going Dawn?" Ash asked.

"We're trying to work on this contest move, but we seem to be missing something, every time we use 'Swift', something goes wrong right at the end and the move falls apart!" Dawn said sadly.

"Well don't worry, you'll get it eventually." Misty encouraged.

"Thanks for the support Misty, but I think I'm gonna take a break now." Dawn replied.

"Hey, as long as you're finished with the field, Misty and I wanted to have a battle! Can we use it?" Ash asked.

"Sure! I'll even give you a coin-toss!" Dawn replied.

Ash and Misty took their respective places on the ends of the field. "Call it off Dawn!" Ash exclaimed.

"Alright, Misty, heads or tails?" Dawn asked.

"Give me heads!" Misty exclaimed.

"Alright…coin-toss!" Dawn pressed the button on her virtual coin-toss wristband, and the Magikarp coin flipped and landed on heads. "Heads it is! Misty, you get to go first!"

"Alright, Misty calls Politoed!" Misty exclaimed, calling out her frog Pokémon.

"A Politoed." Dawn said to herself, pulling out her pink Pokédex.

"Politoed, the frog Pokémon, and an evolved form of Poliwhirl. The curled hair on Politoed's head is proof of its status as a king. It is said that the longer and more curled the hair, the more respect this Pokémon earns from its peers." the Pokédex said.

Politoed got into battle-ready stance as soon as he hit the ground. "Don't expect me to take it easy on you Misty, get in there Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu leaped onto the battle-field, and his cheeks started sparking.

"If you take it easy on me, you won't last two seconds! Politoed, use 'Water Gun'!" Misty ordered. Politoed's mouth shot out a stream of water that aimed right at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use 'Quick Attack'!" Pikachu jumped out of the way of the 'Water Gun' attack, and ran at full-speed towards the frog Pokémon.

"Jump Politoed!" Politoed leaped into the air to avoid Pikachu's 'Quick Attack'.

"Gotcha!" Ash exclaimed.

"Huh?" Misty asked.

"Pikachu, turn it around and use 'Volt Tackle'!" Ash exclaimed.

"What's a 'Volt Tackle'?!" Misty panicked, "Use 'Water Gun' to stop him Politoed!" Politoed fired a stream of water at the incoming Pikachu, but Pikachu ran right through it and nailed Politoed with the powerful electric attack. "Aah! Politoed!" Politoed fell on the floor fainted; the surprise attack was too much for the frog to take.

"Politoed can't battle, the winner is Pikachu!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Nice job Pikachu, way to show what you're made of!" Ash yelled.

"Pika!" (Thanks!)

"What do you think of 'Volt Tackle' Misty? Pretty powerful huh?" Ash asked confidently.

"Impressive, but get ready for this! Misty calls Azurill!" Misty tossed out her second choice, and her baby Pokémon emerged from the red and white sphere and bounced cheerfully on her tail.

"Hmm, an Azurill." Dawn said to herself, pulling out her Pokédex again.

"Azurill, the polka-dot Pokémon. It battles by flinging its tail, which is bigger than its body. And it is also used as a flotation device in the water." the Pokédex chirped.

"You're gonna use Azurill? Pikachu's gonna beat her easy." Ash said confidently.

"You sure about that Ash?" Misty asked with a knowing smirk.

"Of course I'm sure! Pikachu, hit her with a 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu stood still with his ears drooped. "Uh, Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'."

"Pika pika." (No way.)

"What do you mean no wa – oh no, not _again!"_ Ash face-palmed with exasperation.

Oh yes! Azurill, go give Pikachu a big hug!" Misty exclaimed.

Dawn looked on, confused at the whole thing. Azurill hopped over to Pikachu and started nuzzling his cheek, and Pikachu retreated, not wanting to hurt Azurill.

"Oh come on Misty, that's not fair! You did the same thing with Togepi two years ago!" Ash yelled angrily.

"Well, like the old saying goes, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'." Misty replied.

"Come on Pikachu, just a little static?" Ash pleaded. Pikachu shook his head in a 'no' fashion, and hid behind Ash's leg. "That's a lousy way to win Misty." the black haired trainer muttered.

"Pikachu won't battle, so Azurill wins by default!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Way to go Azurill!" Misty cheered.

"Azu!" (Yay!)

"That technique won't work with this one Misty! Buizel, I choose you!" Ash called out his water-type, who stood tall with its arms crossed.

"Bui bui!" (Ready!)

"Go give that Buizel a hug Azurill!" Misty said a little too cheerfully.

Ash smirked, but didn't say anything. Azurill hopped over to Buizel and nuzzled him, but Buizel didn't seem to enjoy it too much. "Buizel, flick that thing away!" Ash exclaimed. Buizel rotated his body and softly threw off Azurill. But the rejection of her affection caused Azurill to cry, so Misty called her back.

"Have you no mercy for baby Pokémon Ash?!" Misty yelled angrily.

"Sure I do, that's why I told Buizel to just shake her off and not attack her!" Ash replied.

"Bui!" (Yeah!) Buizel defended.

"Fine, let's see you beat _this _one! Misty's calls Staryu!" Misty sent out her final Pokémon.

"Hyahh!" (Ready!)

"Cool, a Staryu!" Dawn exclaimed, "All these new Pokémon in one day!" she pulled out her pink Pokédex for the third time to examine Misty's sea-star.

"Staryu, the star-shape Pokémon. It is an enigmatic Pokémon, which can effortlessly regenerate any appendage it loses in battle." the Pokédex said.

"Alright, Buizel use 'Water Gun'!" Ash ordered. Buizel shot out a stream of water from its mouth, which charged straight for the sea-star Pokémon.

"Counter with _your_ 'Water Gun' Staryu!" Staryu shot out a stream of water, and it collided with Buizel's attack with a large splash.

"Not bad, but get ready for _this!_ Buizel, 'Sonic Boom'!" Buizel leaped into the air, and its tail began sending off shock waves of sound.

"Staryu, use 'Swift'!" Staryu sent a shower of stars to meet the impending Sonic Boom, and again, they collided with a bang.

"Your Staryu's gotten really strong Misty, I'm impressed!"

"Your Buizel's not so bad either!"

"Now we'll show you what we're made of! Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. Buizel became enveloped in a veil of water, and charged towards the sea-star at super-speed.

"Wow! Look at that speed!" Misty said, obviously impressed. "Jump Staryu!" Staryu jumped to avoid the attack, but Buizel managed to hit its bottom half before it could totally escape, and Staryu fell flat on its face. "Ahh, Staryu!" Misty exclaimed.

"We've got it now! Buizel use 'Sonic Boom' one more time!" Buizel launched the 'Sonic Boom' attack, and it nailed Staryu in the back. Staryu turned over, and its red core began to blink, signaling its defeat.

"Staryu can't battle! The winner is Buizel, and the match goes to Ash!" Dawn exclaimed.

"You did it Buizel, way to go!" Ash cheered.

"Bui bui!" (Oh yeah!)

Misty called back her exhausted sea-star. "You did a good job, take a break Staryu." she said softly. The redhead then turned her attention to her boyfriend, "Well Ash, you've certainly shown _me_ a thing or two, your battling has really improved since I last saw you."

Ash put his hand behind his head again. "Heh heh, thanks Mist, but remember I wouldn't have gotten very far if you hadn't have gotten me on the right track all of those times."

"You're right, if it wasn't for me you'd still me moping over losing the Indigo League." Misty teased.

"Oh yeah?" Ash asked in a nasal tone.

"Yeah." she replied. A smirk spread across their faces, they knew what was coming.

"Oh yeah?" Ash said louder.

"Yeah!" Misty replied, matching his volume.

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?!"

"YEAH!"

Dawn stepped in front of them, afraid that something bad was going to happen. "Hey, knock it off! People are staring!" Dawn exclaimed, pointing towards the spectators. Ash and Misty looked at each other, and started laughing hysterically, leaving Dawn utterly bewildered. "Did I miss something?!".

"We used to do this all the time, didn't we Ash?" Misty said, reminiscing on old times.

"Yeah, we sure did." Ash replied.

_"They_ really_ like each other…hmmm…I think I'll play a little joke, get some revenge on Ash too."_ Dawn thought mischievously. "Say, it'll be a while before it gets dark, why don't we go swimming by that nearby lake?"

"Swimming? I'm in!" Misty exclaimed happily.

"Sounds good to me." Ash added.

"Perfect, I'll go to the Pokémon Center and get our rooms for tonight, and you guys can go on ahead and get changed." Dawn said.

"Oh, Dawn, as long as you're going there, can you go and pick up Charizard?" Ash requested.

"Sure thing!" After that, Dawn ran off.

**Dawn's POV**

_"I can't pass up this opportunity, I'm sure Ash will thank me later."_ I thought with a sneaky grin. I arrived at the Pokémon Center. "Hi Nurse Joy, Can I pick up a Pokémon for my friend Ash?"

"Oh yes, that's the boy with the Charizard. He was absolutely exhausted from flying for so long; he should be fine now though." Nurse Joy said.

"Thanks, oh, and I need to get two rooms for tonight."

"Of course, I'll get you your rooms as soon as I can." Nurse Joy smiled and turned away to leave.

"Oh, can I make one small request?" I asked, hoping that she could help.

"What is it?" Nurse Joy asked. I smirked, and then whispered my plan into Nurse Joy's ear.

I saw a grin appear on Nurse Joy's face, as she gave me a nod. Tonight was going to be great!

**Ash's POV**

We reached the lake that we would spend the rest of our day at, and me and Misty split apart so we could get changed. I jumped behind a tree and slipped off my backpack, and pulled out my red swim shorts. After I stuffed all of my clothes and my hat into my backpack, and slipped on my shorts, I walked over to the water's edge and happened to see my reflection. _"Hey, looks I'm getting some muscle on my arms, I wonder if Misty will notice."_

**Misty's POV**

I jumped into a bush and slipped off my backpack, and then put on my favorite red swimsuit. I finished adjusting everything, and was about to come out from hiding, when I felt something slimy touch my leg. Reluctantly, I looked down at my leg, and found a Wurmple crawling up my leg. I actually felt the color leave my face, and I gave an ear-piercing shriek.

**Ash's POV**

"AAAAAHHHHH!" I heard Misty scream. I snapped myself back to reality, and ran to where the scream came from with Pikachu running behind me.

"Misty!"

"Pikachupi!" (Misty!)

I saw Misty standing from behind a bush, looking down at something. "Misty! Misty what's wrong?" I asked urgently. Misty slowly turned her head towards me, and I got really scared when I saw that her face was pale. "Misty, you're pale! What happened?" I asked softly.

Misty pointed her finger down towards her leg. I looked and saw a Wurmple on her leg. "Get…it…off." she squeaked.

I gave a sigh of relief, seeing that the problem wasn't as serious as I feared. "You really gave me a scare Misty; I thought something terrible happened to you." I said, trying to bring my heart-rate down.

"Something terrible _did_ happen! I'm being touched by an ugly, slimy, bug Pokémon!" Misty shrieked. I got on one knee, and gently took the bug-type off of Misty. It gave me a glare as I removed it, and it crawled away angrily.

"I guess some things never change, eh Misty?" I said, trying to lighten the mood. Misty stood like a statue, still frozen with fear. "Hey, Mist, it's gone, you can relax now."

Misty sat down and curled up into a ball, trembling. "I hate bug-types…they make chills go down my spine." she whimpered.

I kneeled down next to Misty, and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it's ok. The bug is gone now." I said, trying to comfort her.

**Misty's POV**

I was absolutely paralyzed with fear from that bug-type, that is…until Ash wrapped his arm around me. "Hey, it's ok. The bug is gone now." he said comfortingly. I let his warmth wash over me, and I felt the color return to my face with a vengeance, I started to blush, wrapped in his arm.

"Thanks Ash." I whispered, leaning my head against him.

"No prob Mist." I loved it when he called me that, it was his personal pet-name for me, and I loved it to bits. _"I'll have to remember to come up with a pet-name of my own."_

**Dawn's POV**

"Where are those two? I figured they'd be swimming already." I looked around for them, and I could've sworn I caught a glimpse of red hair. "Misty, is that you?" I called out.

**Normal POV**

Ash and Misty's eyes grew wide simultaneously when they heard Dawn's voice. "Uh, yeah. I'm just about done changing." Misty replied, "Stay down!" she whispered to Ash firmly. Ash gave her a nod before she walked out of the bush. "Hey Dawn!" Misty said cheerfully.

"Hey Misty…what's wrong? You look flushed." Dawn asked.

"Oh…um…I-It must be the heat!"

"Oh, ok." Dawn replied, unconvinced.

**Ash's POV**

_"I've got to get of here!"_ I thought. I was just about to crawl away, when I saw the Wurmple show up again, but this time, it had an angry Dustox with it. "Oh…crud." I mumbled. The Dustox fired a 'Poison Sting' in my direction, and I went crazy trying to dodge it. I jumped out of the bush screaming, and the Dustox gave chase. I finally leaped into the water to avoid further harassment from the flying bug-type. It finally gave up chase, and flew back to the trees._ "Great, I escaped the bug, but now I have to face Dawn, and probably an angry Misty."_ I thought.

**Misty's POV**

I watched as Ash jumped out of the bush and ran away from an irate Dustox, which was firing 'Poison Stings' at him. I glanced at Dawn, who now had a sly smirk on her face. "Did I interrupt something?" she asked in a knowing tone.

I blushed furiously. "_Ooooh, if that Dustox doesn't get him, I'll kill Ash!"_

As soon as the Dustox gave up on waiting for Ash to surface, me and Dawn walked to the water's edge, where Ash emerged, gulping in much-needed air. "Sheesh, I thought that thing would never leave!" Ash exclaimed. I glared at him with rage. How was I supposed to explain to Dawn why we were sharing the bush I was CHANGING in? I grabbed my mallet and whacked him back underneath the water. "Hey, what was that for?" Ash asked angrily when he surfaced again.

"I told you to stay down!" I yelled. My eyes grew wide and I glanced at Dawn, who was looking at me with one eyebrow raised.

"Would you rather I got hit by that Dustox's 'Poison Sting'?" Ash yelled back at me.

I had a response locked and loaded, until I realized what Ash had said. Would I really have preferred that? He was just trying to keep himself from getting hurt, maybe badly! When did the dense Pokémon trainer get so good at our arguments? Maybe realizing he actually had strong emotions inside of him, had forced him to grow up even more than he had already. "Um…well…no." I was stumped. Ash had a smug grin on his face; he was obviously pleased that he had beaten me. "Take that smirk off of your face Ash Ketchum!"

"Why? Shouldn't I be proud that I finally beat you at this?" he said, still grinning.

"No!"

"You need to cool off, how about joining me in the water?" Ash suggested nonchalantly.

"Sounds good to me." Dawn said, "Just let me go change." Dawn was about to go to the same bush that the Dustox was when I stopped her.

"Uh, Dawn, don't go over there!" I exclaimed.

"Why not?" she asked plainly.

"That Dustox went that way remember?" I replied. Dawn's eyes grew in realization, and she turned to head for a different bush. I turned to Ash, who was now floating on his back peacefully. I decided to play a little joke. "Hey Ash…" I said before bracing myself to jump.

"Yeah Mist?" he replied without opening his eyes.

"Heads up!" I dove into the water and tackled Ash underwater. I looked at Ash and laughed inwardly. He had his cheeks puffed out and his eyes looked bewildered. He swam to the surface and I followed quickly. "Ha ha ha! The look on your face was priceless!" I laughed at him.

"Well I'm so glad you enjoyed it." he said sarcastically. I suddenly found myself being dragged underwater; Ash had grabbed my foot with his feet and pulled me under. I guess I deserved that one though. "Turnabout's fair play!" Ash laughed.

I resurfaced and gave him a glare, and he smiled and gave me a peace sign with his fingers. Somehow I couldn't find it in me to stay mad at him. "C'mon Ash, let's see what we can find down there!" I dove underwater and Ash followed me down. I grabbed his hand so we would stay together…and just because I wanted to. The water was clear and blue, and we could see the sun shining above us. We spotted all sorts of Pokémon, such as Clamperl, Magikarp; we even saw a Gorebyss which I thought was extremely beautiful. I wanted to stay down longer, but Ash was starting to tug on my arm, saying that he had to get air.

We resurfaced and he started gasping breathlessly. "I'll never understand how you can stay down there for so long." Ash said, still trying to catch his breath.

"I was practically _raised_ in the water, remember?" I replied.

"Hey Dawn, you comin' or not?" Ash called out.

"Nah, I'm gonna stay here and get some sun." Dawn replied. She was now in a two-piece, yellow swimsuit, and her hair was tied into a long pony-tail.

"Hey Ash, it's such a nice day out, why don't we let our Pokémon have a little fun too?" I suggested.

"Great idea Mist." Ash swam back to shore and pulled out his Pokéballs, and he pulled mine out too. "C'mon out everybody!" Ash exclaimed. I watched his Pokémon emerge next to mine, and was amazed when I couldn't really recognize anybody besides Charizard.

"Hey, great idea! C'mon out everyone!" Dawn exclaimed, as her Pokémon: Piplup, Buneary, Aipom, and Pachirisu, popped out of their balls and began playing together with my Pokémon.

"Meet Misty everyone." Ash said. His Pokémon walked over to me and greeted me cheerfully.

"Twig!" (Hi!)

"Star staravia!" (Pleased to meet you!)

"Bui" (Sup.)

I finally got to Chimchar, who held out his hand for me to shake it. As I did so, I remembered something that Pikachu told me.

_"It's a long story too."_

That peaked my curiosity. "Hey Ash?"

"Yeah Mist, what's up?" Ash replied.

"Pikachu told me there was a story behind you getting Chimchar. Can I hear it?" I thought it was an innocent question, but I felt tension in the air afterwards, when Chimchar and Ash looked at each other with forlorn expressions. "W-What's wrong?" I asked nervously.

Ash slowly got back into the water and looked up. "Chimchar was abandoned by his trainer, because according to him, Chimchar wasn't strong enough." Ash pet Chimchar's head, and I could swear that Charizard was listening in, probably since his story was similar. "Paul treats his Pokémon as slaves, not friends or companions. He treats them horribly, and Chimchar was the most abused out of any of his Pokémon. Paul forced Chimchar to put himself into life-threatening danger, just so he could activate Chimchar's 'Blaze' ability. When he couldn't get Chimchar to use it, he abandoned him." I listened intently, feeling sad on the inside for both Ash and Chimchar. "I decided to take in Chimchar as my own Pokémon, and we've become great friends, ain't that right Chimchar?" Ash said, petting Chimchar.

"Chim char!" (That's right!) Chimchar chattered happily.

"One last thing Ash…" I asked hesitantly.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"You said his name was Paul…how did you know that?"

"Paul is Ash's rival!" Dawn exclaimed, suddenly jumping into the conversation, "And he's a total jerk to everyone! All he cares about is making his Pokémon stronger anyway he can!"

"Let's just say, he's Gary times ten." Ash said. I imagined what that would be like, then shuddered at the notion.

Some awkward silence passed, until I ended up wiping my face off. "What was that for Ash?" I yelled angrily after he splashed me with water.

"It was getting too quiet, I had to break the silence." he said laughing. I splashed back, and dove underwater to avoid the counter-splash. Ash followed me underwater and tried to give chase, but I knew he didn't stand a chance at catching me. Swimming came naturally to me, and I could maneuver better than Ash could ever dream to.

After a few more rounds of splash-fighting, races, and an argument or two, I finally got out of the water when my fingers and toes had turned all wrinkly. I lied down on the blanket, and admired the sunset that was before me. It filled me with a strange feeling of sadness. "It looks like the day I left Ash." I closed my eyes to try and relax, and I felt someone lie down next to me, although I had a feeling I knew who it was. "Hey Ash." I said softly.

"Open your eyes, I'm not Ash." A female voice said. My eyes popped open and I saw Dawn lying next to me. "Ash is changing into his clothes over there." she pointed over by a nearby tree. "You really care about him don't you?" she asked me.

_"Care is an understatement."_ I thought. "Yeah, I do." I said softly.

"I have to know, what is it you like about him?" Dawn asked curiously.

_"I can't even count all the reasons." _I decided to tell Dawn the story as I saw it, I could probably get used to having another girl around, "Well, when we first met, Ash was just getting started on his journey; he borrowed my bike to avoid the Spearow, and ended up destroying it."

"You told me that already, but that can't be the reason you like him!"

"It's _not,_ in fact, I _hated_ him for it. I found my bike trashed outside of the Pokémon Center in Viridian City, and I was ready to kill him! But then I saw his concern for Pikachu, who was badly hurt by the ordeal. After Pikachu was deemed fit, I started following him so he would repay me for my bike. At first, we really couldn't stand each other, but I saw how much he truly cared for his Pokémon…as his friends…not his servants. I admired that. We eventually warmed up to each other and became friends."

Dawn looked around before commenting, making sure Ash was still out of ear-shot. "That's a strange way to fall in love."

"Maybe, but I don't think I would change anything even if I could." I replied contently.

"That's so sweet! Ash is lucky to have someone like you!" Dawn exclaimed. I blushed at her compliment.

"Hey guys, what did I miss?" Ash asked, walking up to us.

"Nothing much. Hey, I'm gonna go change myself. See you guys." Dawn said before running off, leaving me and Ash by ourselves. I looked back at the sunset.

**Ash's POV**

Misty was being uncharacteristically quiet, she was looking at the sunset with a thoughtful expression. "Hey, what's on your mind?" I asked.

"The sunset…it's beautiful." she said without averting her gaze.

"Yeah…I guess it is."

"But you know…it reminds me of a sad time."

"When was that?" I asked her softly.

"…When I had to leave you the first time…the sunset looked just like this." she said sadly.

"Yeah…but you know? Now it looks like it's celebrating the fact that you came back. Try to think of _that_ when you see a sunset from now on."

**Misty's POV**

I was amazed at Ash's insight. He was right, since I was back for good; there was no reason for me to dwell on past pains. Now, all I needed to think about was my future, and be happy that I was finally back with Ash…where I truly belonged. I wrapped my arms around him and admired the sunset, now the sunset gave me a feeling of happiness. It wasn't a symbol of my leaving; it was a symbol of my coming back. Ash hugged me back, and laid his head onto mine. I felt like I could stay there forever, wrapped in his embrace…but it wouldn't last for two reasons: I was still in my suit and had to go change, and Dawn had returned.

**Normal POV**

"Ahem!" Dawn cleared her throat.

Ash and Misty released each other, blushing furiously. "I'm gonna go change." Misty said softly.

Ash nodded, and Misty walked back to the bush away from the Wurmple infested area. "Hey, has anyone seen Pikachu lately?" Ash asked.

"No, not really." Dawn replied.

Ash started looking around, and felt relief wash over him when Pikachu walked out of a nearby bush. "Hey Pikachu, where ya been?"

Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder and replied: "Pika pika pi pi ka chu Pikachupi." (I didn't want to interrupt you and Misty.)

"Heh heh, thanks buddy, but you don't have to worry about that. You're free to hang around whenever you want." Ash said.

"Pika pika pi pi pika?" (I know, but who said I wanted to?) Pikachu said with a wink.

Misty came back from the bush in her regular clothes, and the trio walked back to the Pokémon Center, with two members walking hand-in-hand. At the Pokémon Center, Ash, Misty, and Dawn had gone in to check on their sick friend. "Nurse Joy said I'll be well enough to get out tomorrow." Brock said cheerfully.

"That's a relief!" Dawn exclaimed, wiping her brow of fake sweat.

"Yeah, but Dawn, next time there's a secret or something, try to refrain from getting people sick." Brock said sarcastically.

Dawn sweat-dropped and laughed nervously. "Sure Brock, sorry again."

"Hey don't worry, we're all friends here. Now you guys go and get some rest, I'll see you in the morning." Brock said, already assuming the role of the responsible adult. The trio bid Brock a goodnight, and walked out of the room, leaving Brock to get some sleep.

They walked to Nurse Joy, who gave Dawn two room-keys. "Here you go, have a goodnight." Nurse Joy said with a smile.

Dawn handed one of the keys to Ash and tried to walk away as fast as she could. "Hey Dawn, where's the key to _my_ room?" Misty asked.

Dawn slowly turned around and tried to look natural. "Oh, did I forget to mention? They only had two rooms, so you and Ash will be sharing his room." Dawn said casually.

"What?! With him/her?!" Ash and Misty said in unison, blushing hard at the thought. Pikachu looked at them both in shock.

"Yeah, why…is something wrong with that?" Dawn asked innocently. Ash and Misty started mumbling incoherently, thinking about what they could say without offending each other too much. They finally gave up, and Dawn gave a satisfied grin. "See you guys in the morning!" Dawn said cheerily. _"That'll teach Ash to keep secrets from me!"_ she giggled inwardly.

Ash and Misty walked up the steps to their room, not once even bothering to look at each other, out of fear that the awkward feeling would get worse for both of them. Finally, Ash decided to break the silence. "Well…at least there'll be two separate beds." he reasoned. Misty nodded and gave a small smile. Ash opened the door and they face-faulted in shock. The room was small and had only _one_ bed. "You've got to be kidding!" Ash exclaimed.

"Only _one_ bed?" Misty gulped.

"No way, there's gotta be a pull-out couch or something!" Ash began tearing the room apart, looking for any signs of another bed.

"Ash, how can there be a pull-out couch if there isn't even a couch?!"

"Well, maybe a portable cot then?"

"There's no room for one moron!"

Ash glared at the girl who was yelling at him, "Look, it's not _my_ fault Dawn did this!"

Misty had been stumped for the third time that day. He was right, it wasn't his fault. Dawn did this. "Geez, stop winning the argument!" she exclaimed in an annoyed tone.

Ash put on a smug grin, he was beginning to enjoy outsmarting Misty who used to always be able to beat him in a battle of wits...but that feeling quickly wore off, replaced instead by a feeling of tenderness which showed on his face. "Hey, look, I'll grab my sleeping bag, and you can sleep on the bed. How does that sound?"

**Misty's POV**

Ash was offering me the bed…in the old days there would be a race to see who would get it, and now Ash was telling me to just take it? "Ash, are you sure? I mean, you probably haven't slept in an actual bed in a while." I asked him, slightly in awe.

"Of _course_ I'm sure. I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure." he replied with a grin. Was this really the same Ash? It seemed too good to be true. "Go ahead, it's all yours." Ash said, leading his hand in the direction of the bed. I couldn't stop myself from looking at him affectionately. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and thanked him in a soft tone. "You're welcome." Ash replied in the same tone. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as we made it out to be. After we took our showers, we watched a quick movie together. I couldn't even remember what it was about, I was so tired from all the swimming as it was. I wasn't sure, but I thought I heard Ash say goodnight to me, just before I zoned out completely.

**Ash's POV**

Right before the Pokémon movie ended, I heard a soft-breathing coming from my shoulder. At first I thought it was Pikachu, but when I looked I saw a head of flaming red hair. I admired her for a few seconds before bidding her "goodnight", set her down carefully and pulled the covers up over her, which she snuggled herself into out of unconscious reflex.

Just then, Pikachu came bounding in from out of nowhere. "Pikapi, pi Pikachupi pika?" (Ash, is Misty asleep?) he asked.

"Yeah, she's asleep, but where do you keep disappearing to?" I asked him, as I set up my sleeping bag next to the bed.

"Pi pi pika pi ka chu." (I was checking on Brock.)

"Heh heh, alright then. We'll go to sleep as soon as I set up the sleeping bag."

"Pika pika ka chu pi pi?" (Why not just sleep in the bed?) Pikachu asked me, obviously unaware of what he just suggested.

I blushed hard, and then tried to contain my cool. "Nah, she deserves her privacy. I'll just let her have it."

"Pika, pi." (Oh, ok.)

"Hey, no worries buddy. C'mon, let's get some sleep." I slipped into my sleeping-bag, and Pikachu bounded over to me and took his usual place next to my head. Curled up into a ball, he gave a yawn and fell asleep quickly. I pet the head of my best Pokémon pal, and tried to go to sleep myself…but that would prove to be pointless.

**Misty's POV**

I woke up at what I saw was 1:00 A.M., shivering from the cold inside the room. What was it with hotel rooms that they had this compulsive need to make the room what felt like sixty degrees? If I was this cold, I could only imagine what Ash was feeling, since he was right next to the A.C. unit. I looked over the edge of the bed and saw Ash, shaking violently. "Ash, you awake?" I asked softly as not to startle him.

"Yeah, I'm up." Ash replied, trying to stop his teeth from chattering.

I was feeling so bad for taking the bed now, I left him there to freeze…sure he offered the bed to me…but I couldn't help but feel guilty. _"I can't believe I'm about to say this." _I gathered up all my courage, "D-Do you want to…share the bed?" I said hesitantly.

Ash turned to me with eyes that feigned curiosity and a little hesitance of his own. "Misty…are you sure?"

I giggled, his face was so cute right now. "If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have offered." I blushed and smiled as I quoted his earlier statement.

**Ash's POV**

_"Should I take her offer? I mean…it _is_ pretty cold in here…"_ One last chill that ran down my spine from the air conditioner made up my mind. There was no way I would get any sleep if I turned blue overnight. I gave her a smile and made my way under the covers of the bed, making sure to give Misty her space. "Hey, thanks a lot Mist." I said gratefully. Misty wrapped her arms around me, and snuggled close to me. I heard her whisper something, but I couldn't decipher it since she was already half-asleep again. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and brought her closer to me, and she gave a small, but happy sigh. I couldn't help but smile, she looked so peaceful sleeping there. And the tranquility that had filled the air was starting to take its toll on me. With Misty close by, I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

**Misty's POV**

Ash put himself under the covers, and I cuddled up close to him. I felt his warmth wash over me like a hot shower. I was already half-asleep when I whispered: "I love you Ash."


	10. Journey to the Unown

**Well, I'm back everyone! It took me a while to write this one, I had to decide what I should do to change the episode to the way it should've been all along. Anyways, you should now probably go to YouTube or something, and listen to the "Battle Dimension" theme song in order to get you into the mood. Remember to add Misty with her hair down in your imagination. ^^ Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you continue to do so, and without further ado, enjoy!  
_**

Chapter 10

**Misty's POV**

I woke up from a totally peaceful sleep, and saw that Ash still had his arm around me. He felt so warm and cozy, like being surrounded by love. Of course my being a romantic would lead me to think that. But nevertheless, I didn't want to leave his side. But unfortunately the day had to get started. I attempted to wake up Ash with a gentle kiss on his cheek. He stirred and a smile appeared on his face, but Ash stayed asleep. I giggled at that. As usual, Ash never surrendered sleep without a fight. At least some things would still be the same. I freed myself from his embrace, and that caused him to wake up.

"Morning Mist." Ash said with a smile.

"Good morning Ash."

"Pika pika!" (Morning guys!)

"Good morning Pikachu!" I exclaimed, inviting the electric mouse in for a hug. Pikachu jumped into my arms and gave a squeal of glee as I hugged him tightly.

I was about to say something, when I heard Dawn knocking on the door. "Hey guys, you up yet?"

I got a brilliant idea, something to get Dawn back for intentionally putting me and Ash in an uncomfortable position. Ash was about to reply when I placed my hand over his mouth. I whispered my plan into his ear, and a wide grin appeared on his face. "This is gonna rock!" Ash exclaimed quietly.

"Pikachu, go open the door when I tell you to." I whispered. Pikachu looked confused, but he acknowledged, and hopped onto the doorknob. Ash and I leaped back under the covers, went into a close embrace and pretended to be asleep. From underneath the covers, I snapped my fingers and signaled Pikachu to open the door.

**Normal POV**

"Hey Pikachu, are…Ash and Misty awake yet?" Dawn said, stifling laughter.

"Pika pika pi chu." (I'm not sure.) Pikachu replied, still confused as to why Ash and Misty decided to fake being asleep.

Dawn walked in quietly, and saw Ash and Misty cuddled up comfortably. "Ooooh! That's so sweet!" she gushed quietly. Ash and Misty had to try their very hardest in order to keep from cracking up, but the prank's success depended on them keeping a straight and natural face. Dawn stood in front of the foot of the bed, and made a square shape with her hands, trying to make a small picture-frame with her fingers. "Perfect, I _have_ to get a picture of this!" Dawn said mischievously.

"Pika?!" (What?!) Pikachu panicked.

Dawn pulled out her Pokédex, and activated the new camera setting that she had recently downloaded into it. Just before she snapped the photo, Ash and Misty jumped up suddenly and screamed, scaring Dawn to the point of falling down. And if that wasn't enough, Pikachu gave Dawn a 'Thundershock' for being mean to his master and his girlfriend. "My hair!" Dawn screamed angrily, feeling her now totally ruined hair.

Ash and Misty laughed, and Pikachu joined in after a while. "Sorry Dawn, we just wanted to get you back for your little prank yesterday, the 'Thundershock' wasn't supposed to be part of the equation." Misty apologized.

"Pika pika." (Sorry Dawn.)

Dawn started laughing as well. "Well, I guess I got my just-desserts." The trio laughed a while longer, and then Ash and Misty went to go change out of their pajamas. Afterwards, they walked down into the Pokémon Center lobby to get some breakfast, and found Brock already eating.

"Hey guys!" Brock greeted.

"Hey Brock, glad to see you're feeling better." Ash said.

"Actually, I feel horrible." Brock said glumly.

"If you feel so bad, why did Nurse Joy say you were ok?" Dawn asked.

"My body is fine…it's my _heart _that's in pain! Now that I'm out of there, I won't be able to see Nurse Joy anymore!" Brock cried out. The group did a face-fault at their friend's pathetic reaction to being well again.

"Same old Brock. Will you ever change?" Misty asked jokingly.

"Not until I find the one girl out there who will finally like me back!" Brock said dramatically.

"Good luck with that." Ash said.

Suddenly, Brock spotted Nurse Joy and ran to the desk where she was standing, "Oh Nurse Joy! I can't thank you enough for making me feel better…!"

"Ugh, good thing I came along when I did. Time to get back to work." Misty got up to drag Brock away from Nurse Joy, but Ash grabbed her by the hand before she went to go get Brock, which caused her to turn around.

"Don't worry about it Mist, this problem will take care of itself in a minute." her boyfriend assured. Misty sat back down with a confused expression, and suddenly saw a white light emerge from Brock's backpack. She turned to Ash who was quietly counting backwards on his fingers. "Three…two…one…" Ash whispered.

Misty looked at Brock, who was now cringing in pain from Croagunk's 'Poison Jab', and being dragged away by the wrist. "Well, it looks like my kind of Pokémon!" she laughed.

"That's Brock's Croagunk. He caught it during a battle with Team Rocket, and it seems to have taken the role of 'Brock Pacifier' since Max left with May." Ash explained.

"You'd think after all of those painful experiences, Brock would just chill out." Dawn said.

"He's been doing that for years, and it looks like he'll be doing it for years to come." Misty said with a sweat-drop.

Brock had now recovered from the 'Poison Jab', and sat back down into his seat. "So, what's on the agenda for today?" Brock asked.

"I have to get back to training! Last night, I thought of a way to make Aipom's 'Swift' work the way I want it to!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Hey, that's great! Maybe you can show us after breakfast." Ash suggested.

"Sounds good to me, I'll be ready for that contest and I intend to win!" Dawn cheered.

"That's the spirit! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get something to eat!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika pika chu!" (Me too!)

"He _still_ follows his stomach." Misty shook her head in amusement.

"Yeah, food has been a life-long friend of his, and I don't think that'll ever change." Brock replied.

"Although they did stop speaking to each other a few days ago." Dawn said with a grin. Misty made a puzzled face, and Brock elbowed Dawn, knowing what she was insinuating. "Ow!"

"Alright, what's going on Brock?" Misty asked suspiciously, her arms crossed over her chest.

"(Sigh) Before you got here, Ash was losing focus on everything he did. He even stopped eating." Brock said.

"Wow. I can't believe he stopped eating because of _me…"_ Misty said, feeling both guilty and flattered.

"You obviously mean a lot to him Misty. No other person would be able to have such an effect on him as to make him reject food." Brock said.

Misty blushed at that. Ash had now returned to with a huge pile of food, and Pikachu with a bottle of ketchup. "Gee, hungry much?" Misty asked with a smirk.

"You have no idea!" Ash replied, viciously scarfing down his food.

"Hey girls, you better get your breakfast before Ash goes for seconds." Brock joked. Ash gave him a quick glare, and then kept eating.

"Good idea Brock." Dawn said. Dawn got up from the table with Misty following close by.

**Ash's POV**

_"That's just what I need…I just know that Brock is going to interrogate me."_ I thought.

"So…Ash…tell me…how did you mange to break Misty from the bonds of being a gym leader?" Brock asked curiously.

"It's a long story." I replied without looking up.

"I have time." It seemed that Brock wasn't going to drop the subject; I had to think of something!

"It's too long to tell before they get back."

"Ok, you can tell me later."

I escaped for now, but when Brock wanted to know something, he would find a way to persuade me. At least it wasn't not as bad as what Dawn did when a secret was kept; she just annoyed you to death! I finally finished my breakfast just as Misty and Dawn showed up with theirs. "Ready for seconds Pikachu?"

"Pika pika pika chu!" (I'm still eating!)

Misty giggled. "You probably eat more than a Snorlax!" she teased"

At least I eat 'till I'm full…scrawny." I teased back. Misty smirked and whacked me on the back of the head, which I knew was coming anyway. "Ow." I said playfully.

"Alright you two, you can flirt all you want after we digest." Brock said sarcastically.

I blushed and looked at Misty, who was also blushing. "I'm gonna go outside and do a little training. C'mon Pikachu."

"Pika pika!" (Sure thing!) Pikachu hopped onto my shoulder and we ran outside to the back of the Pokémon Center.

I pulled out two balls, and tossed them onto the field. On one end of the field, Chimchar appeared. And on the other end, my powerful dragon and old friend: Charizard. "Alright guys, I want to see some good effort go into this battle. Got it?!" I asked with excitement.

"Chim char!" (Alright!)

"Charizard, can you battle for yourself?" Charizard grunted with a nod. "Alright, Chimchar, start it off with a 'Flamethrower'!" I ordered. Chimchar fired its attack towards Charizard, who looked ready to counter. Charizard fired his 'Flamethrower' to counter Chimchar, and a huge explosion covered the field. Just then, Charizard came flying towards Chimchar with a 'Steel Wing' attack. "Use 'Dig' to avoid it Chimchar!" Chimchar dug a hole and just barely dodged the giant dragon's attack. "Now use 'Scratch'!" Chimchar leaped out of the hole and scratched Charizard's face. "Way to go Chimchar!" Chimchar started jumping up and down in celebration, and I stopped the short spar. "Thanks Charizard, take a break now." Charizard growled in acknowledgement, and I recalled him to his Pokéball. "Hey, nice job Chimchar! You're getting really strong!" I said, petting Chimchar's head.

"Chim chim char!" (Hey, thanks!) Chimchar replied happily.

I returned him to his Pokéball, just before Misty, Dawn, and Brock walked over. Misty and Dawn were talking about something, but I couldn't understand what.

**Misty's POV**

Dawn had asked me what my favorite Pokémon was, and the answer was obvious of course. "I just _love_ Tentacool and Tentacruel!" I exclaimed with stars in my eyes.

_"They're_ your favorite Pokémon?" Dawn asked in disbelief.

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked with my eyes narrowed at her.

"N-No! But, they just don't seem like the kind of Pokémon a girl like you would want." Dawn replied a little nervously, "Are there any _other _Pokémon you've ever wanted?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I've _always_ wanted a Vaporeon. They're just _so_ beautiful!" I gushed. Dawn smiled and then ran towards the battlefield, holding a Pokéball.

**Normal POV**

"Hey guys!" Ash exclaimed.

"Hey Ash." Dawn said, "Ready to see what I came up with everyone?"

"Sure thing, go ahead." Brock said.

"Alright! But…if you could just move to the center of the field, it would be very much appreciated." Dawn said.

"Uh, sure Dawn." Misty said hesitantly. The trio obliged, and moved to the center of the battlefield.

"Aipom! Spooootlight!" With a twirl, Dawn threw out Aipom's Pokéball, who stood on her tail after emerging. "Aipom! 'Swift', go!" Aipom swung her tail back and forth, causing a circle of stars to surround the trio of Ash, Misty, and Brock.

"What's she doing?" Misty asked.

"Dunno, guess we'll see in a minute." Brock replied.

Without warning, Aipom punched one of the leftover stars towards the spinning circle, and it bounced around like a pinball before causing the stars to shatter into a shiny dust. The trio gasped in awe at the marvelous sight. "It's like being sprinkled with mist!" Misty exclaimed. Aipom landed on the ground, and gave a bow along with her new master Dawn.

"Great Aipom! You and Dawn are totally in sync!" Ash exclaimed. Aipom chattered in thanks.

"And I'm very impressed on that variation of 'Swift' you used." Brock added.

"I've never seen 'Swift' used like that; my sisters would've fallen head-over-heels if they saw it." Misty added.

"Thanks guys! It looks a lot prettier than before, and we did a lot of changes on 'Focus Punch' as well." Dawn replied.

"How about showing us then?" Misty asked politely.

"Sure thing! Piplup, can you be our opponent?" Dawn asked her faithful penguin.

Pi plup!" (Of course!)

"Use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup leaped into the air and fired a stream of bubbles into the air. "Aipom! 'Focus Punch'!" Aipom leaped into the air to meet the bubbles, and started launching rapid punches towards the now popping bubbles, which sprinkled more mist on the trio.

"What's that?!" Ash asked.

"That seems too fast to be a 'Focus Punch'." Misty added.

"Yeah Mist, you're right! It actually looks like Aipom has two tails! That's awesome!" Ash replied. Pikachu squealed in agreement.

"I wanted it to look like Aipom was attacking in two places at once with one 'Focus Punch'." Dawn explained.

"But that doesn't look like 'Focus Punch' to me." Misty said.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"Well, just look. No 'Focus Punch' can move that fast, and since I was a Gym Leader I know what a 'Focus Punch' looks like since it's been used against me by all sorts of different Pokémon." Misty explained.

"Hey, Misty's right! Do you two realize that what Aipom is using is a brand new move?" Brock asked.

"A new move?" Dawn held out her Pokédex to examine exactly what Aipom was doing.

The Pokédex made a few beeping noises, signaling the completion of its analysis. "'Double Hit', a single attack that causes damage twice." the Pokédex chirped.

Dawn's eyes started shining in excitement. "'Double Hit'…wow! I've got me a new move!" Dawn said excitedly. Aipom finished her attack, and did some mid-air somersaults before landing on Dawn's head gracefully.

"I would think that Aipom is close to evolving after learning to use that move." Brock said.

"Only Brock would be able to tell that just by looking at it." Misty teased.

"Well, if I'm going to be a Pokémon Breeder, I need to be able to tell things like that." Brock replied.

"So, you're gonna evolve soon, eh Aipom? Let's see what that'll be." Ash said, pulling out his red Pokédex.

"Ambipom." A voice said.

"Huh?" the group asked in unison.

They turned their heads and saw Dawn's old friend Kenny standing there with his Prinplup. "The evolved form of Aipom is Ambipom." Kenny repeated.

"Kenny!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu and Piplup greeted Prinplup, who reciprocated.

"What do you know? If it isn't Dawn's old friend." Brock said.

"Who's that Ash?" Misty asked.

"Kenny is an old friend of Dawn's. They're both coordinators, so you could consider them friendly rivals." Ash explained.

"Long time no see. I _am_ kind of surprised you didn't even know the name of what the evolved form of Aipom is…'Dee Dee'." Kenny teased Dawn with a malicious grin. Dawn bristled and growled and then yelled at Kenny to never call her that again.

"Huh? Why did you call her…" Misty was cut off by a panicking Dawn, who was now shaking her by the shoulders violently.

"Misty, _please_ don't go there!" Dawn begged.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry!" Misty exclaimed. Dawn released Misty who was now on the floor with spirals in her eyes.

Ash knelt down next to her and lifted up her by the shoulder. "You ok Mist?"

"Yeah, just a little dizzy." Misty replied woozily.

"Guess everybody's got secrets hidden in their closet." Brock chuckled.

"Yeah, let's ask Ash and his 'secret' friend." Dawn said.

Ash and Misty blushed. "So are you gonna introduce me to your friend here or what?" Kenny asked referring to Misty.

"Oh yeah, Kenny, this is Misty." Ash said.

"Nice to meet you." Misty shook the shorter boy's hand.

"Are you a coordinator like Dee Dee?" Kenny asked with a smirk. Dawn was now ready to kill Kenny, but was held back by Brock.

"Uh, no. I was actually the Gym Leader of Cerulean City in Kanto before I came back to travel with Ash." Misty explained.

"Sounds cool, so Dawn, you'll be in the contest, right?" Kenny asked, turning his attention back to Dawn.

"Of course!" Dawn replied.

"Awesome! Oh, hey, it was too bad what happened at Hearthome City." Kenny said sympathetically.

"What happened at Hearthome City?" Misty asked.

"Dawn lost in the first round." Ash said sullenly.

"Oh, sorry Dawn." Misty apologized sadly.

"It's no problem Misty! This time there's no need to worry because I'm ready!" Dawn exclaimed, making a 'V' for victory sign with her fingers. Aipom chattered in agreement as it made the same sign with its tail.

"I didn't know you had an Aipom." Kenny said.

"Oh yeah, Ash used to be Aipom's trainer." Dawn said.

"I feel sorry for Aipom." Misty teased.

"Oh yeah, what about your Psyduck, Misty?" Ash countered.

"Ugh. Don't go there Ash." Misty said with a glare.

"Don't you remember Aipom from the Jubilife Contest?" Dawn asked.

"That's right! So did you make a trade?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah, for Dawn's Buizel." Ash explained.

"So _that's_ where you got that Buizel, I should've known that you wouldn't have been able to catch such a powerful water-type." Misty teased.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?!" Ash yelled angrily.

"I'm saying that you can't catch decent water-types without someone else intervening somehow!" Misty yelled back, her anger now stirred because of Ash's outburst.

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?!"

"YEAH!"

"Do they do this often?" Kenny asked with a sweat-drop.

"You get used to it after a few years." Brock stated.

"I don't think I can handle waiting that long!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup was getting really annoyed, so it fired a 'Bubblebeam' at the quarreling couple. As the water-attack hit their faces, their argument was put to a stop.

"Hey!" they said in unison.

"Is that the way a boyfriend and girlfriend should treat each other?!" Dawn asked angrily.

Ash and Misty leaped onto Dawn and started shooting off comments at her. "No one else needs to know Dawn!" Misty yelled.

"Yeah, just keep quiet!" Ash agreed. Aipom looked on in confusion, wondering why her former master was torturing her current one.

Ash and Misty, satisfied with their job, got off of Dawn who now had spirals in her eyes like Misty did. "Sorry about that Ash, you really _are_ doing a good job with that Buizel." Misty apologized.

"No prob Mist, I know you don't really mean what you say when you do that." Ash reassured.

Dawn had now gotten up and dusted herself off. "You two go from enemies to friends faster than an 'ExtremeSpeed' attack."

"True that." Brock agreed. Ash and Misty glared at their friends.

Meanwhile, Kenny was watching in utter confusion. "You sure know how to pick your pals Dawn." he finally said.

"No kidding, I chose _you_ for one didn't I?" Dawn replied with a playful wink.

Kenny did a face-fault, and then recovered. "Anyways, so you _will_ be in the contest?"

"No doubt! This time I'm gonna use Aipom for both round one _and_ two and win for sure!" Dawn said determinedly. Aipom chattered in agreement.

Kenny's face turned smug. "Yeah, we'll see. _We're_ gonna enter too after all, and we're feeling strong." he said confidently.

"Prin plup!" (That's right!)

"You have two ribbons right Kenny?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, how many badges do you have?" Kenny replied.

Ash pulled out his badge case, revealing two Sinnoh League badges. "I've got two of 'em. Six more to go!" Ash exclaimed.

"Only _two_ Ash? Guess I didn't miss much." Misty teased.

Ash ignored the obvious jab, "I'm just glad you'll be here for the rest of my battles."

The redhead was surprised by Ash's answer, but she definitely couldn't say she was disappointed, "Believe me, there's no place I'd rather be." she said with a wink.

Ash blushed, but quickly regained his composure when an idea popped in his head. "Speaking of battling, how about you and me finish our battle Kenny?"

"Uh, maybe later. I actually had plans to go and see Dialga and Palkia right now." Kenny explained.

"Huh?" Ash asked.

"See Dialga and Palkia?!" Dawn asked in disbelief.

"Yeah…see them." Kenny repeated. The group gasped in awe. "Hey, hey! I don't mean the _real_ ones! It's just a monument." Kenny said, trying to calm down his friends.

"A monument huh? C'mon Ash, I wanna go see it!" Misty grabbed Ash's hand and ran off.

"Looks like we'll be going with you Kenny." Brock said with a sweat-drop.

"It sure seems that way." Kenny replied.

The team ran off to catch up to the couple that already headed towards…somewhere. "Misty, we need Kenny to tell us where we're going!" Ash exclaimed.

Misty stopped in her tracks, making Ash run into her and fall on top of her. "Oh yeah. Well, as long as they're not here yet…" Misty said, right before giving Ash a peck on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Ash asked with a goofy smile.

"No reason, I just wanted to." Misty replied. Ash blushed and chuckled.

"Chaaa!" (Cuuute!)

Now Misty joined Ash in the blush-fest.

**AT THE SHRINE**

Men and women in silver suits and multi-colored hair were standing dutifully in front of the shrine. Meanwhile, Meowth was busy picking berries. "Dis must be my lucky day! Grabbin' grub for free!" he said to himself. Meowth's eyes wandered over to the shrine, where he saw the trio of people in front of the shrine. "I know dose fashion freaks! Hey, check dis out!" Meowth exclaimed, calling over his two 'Team Rocket' partners.

Jessie and James crawled over and saw what Meowth was pointing at. "Team Galactic, wonder what they're up to." Jessie whispered.

"No good as always I'm sure." James replied. Their grudge against Team Galactic had now been rekindled, as they thought about how they had been tricked into stealing the 'Adamant Orb' for them.

Jessie, James, and Meowth snuck over to behind a pillar, trying to follow them unnoticed. "What's dis joint?" Meowth asked referring to the shrine.

Unnoticed by Team Rocket, the Team Galactic leader had seen them hiding, but he decided not to do anything about it. The leader threw out a Pokéball. "Bronzor, 'Flash'." he said. A Bronzor appeared from the Pokéball, and its face lit up in a flashlight-like fashion. Team Galactic proceeded through the long tunnel, followed closely by Team Rocket, who had decided to believe it was a treasure-house.

By this time, Ash, Misty, Dawn, Brock, and Kenny had reached the shrine themselves. "It's true! Dialga and Palkia!" Ash exclaimed.

"These are the Solaceon Ruins, the ruins that people once paid tribute to Dialga and Palkia, and there are lots of places like this throughout Sinnoh." Kenny explained.

"Wow!" Ash gasped in awe.

"Hey, look at this!" Dawn exclaimed, looking at the writing on one of the statue bases.

"When one life meets another life, something will be born." Dawn read.

"That's so true!" Kenny exclaimed.

"No kidding, we have two living examples standing over there." Dawn said, pointing over to where Ash and Misty were admiring the other statue.

"You know Dawn, I think I've heard that saying somewhere before." Brock said.

"Oh yeah! Cynthia the Elite Champion told us that saying!" Dawn replied.

"Wow that's so cool that you got to meet the champion!" Kenny exclaimed, obviously impressed.

"I guess you could say that I have a _much_ more exciting life than you." Dawn said with a satisfied smile.

"No duh, from what I've seen from Ash and that Misty girl, you'll never be bored again." Kenny said with a grin. Dawn sweat-dropped.

Brock walked over to Ash and Misty's statue, and noticed that it read the same. "It says the same thing over here." Brock said.

"Says what Brock?" Misty asked.

"When one life meets another life, something will be born." Brock repeated.

"That sounds so mysterious!" Misty exclaimed.

"I wonder if it has anything to do with Dialga and Palkia." Ash said.

"Probably, considering that it says it on their statues." Misty replied.

"Hey, I've got a good idea!" Kenny exclaimed suddenly.

"Yeah? What is it?" Ash asked.

"Let's battle _now!"_ Kenny exclaimed.

"What?! How could you possibly battle around these beautiful statues?!" Misty yelled, concerned for the well-being of the art.

"Yeah, Misty's right!" Ash exclaimed.

"Why thank you Ash." Misty replied in a satisfied tone. "

Yeah, I mean, how can anyone battle with Dialga and Palkia staring at you?" Ash asked.

Misty did a face-fault as she realized that Ash had completely missed her point. _"Ash, you're density isn't exactly something I'll miss when you lose it."_

"Oh come on! It'll be fun!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Well…alright then!" Ash exclaimed. How could he ever refuse a battle?

"Alright, so who gets to attack first?" Kenny asked.

"Uh, that's a good question." Ash said with his arms crossed.

"In case you haven't noticed, in situations like this, I have just the thing!" Dawn exclaimed, holding up her coin-toss wristband.

"Whoa! A coin-toss application?!" Kenny asked in a bewildered tone.

"Don't have one huh?" Dawn teased with a grin.

Kenny groaned and bent over. "I hate this."

After choosing the first attacker (which would turn out to be Ash), the two called out the rules. "One-on-one sound good?" Kenny asked.

"Awesome! Let's do it!" Ash exclaimed.

**Ash's POV**

"You can do it Ash!" Misty called out from the sidelines. I blushed and gave her a smile, taking comfort in the fact that I wasn't hallucinating anymore, she was really there, and she always would be. Although I was wondering why she was cheering since she was against the battle in the first place.

**Misty's POV**

_"Well, there's no way I can convince him otherwise, so I guess I'll just cheer him on." _

**Ash's POV**

I figured that Kenny would use Prinplup again, like he did in Floraroma Town. So I decided on my grass-type. "Turtwig, I choose you!" I threw out the Pokéball and Turtwig emerged, ready for battle. Suddenly, Kenny threw out a Pokéball himself, which meant my judgment was wrong, and Kenny wasn't using Prinplup.

"Alright, go Breloom!" Kenny's Pokémon emerged and stood tall, ready for a fight.

I saw Dawn pulling out her Pokédex. "Hey Dawn, turn up the volume on your Pokédex so I can hear!" I yelled. Dawn gave a thumbs-up and obliged. I listened intently to the explanation.

"Breloom, the Mushroom Pokémon. Its short arms stretch when it throws punches, and its technique is like that of a professional boxer's." the Pokédex chirped.

"Hmm, I wonder if it's a fighting-type too." I wondered. _"Oh well, grass vs. grass won't do much, so I'll just roll with it!"_ I decided to just jump right into the battle, "'Kay! Turtwig, 'Tackle'!" Turtwig ran across the field to tackle the mushroom Pokémon. Kenny told Breloom to dodge the attack, but my Turtwig was just too fast for it, and it took the full force of the attack. "Now, 'Razor Leaf'! Go!" I called out another attack, and Turtwig got ready to launch razor sharp leaves at its opponent, but there was no way I would be ready for what came next.

"Use 'Mach Punch'!" Kenny shouted. I gasped, there was no way that Turtwig could dodge the attack now, and all I could do was watch Turtwig take the impact. "You gotta admit, my Breloom is really good."

"Yeah, hey Turtwig, you alright?" Turtwig nodded, and the battle continued. "Use 'Bite'!" Turtwig ran towards Breloom, but once again was stopped. This time by an attack I never saw before.

"Use 'Energy Ball'!" Kenny countered. A growing ball of energy appeared in front of Breloom's mouth, and it launched the attack at Turtwig, who took the full brunt of the attack, as it detonated.

"Wow, that move looks awesome!" Dawn had exclaimed. I couldn't help but agree, I wanted Turtwig to know that move! So I asked if Kenny could teach Turtwig how.

"You're really going to just stop the battle?" Misty asked in shock.

"Hey, when you get the opportunity to learn an awesome move, you take it!" I replied.

"Hmmm, I never said I gave you an opportunity…what should I do?" Kenny asked himself teasingly, tapping his chin in mock thought.

"You should teach Turtwig that move of course!" Dawn answered for him.

"Ok, here's the deal. You beat me, and I'll teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'." Kenny offered.

"Oh come on!" Dawn yelled.

"Looks like the battle's back on Mist, go enjoy the show!" I said. Misty smiled and walked back over to where Dawn was sitting.

**Normal POV**

Meanwhile, Team Galactic had reached their destination inside the shrine, where Team Rocket had been "sneaking" around. They placed three strange plates into three slots on the floor, and a strange light began to glow. As a strange cube rose from the floor, the Unown engraved in the walls came to life, trying to protect the cube from Team Galactic. "Bronzor, 'Confuse Ray'!" the leader exclaimed. Bronzor sent out a ghostly light all over the room, causing the Unown to become dangerously confused. When everything cleared, Team Galactic had vanished without a trace, leaving a bewildered Team Rocket surrounded by a bunch of enraged Unown.

Meanwhile outside, the battle was just about to be wrapped up, when a giant red light flashed from the shrine, and the spot that Misty, Dawn, Piplup, and Aipom were sitting on suddenly folded into itself.

**Ash's POV**

I heard screaming from the shrine, and I saw Misty, Dawn, and her Pokémon suddenly getting pulled away by the shrine itself. "Misty! Dawn!" I cried out. I grabbed a Pokéball and sent out Charizard, who gave out a roar as I leaped onto his back. "Follow them Charizard!" I yelled with urgency. I knew Charizard had felt my concern, he took off at an incredible speed, chasing down the wall. "No! Misty!" My fear grew worse as I saw Misty slip into the red light of the shrine along with Piplup and Aipom. And if I didn't have enough to worry about, Dawn had leaped in going after her Pokémon. "Gun it Charizard!" Charizard flew even faster, but it made no difference, since I had plenty of time to get in. It was Brock and Kenny who had the close call. The shrine closed up completely, just after we managed to get in. I didn't bother to wait for Brock and Kenny, I was now on a mission as I flew on the back of my dragon. I had to find Misty!

**Misty's POV**

"Oh great, just _one_ day back with Ash and I'm already thrown into a creepy adventure!" I was livid. For the briefest of moments, I actually regretted coming to Sinnoh. Thoughts of Ash's love quickly removed such blasphemy from my mind. Dawn had actually ignored my outburst, as she was checking on Piplup and Aipom. I looked around and noticed that the walls were starting to move! I gave out a scream as angry Unown started coming out of the walls. Now I really wished Ash was here, 'cause this was just scary!

"What are those?" Dawn asked in a scared tone, pulling out her Pokédex

Her Pokédex said: "Unown, the Symbol Pokémon. Unown use telepathy to communicate with each other. Many different shapes of Unown have been discovered."

"We _already _discovered them years ago! I just didn't wanna discover them _again!" _I screamed. Red beams were fired at us, and out of instinct, Dawn's Piplup and Aipom defended us with a "Bubblebeam" and "Swift" respectively. But they didn't quit yet, they wanted more, so I was ready to oblige. I was ready to send out Staryu, when Psyduck popped out of his Pokéball. "Psyduck! Not now!"

"Psy?" (Huh?) it asked dopily. Another beam from the Unown caused Psyduck to totally freak out, and I recalled it before me and Dawn ran off screaming.

"Ash! Come and find us!"

**Ash's POV**

I heard screaming coming from a flight of never-ending stairs and I saw Misty and Dawn being attacked by what looked like a mob of Unown, with Piplup and Aipom doing their best to defend. "Misty!" I called out.

"Ash, help!" Misty shouted back.

"C'mon Charizard! Get over there and use 'Dragon Breath'!" Charizard roared and flew over to the Unown, exhaling a fiery breath at them. The Unown cried out in pain, and attacked again. Charizard landed in front of the group, ready to take them all on. "Charizard, use 'Flamethrower'! As Charizard fought off the Unown, I jumped off to tend to Misty.

**Misty's POV**

I was beyond relieved when Ash showed up with Charizard, he knelt down next to me and hugged me tightly, which I gladly reciprocated. "Misty, thank goodness you're alright!" Ash exclaimed, concern in his voice.

"Ash, I'm so glad you're here." I could feel myself starting to feel safe in his arms.

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking!" Dawn yelled angrily. Ash looked like he was about to apologize, when I noticed Charizard.

"Ash, Charizard looks like he's gonna pass out!" I yelled as I watched the panting dragon take another hit from the Unown's attacks. I grabbed a Pokéball, and hoped that Psyduck wouldn't make another appearance. "Misty calls Politoed!" I called out my frog, who launched a 'Water Gun' attack before I even had the chance to say anything. The water hit the Unown dead-on, and they suddenly seemed to lose their rage.

With an ominous moan, the Unown disappeared, and we were now inside a corridor of sorts. "We're back!" Dawn exclaimed.

Ash released me, and walked over to the now exhausted Charizard. "Thanks Charizard. Take a nice, long rest." Ash said.

"I don't think we're out of trouble yet guys." Dawn said nervously.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"It still looks_ really_ weird up ahead." Dawn said, staring at the weird, red glow.

"Well, all we can do is push on ahead." Ash said.

"I'm a little scared Ash." I whispered. Normally I was supposed to be the strong one, but around Ash, I knew I could take down the "tough" mask.

"We'll be ok Mist, I promise." Ash replied. I gripped onto Ash's arm, and we all walked ahead cautiously.

**Brock's POV**

Me and Kenny were searching for Ash, Misty, and Dawn for what seemed like at least half-an-hour, and we ran into quite a few Unown along the way, but Prinplup, Breloom, and Croagunk managed to keep them off of us for the time being. "Why are they attacking us Brock?" Kenny asked.

"Something must have happened to make them so confused." I replied.

"Prin plup!" (Heads up!) Prinplup exclaimed, in battle-ready stance.

I looked up and saw even more angry Unown hovering over us. "Here we go again!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Croagunk, 'Poison Sting'!"

"Prinplup, use 'Bubblebeam'! And Breloom, use 'Energy Ball'!" The attacks were launched, and the Unown suddenly became serene and disappeared with an ominous moan. And just like that, we were in a hallway. "This is just too weird." Kenny said.

"Let's keep going, the gang just has to be around here somewhere." I said. And we pressed on.

**Normal POV**

Ash, Misty, and Dawn were now running up another flight of endless-stairs, where more angry Unown were waiting to zap them. "Alright Piplup, use 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup launched a giant whirlpool at the Unown, which caused them to lose their rage once again.

"Looks like water is the cure!" Misty exclaimed.

The scenery went back to a regular corridor, where Team Rocket suddenly tumbled from. "Team Rocket?!" Dawn yelled.

"It's the twerps!" Team Rocket exclaimed.

"I should've known you guys were behind the Unown being so upset!" Ash yelled angrily.

"It wasn't us this time!" Team Rocket said fearfully. They looked to their left, and saw yet another group of Unown headed towards them.

Like the cowards they were, Team Rocket cowered behind Ash, Misty, and Dawn. Begging them to save them. "You guys are pathetic, you know that?!" Misty yelled angrily.

"Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Politoed, use 'Water Gun'!"

"Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!"

The attacks were launched, but this time the Unown remained angry. Now even more enraged, they charged towards the trio. "They're not stopping!" James yelled from behind Ash. They screamed in fear, but Aipom leaped in front of them, giving the Unown a taste of its new move: "Double Hit". They weren't ready to back down yet, so they zapped again, and this time, it headed right towards Misty.

**Ash's POV**

_"They're aiming for Misty!"_ I thought fearfully. I did the first thing that popped into my head, and pushed Misty out of the way.

"Ash, no!" I heard her scream.

"Pikapi!" (Ash!)

The laser hit me dead-on, and boy did it sting. "Ash, are you alright?!" Misty asked concerned. I forced a smile out of myself, but I'd be feeling that hit for a long time.

_"Nobody_ hurts my friends! Aipom, use 'Double Hit' again!" Dawn exclaimed with fury. I watched Aipom attack the Unown again, who once again, didn't back down. They zapped towards Aipom, who did a back-flip to dodge, and suddenly began glowing white.

_"She's finally evolving!"_ I thought. The light grew in size, grew a second tail, and finally emerged as Ambipom.

"Aipom has evolved into Ambipom!" Dawn said with shining eyes.

"Way to go Dawn!" I exclaimed, before cringing in pain again. Misty tried to comfort me as best she could, which I appreciated greatly, but there was no way she could battle if she was with me, and I couldn't battle, so that left…

**Dawn's POV**

"Stand back you guys, me and Ambipom will take care of these bozos once and for all!" I yelled determinedly. The Unown had been stunned by Ambipom's evolution, but were now charging forward again. "Ambipom, use 'Swift'!" Ambipom leaped into the air, and fired her now more powerful 'Swift' attack at the Unown.

"Wow, I need to get _me _an Ambipom!" Jessie exclaimed from behind me.

"Dream on!" I replied. The Unown finally gave in, and disappeared with an ominous moan. And just as they vanished, I looked up and saw Brock and Kenny…on the ceiling?!

**Normal POV**

"Look, it's them!" Kenny exclaimed.

"And they're with Team Rocket!" Brock exclaimed.

"What are you guys doing on the ceiling?" Kenny asked.

_"You two_ are the ones on the ceiling!" Dawn replied.

"This has to be those creepy Unown's doing!" Misty yelled, still kneeling over Ash. As if on cue, more Unown appeared for a battle.

"Come on, enough already!" Team Rocket exclaimed fearfully. Without being told, Piplup fired a 'Bubblebeam' towards the incoming Unown. They snapped out of confusion again, but before they vanished, Piplup started speaking to them.

"(Groan) What's Piplup saying?" Ash asked, holding his stomach.

"Just relax Ash, save your strength." Misty said soothingly.

"Piplup's tryin' ta get on deir good side!" Meowth translated. Piplup finished chirping, and the Unown went away peacefully.

"Well, whatever Piplup said seems to have worked." Dawn said, relieved. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and all their Pokémon suddenly felt a strange feeling, like they were upside-down.

"Oh, no…_we_ were upside-down!" Misty exclaimed. As they fell down, the below team leaped into action.

"Happiny, Croagunk, catch them!" Brock exclaimed. Brock's super-strong Happiny popped out of its ball, and caught as many people as it could. When the dust settled, Happiny was carrying Ash, Misty, and Pikachu. While Croagunk had caught the rest of the smaller Pokémon. Brock managed to catch Dawn, and Ambipom merely landed gracefully on its two tails, leaving poor Team Rocket to land painfully.

"So who catches us?" Team Rocket asked exasperatedly.

Ash groaned in pain, which caught Brock's attention. "Ash, what's wrong?!" Brock asked with concern.

"Ash took a hit from the Unown when he saved me." Misty said with guilt in her voice.

"We've gotta get Ash to a Pokémon Center!" Brock exclaimed.

As if on cue, the door to the shrine opened up right before their eyes, finally allowing the group to leave their torture chamber. Supported by Brock and Kenny, Ash limped outside, and then called out Charizard once more. "Charizard, I know you're tired, but can you get Ash to a Pokémon Center?" Misty begged. Charizard sensed the anxiety coming from Misty's voice. She was obviously concerned for his master, and so he obliged.

"Hey Kenny, what about what happened to our battle?" Ash asked weakly with a smirk.

"Yeah, don't worry, as soon as you get back to one-hundred percent, I'll teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'." Kenny said with a thumbs-up.

"Thanks." Ash sighed with fatigue.

"I'm coming too Ash!" Misty exclaimed, refusing to leave Ash alone.

"Can you do it Charizard?" Ash asked weakly. Charizard gave a thumbs-up, waited for Misty to leap onto his back, and then flew off towards the Pokémon Center.

"Hey, has anyone seen Team Rocket?" Dawn asked.

The team looked around, and found no trace of them. "Oh well, everyone's still here, so we should just get to the center ourselves." Brock decided. Dawn, Kenny, and Brock (who now had Pikachu on his shoulder) recalled their Pokémon, and started the walk back to the center.

**AT THE CENTER**

**Misty's POV**

I awaited Nurse Joy's diagnosis of Ash's injury with a mixture of concern and guilt. Why would Ash pull such a bonehead move like that?! I was almost reduced to tears, when Ash walked out with Nurse Joy behind him. I ran up to him eagerly, and asked if he was ok. "He has a few deep bruises, but nothing that won't heal over time." Nurse Joy said cheerfully.

"Oh, thank goodness." I said with relief.

"I'm just glad _you're_ ok Misty, I was really worried about you when that shrine sucked you in." Ash said. I blushed, and made sure to be gentle with my embrace so I didn't hurt him more.

"I suggest you get some sleep young man, your body needs rest after all those bruises." Nurse Joy said sternly.

"Alright. Hey, let's go to our room Mist." Ash said. I let him lean on me for support, and we walked to the elevator, since I didn't want to chance Ash pushing himself more than necessary.

We reached the room and Ash took off his shirt, revealing a bandage that was bracing his ribs. I gasped at the sight, feeling even worse for what happened. "Ash, I'm so sorry."

"For what Misty?" Ash asked, putting on a black T-shirt.

"You got hurt because of _me!_ I should've moved out of the way myself!" I started crying...again. I was beginning to wonder if my emotions were trying to make up for years of holding in sadness and frustration by doing all this crying...well, if nothing else, if I was going to cry, I felt better knowing it was only in front of Ash. I felt a pair of arms give me a hug from behind, and pull me down to sit on the bed next to the owner of the arms.

"Hey, like I said, I'm just glad _you're_ ok. If _you're_ alright, that's all that matters to me." Ash said soothingly. I hugged him again, and cried over his shoulder. I felt him tighten the hug, as he tried to calm me down. It worked for the most part. I felt his warmth and his love surrounding me, and I slowly began to feel better. "Just so you know, I'm sure this won't be the last time that we run into a situation like this." Ash said playfully.

"Ash Ketchum, how do you manage to attract so much trouble?" I teased, wiping away my leftover tears.

"Just lucky I guess." Ash shrugged. I giggled and gave him a kiss on his cheek, blushing. Ash smiled and lied down in the bed, exhausted and obviously sore from the whole ordeal.

He looked at me expectantly, which confused me. "What is it?" I finally asked. He opened his arms as if to invite me in, and I blushed harder at his offer. I crawled into the bed and gently snuggled close to him. "I can't help but wonder though…"

"Wonder what?"

"What could've been so important to make those Unown freak out like that?"

"I dunno, but I do know that whatever it is, we'll handle it the same way we handled everything else!" Having that put to rest in my mind, I relaxed and nuzzled my head into Ash's chest, and fell asleep in his embrace, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. "Goodnight Misty." Ash said softly. I lost all consciousness quickly, but not before I felt Ash give me a "goodnight" kiss on my forehead, which I responded to with a content sigh.

**Ash's POV**

I hugged Misty tightly, and she nuzzled her head into my chest before falling asleep. It may have only been 8:30 P.M., but we were both exhausted. I'd see my friends in the morning, including Pikachu, and we'd be able to watch Dawn's contest in peace. I looked down at Misty, her fiery, and now longer, red hair was in the down position I loved so much, it gave her a relaxed look. On impulse, I gave her a kiss on her forehead, which she seemed to respond to happily. I smiled and finally drifted off to sleep, taking comfort in the fact that Misty was there for me, and I was glad to be there for her.


	11. Timing is Everything

**So, I was going to add the next episode, when I noticed that they skipped a whole day's worth of possibility between the Unown and the contest. So...I decided to fill up that day with some originality from my imagination. Keep listening to that theme song, and keep using your mind to add Misty to it. ^^ Anyways, I appreciate all the reviews that you've all given me, and I hope you continue to read and review this story, and my others as well. Enjoy this chapter!  
_**

Chapter 11

**Ash's POV**

I woke up to find that Misty was already awake and dressed in her regular clothes, watching a TV show with the volume down. She looked over to me and smiled. "Morning Ash, how do you feel?" she asked.

"Morning Mist, I'm still a little sore, but I feel a lot better now than yesterday."

"Good to hear, you wanna go get some breakfast?"

Now this got me excited, I was starving since I didn't eat dinner yesterday. "Oh yeah, let's go! C'mon Pikachu!" I said instinctively. I looked around the room and noticed that Pikachu wasn't there.

"Ash, Pikachu slept with Brock and Dawn last night."

"Oh yeah…I forgot." I said sheepishly with my hand behind my head.

Misty giggled. "Well get dressed and we'll head down. Brock, Dawn, and probably Kenny are eating already."

"Hey yeah! Kenny still has to teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'!" I slipped on my vest and walked out the door, with Misty walking beside me. "Hey guys!" I exclaimed, as we met our friends in the cafeteria.

"Pikapi!" (Ash!)

"Hey Pikachu, how are ya?"

"Pika pika chu?" (I'm alright, you?)

"Hey big guy, how ya feeling?" Brock asked.

Now I could answer both questions at once. "Still sore, but I'm ready to go!"

"Well that's good, now I can teach Turtwig 'Energy Ball'." Kenny said.

"Sounds good to me, but first…I need to chow down!" I said excitedly.

**Normal POV**

Ash ran to the cafeteria line, leaving the rest of the group alone. "Pi ka." (Oh boy.) Pikachu said exasperatedly.

"Don't be too hard on him Pikachu, he didn't eat dinner yesterday, remember?" Misty said.

"Pi pi Pikachupi." (You're right Misty.) Pikachu said, hopping onto Misty's shoulder.

"Boy, just yesterday he couldn't _walk_ without cringing in pain. Now, he's moving like nothing happened." Kenny said.

"That's just Ash. His determination and will never lets him stay down for long." Misty said in admiration.

Ash came back with a huge plate of eggs, bacon, toast, and hash browns. "This should hold me over until lunch!" he said excitedly.

"I'll never understand how you can eat so much and stay thin." Brock said.

"Probably all the training I do with my Pokémon. I keep them in shape, and they keep me in shape." Ash figured.

"Pi pi ka chu!" (You said it!) Pikachu agreed while pouring ketchup on his Pokéchow.

"I'm gonna go get_ my_ breakfast now." Misty said, getting up from the table.

"I'll come with you! I wanna tell you what I have planned now that Ambipom has evolved!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Well, I'll get Breloom ready outside, I'll be waiting gang." Kenny said, walking off.

"See you in a bit Kenny." Brock then turned his attention to Ash, "So, Ash. Can you tell me _now?"_

Ash sighed and finally gave in. "Look, all I did was show Daisy how much fun battling was. She didn't need Misty there anymore after that."

"Wow, that's pretty clever, especially for you." Brock said, impressed. Ash gave a small smirk before diving back into his meal. "You know, you should probably give Misty a present or something. Just to show your appreciation."

Ash choked a bit, and then replied. "But Brock, what could I give her? I mean, there's nothing I have that she would want."

"I actually have an idea about that. You interested?"

"Quit acting like a salesman Brock, just tell me!" Ash exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"Fine, I heard Misty tell Dawn that her favorite Pokémon was Tentacool and Tentacruel…" Brock was quickly cut off.

_"There's_ a shock."

Brock simply continued, "But…she mentioned that she had always wanted a Vaporeon."

"You know, I think I remember her mentioning that when we found Mikey's Eevee a couple of years back."

Brock smirked, "Oh look, the brain of Ash Ketchum finally kicks in."

"Ignoring that…where would I find a Vaporeon though?"

_"That's_ the hard part. Maybe you could evolve an Eevee or something."

"But Brock, I don't _have_ an Eevee, not even with Prof. Oak."

"Look, Ash, maybe you can trade for one…I can't give you all the answers!" Brock exclaimed in a hushed tone.

"Then why did you give me the idea?!" Ash asked in the same tone.

"Because I wanted to help you guys!"

"(Sigh) Maybe I can trade one of my Tauros?"

_"Now_ you're thinking. Go find a trainer who has an Eevee with him!"

"Sure Brock,_ after_ I finish breakfast."

Brock gave a satisfied chuckle. "Fair enough."

Just then, Misty returned with Dawn and Pikachu, who hopped from Misty's shoulder to Ash's shoulder. "So what did we miss?" Dawn asked.

"Nothing much." Ash said without looking up.

"What's wrong Ash?" Misty asked.

"N-Nothing!" Ash exclaimed suddenly, "I…uh…I-I'm going to go…call my mom." Ash got up from the table and ran off towards a videophone. _"Now what do I- wait! I have another idea!"_

**Misty's POV**

Ash ran off, looking really frazzled. I had to wonder what was wrong. "Ash probably swallowed something the wrong way." Brock said with a chuckle. Brock was the first-aid expert of the group, so if he wasn't worried, I guess I could relax. But something in the back of my mind said otherwise.

**Ash's POV**

"Hello again Ash, what can I do for you this time?" Prof. Oak said over the videophone.

"Hey Professor, can I make a temporary exchange?" I asked.

"Sure, who do you want, and who are you sending me?"

"I'm sending you Staravia, and I want you to send me one of my Tauros."

"Ok, put the Pokéball in the slot, and I'll make the exchange." Prof. Oak said. Within a matter of moments, I had one of my Tauros in my hands.

"Thanks Professor, I'll call again later for Staravia."

"Ok then Ash. Talk to you later." Prof. Oak then hung up. Once the dial-tone returned, I called an old friend who could probably help me.

"Hello?" the person said.

"Mikey, that you? It's Ash." I said.

"Oh, hey Ash! Good to hear from you after so long!" Mikey exclaimed.

"Yeah, it has been a while. How are you and Eevee doing?"

"We're doing really great! Eevee's gotten _really_ strong; we actually managed to beat my brothers a whole _bunch_ of times!" Mikey said happily.

"Good to hear…hey, can I ask a small favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well…um…have you or any of your brother's Pokémon…like…had a baby or something?" I asked awkwardly.

"You mean, you wanted to know if any of our Pokémon have bred yet."

"Yeah…that."

"Actually, my Eevee and Rainer's Vaporeon recently had an egg that hatched about three months ago. Why do you ask?" Mikey asked, now curious. I decided to tell him what it was I wanted, and a grin appeared on his face, that continued to grow until his face couldn't stretch anymore as I told the story. "So, you and Misty got together…well, as long as it's for the right reason." he said with a grin.

"Well, I have a Tauros I could offer you."

"Cool! I've been looking for a Pokémon that could help Eevee's 'Take Down' get stronger!" Mikey said excitedly.

"Cool…hey…wait a sec, are your brothers cool with this?"

"Oh _please,_ I'm the only one who takes care of the poor thing! They only want to make sure they never lose to me and Eevee again." Mikey said with a laugh.

"Oh alright, well…ready for the trade?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I've got the younger Eevee's Pokéball right here."

Within a matter of moments, Tauros was sent to Mikey, and I received the young Eevee. "Alright! I got an Eevee for Misty!"

"Hold on a sec Ash, you said you wanted to give her a _Vaporeon_ right?" Mikey asked.

My joy was quickly deflated, "Yeah, why?"

"Well, Eevee won't evolve without a Water Stone!" I did a face-fault, luckily Mikey had my back. "Don't worry buddy, I'll send you a Water Stone now."

"Thanks a lot man! I owe you one!"

_"Anything_ to make Misty happy, she's the one who helped me decide what to do with Eevee, remember?" Mikey said with a smile.

"Yeah…Mist is something else alright." I pretty much zoned out thinking about her, but Mikey's voice snapped me back out of it, I looked down and noticed that the Water Stone had arrived. "Yeah! Perfect! Thanks Mikey!"

"No problem Ash, well I gotta go, give Misty my best!"

"Seeya Mikey, I will, don't worry!" I hung up and held the blue crystal up to the light, letting it sparkle in the sun,_ "Alright, now that I have an Eevee, I'll have to decide when to give it to her."_ I stuck the stone in my pocket and started daydreaming again, if everything went the way I wanted, Misty would be really happy. _"Maybe she'll even kiss me again." _I was jarred from my thoughts when Misty snuck up from behind and ambushed me into a hug. "Waaah!...Geez Misty, warn a guy will ya?" I said, trying to breath regularly.

"Where's the fun in that?" Misty replied playfully.

"Is Kenny still out there?" I asked, trying to hide any nervousness of getting caught.

"Yeah, he's there, but he may fall asleep if you don't get out there now." Misty smirked.

"Alright, let's get going!" I ran outside with Misty by my side, and found Kenny on the verge of passing out. _"Guess she didn't see the stone...perfect!"_

**Normal POV**

"Took you long enough." Kenny said, faking a yawn.

"Sorry, I had something to do, but now I'm ready! Turtwig, come on out!" Turtwig popped out of his ball, ready to train. "Alright Turtwig, ready to learn 'Energy Ball'?!" Ash asked excitedly.

"Twig!" (Yeah!)

"Alright, Turtwig, you have to focus all your energy into your leaves in order to get the power you need!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Tur twig!" (Got it!)

"Alright, Turtwig, 'Energy Ball'!" Turtwig concentrated its energy, and the two leaves on its head started to glow as a ball of energy began to grow in its mouth, but then detonated, knocking Turtwig onto its back. "Oh no, Turtwig!" Ash picked up Turtwig and asked if it was ok.

"I think we should work on just keeping the 'Energy Ball' in form for now." Kenny suggested.

Ash agreed. "Hey don't worry Turtwig, nothing wrong with taking it slow."

"You _must_ be a different Ash, because the Ash_ I_ knew would be in a big rush to learn a new move." Misty teased.

Ash put his hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly. "Heh heh..."

"But Turtwig _does_ already have a handle on concentrating hard, which is half of the battle." Kenny explained. Breloom agreed.

"Thanks Kenny, but hey, I don't want to hold you up too long, you probably have to get back to your training right? After all, the contest is tomorrow." Ash said.

"Yeah, that's right. And it's obvious that Dawn's working _really_ hard." Kenny said.

"Hey guys! Come on over here! I want to show you what I'm working on with Ambipom!" Dawn called. Ash, Misty, and Kenny walked over to where Dawn was training. "Alright, watch _this!_ Ambipom, use 'Swift'!" Ambipom did a handstand, and started spinning around with its tails upright.

Stars started flying as Ambipom continued to spin, and they collided in a colorful and grand display. "Wow! That's awesome Dawn!" Ash exclaimed.

"It's like being inside of a rainbow!" Misty added.

"That's so pretty!" Dawn exclaimed, "You earned this Ambipom, enjoy!" Dawn handed Ambipom one of her homemade poffins, which Ambipom eagerly ate. Dawn's other Pokémon walked up to her, wanting their own share of Dawn's tasty treats. Dawn turned around holding three more poffins. "Here you go; it's my way of thanking you all for working so hard." Dawn said, handing Piplup, Buneary, and Pachirisu their own poffins.

"Dawn, 'Rainbow Swift' was one of the prettiest things I've ever seen!" Misty exclaimed.

"You sure gave it your all, didn't you Ambipom?" Dawn asked knowingly.

"Ambi pom." (Sure did.) Ambipom said, making a circle with her tails, which was her symbol for friendship.

"I've been thinking…we didn't do very well in the Hearthome Contest because we got way too involved in double performances. But this time it's just Ambipom and me and we're going to work on showing off one move as much as we can!" Dawn declared.

"Good strategy Dawn, and I think Ambipom is right with you." Brock said. Ambipom flipped into a handstand, keeping the symbol formed.

"Yeah, thanks! So whaddya say Ambipom? Once more from the top?" Dawn asked. Ambipom began doing back flips, happily agreeing with Dawn's suggestion.

Ash walked over to Brock and motioned him to follow. "Where are you going Ash?" Misty asked.

"I'm just gonna take a walk." Ash replied.

"I'll go with you Ash." Brock said, taking the hint.

"You want me to come too?" Misty asked.

"No! I need someone to battle with!" Dawn exclaimed.

Ash laughed, "Well Misty, looks like you'll be busy for a while."

"I…guess so. See you later Ash." Misty said, slightly disappointed.

"Pika Pikachupi." (Bye Misty.) Misty called out Staryu, and got to helping Dawn with her training.

**Brock's POV**

_"Where the heck is Ash taking me? It must be important if he stopped a battle for it."_ Ash took me to an isolated area close to the lake, and then pulled out a Pokéball. "Ash, if you wanted to battle me, we could've done it at the center." Ash tossed out the ball, and my jaw dropped when I saw an Eevee emerge.

It squealed with glee, and hopped into Ash's arms. "Uh, hi there little guy." he said with a smile.

"Ash…where…I mean how…when did you get that?"

"I called Mikey, I hoped he could help me, and I got lucky."

"You mean…you got a young Eevee from Mikey from Kanto?"

"That's pretty much what happened."

The Eevee hopped out of Ash's arms, and hopped into mine affectionately. "You know Ash; this little guy is actually a girl."

"Really? How can you tell?"

"Just something a breeder knows." Eevee hopped out of my arms, and started carrying a conversation with its new friend: Pikachu. "So, do you know what Eevee can do?"

"No, I guess I should find out though." Ash pulled out his Pokédex.

"Eevee, the evolution Pokémon. It has the potential to evolve into one of seven different Pokémon." the Pokédex chirped.

"Ok, now find out what moves it can use." I said.

Ash pushed some buttons on his Pokédex, and it beeped to signal the completion of its analysis. "The moves that this Eevee can use are: 'Quick Attack', and 'Shadow Ball'." it beeped.

"Awesome! Eevee knows 'Shadow Ball'!" Ash exclaimed.

"That must mean that Mikey's Eevee learned 'Shadow Ball', and this Eevee inherited it." I said.

"Well whaddya say we see what you got Eevee?!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

"Ee vee ee!" (I can't wait!) Eevee squealed, rubbing against Ash's leg affectionately.

_"Oh boy, I hope this doesn't turn out like the whole Chikorita and Bayleef situation."_

**Misty's POV**

"Staryu, use 'Water Gun'!" Staryu launched a high-powered stream of water at Ambipom. I must have been battling with Dawn for at least a half-hour.

"Ambipom, make your friendship symbol!" Ambipom did a handstand and put its tails in a circle, letting the 'Water Gun' fly right through. "That looks really good!" Dawn exclaimed. It wasn't that Dawn was bad company or anything, but I was getting kind of bored of being Dawn's "battling" partner. There wasn't even a real battle, it was just me and my Pokémon firing off different attacks, and letting Dawn figure out how Ambipom could use it to their advantage. I wished that I knew where Ash was, something had to be bugging him, because he wasn't acting like himself, not even like the new him. He was too uptight, too jumpy. But out of courtesy for Dawn and her contest, I couldn't go find out. I was stuck until Dawn finally had enough. And since Kenny was on the field next to us, I don't think she would stop anytime soon. What did she have to prove anyway?

**Normal POV**

"Eevee, use 'Shadow Ball'!" Eevee fired a black ball of energy at its opponent.

"Sudowoodo, dodge and then use 'Double Edge'!" Sudowoodo leaped out of the way, and charged towards Eevee for a hard tackle.

"Eevee, dodge it with 'Quick Attack'!" Ash exclaimed. Eevee ran out of the way of Sudowoodo's 'Double Edge' and turned around to strike its back. "That was awesome Eevee!"

"Pi pi ka chu!" (Yeah, that rocked!)

"Ee ee!" (Gee thanks!)

Brock called back Sudowoodo, "Well Ash, I think this Eevee is perfect for Misty."

"Not yet it's not." Ash said.

"Vee?" (Huh?)

Ash pulled the water stone out of his pocket, "So Eevee, you ready to evolve into Vaporeon for Misty?"

Eevee nodded with a smile, and reached out its paw to touch the stone. "Ash wait!" Brock said suddenly.

Ash freaked out at Brock's outburst, and tossed the stone into the lake. "Oh no! The water stone!" Ash panicked, "Buizel, I choose you!" Buizel leaped out of its ball, and dove underwater to retrieve the stone. _"C'mon Buizel…get it!"_

After a few minutes, Buizel hopped out of the water holding a blue stone. "Bui bui!" (Got it!)

"Thanks a lot Buizel!" Ash recalled Buizel, and turned to Brock. "Well, what is it?"

"You weren't really going to just give Misty a Vaporeon for no reason, were you?" Brock asked disapprovingly.

"Uh, yeah. What did you expect?"

"Ash, you can't just give it to her! You have to make it emotionally worth it!" Brock exclaimed passionately.

"What are you talking about?" Ash asked in exasperation, looking to the sky.

"You have to make it count inside her heart!" Brock exclaimed with the same tone as before.

"And how do I do that exactly?"

"Pi ka." (Good grief.) Pikachu mumbled, watching the pathetic scene.

"Ash…I can't spell everything out for you!" Brock yelled in annoyance.

"Fine, just give me some tips then and I'll figure out the rest!" Ash replied determinedly.

Brock sighed and finally gave in to Ash's density, "…Ok, let's walk back and I'll explain a few things you could do." Ash recalled Eevee, and walked back to the Pokémon Center, intently listening to Brock's advice.

"How sweet! The twerp wants to give the red-headed twerpette a Vaporeon as a present!" a voice said from behind a bush.

"Quiet Jimmy boy, dey'll hear us!" another voice said.

"James, Meowth, shut up already!" A female voice said.

"Sorry Jessie." James mumbled.

"I have to say, the notion is admirable, I support the idea." Jessie said proudly.

"Wait, does dat mean dat we won't even try ta nab dat dere Eevee?" Meowth asked.

"Of course not Meowth! We'll let the twerps have their romantic moment…and then we'll nab their soon-to-be Vaporeon for Jessilina!" Jessie exclaimed cheerily.

"Sounds great! Only one problem." James said.

"Yeah, dose two twoips are da best Pokémon battlers in deir whole twoipy group, dey'll clobber us." Meowth said dejectedly.

"And the red-headed twerpette has a Gyarados!" James squeaked.

"Not to worry, we'll just dip into our savings and have Meowth build a robot!" Jessie said.

"Whaddya mean our savings?! The only ones with savings are me and Meowth! You spent all of your money on that dumb Jessilina outfit!" James yelled angrily.

"What did you say?!" Jessie screamed furiously.

"Aah! W-What I mean is, that even with all of our cash combined we wouldn't have enough to build a robot anyway." James said.

"Then we'll make just an arm, but I want a Vaporeon!" Jessie yelled.

"(Sigh) Why even try ta argue?" Meowth mumbled.

**Ash's POV**

We reached the Pokémon Center after a short walk, and Brock had been filling my mind with ideas, although some of them made me feel a bit weird. Like scooping Misty up bridal-style? I'm not married to her...although the idea didn't bother me much. One idea I liked was letting Misty be the one to evolve Eevee into Vaporeon, I would use that. And styling the Water Stone into a necklace…that one would be a little tougher for me, but Brock insisted on it. "Hmm, looks like Misty and Dawn have had enough." Brock said.

"Yeah, well I guess we can do some more training with Turtwig!" I was about to run inside the center to look for an opponent, when Brock held me back.

"Ash, I have one last thing to say." Brock said seriously.

"Yeah?" I was taken aback by Brock's seriousness.

"When you finally give Eevee to Misty, timing…is everything." Brock said.

"What does that mean?"

"You'll know when the time comes."

"B-But, what does that mean?!" Brock walked away without another word. "Brock?!" I couldn't believe it; he was just going to leave me hanging! "Timing is everything, what does that mean?!"

"Pikapi, pi chu chu pi ka." (Ash, you can do it, I know it.) Pikachu patted the side of my head to support me.

"Thanks Pikachu, I guess I'll just have to do my best, like a Pokémon Battle!"

"Pi pi ka chu!" (That's the spirit!)

I walked into the center, where I was greeted by Dawn, Kenny…and Misty. "Hey Ash, what's up?" Misty asked.

"Nothing much, just trying to get the last bit of kinks out of my body."

"How's 'Energy Ball' coming along?" Kenny asked.

"We'll get it working eventually. How's _your_ training going Dawn?" I asked.

"It's going great! Me and Ambipom have that contest in the bag!" Dawn exclaimed.

"You still have to beat _me,_ Dee Dee." Kenny teased.

"You call me 'Dee Dee' one more time, and you won't even get to the contest in one piece!" Dawn threatened.

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" Kenny panicked.

"That's more like it." Dawn spoke with satisfaction, but she still wore a frown.

"Hey Misty, how about helping out me and Turtwig with a little training?" I asked.

"Sure Ash, no problem." Misty replied. I ran out with Misty to the battlefield.

**Normal POV**

"Those two sure are spending a lot of time together, aren't they?" Dawn asked with a smirk.

"Yep, it looks like Ash is really happy to have Misty back." Brock said.

"And it looks like Misty isn't exactly sad about it either." Dawn said with a laugh.

_"Good luck Ash, I get the feeling you'll need it."_ Brock thought.

Outside at the battlefield, Turtwig was facing off with Politoed. "Turtwig, use 'Energy Ball'!" Ash ordered. Turtwig concentrated its power, and a small ball of energy materialized in its mouth. "C'mon Turtwig, you can do it!" Turtwig managed to get the ball to grow a bit, but it then detonated inside of its mouth, and Turtwig fell onto its back. "Oh no, Turtwig!"

"Tur twig." (Oh man.) Turtwig moaned.

"Hey, don't worry Turtwig, sooner or later you're bound to get it! You work too hard not to." Ash encouraged.

"Pi pi ka chu pika pika!" (Yeah, you're already getting good!)

"Twig! Tur twig tur!" (Yeah! Let's try again!) Turtwig said excitedly.

"Hey Ash, I'm gonna get an attack in too! Politoed, use 'Double Slap'!" Misty exclaimed. Politoed ran for Turtwig to slap him.

Waah! Turtwig, jump!" Ash countered suddenly. Turtwig responded to the quick order and leaped into the air to avoid Politoed's attack.

"Now I've got you! "Politoed, 'Water Gun' go!" Politoed managed to turn around and nail Turtwig with a 'Water Gun'.

"Oh no, Turtwig are you alright?" Turtwig nodded. "Alright, use 'Razor Leaf'!" Turtwig launched his attack quickly, and Politoed had no time to react before getting hit.

"C'mon Politoed, you can do it!" Misty encouraged. Politoed jumped back into battle-ready stance.

"Alright, Turtwig, use 'Energy Ball'!" Ash ordered. Fueled by the adrenaline rush of the battle, Turtwig managed to create the ball at full size. "Alright, you did it Turtwig! Now fire!" Ash exclaimed. Turtwig launched the attack, but it fell well short of the target.

"Tur." (Aww.) Turtwig moaned.

"That was awesome Turtwig!" Ash exclaimed.

"Twig?" (Huh?)

"The way you made that 'Energy Ball' so quickly, that's_ major_ improvement!" Ash exclaimed.

"Twig, tur tur twig!" (Yeah, I guess it is!) Turtwig said happily.

"Take a nice rest, you did great." Ash returned to his Pokéball, and Misty retuned Politoed on the other end. "

I'm impressed Ash. You've really grown into quite the trainer." Misty said.

Ash's hand flew behind his head, and he chuckled, "Thanks Mist, I appreciate you helping out."

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" Misty giggled. Suddenly Ash's stomach started to rumble, signaling its never-ending alarm of hunger. "You haven't had lunch yet, have you Ash?" Misty asked playfully.

"Heh, I guess not." Ash replied sheepishly. Pikachu sweat-dropped.

"Well, now is as good a time as any." Misty offered her hand to the boy, and he happily accepted and gave it a squeeze. They looked at each other for a few moments, before finally walking into the center to get something to eat.

"Aww, how cute!" Jessie gushed from behind a bush.

"When are we gonna make our move?!" Meowth asked impatiently.

"Did you get our robot done yet?!" Jessie hissed.

"It needs a few more adjustments, but it should be done soon." James said.

"Then we'll make our move when it's done. In the meantime, just keep an eye on them!" Jessie whispered.

After a quick lunch, and a few more training sessions and friendly battles, the sun began to set, showing off a grand display of oranges, reds, and yellows. "The sunset is just so beautiful." Dawn said dreamily, her chin resting on her closed fists supported by her elbows.

"Yeah…I think I'll go for a walk. It's been too long since I had some 'mother/child' time with Azurill." Misty said using air-quotes. Misty called out Azurill, who squealed happily in Misty's arms upon arrival. "C'mon Azurill, let's go for a walk." Misty said sweetly.

"Azu!" (Yay!) Misty walked out the doors of the Pokémon Center.

**Misty's POV**

"It's so beautiful out here, isn't it Azurill?" I said with contentment.

"Azu." (Yeah.)

"You know, Ash has changed so much…as hard as it to believe, he's actually matured in so many ways. The way he battles, the way he treats and trains his Pokémon, the way he treats his friends…even the way he treats…me." I blushed just thinking about it. I carried Azurill all the way to the lake, and just stared at the sunset's reflection on the water while Azurill splashed around, thinking about the young boy who had opened his heart to me like I always dreamed.

**Ash's POV**

"Hey Dawn, where'd Misty go?"

"She went out for a walk with Azurill, the beauty of the sunset was just too much for her to resist she said. Dawn replied.

"Uh, sure." Out of the blue, something Brock had told me reached my mind.

_"Timing…is everything."_

It was so perfect! The "beautiful" sunset that Dawn had mentioned was something that Misty would love! And she would probably be near her favorite thing: water! The time was now! I ran out of the Pokémon Center leaving a very confused Dawn behind, and took off in the direction of the lake. When I finally got close enough to see her and stay out of earshot, I called out Eevee. "Ee vee!" (Hi!)

I shushed Eevee, so that Misty wouldn't hear. "Ok Eevee, you ready to evolve into Vaporeon?"

"Ee ee vee!" (I sure am!) Eevee hopped up and down in excitement.

"Ok, then just sit tight in your Pokéball, we're going in." I called Eevee back and quietly walked up to Misty, who apparently hadn't noticed my presence. "Hey Mist." I said quietly.

Misty jumped almost five feet in the air, maybe I should've made my approach a little louder. "Aaah! Ash, you idiot! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" she shrieked, her eyes suddenly flaring with anger.

I backed up a few steps, holding my hands up in defense. "Sorry Misty, I didn't mean to scare you." Misty seemed to calm down a bit, but her frown didn't disappear. I sat down next to her, and was relieved when she didn't object. "Hey Misty, have I told you how glad I am to have you back with me?" I asked tentatively.

I saw a small smile emerge on her face. "Several times Ash."

"But you know, I've been thinking…you gave me your handkerchief so that I had something to remember you by."

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"I realized that since you're back now, I don't really need it anymore." I took my hat off and handed her the handkerchief, which for some reason she took rather harshly.

**Misty's POV**

_"Oh swell, he doesn't even want the stupid thing anymore! Well fine then!"_ I snatched it out of his hand and got up to leave with Azurill, but I was held back when Ash grabbed my hands.

"Misty, you gave me something of yours as a memento, but no souvenir could take the place of you actually being here." he told me, looking straight into my eyes. I suddenly lost my rage and blushed, those cocoa eyes of his could really make my heart melt. "You know, I never gave you anything to thank you for coming back with me."

"Oh, Ash, you don't have to get me anything, I'm just glad to be here." I called back Azurill and began to walk back to the center, just to try and keep my emotions from getting out of control again, but Ash stopped me again.

"Misty, how many Pokémon do you have with you?"

"Um, five…why?"

Ash handed me a Pokéball, and I looked at him in curiosity. "Go ahead Mist." he said.

I tossed out the Pokéball, and an Eevee popped out of it and hopped into my arms affectionately. "Um, thanks Ash." I stroked the little Pokémon's fur, which earned me an affectionate purr from the brown creature.

"Don't thank me yet."

Ok, what was he up to? And…why was I not able to figure it out before it happened? Ash walked up behind me, and placed something around my neck, which made me blush furiously. I looked down, and gasped quietly at the stone around my neck. "A-Ash…is this…what I think it is?" I whispered.

"You said that you always wanted a Vaporeon, this is just something to say…thanks." Ash said sheepishly.

I could feel tears forming in my eyes...again...what Ash just did was so touching, I wasn't sure why I was still surprised by this, since I knew how much Ash had matured, but that didn't stop me from crying. _"You know what? I'm not even gonna try and keep appearances anymore, when it comes to Ash, my heart is an open book._

"Misty, what's wrong?" Ash asked, apparently thinking my tears meant sadness.

With Eevee still in my arms, I hugged him tightly and cried happily over his shoulder. "T-Thank you Ash…I love it so much."

Ash wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly, which made me cry more. Eevee hopped out of my arms to avoid getting squished and watched us. I was just so happy, I was going to have my dream Pokémon, and it was all because of Ash. "It's not over yet Mist; you still have one thing left to do." he said lovingly.

I wiped the tears from my eyes, and took off the necklace. "Ready Eevee?" I asked softly, my voice cracked a little from crying. Eevee nodded with a smile, and reached out its paw to touch the stone. Eevee began to glow white, and after growing a little and changing shape, it emerged as a Vaporeon. When it finished evolving, it rubbed against my leg affectionately, and I gave it a tight hug.

"Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon. Vaporeon love fresh, clean water and can make their bodies melt away into water as well." I heard Ash's Pokédex say.

"Thanks again Ash." For a moment, Ash and I just looked deeply into each other's eyes, not saying anything, but all of a sudden, a giant arm appeared from nowhere and grabbed Vaporeon right from my arms.

"Va po!" (Help!)

"Aah! Vaporeon!" I screamed.

"What's going on?!" Ash yelled.

"Listen, is that the voice of two lovebirds I hear?" a voice said.

_"Oh no, not them."_ I thought.

"It's speaking to me loud and clear." Another voice said.

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope and putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name is just as sweet."

James: "When everything is worse, our work is complete."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Wobbuffet!" (Yeah!)

"Mime mime!" (Yeah!)

"You guys have some nerve taking away Ash's present to me!" I screamed furiously.

"Actually, we found the whole scene quite touching!" James exclaimed from the robot arm.

"Yeah, I got all choked up!" Meowth exclaimed sincerely.

"I'm actually quite happy for you two, but that won't stop me from taking your Vaporeon!" Jessie yelled.

"If you guys think that I'm just going to let you take away Misty's present, you're out of your mind!" Ash yelled.

"Fine kid, you wanna fight, you got one!" Meowth yelled. The arm started flinging sand at me and Ash, which he shielded me from with his body.

Of course I didn't stay behind him for long, as much as I appreciated his chivalry, I was a little too ticked off to stay out of the battle. "Misty calls Gyarados!" I called out my water dragon, who gave a frightening roar.

"Aaah! It's her Gyarados!" James screeched.

"Keep it together James! It can't hurt us in here! We've got their Vaporeon!" Jessie pointed out.

"Oh yeah! You hear that twerps? Anything you hit us with will hit your Pokémon!" James laughed.

"Misty, tell Gyarados to use 'Hydro Pump'!" Ash told me.

"But Ash, we'll hit Vaporeon!"

"Just trust me Misty! Tell it to attack!" Ash repeated sternly.

All I could do was hope that Ash knew what he was doing. "Gyarados, use 'Hydro Pump'!"

Gyarados fired its attack, and Team Rocket adjusted the robot's angle so that the attack would hit Vaporeon. I was worried, but Ash had a smirk on his face. "Vaporeon, use your 'Acid Armor'!" Ash yelled. My heart lifted with joy as I realized what Ash had in mind. Vaporeon took the hit from the 'Hydro Pump' and dissolved into the water, then rematerialized on the ground, and ran to me.

"Aaah! Where did it go?!" Jessie yelled.

"Doesn't matter now, Gyarados, 'Hyper Beam'!" Gyarados fired the ultra-powerful beam at the robot, and with a screaming Team Rocket, the robot blew up. But instead of blasting off, they landed on the ground painfully.

**Normal POV**

"I'm not giving up my Vaporeon like that!" Jessie yelled.

"You mean _my_ Vaporeon you creep!" Misty snarled back.

"I won't be bothered by unimportant details! Dustox, let's go! Use Poison Sting!" Jessie called out her poisonous moth, who seemed to sneer at the now slightly unnerved redhead.

"Carnivine, let's go!" Carnivine popped out of its ball, and turned around to give James a painful bite of affection. "Forget me! "Use 'Bullet Seed' on the twerps!" Dustox and Carnivine fired their attacks at Ash and Misty, which headed towards them at high speed.

"Misty, Vaporeon can use 'Shadow Ball'!" Ash exclaimed.

"Really?! Alright then Vaporeon, use 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty ordered.

Vaporeon fired a ball of ghostly, black energy, which cut right through the 'Bullet Seed' and 'Poison Sting'. "Hey, that's not fair! Dustox, use 'Whirlwind'!" Jessie ordered. Dustox flapped its wings, possibly a bit too hard, as it also affected Team Rocket, and almost lifted Jessie into the air. "Not so hard Dustox!" Jessie screamed.

"Let's end this now! Gyarados, use 'Flamethrower' and Vaporeon use 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty yelled. The two Pokémon fired, causing Team Rocket to finally blast off.

"Oh great, our savings went for nothing." James moaned.

"Look on the bright side!" Jessie said cheerfully.

"What bright side?! We're blastin' off wit nuthin' ta show for it!" Meowth yelled.

"Thanks to Dustox, I got an idea on what to do for the contest tomorrow!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Oh great, but in da meantime…" Meowth paused.

"We're blasting off again!"

"Wobbuffet!"

*Ping*

"Alright! Way to go Gyarados! And of course, you did great too Vaporeon!" Misty cheered. Gyarados roared in celebration, and Vaporeon rubbed against Misty's leg.

"Wow, it's dark already Mist, we should probably get back before the gang gets worried." Ash said.

Misty nodded and recalled Gyarados, and almost recalled Vaporeon, but she stopped herself. "Ash, I don't think I can ever repay you for this." she said quietly.

"Mist, the way you can repay me, is to just be yourself and train that Vaporeon like the water-type master you are!" Ash exclaimed.

"I will, I promise!" Misty squeaked as she hugged Ash again, and then gave him a peck on the cheek.

"So, shall we walk? Or take Charizard?" Ash asked.

"You know, I don't think I'm in any rush to get back." Misty said with a smile. Ash smiled back and took Misty's hand, and started the walk back to the center, with Vaporeon walking by their side.

"Ash and Misty! Where have you two been?!" Dawn asked angrily, as they walked through the doors of the center.

"Pi pi plup pi plup?!" (Don't you know what time it is?!)

Brock was about to berate them as well, when he noticed the Vaporeon sitting next to the couple. "It's ok Dawn, just relax." he said with an understanding grin. Dawn gave a huff, and went back to the table they were sitting at. "So, who's this?" Brock asked.

"This is the Vaporeon that Ash gave to me!" Misty squealed at the top of her lungs.

"Really? What moves can it use?" Brock asked, as if didn't already know.

"Well, it used 'Shadow Ball' and 'Acid Armor' against Team Rocket but…" Misty was cut-off by a shocked Brock.

"Team Rocket?! Is _that_ why you guys were out for so long?!" Brock asked.

"Uh, yeah. They showed up right after Vaporeon evolved from Eevee." Ash said.

"Well, I'm just glad you two are alright." Brock said.

"Oh my gosh!" All of a sudden Dawn was no longer upset, "Misty where…or should I say _when_ did you get such a beautiful Vaporeon?!" Dawn gushed, petting Vaporeon on her head.

"Actually, Ash gave it to me a little while ago." Misty felt her heart swell as she took a glance at the trainer standing next to her.

"Really?! That's so sweet!" Dawn gushed again. Ash and Misty just blushed, but not necessarily out of embarrassment.

"Well, come on guys, let's get some dinner and head to bed, we have a long day tomorrow." Brock said.

"Brock's right, c'mon Ash!" Misty said happily.

"Uh, I'll catch up with you in a minute." Ash said. Misty shrugged, and ran to the Pokémon Center cafeteria with her new Vaporeon.

"Well Ash, looks like ol' Brock was right after all." Brock gloated.

"Yeah, thanks Brock, you were right when you said that timing was everything." Ash said.

"Made all the difference to Misty, didn't it?" Brock asked knowingly.

"Not just that Brocko."

"What do you mean?"

"Team Rocket couldn't have timed their attack worse." Ash laughed and ran off to the cafeteria, leaving a confused Brock in his dust.

After dinner, Ash, Misty, Brock, and Dawn went up to their respective rooms to sleep. "Pika pika, pi ka chu Pikapi." (I'm really proud of you Ash.) Pikachu said, as Ash got ready for bed.

"Thanks Pikachu, I'm kinda proud of myself too." Ash replied.

"Pika chu chu pi ka." (You should be.)

"(Yawn) Hey Ash." Misty said, walking in from the bathroom where she had changed into her pajamas.

"Hey Mist." he watched Misty crawl under the covers, and he smiled as he followed her in with Pikachu. "Hey Misty, aren't you going to put Vaporeon into her Pokéball?" the trainer asked, noticing that Vaporeon was sleeping at the foot of the bed in front of Misty.

"Nah, I'll let her sleep with us tonight, lets a trainer connect with her Pokémon, you know?" Misty replied.

"Yeah, I get it." Ash said with a smile.

Misty sighed with contentment as she snuggled up to Ash. "You know Ash, these past few days with you have been better than the entire two years we spent together."

"Yeah, I think so too Mist, your timing to come back couldn't have been better."

"And I promise, Vaporeon will be well taken care of." Misty whispered as she began to doze off.

"I know that. She's got a water Pokémon master raising her." Feeling bold at that moment, Ash leaned in and kissed the water-trainer on the top of her head.

Misty blushed at the compliment...and of course the tender kiss he gave her, and cuddled closer to Ash. "I love you Ash, thank you _so_ much." she whispered.

"I love you too Mist, you're welcome." Ash replied in the same tone. And with that, Misty fell asleep. _"I guess the advice Brock gave me works in more than one way…timing really is everything."_


	12. Team Shocker

**Well, now we're at the actual contest battle. Once again, I thank you all for the reviews you've given me. It inspires me to keep on keeping on. Time to hear the theme song again! ^^ Enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 12

**Misty's POV**

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" I heard Dawn yell from behind the door. Well that was just great, I was having one of the best dreams I could ever have, and Dawn ruined it. "Wake up you guys!" Dawn yelled again. Now Ash, Pikachu, and my new Vaporeon were awake too. I got out of bed and stomped towards the door.

"Alright we're up! Now quit screaming before you wake up the whole building!" I yelled.

"I'm sorry, but the contest is in a few hours and we need to get moving!" Dawn exclaimed. I guess she was right. Dawn's contests weren't like Ash's battles, you couldn't just show up when you wanted, you had to arrive on time or you didn't get to compete.

"Alright, we'll be down in a few minutes." I finally said. Dawn gave a thumbs-up and ran for the stairs, and I closed the door and leaned against it.

"Dawn sure is enthusiastic about these, isn't she?" Ash asked, slipping on his vest.

"Pika pika." (No kidding.) Pikachu said with a yawn.

"She is…but it's not like there's no one else like that." I teased, earning a playful glare from Ash.

"Va po va." (Hi Misty.) Vaporeon greeted.

"Hello my darling Vaporeon!" I gave the water-type a tight hug, and she purred as I hugged her.

"You know Mist, I just realized something." Ash said.

"What's that Ash?"

"Now that Vaporeon has evolved, it _should_ know a water-type attack."

"Hey yeah! Pull out your Pokédex Ash; let's see what it can do." I said excitedly.

Ash pulled out his red Pokédex, and set it to analyze Vaporeon's moves. "The moves that this Vaporeon can use are: 'Quick Attack', 'Shadow Ball', and 'Water Pulse'. It can also use 'Acid Armor' naturally because of its molecular structure."

"Awesome! 'Water Pulse' is my_ favorite_ water-type attack!" I squealed.

Ash smiled at my excitement, but then he let out a sudden shout of his own, "Waah! I forgot something! I was supposed to get Staravia back from Prof. Oak yesterday!"

I giggled, "Well what are you waiting for? Get going!"

"Alright, see you later Misty. C'mon Pikachu!" Ash rushed out the door.

"Pikapi! Pi pi ka chu!" (Ash, wait for me!) Pikachu chased after him, leaving me alone with Vaporeon.

"Well Vaporeon, I have to get dressed, so it's time for you to return to your ball."

"Va po." (Ok.)

I pulled out the newest Pokéball in my collection, and recalled Vaporeon. I closed the door to get dressed, but it swung back open before I could even take my shirt off. "Oh good! Ash is gone!" Dawn exclaimed happily, closing and locking the door.

"What is it? I thought we were in a hurry?" I asked.

"We are, but I'm just dying to know…what did you and Ash do last night?" Dawn was giggling madly. I never got used to having another girl around; it was always just me, Ash, and Brock. But I guess with Dawn around, I'd get the chance to do some girl talk. I got dressed while I told the story; we were both girls, so it didn't really matter what she saw. Dawn was to the point of exploding when I finally finished my story, "Oh my gosh! That is so unbelievably _cute!"_ she squealed.

"I guess, but Team Rocket went and ruined the moment though." I said with disappointment.

"I know, but _still!_ I mean, Ash Ketchum, the boy whose life revolves around Pokémon, was acting _romantic?"_ Dawn squealed again.

"I guess it_ is_ kind of hard to imagine, but I'm more than happy with how it turned out." I was now dressed in my regular clothes, and me and Dawn walked out the door.

**Normal POV**

"Hey guys." Brock greeted.

"Hey Brock, did you check us out of our rooms yet?" Dawn asked.

"We still have our stuff in the rooms, we'll check out after the contest." Brock explained. Just then, Ash walked up with Pikachu and his other five Pokéballs.

"You got Staravia back Ash?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, oh, Prof. Oak says 'hi'." Ash replied.

"What about Mikey, Ash?" Brock asked.

That caught Misty off-guard, "Huh? You mean Mikey from Kanto?"

"Oh yeah, I kinda called him and asked him if I could trade one of my Tauros for an Eevee." Ash said sheepishly.

"You mean Vaporeon is Mikey's Eevee?!" Misty yelled, suddenly snarling in Ash's face.

"N-No, No! Yours is an _offspring_ of _his_ Eevee!" Ash defended, "Oh, and Mikey says 'hi' too." he added nervously.

At that, Misty cooled off, and gave Ash a smile. "Well in that case, I say 'hi' back." Misty said.

Ash sighed with relief, knowing that he had just dodged a bullet, or worse, Misty's mallet. _"I think I've gotten spoiled these past few days, I almost forgot how quick she can get angry."_

"Well let's go! I'm already registered for the contest, so we can just walk in!" Dawn said excitedly.

"Pi plup!" (Let's go!) Piplup ran out of the doors of the center.

"Piplup, wait for us!" Dawn hurried to chase after her overly-excited penguin.

"Wow, Piplup sure is excited." Brock said.

"But did he forget that Dawn is going to be using Ambipom in both rounds?" Ash asked.

"Dunno. But I_ do_ know that if we don't get going, we're gonna lose 'em!" Misty exclaimed.

"You're right Misty! Let's go after them!" Ash took off after the coordinator and her Pokémon, with Misty and Brock not far behind.

When they finally got to the arena, Misty looked around in awe at the sheer size of the place and how many people were crammed into it, "Wow! This place is _packed!_ It looks like one of the shows back home in Cerulean!"

"Yeah, except_ these_ people are here to see Pokémon instead of your absolutely _gorgeous_ sisters!" Brock replied dreamily, hearts suddenly appearing in his eyes.

"Brock, don't make me pull out my mallet." Misty's warning quickly brought the breeder back to reality.

"Hey, there's Dawn over there." Ash pointed out a little white hat in the crowd, and the trio went to meet up with their friend who was currently sifting through her backpack.

"Hey guys, glad you finally caught up with us!" Dawn said cheerily.

"I never would've imagined that so many people would come to see this." Misty said.

"Oh yeah, people love to watch Pokémon Contests because they're so appealing to the eye, some contests even get broadcasted all the way to Kanto!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Kanto eh? I wonder if your sisters will be able to see this Misty." Ash said.

The redhead just huffed, "Hmmph, maybe if they _did,_ they'd want to do more battling and less shopping."

Dawn suddenly started tugging on Misty's arm, "Misty, can you come with me please? I need your help."

"Um, sure Dawn." Misty agreed, albeit a little hesitantly. After getting her confirmation, Dawn grabbed her backpack and ran towards where the coordinators got ready, dragging the water-trainer with her.

"We'll save a spot for you Misty!" Brock called.

**Misty's POV**

I ran through the crowded halls of the coordinator changing rooms, being dragged along by Dawn. _"If she doesn't slow down we're going to bump into someone!" _My suspicions were proved correct, as we bumped into a boy dressed in green with golden shoulder pads.

"Hey, watch where you're – oh, hi Kenny." Dawn's temper was immediately quelled when she realized she had bumped into her friendly rival.

"Waah! Dee Dee, you're not ready yet?!" Kenny exclaimed in concern.

Dawn's temper quickly got back up, "Stop…calling…me…Dee Dee!" she said through gritted teeth.

"Sorry! It was just a slip of the tongue!" Kenny panicked, shielding himself from any incoming harm.

I decided to bail Kenny out, apparently Dawn and I had a similar temper. "Uh Dawn, didn't we have something to do?"

Dawn looked back at me, "You're right." she then turned to give Kenny one last glare, and then dragged me to the only empty changing room.

"Good luck today Dawn!" Kenny called out.

We entered the cramped changing room, and Dawn opened her backpack. "Uh, Dawn, can you tell me why you wanted me to come back here with you?" I asked.

"I need your help to get ready! I _certainly_ can't ask Ash or Brock now can I?" she replied.

"You managed to get by on previous occasions."

"Oh please, if I'm by myself, I get so nervous that my hair stands on end!" I tried my best not to laugh, but that was a funny sight to visualize. Dawn got changed into a pink dress that made it to below her knees, and placed her hair into a large, but sloppy ponytail. "Alright, could you help me get my hair all nice and neat?"

_"So_ that's _why she needed me_." I gave her a nod and motioned her to sit down with her back facing me, and I started to brush her hair with the brush she gave me.

"I'm so nervous!" Dawn said.

"Really? You were so confident yesterday."

"You wouldn't _believe_ how easy it is to be confident while you're training for a contest, but once the day of the contest comes, it gets really hard to keep your cool." Dawn's voice seemed to be shaking a little, I was surprised by how much the pressure was getting to her.

"Well, judging from that 'Rainbow Swift' that you and Ambipom worked on, I'm sure you'll do well!" I tried my best to reassure Dawn, but I didn't know very much about contests beyond what Dawn and Kenny had told me over the past couple of days. "There, that should do it." I said, satisfied with my job.

Dawn looked in the mirror and squealed with glee. "Thanks Misty!"

"Will all the coordinators please come to the designated area? We will begin in five minutes!" The announcement over the intercom got me and Dawn to rush out of the changing room.

"Dawn, which way are the stands?" I asked. Dawn pointed me to the exit, and we split up.

**Normal POV**

"Hey Misty, glad you finally found us." Brock said.

"Saved ya a seat Mist." Ash patted the seat next to him, inviting Misty to sit next to him.

Misty's cheeks turned a light pink, and she sat down. She then noticed the short row of Pokémon next to them, "Hey, Dawn's Pokémon are all dressed like cheerleaders!"

"Yeah, Dawn loves when people, or Pokémon, look the part they're playing." Ash explained.

"And Pikachu, that kimono is _so_ cute!" Misty exclaimed.

"Chaaa!" (Thanks!) Pikachu squealed happily.

"Actually...it kinda reminds me of Maiden's Peak. You remember Ash?" Misty asked timidly.

"How could I forget?" Ash blushed as the memory came to him, "You…looked really pretty." he whispered.

Misty blushed, and shied away a little, a coy smile on her pretty face. "Thanks Ash..." Misty wanted to kiss the boy just then, but then the announcer Marian got things started. _"I'll get you later then." _she didn't show it on her face, but she was rather disappointed by the timing on the part of Marian.

"Here we go guys, let's all cheer extra hard for Ambipom!" Ash exclaimed, getting the Pokémon excited.

"Let's not forget about Dawn, she'll be there too you know." Misty reminded with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Ash chuckled sheepishly.

"Let's meet our judges!" Marian shouted into her microphone, "We have Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and Solaceon's Nurse Joy!"

"Nurse Joy! It's me Brock! I'm up here!" Brock yelled, waving frantically.

Ash and Misty sweat-dropped. "So where's that Croagunk?" Misty mumbled.

**Dawn's POV**

Marian showed off the Solaceon Ribbon that I would be competing for, and thanks to Misty, I was a little more confident that it would actually be mine! "Sorry Dee Dee, but this win's mine!" Kenny said as he glanced at me with confidence.

_"He called me Dee Dee_ again? _He must have a death wish! (Growl) I can't get all riled up now; I have to keep my cool if I want to do well." _I just smirked at the boy, "That won't happen, because the win is _mine!" _I countered.

"Yeah, we'll see, since_ I'm_ up first."

I decided to be a good sport, after all, Kenny was still my friend as much as my rival, "Well, good luck then Kenny."

Kenny apparently appreciated the sportsmanship, as he gave me a sincere smile this time, "Thanks Dawn, you too." And with that, Kenny ran onstage.

**Normal POV**

"Wow, Kenny's up first!" Ash exclaimed.

Kenny rushed onto the stage and gracefully launched a Pokéball, "Breloom, let's do it!" A light emerged from the ball, and a swirling cone of light surrounded it.

And like a lightning bolt, Breloom emerged. "Bre loom!" (Ta da!)

Misty was shocked by the special effects, "Wow! How did it do that?!"

"It's a special contest thing. You put a cover over the Pokéball you want to use, and depending on which cover you choose, you get a different pattern." Brock explained.

"Here we go!" Ash said excitedly.

"Breloom, 'Stun Spore' go!" Kenny ordered. Breloom started vibrating at a high-speed, sending off a stun-spore which showed off Breloom's body.

Misty didn't really like the first choice of move, purely for personal reasons, "Ugh, I remember you and Tracey got _sick_ because of 'Stun Spore'." she said to Ash.

"Yeah, but it can't reach us out here, try to focus on how Breloom looks instead!" Ash replied.

"Yeah, check out how Kenny's using the shine from that 'Stun Spore' to show off Breloom's skin!" Brock added.

After taking a look through Ash and Brock's perspective, Misty shrugged, "I guess it_ is_ appealing to the eye."

"See, nothing to worry about, just sit back and enjoy the show." Ash placed his arm around Misty's shoulders, and the redhead nodded with a smile and turned her attention back toward the stage.

"Use 'Energy Ball'." Breloom, still shining from the 'Stun Spore', made a small 'Energy Ball' and launched it upward using its tail. "Now use 'Mach Punch'!" Breloom's arm glowed, and it launched a punch at the 'Energy Ball' that was almost too fast to see. The 'Energy Ball' shattered, and it began raining a glittery mist. "Yeah Breloom, way to go!" Kenny congratulated.

"I didn't even _see_ that punch!" Misty said in shock.

"Just goes to show how well Kenny's trained Breloom." Brock said.

Piplup squeaked, which caught the attention of the three humans. "What's wrong Piplup?" Misty asked.

"You're worried about Dawn, aren't you?" Ash asked knowingly.

"Pip." (Yes.)

"Piplup can see just as well as any of us how much better Kenny's gotten." Brock added.

"Hey, there's nothing to worry about, you just need to trust that Dawn can do it!" Misty reassured.

"Pika!" (Yeah!)

Piplup smiled as its spirits were lifted. "Moving right along!" Marian exclaimed.

The contest continued, with all sorts of Pokémon showing off their beauty, power, and grace. They finally reached a familiar looking coordinator that went by the name of Jessilina. "I know it's a thrill for you all to see me!" Jessilina exclaimed, blowing kisses to the audience. The crowd cheered for Jessilina, responding to her confidence.

"Ash, does that coordinator look familiar to you?" Misty asked.

"Not really, why?" Ash replied.

"There's something about her that makes chills run up my spine." Misty said suspiciously.

"Maybe she had a bug-type or something." Ash suggested. Misty shrugged it off, and went back to the show.

"Now Dustox, let's get this party started!" Dustox flew out of the heart-spewing Pokéball, and flew around the room in the sunlight, showing off the scales on its wings.

"Ooh! Shine on!" James cheered from the stands.

"Feelin' tough and looking buff!" Meowth exclaimed.

"Alright, pay close attention Pokémon people and you just might learn something! Use 'Whirlwind'!" Dustox flapped its wings while flying around Jessilina, who actually started to levitate with the wind underneath her.

The crowd gasped in awe. "Look…at that!" Marian said in shock.

"Is…that even _possible?"_ Misty asked in awe.

"Oh please. _That's _not new." Ash replied in a bored tone.

"It's always the same thing with her." Brock added in disapproval. The Pokémon all sweat-dropped at the sight, speechless.

"Time for the big finale! 'Psybeam'!" Dustox lowered Jessilina, and fired a 'Psybeam' which caused a massive, green explosion to cover the field.

"That's incredible! That 'Psybeam' has collided with those scales and exploded! But what happened to Jessilina?!" Marina yelled. The dust settled, and Jessilina emerged, unharmed with Dustox perched on her shoulder. And the crowd cheered at her performance.

After the judges had their say, Dawn emerged from the curtain. "Alright, it's Dawn's turn finally!" Misty said excitedly.

"Just keep your cool Dawn, and you'll do great!" Ash cheered. the Pokémon started jumping around, cheering on both Dawn and Ambipom.

"Ambipom, spoootlight!" Dawn called out Ambipom, who emerged in a flurry of confetti. "Use 'Double Hit' let's go!" Ambipom punched the air with her 'Double Hit', sending off shockwaves that showed off its power. But it also reached the stands.

"Ahh! My hair!" Misty cried.

"You might want to put it into back into a ponytail for this Misty." Ash suggested.

Misty obliged and twisted her hair back into her old scrunchie, making a much longer-than-usual ponytail. _"I actually got _used _to having it down."_ the redhead though to herself.

"Use 'Swift'!" Dawn ordered. Just like during training, Ambipom spun with its two tails upright, sending out a flurry of stars that collided with each other in a colorful and grand display.

"Awesome!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's even prettier than_ last_ time!" Misty added.

_"Hey, everyone likes it! Let's kick it up a notch!"_ Dawn thought. "Ambipom, faster!" Ambipom started break-dancing, which caused the stars to surround it and fly everywhere. "Way to go!"

"Gotta love that 'Rainbow Swift'!" Ash exclaimed.

Brock however was no longer that impressed, "Hmm..."

"What is it Brock?" Misty asked.

"It seems a bit much, don't you think?" Brock asked.

"But Brock, you gotta grab the crowd's attention! Right guys?" Ash asked the Pokémon. They all eagerly agreed, thinking that the attack was absolutely stunning.

_"The_ judges _don't seem very impressed."_ Brock thought.

"Finish it off Ambipom!" Dawn yelled. Gradually, Ambipom came to a stand-still, and the last of the stars finally dissipated. Dawn then ran up to Ambipom and hugged her, and they took a bow as the crowd cheered for their performance.

Once they finished taking their applause, Dawn and Ambipom walked into the waiting area, and were greeted by Kenny. "Hey, that 'Swift' was something else!" Kenny complimented.

"Thanks Kenny!" Dawn replied.

Just then, Ash, Misty, and Brock walked in with all of their Pokémon. "You were great Dawn!" Misty squealed.

"Yeah, that 'Rainbow Swift' was beyond awesome!" Ash added.

"Aww, thanks guys." Dawn said sheepishly.

"Pi plup!" (Congratulations!) Piplup chirped, hopping into Dawn's arms.

"That's sweet of you, thanks Piplup!" Dawn said gratefully.

"Ambipom, you were great too!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu and Piplup agreed.

"Ambi pom!" (Thanks!)

Just then, Marian appeared on the screen, apologizing for the delay. Ambipom seemed nervous, but Dawn reassured it that there was no need to worry. They watched the contestants who were moving on appear on the screen. Jessilina and Kenny managed to make it through, but the group of friends were shocked to see that Dawn would not move on past the first round. But none were more shocked or hurt than Dawn herself. "Oh Dawn…" Misty whispered to herself.

Ash tried to say something to console Dawn, but Brock held him back. Everyone stared to see what Dawn's reaction would be. "Congratulations on making it to the second round Kenny!" Dawn said cheerily.

"Uh, thanks." Kenny asked, slightly in shock that Dawn was apparently taking losing rather well.

Dawn looked at her friends, who were still bothered by the results. "C'mon, chin up! Don't look so sad!"

"But Dawn…" Ash was cut-off by Misty, who put her hand over his mouth.

"We're sorry you lost." Brock said.

"No need to worry, I just had a less-than-great day out there, that's all!" Dawn pushed Kenny out the door, getting him to go get ready for round two, "Come on, you got a contest to win!"

"Alright, I hear ya. Root for me, ok?" Kenny said. As the door closed, Dawn refused to look back, she pet Ambipom's head, as she was feeling the same way she was.

"Thanks for coming." an overly cheery voice said.

"Uh, Jessilina, hi." Dawn said.

"Don't let the door hit you on your way out." Jessilina started shoving Dawn out the door.

But Dawn stopped in her tracks, and turned around with her head down. When she raised it, it bore a smile. "I'm staying. Right through to the end."

Misty noticed something that everyone else didn't. Dawn's face wore a smile, but her fists were clenched, which meant that her attitude was an act, and she was hurting inside more than she was showing. "Oh Dawn."

Ash and Brock watched Kenny take on Jessilina, but Misty was more focused on Dawn, who refused to look away from the floor until the end of the round, where Jessilina was declared the winner of the Solaceon Ribbon.

"The winner of the Solaceon Contest and the ribbon that goes with it is Jessilina and Dustox!" Marian exclaimed enthusiastically. The crowd cheered for the Team Rocket girl in disguise, applauding her performance.

"Our girl is finally in the big leagues!" James exclaimed with tears in his eyes.

"Which means we're in da pink!" Meowth added.

"Wobbu wobbu!" (We're safe!) Wobbuffet cheered.

After Jessilina was declared the winner, Dawn said she was going to go change back into her regular clothes, and ran off.

**Dawn's POV**

_"I can't believe I lost _again!_ All that work and I have nothing to show for it! We made 'Swift' look so great! Why didn't I _at least_ make it to round two?!"_ I sat in the changing room and cried, I had been holding it in while I was in front of my friends, trying to convince them that there was no need to worry. I must've been in there longer than I realized, because Misty was calling my name, looking for me. I quickly changed out of my dress and slipped on my regular clothes. I wiped my eyes and put on my best fake smile, and walked out to greet Misty. "I'm right here Misty!"

Misty walked up to me with a serious tone on her face. "Are you ok Dawn?" Misty asked sternly.

"Of course I am! C'mon, let's go say bye to Kenny!" I grabbed Misty by the wrist and ran outside. I had to change the subject as soon as possible, since she had caught me at a vulnerable moment. I found Kenny saying bye to Ash and Brock, and when I appeared, Kenny asked if I was going to be at the next contest. I wasn't really sure, I was beyond depressed. So I answered him by saying I wasn't sure.

"Look Dawn, let's get one thing straight! There's _no way_ I'm gonna let you quit doing contests, at least not until I've had the chance to beat you!" Kenny yelled.

"Ok! No need to worry, I'll be there!" I said, trying to avoid further harassment. Kenny bowed his head sadly. I was sure he knew I was feeling bad. With one more goodbye, Kenny walked down the path to the next town. I even forgot to wave goodbye before he disappeared from sight.

**Normal POV**

"Brock, can we stay one more night please?" Misty begged earnestly.

Brock saw Misty's concern for the blue-haired girl, and gave her a nod. "C'mon guys, let's go back to the center, and we'll head out tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me Brock!" Ash said happily. The group walked back to the center, with Dawn trailing behind. "Hey Dawn, aren't you hungry?" Ash asked.

"I'm just really tired, I'm going to get some rest…I'll see you guys tomorrow." Dawn walked up the steps to her room, and closed the door behind her, but she didn't notice that it was still open a crack.

"Ash, I'm going to sleep with Dawn tonight. Would you mind sleeping alone?" Misty asked quietly.

Ash looked into Misty's viridian green eyes and saw the concern for Dawn in them, and gave a nod. "Sure Mist, go do what you have to." Ash replied. Misty gave Ash a small smile and kissed him on the cheek before running after Dawn.

"I think Dawn is taking the loss harder than she's letting on." Brock said in monotone.

"I think you're right Brock. I hope Misty can help her out." Ash said hopefully.

Inside the room, Dawn had plopped onto her bed, holding the ribbon that reminded her of her mom back in her hometown who was rooting for her, and was probably disappointed that her daughter had lost. "Oh mom…I lost again…but how come? Oh, I just don't know…what am I gonna do?" Dawn whimpered. Dawn cried into her pillow, letting the tears that she had been holding for the sake of her friends flow from her eyes. She didn't notice Misty walk in until she sat down on the bed. It was too late for her to stop crying now, so she just refused to look.

**Misty's POV**

I heard crying coming from the dark room, I knew it had to be Dawn. I felt so sorry for her, but I wasn't sure how to help her…I knew I had to try though, so I quietly entered, and sat next to her on the bed. "Dawn…I'm sorry you lost." I rubbed her back to try and comfort her, but Dawn continued to sob, as she looked up at me with bloodshot eyes.

"Why Misty? Why did I lose? Was the move not good enough?" Dawn said through heaving sobs.

"The move was incredible Dawn…I don't know what happened…all I know is that you have to try and get past it."

"Misty, I let everyone back home down…I let my Pokémon down…I let my mom down."

"You know, I know what it's like to let people down. It hurts all over. But…I know that the pain won't last long, because I know that my friends are still my friends no matter what."

Dawn wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to look me in my eyes. "I guess..."

"And besides, there's always next time."

"Misty, thanks for trying to help, but I just really need time to think." Dawn said pleadingly.

"Actually, I thought I would sleep here tonight to keep you company." Somehow I knew my offer wasn't going to be accepted.

"Misty…please…just let me be alone." Dawn said without looking my way.

"Are you sure Dawn?"

Dawn hesitated, and then nodded. I gave her a small hug, and then turned to walk out of the room. "Hey Misty?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for talking to me." Dawn said appreciatively.

"Anytime." I walked out and closed the door, trying to hold back my emotions as I heard Dawn start to sob again from behind the door. _"I guess I should head back to Ash, since she won't let me stay with her."_ I didn't want to start crying again, after all, it wasn't usually in my nature. I couldn't deny however that it was getting increasingly difficult to mask my feelings.

Ash was about to go to sleep when I finally opened the door to our room. "Hey Misty, what happened? I thought you were going with Dawn?" he asked. I took off my shoes and slid into the bed with my back turned to Ash, not even bothering to change into my pajamas. "Misty, what's wrong?" Ash asked quietly. I didn't reply, out of fear that I would start to cry. Dawn was hurting so much; it made me sad to think about the pain she was feeling in her heart.

I felt Ash come closer to me and pull me into a hug, which finally, admittedly, broke me down. I turned around and sobbed into his chest, and he pulled me closer to comfort me. "She's hurting so bad Ash..."

"I know Misty, but you tried. That's all you could do." Ash said, stroking my back. I cried a bit longer, before I started to get tired. Ash shushed me soothingly. "Listen, we'll talk to her tomorrow, but for now, just try to relax, and let her have some time alone." I gave him a small nod and tried to relax in his embrace, and I eventually fell asleep. I just hoped that Dawn would feel a little better after having some time to herself.

**[THE NEXT MORNING]**

**Normal POV**

"It's getting late and Dawn's still not up." Ash said.

"I'm not surprised. Poor Dawn was feeling absolutely horrible." Misty said sadly.

"I saw the whole thing on TV!" a voice said.

The trio looked up and saw another friend of Dawn's standing over them. "Zoey?" Ash said.

"Hey guys, it's been a while hasn't it?" Zoey said.

"Yeah, it has." Brock said.

"And who is this Ash? Your girlfriend?" Zoey asked teasingly.

Zoey looked at Brock who was giving her a signal to quit while she was ahead, or rather, while she had a head. But instead of freaking out, Ash just smiled. "As a matter of fact, yes she is. Meet Misty Waterflower." Ash said with a triumphant smirk.

"Oh, um…nice to meet you." Zoey said awkwardly.

"It's nice to meet you too." Misty replied.

"Hey listen, I…didn't mean to offend you or anything, I was just teasing." Zoey said.

"Don't worry about it." Ash said with a smile.

"So, you're another friend of Dawn's?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, where is she by the way?" Zoey asked. The trio's faces turned grim, which answered Zoey's question automatically. "How bad is she?" Zoey asked seriously.

"I wouldn't be surprised if she cried herself to sleep last night." Misty said sadly.

"She's probably wondering why she didn't make it past round one." Zoey said.

"Actually, I _did_ manage to talk to her a bit, and that's part of the problem." Misty replied.

"Well I _know_ the problem, and I can help." Zoey said.

"You do? What are we waiting for? Let's go tell Dawn!" Ash leaped up from his chair, but Misty quickly dragged him back down.

"Whoa there Ketchum! There's _no way_ you're going into a _girl's _room!" Misty said sternly.

"But Misty…" Ash was cut-off again.

"We'll be down in a minute, just wait patiently." Misty led Zoey up the steps, leaving a frustrated Ash behind.

"Well, now I know who wears the pants in _this_ relationship." Brock chuckled.

Ash growled and then spotted Nurse Joy, and then an evil grin appeared on his face. "Hey Brock there's Nurse Joy." Ash pointed out.

Brock was already halfway to her when he finished speaking. "Oh, my dear Nurse Joy, the way you judged the contest yesterday was utterly remarkable…"

Ash watched Brock continue to speak, and then counted down on his fingers. "Three…two…one."

"Croa gunk!" (That's enough!) Croagunk jabbed Brock with a poison attack.

"I think…I need…my hospital bed back." Brock strained before falling on the floor in pain.

Pikachu and Piplup sweat-dropped, and Ash gave an evil chuckle. "That'll teach him to mess with me." Ash said triumphantly.

"Pi ka chu." (Oh brother.)

Misty and Zoey were now standing over Dawn's bed, where she had completely pulled the covers over her, as if she were trying to hide from the sun. Zoey smirked and ripped the covers off of Dawn, which startled the blue-haired girl. "Get up." Zoey said simply.

"Misty? Zoey?!" Dawn said in shock.

"C'mon, let's battle!" Zoey said insistently. Dawn said nothing, and just stared at the two red-heads who were looking at her. "You can partner with Ambipom and I wanna battle based on what you did yesterday." Zoey tossed the cover onto the floor and walked downstairs. Dawn looked at Misty who gave a shrug. She quickly got dressed and caught up to Zoey.

"Hey Zoey, where are you…" Ash stopped talking when he noticed that Zoey was just going to keep walking. He then spotted Dawn who was running down the steps. "Hey Dawn, how are you…feeling?" Dawn ran right by Ash, and Piplup immediately followed. Ash was now getting irritated at being ignored. He saw Misty running down the steps now, and decided to step in front of her like a road-block. Misty did not slow down and ran right over him without a word. "What's going on here?" Ash strained on the floor.

"Looks like I'm not the _only_ one who _fell_ head-over heels." Brock joked. Pikachu cracked up and started rolling over with laughter.

"I'm gonna get you back for that." Ash hissed. Brock shrugged, and ran out of the center, followed closely by Ash and Pikachu.

"Alright Ambipom, use 'Swift'!" Dawn yelled, redoing what she did during the contest.

"What's Zoey up to anyway?" Ash asked.

"I dunno, but she must have a plan of some sort." Misty replied.

The stars were flying as Ambipom spun around like a top. "Now think about what you're doing!" Zoey yelled. Dawn reacted and listened intently. "It's a pretty move alright, but the problem is where's Ambipom?" Zoey said. Dawn gasped in realization.

"I_ knew_ that it was too much!" Brock exclaimed.

"In the middle of all that flash, Ambipom's disappeared! You've gotta remember that your Pokémon are the main attraction!" Zoey yelled. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock watched in awe as Zoey continued her speech. "You've spent so much time polishing your moves; you've forgotten what you really need to do to show them off!" Zoey finished. The group was speechless. "Alright Glameow, use 'Iron Tail'!" Dawn gasped as Glameow leaped into the air and broke up the flurry of stars with a powerful attack. "Now 'Shockwave'!" Zoey yelled. Glameow flipped in the air and zapped Ambipom with an electric attack.

Before Ambipom could hit the ground, Dawn managed to catch it. "Are you ok?" Dawn asked.

"Ambi pom." (Yeah I'm good.)

Zoey walked up to Dawn and smiled at her. "Dawn, do you know why I passed on Solaceon Town after the Hearthome Contest?" Dawn stared at Zoey and shook her head in a "no" fashion before dusting herself off and standing. "Everybody gets upset when they lose, when you're not thinking clearly, it's easy to forget what's really important. That's why after a loss I take time off to recharge and get ready for the next challenge."

"You're lucky, when I was working as a gym leader I had to just keep going and going, I never got time off!" Misty exclaimed.

"Yeah, but you don't have to worry about that anymore, do you Mist?" Ash asked sarcastically. Misty smiled.

"The point is Dawn, I don't worry about how many ribbons I have, it's just too stressful." Zoey said.

"Hmmm…I hadn't thought of that." Dawn finally spoke.

Zoey placed her hand on her friend's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "I'm sure we'll meet again in the finals someday."

"Thanks Zoey." Dawn said with a smile.

"Easy does it is the way to go!" Brock said.

"It's a good thing you came along when you did Zoey, I had no idea how I could help Dawn, but I guess coordinator problems should be solved by coordinators." Misty said.

"Timing is everything!" Ash exclaimed.

"Speaking of timing, when and where are you guys headed next?" Zoey asked.

"As soon as we pack up, I've got a Veilstone Gym battle!" Ash exclaimed.

"Then make sure you win it! A victory might be the best present to give to Dawn too, you know?" Zoey said.

"Hey, anything to help a friend!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika pika!" (I'm with you!)

"Well, we have to get going at some point, so how about now?" Misty asked.

"Sounds great! Let's grab our stuff and head out!" Ash exclaimed. The team waved goodbye to Zoey, who went on her way.

"Hey Misty, I just wanted to let you know I appreciate your trying to help me last night." Dawn said.

"Sure Dawn, you're my friend, it's the least I can do." Misty said, "You know, it'll be nice to have another girl around to talk to."

"Same here!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Alright guys, do you have everything?" Brock asked.

"Yep, Pokéballs, clothes, everything I need." Ash said.

"Girls, how about you?" Brock asked.

Misty and Dawn nodded. "I'm finally going to be on the road again!" Misty exclaimed.

"Yeah, now you can get lost with us." Brock joked. Misty face-faulted and the group laughed. Ash grabbed her hand and held it as he lifted her up, and the group of friends headed for Veilstone City for Ash's next gym battle.


	13. Sensitivity at Large

**Well, here's another chapter up! If anyone wants to know who the Brad in this chapter is based off of, just ask in your review and I'll give you a link. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you find this chapter as funny as I do. And now, on with the show!**

Chapter 13

**Normal POV**

"I don't _believe_ this Ash! I haven't even been here for _one week_ and you've _already _managed to get us all lost!" Misty yelled angrily.

"Sorry Misty, I guess I still have a long way to go when it comes to maps." Ash said apologetically. Misty pouted and crossed her arms. She decided if Ash wasn't going to fight back, she might as well just make it easy on everyone else.

"Hey look! Maybe that guy over there can give us directions!" Dawn pointed over to a blonde man who was training a Slowpoke. They walked over to him and were taken aback a smidge when they noticed that the only one who wasn't at least a couple of inches taller than the blonde-haired man was Dawn. "Um, excuse me sir?" Dawn said to get his attention.

The man ceased his training and grinned at the teenagers, "Well hi there, the name's Brad. And what might your names be?"

"I'm Ash."

"My name's Misty."

"I'm Dawn; it's nice to meet you."

"And I'm Brock."

"Well it's nice to meet you all. What can I do for you?" Brad asked.

"Actually, we were wondering if you could give us directions on how to get back to the path to Veilstone City." Brock replied.

"Uh…no." Brad said.

"Oh, well, sorry for troubling you." Misty said dejectedly.

The team turned to walk away, and Brad smirked. "But!" he barked, startling the group. They turned around and Brad gave a mischievous snicker. "But…my friends, I _do_ know how to get to a small town where someone could help you."

"That's great! Could you tell us how to get there?" Brock asked.

"Just follow me, and I'll get you there in no time at all." Brad said.

"Thanks man, we appreciate it." Ash said gratefully.

"But you know, you kinda scared us a bit when you screamed like that." Dawn said.

"Naturally. You _could_ say that I'm a professional comedian." Brad said.

"You mean like 'knock-knock' jokes and stuff like that?" Ash asked.

"Not really, I go more along the lines of making fun of people." Brad said.

"Oh…really?" Misty asked with a disapproving tone.

Brad chuckled. "Now I know what you're thinking Misty, you're thinking that I must be some sort of a jerk or something because of the way I joke." Brad smirked when he saw Misty blush with embarrassment. "If any of my jokes have ever offended someone, it's because they can't take a joke." Brad explained.

"But what happens when you _do_ offend someone?" Misty asked.

"Let me tell you something kid, there's a big difference between _maliciously_ offending someone _on purpose,_ and someone being offended by…_truth."_ Brad explained.

"That actually makes sense." Brock said.

"Exactly, if the truth offends a person, that's_ their_ problem, not _mine._ And lemme tell you something _else, _often times those people who get offended are the people who do the dumbest things imaginable. Take these road signs for example." Brad pointed at a sign that had a Stantler silhouette printed on it.

"What about them?" Ash asked.

"This town always has signs everywhere, which makes it impossible to get around here." Brad said.

"Maybe _that's_ why we got lost!" Ash exclaimed.

"Nooo, we got lost because _you_ can't read a map!" Misty refuted, poking the boy rather harshly in his arm.

"Ow..." Ash rubbed his arm and frowned, side-stepping a couple feet to give himself some distance.

"Anyways, most of these signs are never _helpful_ signs…" Brad paused to look at his friends, "They're always signs that are warning you about something that's about to go wrong!" The group was now snickering at Brad's overly animated body language. "Take this sign for example: Stantler Crossing. The sign tells you to watch out for Stantler on the road, well here's a question: Why'd they let them on in the first place?!" Brad yelled, "If they have Stantler leaping out onto the road, that's not a 'put up a sign' problem, that's a 'put up a wall' problem, know what I saying? That's 'dig a moat', that's 'put 'em on a leash', someone invented barbed wire, _use it _for crying out loud!" The group was now starting to laugh harder, Brad's movements; along with his tone of voice was a good combination. "And the people around here have _adapted_ to this! They have Stantler leaping out onto the road periodically and they act like that's _normal!_ Hee hee hee! _Yeah_ it's normal, if you live in a cartoon!" Brad yelled.

"This guy's a riot!" Ash said, laughing harder than anyone else.

"What do the Stantler do? Jump out in top hats singing: 'Hello ma baby, hello ma honey'! AAAHH!" Ash and Pikachu had no desire to keep their composure, as they doubled over in laughter. While the other three managed to stay on their feet. "That's just one of the many things I make fun of." Brad concluded his skit with an exaggerated bow.

"Lemme tell ya, you are _awesome!"_ Ash said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"I have to admit, that was really funny." Misty admitted.

"I have a _whole bunch_ of routines like that. Maybe I'll show you another one when we get to the town." Brad said.

"Sure, I could use a few laughs after what happened yesterday." Dawn said.

"Why? What happened yesterday?" Brad asked.

The team grew grim as they walked along the path Brad was leading them on. "Dawn lost in the Solaceon Town Contest." Brock explained.

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that Dawn." Brad said.

"No need to worry, I just need to get my head together, that's all." Dawn shrugged.

"Well, we'll get to town in a few minutes." Brad said.

"What's the town's name?" Misty asked.

Brad sighed, "Doesn't have one. People in that town are afraid they'll 'offend' someone if they call it a name that someone doesn't like, so they left it unnamed."

"Hey, that's pretty funny." Ash laughed, thinking it was a joke.

"I'm not joking. That town is the most sensitive town I've ever seen in my life, everybody's afraid that they'll offend somebody else, so the town doesn't really do much." Brad shook his head in disgust.

"So why do_ you_ know about it?" Misty asked.

"It's where I live." Brad said, "Everyone's so sensitive that we can't even interact anymore. But lemme tell you something. I have a dream, if there's one thing I want out of life, I want to see extreme sensitivity die in my town, in my lifetime..but first…I want to watch it suffer." Brad grinned somewhat evilly, which got the teens to giggle. "Well, here we are!" Brad announced. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock looked around at the small town, noting how quiet it was.

"It's so quiet here." Dawn pointed out.

"You get used to it after a while." Brad said, "Hey you know, you guys caught me in the middle of my training."

"Oh, sorry about that." Ash apologized.

"No need to apologize, but you guys all owe me a battle as payment!" Brad exclaimed.

"Wait, _all _of us?" Brock asked.

"That's right, and on top of it all, I only have my Slowpoke and Torkoal. So whaddya say?" Brad challenged.

"You've got yourself a battle!" Ash exclaimed.

"Alright then!" Brad said.

"I wanna go first!" Dawn raised her hand with excitement.

"Sure thing, we'll do two-on-two." The group followed their new friend behind his house, where he had a field just big enough to have a decent battle. "Ok, Slowpoke, let's go!" Brad called out his water-Pokémon. It moaned in a drawn-out tone, and landed on the floor. "Your call Dawn, who do you choose?" Brad asked.

"Since Slowpoke is a water-type, I choose Pachirisu!" Dawn tossed out a Pokéball, and the electric-squirrel emerged for battle, "Ready to go Pachirisu?"

"Chi chiwa!" (Let's do it!)

"Alright Pachirisu, use 'Discharge'!" Dawn ordered. The electric chipmunk charged its energy and fired a powerful electric attack at Slowpoke.

"Why isn't Brad doing anything?" Ash wondered as he watched the attack fly towards the Dopey Pokémon.

Amazingly though, Slowpoke took the attack and didn't even flinch. "That's…impossible!" Dawn gasped.

"Water-types are weak against electric attacks! But Slowpoke just stood there like it didn't feel a thing!" Misty exclaimed.

"Use 'Confusion' Slowpoke." Brad said calmly. Slowpoke's eyes began to glow, and Pachirisu floated in the air, helpless. "Now use 'Water Gun'." Brad said. Slowpoke launched the water-attack at Pachirisu, who squealed upon impact with both the attack and the ground.

"Ahh! Pachirisu, are you ok?" Dawn asked with concern. Pachirisu groaned, but got back up to continue the battle. "Use 'Spark'!" Pachirisu charged toward Slowpoke with an electric aura for a tackle.

"Use 'Protect' Slowpoke." A barrier completely enveloped Slowpoke and Pachirisu bounced off harmlessly. "Now finish it with 'Earthquake'." Brad said.

"Earthquake?!" Ash exclaimed in shock. Slowpoke stomped its foot, and a small Earthquake was created. The ground-type attack hurt Pachirisu to the point of fainting.

"Pachirisu is unable to battle, the winner is Slowpoke!" Brock exclaimed.

"You did good Pachirisu, return." Dawn recalled her little electric-type in awe, _"How in the world did that Slowpoke take that 'Discharge'?"_

"Slowpoke took that 'Discharge' without even flinching." Ash said quietly.

"Its defense must really be something if it can pull that off." Misty added.

"Buneary, let's do it!" Dawn called out her rabbit, who popped out of her ball cheerfully. It looked to the sidelines and winked at Pikachu who turned a bit pink at the gesture.

"What was _that_ about Pikachu?" Misty asked teasingly.

"Pi…ka." (I…uh.) Pikachu stammered.

"Buneary has a little crush on Pikachu." Ash replied nonchalantly.

"Aww, how cute." Misty giggled.

"Buneary, use 'Dizzy Punch' go!" Dawn ordered. Buneary readied her ears to attack Slowpoke.

"Use 'Protect'."

"Again?!" Dawn growled as she watched Buneary attack uselessly against the green barrier. "Ice Beam' Buneary!"

"Confusion'!" Before Buneary could launch her attack, Slowpoke's 'Confusion' lifted the normal-type into the air just like Pachirisu, and the Dopey Pokémon slammed Buneary back down with a painful thud, "Finish it with 'Water Gun'." Brad said. The jet-stream of water struck Buneary and sent her flying into the stunned coordinator.

"Buneary is unable to battle, the winner is Slowpoke, and the match goes to Brad!" Brock exclaimed.

"You did a good job Buneary." Dawn whispered.

"Bun bun." (I'm sorry.) Buneary said sadly.

"No need to worry, take a good rest." Dawn returned Buneary to her Pokéball, "Well...you sure showed me."

"Yep, sure did." Brad smirked when he saw the surprised expression on Dawn's face. "What? You were expecting a feel-good speech about how practice'll make perfect? I'm sure you've heard that enough by now...so, who's next?"

"I'll give it a shot! Misty, take over for me here!" Brock took his place on the battlefield while Misty stood in Brock's place as the referee.

"Tell ya what, I'll even let ya choose the battle conditions. How do you want the rules Brock?" Brad asked.

"One-on-one!" Brock exclaimed.

"Ok then, Torkoal, let's go." Brad said calmly. Torkoal jumped into battle-ready stance upon reaching the ground.

"Hmmm…Torkoal." Dawn mumbled, pulling out her Pokédex.

"Torkoal, the coal Pokémon. Torkoal burns coal within its body to produce energy. As a defense, Torkoal is able to blow smoke from its nostrils and its back to confuse enemies." her Pokédex chirped.

"Ok, let's go Sudowoodo!" Brock exclaimed. Sudowoodo popped out of its ball and gave its trademark salute. "Sudowoodo, use 'Double Edge'!" Sudowoodo charged towards the tortoise to give it a hard shoulder tackle.

"Use 'Iron Defense'." Brad said calmly. Torkoal withdrew into its shell, and took the hit with little to no damage.

"That thing's tough!" Ash exclaimed.

"Now use 'Flamethrower'." Brad said. Torkoal spewed flames out of its mouth and Sudowoodo crossed its arms in an "X" formation to take the hit. Sudowoodo was pushed back a bit, but recovered quickly. "Use 'Flamethrower' again." Brad said. Torkoal fired another fire attack.

"Sudowoodo, use 'Mimic'!" Sudowoodo mimicked the attack, and countered with his own 'Flamethrower', not that the turtle felt anything.

"So, your Sudowoodo knows 'Mimic'." Brad said.

"Yeah, and now he's gonna use 'Double Edge'!"

"Torkoal, 'Iron Defense' again." Again, Torkoal withdrew into its shell, and Sudowoodo's tackle was useless.

"Sudowoodo, try using your 'Fake Tears'!" Sudowoodo started to fake crying, to try and gain some sympathy from Torkoal and make it vulnerable.

Brad just bark-laughed, "My Pokémon don't care if someone cries for no reason! Torkoal, use 'Solarbeam'!"

"Whoa! If _that _hits, Brock's finished!" Ash exclaimed.

"But isn't Torkoal a fire-type? Where are all these weird moves coming from?" Dawn added.

Torkoal took in the sunlight, and fired an ultra-powerful beam at the rock-type, who fainted onto the ground. "Sudowoodo is unable to battle! The winner is Torkoal and the match goes to Brad!" Misty announced.

"You did good Sudowoodo, take a break." Brock said, returning Sudowoodo to its Pokéball, "You're really good with defense Brad."

"That's part of my training, I teach my Pokémon to not feel anything they don't want to feel, like attacks. And your 'Fake Tears' didn't work because my Pokémon aren't affected by someone that fakes something just to get sympathy." Brad explained, "They know the difference between real and fake."

**Misty's POV**

_"He really knows his defensive strategies, but he may be taking this whole sensitivity thing a bit too far. It's not like being sensitive is a totally bad thing."_ It was going to be my turn, until Ash walked up to me and asked if he would like to tag-battle with him. _"A tag-battle with _you_ Ash? Anytime!"_ I thought to myself. "Sure Ash, it'll be fun!"

Ash gave me a determined smile, and we walked up to Brad together. "Alright Brad, let's see if you can handle _tag_-battles!" Ash pumped a fist in determination.

"No problem, you and Misty will be battling Slowpoke and Torkoal at the same time then?" Brad asked, not at all fazed by Ash's expression.

"That's right! And we won't hold back!" I yelled.

"That's what I like to hear!" Brad exclaimed. "Alright, Slowpoke and Torkoal, let's go!" Brad's two Pokémon took their places on the field.

"Alright, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash launched a Pokéball, and his water-weasel emerged for battle.

"Misty calls Vaporeon!" I followed Ash's call out and sent out my newest Pokémon, who appeared on the battlefield and stretched out upon release.

"You're using Vaporeon Mist?" Ash asked, a certain gleam in his eye.

I smiled. "Of course! I said I would train her hard, and I intend to make good on that."

Ash gave me a loving smile back, and turned his attention to the battle. "Buizel, let's try a 'Water Gun' on Torkoal!"

"Vaporeon, try using 'Quick Attack' on Slowpoke!" The two Pokémon attacked, but just like before, the attacks bounced off like nothing happened. "Not again! There's _no way_ we'll beat him by just calling out attacks!"

Ash looked at me and gave a grin, like he had a plan. "You attack_ first_ Misty! Tell Vaporeon to use 'Shadow Ball' on Slowpoke!" Ash told me. I obliged and told Vaporeon to use 'Shadow Ball'. The attack was launched and I expected it to just bounce off again, but I wasn't expecting Ash to do what he did. "Buizel, use 'Water Gun' on that 'Shadow Ball'!" Buizel fired, and the water merged with the 'Shadow Ball' creating a black and blue liquid.

At the sight of the combined attack, Brad seemed to be losing his cool. "Slowpoke, use 'Protect'!" The green barrier enveloped Slowpoke, but the merged water/ghost type attack broke through, finally giving Slowpoke some sort of damage as it landed on its back.

"Quick Vaporeon, use 'Shadow Ball' again!" My Vaporeon fired its attack, and this time there was nothing that could be done except watch the attack nail Slowpoke, since Ash and Buizel were keeping Torkoal busy with multiple 'Water Guns'.

"Oh no, Slowpoke!"

"You did it Misty! Now let's nail that Torkoal!" Ash said. I took a quick but admiring glance at the determined Pokémon trainer, and then got back to it. "Buizel, let's use 'Aqua Jet'!"

I suddenly got an idea myself; no way was I going to let Ash get all the credit. "Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse' behind Buizel!" My plan was simple; add extra power to Buizel's 'Aqua Jet' by making a mini-tidal wave to propel him forward.

With the added power behind it, Buizel nailed Torkoal, and at long last, it took on damage. "Aah! Torkoal, try using 'Solarbeam'!" Brad yelled. That was a mistake, doing that left Torkoal vulnerable while it charged its attack.

One look at Ash, and I knew we were thinking the same thing. "Buizel, give it all you got with a 'Water Gun'!"

"Vaporeon, use your 'Water Pulse' and don't hold back!" The attacks were fired simultaneously, but something seemed off about Vaporeon, "Wait a second...that doesn't look like 'Water Pulse'..." The next thing I knew, a snowstorm was blowing towards the turtle, much to my shock and amazement, "Wow! Vaporeon is using 'Blizzard'! Amazing!" The attacks hit, and Torkoal went down without a fight.

"Both Slowpoke and Torkoal are unable to battle! The winners are Buizel and Vaporeon, and the match goes to the team of Ash and Misty!" Brock announced as Dawn and her Pokémon cheered for us over by the sidelines.

I wrapped Ash into a congratulatory hug which he gladly reciprocated. _"Mmmm…I will never, _ever,_ get tired of his hugs."_

**Normal POV**

Everyone called back their Pokémon and congratulated them on a job well done. "Well, looks like I have more work to do on double-battles." Brad shrugged.

"I gotta hand it to ya though, your Pokémon are really strong!" Ash complimented.

"Well thanks Ash, but lemme be honest, if you and Misty hadn't merged those attacks, I probably would've won." Brad said plainly.

"You know, I think you're right Brad...as much as Ash and Misty may hate me for it, your Pokémon have really impressive defense." Brock said.

"No I don't hate you Brock..." Misty said a little too sweetly for the breeder's tastes, "You'll just have to pay for saying that later." Brock just gulped as Misty suddenly had her mallet in her hand.

"Say, you guys hungry?" Brad quickly changed the subject, "There's a Chinese restaurant over there."

"Awesome! I'm starving!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika pika!" (Me too!)

"Come to think of it, it has been a while since we had breakfast." Brock said, quite relieved at the change of topic.

"C'mon, it's my treat." Brad said. The team walked to the restaurant, not noticing the trio hiding behind a bush.

"Boy, the twerps sure know how to pick friends." James said.

_"Dat_ guy is a _real_ piece of woik." Meowth added.

"That may be, but the way he described the tenants of this sleepy little town, it'll make for easy Pokémon snatching!" Jessie cheered.

"Right, let's get to work!" James said. Team Rocket snuck off to start poaching Pokémon.

"Go and get a table guys, I have to talk to a friend of mine first." Brad walked away and disappeared into the restaurant.

"Brad's a little strange, don't you think?" Misty said, once the blonde man was out of earshot.

"What? You suspect something?" Brock asked.

"I don't mean _that_ kind of strange," she clarified "He's just…a little wacky."

"Maybe, but I'm sure that's just how he gets his laughs, he _did _say he was a comedian after all." Ash said.

"I guess, his little sign joke _was _pretty funny." Misty admitted with a shrug.

"The best parts are the looks on his face when he does it!" Ash laughed just thinking about it.

"That's what's called a visual comedian." Brad explained, joining them at the table.

"Oh hi Brad." Ash said.

"If you don't immerse yourself into the act, you don't get laughs. So I make sure that I exaggerate my reactions to things, it's part of the way I do things." Brad explained.

"It kinda sounds like a Pokémon battle! If you don't give it 100% every time, you don't get anywhere, right?" Ash said.

"Exactly my friend, hey, do you know why I have Slowpoke for a Pokémon?" Brad asked. The group shook their heads in a "no" fashion. "Because it's one of the few Pokémon that couldn't care less about being sensitive! It doesn't care! If it wants to do something, it does it. It doesn't ask a rock permission to lie on it, it just does it."

"No offense, but that sounds like a strange reason to have a Pokémon." Misty said.

Brad smirked, "You realize what you just said Misty?"

"Uhh…what?" Misty asked in confusion.

"You said 'no offense'. Lemme tell you something, there's only one thing that offends me, and that is…an offended person." Brad said with a chuckle. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock looked at Brad with confused expressions. "Don't worry; I don't expect you to understand." Brad shook his head in amusement.

"Excuse me sir, may I take your order?" a young, attractive waitress arrived at the table.

At the sight of said beautiful woman, Brock immediately leaped out of his seat and got down on one knee. "You can take _my _order! How about a romantic, candlelit dinner for two – arrgh!" Brock groaned, after getting hit by Croagunk's 'Poison Jab'. "I think…I'll just have…some aspirin." Brock strained.

"Is he alright?" the waitress asked in concern.

"Oh yeah, don't worry about him, this happens every day." Misty waved off the issue as nothing.

"Um...ok...well, is there anything I can get you?" the waitress asked unsurely.

"Yes ma'am, I could use some utensils, since I can't use chopsticks." Brad requested.

"Oh yeah, I just noticed that. Um, me too please?" Ash added. Misty, Dawn, and Brock requested the same.

"Oh, I'm sorry, we don't have utensils here." the waitress, whose name was Rachel according to her nametag, said with a smirk.

"Wait, you mean you don't have a knife, a fork, and a spoon?" Brad asked incredulously.

"I'm so sorry sir." Rachel said, stifling laughter.

"This is unbelievable! Get me the manager!" Brad shouted.

"Right away sir!" Rachel quickly rushed to the manager's office with a certain spring to her step.

"Brad, you don't_ really_ think this is worth calling the manager for, do you?" Dawn asked.

"Just sit back and enjoy the show." Brad whispered.

The group stared at Brad in astonishment. "Hey, he seems like he knows what he's doing." Ash figured. They sat back into their seats to watch the show.

At this point, Rachel returned with the manager whose nametag read "Chen", "What seems to be the problem sir?"

"You _really_ don't have any utensils in this place?" Brad said incredulously.

"I'm sorry sir, but we try to be authentic in this restaurant." the manager answered.

Rachel was now quietly giggling, as if she knew what was coming next. "Oh, you want to be _authentic_…let me get this straight…Bob." The group watched Brad get up and start getting his act on.

_"Here we go!"_ Ash thought excitedly.

"I just walked into a Chinese restaurant in the middle of nowhere, I walked through brushed-aluminum doors to get in here, I was greeted by that blonde waitress behind you that sat me down at this Formica table and gave me a plastic-laminated menu." Brad paused to catch his breath. Ash, Misty, Dawn, Brock were now laughing at their friend's act. "I'm about to order Chinese food cooked by that Mexican guy in the back, and when I finish eating, I'm paying with a credit card, but you think if you throw in chopsticks, I'm suddenly jet-propelled into the Ming Dynasty!" Brad yelled.

Ash was laughing harder than anyone else; he was banging the table as if he was trying to dent it. "C-Calm down Ash!" Misty said through laughter.

"S-Sorry Misty." Ash replied through more laughter.

"Brad's just way over the top!" Dawn exclaimed.

Brad gave his friends a wink, and then continued by looking at the manager who was growing more irritated. "Dude, what delusion are you living in? I mean you're gonna have to give me a chance to suspend my disbelief! Why stop at chopsticks? I'm gonna need a whole 'I-reject-modern-technology' theme day so I can be prepared. I'll wake up to the sound of a Torchic outside of my window, I'll look down at the sun-dial to see what time it is, then, taking my clothes down to the nearest stream I'll beat 'em with the rocks to get 'em nice and clean, then I'll come back and call a girl to see if she wants to go to a Chinese Restaurant but I won't use a phone, I'll use a telegraph, or better yet, a smokescreen attack!" Brad caught his breath and continued. "Then, I'll go pick her up in my best Rapidash drawn chariot, and once we get over there to eat, I'm not gonna pay with a credit card, I'll pay with three Torchic, a woven blanket, and some beads! And then when we go home, I'm not walking her to the door, I'm beating her over the head with a club, and dragging her by the hair, now when you throw in chopsticks, I get it!" Brad finished with a bow, and his friends applauded his performance.

"Get out of my restaurant! Out! _Out!"_ the manager yelled. Everyone's expressions changed to fear except for Brad and Rachel's.

"Ahh, put a helmet on ya sore-head! Can't you take a joke?" Brad yelled with a smirk.

"No! You just insisted that silverware is better than chopsticks in a Chinese restaurant!" the manager screamed.

The teens looked at each other incredulously, "Um...aren't they though?" Dawn whispered.

Brock nodded, "Without a doubt."

Brad's face fell. "You know, you're right." Brad said. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock's jaws all dropped at that remark. What had happened to the fiery comedian? "I did say that…silverware is better than chopsticks…because they _are!"_ Brad yelled with a smirk. Their faces lifted as they realized it was all part of the gag. "Obviously, a knife, a fork, and a spoon are better than chopsticks!" Brad yelled.

"You're being eccentric about this!" the manager yelled.

Brad repeated himself: _"Obviously_, a knife, a fork, and a spoon, in tandem, are better than chopsticks!"

"You're just being intolerant and insensitive!" the manager yelled.

"Oh for crying out loud, let's get two bowls of soup, I'll get a spoon, you can use chopsticks, let's race and see who gets to the bottom first!" Brad yelled. The group was laughing too hard to even try to contain themselves, tears were coming out of their eyes, and even the waitress behind the manager began to laugh.

"And what do _you _think is so funny?" the manager asked angrily.

"Let him off the hook Brad, he's had enough." Rachel said laughing.

Brad bowed to his friends and they gave him an ovation of applause. "Alright, what's going on?" the manager asked, simmering down a bit.

"This is just a joke sir. Every time a new manager is hired, I call Brad to give him a good-natured heckling." Rachel giggled. The manager smirked and shook his head, walking away mumbling about young upstarts. "I'll get you your food in just a sec." Rachel winked and headed off towards the kitchen.

"You kinda gave us a scare at first." Dawn said.

"Yeah, for a minute I thought we were really going to get kicked out without a meal." Misty added in a mock sarcastic tone.

"It happens every once in a while, depends on how the manager at the time takes it. This was one of the better ones." Brad explained.

"Wait, you've actually gotten thrown out a few times?" Brock asked in shock.

"Oh yeah, but Rachel's always there waiting for me by the service entrance with a bag of food-to-go if I do." Brad said.

"But I thought _everyone _in this town was overly-sensitive." Ash said.

"Nah, not _everyone,_ there are a few people around here who are regular people." Brad said.

At that moment, Rachel came back with a Machoke who was carrying a huge plate of what seemed like every item on the menu. "Whoa! Awesome!" Ash exclaimed, already drooling at the sight.

"Eat up you guys, this one's on me!" Rachel winked and turned to leave, but she was stopped by a certain breeder who had once again leaped out of his seat.

"Oh my darling Rachel, since you insist on paying for lunch, how about_ I_ pay for dinner?!" Brock said passionately.

_"Ok, that's it."_ Misty hopped out of her seat and yanked Brock back to his seat by the ear. "I think she's had a _gut-full_ of _you_ Casa-no-_duh."_

After the hearty lunch, the group went outside to a grassy area, and there, Ash and Pikachu fell to the ground onto their backs. "Ash, what's wrong?" Misty asked.

"Stomach…full…world…spinning." Ash moaned.

"Piiika." (Ohhh.)

"Ash, you do this every time we eat out!" Dawn exclaimed in exasperation.

"You _still _haven't learned, have you Ash?" Misty teased, kneeling down next to Ash and his bulging stomach.

"Just let me lay here." Ash moaned.

All of a sudden, Buneary popped out of her ball and hopped over to Pikachu. "Huh? Buneary, what are you doing?" Dawn asked. Buneary started rubbing Pikachu's belly, and Pikachu gave Buneary an appreciative smile, which caused her to blush. "Awww, that's so sweet!"

"You know, I think Buneary has the right idea." Misty said.

**Ash's POV**

Oh brother, why did I keep doing this to myself? My stomach felt like it was ready to explode because it was hurting so much. But then Misty started rubbing my overly-stuffed stomach, and the pain steadily began to decrease. "That feel good Ash?" Misty asked soothingly.

_"Does it ever…" _I turned my head a little so that I could look right at her, "It feels good Mist; I'm starting to feel better. Thanks." Misty gave me a smile, and I closed my eyes to enjoy the massage.

**Normal POV**

"I think I'm gonna puke." Brad gagged.

"Oh come on, _this_ sort of sensitivity isn't bad! It's _sweet!"_ Dawn gushed.

"I didn't say it was _bad,_ I just said I wanna puke. It's too sweet for _my_ tastes." Brad said.

"Hey Brad, you know we haven't seen anyone around here at all?" Brock said.

"Yeah well, that's just the town." Brad said dismissively.

The team suddenly heard screaming in the distance. "What was that?" Dawn wondered.

"I dunno, let's go find out!" Brad hurried in the direction of the screams, with Brock and Dawn following close behind.

"Ash, are you feeling better?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, let's get going!" Ash got up and ran off and Misty chased after them, with Pikachu and Buneary close behind.

When they got back to the main part of the town, they found a huge group of people screaming. "What's going on here?!" Brad yelled.

"Just look, they're stealing all of our Pokéballs!" a random person replied.

Jessie: "Listen, is that the voice of overly-sensitive people I hear?"

James: "It's speaking to me loud and clear."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope and putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name is just as sweet."

James: "When everything is worse, our work is complete."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Wobbuffet!" (Yeah!)

"Mime mime!" (Yeah!)

"Team Rocket!" the teens yelled.

"How'd you get your hands on those Pokéballs?!" Brad growled.

"Simple, we just said that if they didn't hand over their Pokéballs, they'd offend the great Team Rocket!" Jessie announced proudly.

The group (including Brad) did a face-fault after hearing that. "Oh come on, if you have to ask in order to steal Pokéballs and you're thieves, put a helmet on!" Brad heckled.

"How dare you?! Don't you know how much that offends us?!" James yelled.

"I don't care…game over…I win!" Brad countered.

"Fine, if you won't let us just take them, we'll fight back! Go Seviper!" Jessie shouted.

"Carnivine, you too!" James added. The two Pokémon got into battle-ready stance, but not before Carnivine took a detour to hug James, who quickly threw it back to the battle.

"I can't battle, Slowpoke and Torkoal are exhausted!" Brad said.

"Then leave this to me! Staravia, Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash yelled. Staravia and Chimchar emerged, ready for battle. "Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower' and Staravia use 'Aerial Ace'!" Staravia flipped in mid-air and charged toward the two Team Rocket Pokémon at an incredible speed, meanwhile, Chimchar spewed out flames that hurled towards them. Seviper and Carnivine were taken aback, but fought back with 'Poison Tail' and 'Bite' respectively. "Dodge 'em!" Ash yelled. Staravia flew into the air to avoid the attack, and Chimchar jumped up to avoid it. "Now Chimchar, nail 'em with a 'Flame Wheel'! Staravia, use 'Aerial Ace' and get those Pokéballs back!"

Chimchar knocked the two Pokémon back to the balloon with the 'Flame Wheel' attack, and Staravia cut the rope holding the Pokéballs. "Hey, we worked hard to get those!" James yelled.

"Finish the job Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash yelled. Pikachu used a powerful electric-attack, and sent Team Rocket blasting off again.

"Why do we keep losing like this?!" James moaned.

"I can't believe that guy, heckling us like that, what is he a comedian?!" Jessie yelled.

"I tink we shoulda taken his advice ta put a helmet on dough…" Meowth paused.

"Because we're blasting off again!"

"Wobbuffet!"

*Ping*

"Way to go everyone!" Ash said, congratulating his Pokémon. Buneary hopped over and hugged Pikachu, which caused him to blush out of embarrassment.

As the town members went to receive their Pokéballs, Brad made an announcement. "You see what can happen being overly-sensitive?!" Brad yelled, "If these guys weren't here to save your Pokémon, you would've just let them get away with them!" The townspeople dropped their heads in shame. "Here's what I say now, I say we just stop being this way, and learn to laugh again! Who's with me?!" Brad yelled. At first, it was silent, until one blonde-haired girl started clapping.

"It's Rachel from the restaurant!" Misty whispered. The applause slowly started growing louder, until everyone in the crowd applauded the idea. Brad gave a bow, and walked back to his friends.

"Well Brad, it looks like your dream came true." Brock said.

"It's about time too." Brad replied.

"Hey! I just realized! We never got any directions!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Waah! That's right!" Ash exclaimed.

"You need directions?" Rachel asked, walking up to them.

"Yeah, we need directions to Veilstone City so I can fight my next gym battle!" Ash exclaimed.

"Well, all you have to do is follow that path over there, and you'll head straight to Veilstone City!" Rachel explained.

"Thanks so much!" Dawn exclaimed.

Brock got one knee and grabbed Rachel's hand. "We can never repay you enough for helping us, but if you would like to stay in touch I can give you my e-mail addreeeesss!" Brock screamed, after being jabbed by Croagunk.

"I have to apologize for our friend, when he meets a pretty girl he can't help himself." Misty said.

"Don't worry; good luck on your journey everyone!" Rachel said. Brock recovered and said a regular goodbye along with the others.

"And watch out for Stantler!" Brad yelled. Brad had given them one more laugh before waving goodbye.

"Brad was really something, wasn't he?" Ash asked.

"He sure was." Misty agreed.

"But I wonder if he was serious about those Stantler?" Brock asked. Their question was answered when a Stantler hopped out of the bushes and leaped into the bush on the other side of the road.

"I guess that answers that." Dawn giggled.

"Well, at least we're on the right track again, let's get going and get that gym badge!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu cheered in agreement, and the group walked down the path to Veilstone City.


	14. Hot Springing a Leak

**Well, another chapter bites the dust. I hope you all enjoy this redux of this Diamond and Pearl episode, since I had a lot of fun writing this particular one. No surprise characters here (like Brad) just the ones that are supposed to be there, unless you count Misty, her Pokémon, and Charizard. xD Well, enough of my rambling, listen to theme and enjoy this chapter!  
_**

Chapter 14

**Misty's POV**

We had been on the road for a while now, we took a break at a milkmaid shop where Brock helped a certain girl named Autumn get her Miltank to listen to her. But I had to be honest; at times Brock could be just as dense as Ash. That girl quite clearly had a crush on Brock, but of course he tried for the older sisters. Autumn was by no means inferior to her sisters; kind of the way I was judged compared to my sisters, in fact, Autumn was a very pretty girl. But as usual, Brock was clueless.

And Dawn...Ash and I caught Dawn crying behind a shed, and I immediately knew what was wrong, she was still upset about losing the contest, and she was clearly having confidence issues. But Ash, still dense in certain things, just thought that Dawn had something in her eye. I had thought to myself: _"He's a loveable idiot."_ He had inadvertently let Dawn off the hook, and she suggested ice cream, which Ash happily accepted. I had a little talk alone with Dawn afterwards, and I tried to encourage her as best I could. I hoped that she would feel better soon.

But right now, I was training with Ash and his Turtwig with my Vaporeon. It had recently learned 'Blizzard' during a battle with Brad from that unnamed town. I made a promise to Ash that Vaporeon would be well trained, and I was making good on that promise. As long as Ash was going to practice 'Energy Ball' with Turtwig, I was going to spar with him using Vaporeon. But I was beginning to think that Dawn and Brock were getting tired of watching.

"Vaporeon, use 'Shadow Ball'!" Vaporeon formed a ghostly ball of energy and fired it at Turtwig.

"Turtwig, 'Energy Ball' now!" Turtwig easily made the attack materialize, which brought up gasps of hope from everyone, myself included. But it dissipated before going very far. It was a good thing that the 'Shadow Ball' collided with whatever was left, or Turtwig would've been nailed. Ash audibly growled in frustration, and Turtwig groaned with disappointment. Ash changed his expression. "Hey, don't worry! Try it again!" he said.

"Ready when you are Ash!" I exclaimed. Pikachu announced his encouragement, and Turtwig regained his will.

"Come on you two, it's getting late, we should get going and try to get to the next town before it gets dark." Brock said.

"Oh come on Brock, we've almost got 'Energy Ball' down!" Ash exclaimed.

Since Brock had spoken up, I realized just how tired I really was, not to mention how grimy I felt. "Ash, I've been dying to have a nice hot bath and a good night's sleep! Maybe we could take the rest of the day off?"

Ash looked at me sympathetically, and nodded. "Well, ok Mist. I guess you're right, we'll get moving." I gave Ash a smile and returned Vaporeon to her ball. "We'll work later, ok Turtwig?" Ash said. Turtwig nodded, and Ash returned him to his ball.

"Ash and Misty are working hard, so _we_ should too, right Piplup?" Dawn said. Piplup agreed, and gave Dawn a smile of encouragement.

"Come on let's go! I'm looking forward to a nice, hot bath at the next Pokémon Center!" I said excitedly.

"The problem is, there isn't a Pokémon Center in the next town as far as I can see." Brock said, searching through his guidebook.

My spirits dropped when he said that. Not that sleeping outside was so bad, especially since my sleeping bag was so close to Ash's, but I really wanted to take the wear-and-tear of life on the road off of my body with a shower. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"Hey Brock, let me see that map." Dawn said. Brock handed Dawn the map, and she squealed with delight. "Look here! We can all go to a hot-spring!" Now she was talking, a hot-spring is just what a doctor would order, or at the very least, what a water-Pokémon trainer out of water would order. "I know about one near here that lets Pokémon in too!" Dawn explained.

"Sounds cool!" Ash said.

"Don't you mean hot?" I teased.

"How do you know there's a hot-spring near here?" Brock asked.

"Easy, one of my best friends happens to live at a hot-spring hotel!" Dawn explained.

"Alright then! Hot-spring here we come!" I grabbed Ash's hand and ran down the path, not wasting any time getting there.

**Normal POV**

"Dawn, please tell me they're going the right way." Brock said.

"They are. Sheesh, I knew Misty loved water but she could _at least_ wait for us!" Dawn said.

"You don't know Misty that well yet, water is her life, and if she gets a chance to get in some, she'll take it." Brock chuckled, shaking his head in amusement.

"Well come on! Misty's probably dragged Ash half-way there by now!" Dawn picked up Piplup, and ran down the path with Brock trailing behind.

Ash and Misty were now trudging down the path, leaning on each other for support. They had tired themselves after battling so long, and it allowed Dawn and Brock to catch up to the tired couple. "Well, a little over-zealous were we?" Brock teased. Ash and Misty gave Brock an icy-glare, and continued trudging along.

"No need to worry guys! There's the hot-spring now! And there's my friend!" Dawn ran along the path to greet her friend, and with newly renewed energy, Ash and Misty followed, with Brock, as usual, bringing up the rear. "Leona!" Dawn called, waving at her friend.

Leona's eyes widened at seeing her old friend. "Dee Dee!" she squealed.

There was a difference to how Leona said it, there was no sarcasm behind it, and she was quite friendly. But Dawn didn't care at all, as she stopped abruptly and screamed. "Oooh! Please, I've had just about enough of that name!"

Leona brought her hands up defensively and apologized. "It's been such a long time; it's great to see you!"

"It's great to see you too, how's the hot-spring hotel biz?" Dawn asked.

"Um, well to tell you the truth, it's been a little slow. But hey, I saw you competing in one of your contests the other day!" Leona said, changing the subject. Dawn groaned and forced a grin. "I'm sorry you lost, but no need to worry! You'll win the next one and when that happens we'll all be there to cheer you on to victory!" Leona said encouragingly.

"I-I'm afraid my next contest isn't going to be for a while." Dawn said hesitantly, "You see, I'm taking a little break."

"Really? That's a surprise." Leona said.

"And what better way to relax than to take a dip in your hot-spring, and you know our Pokémon have to be feeling the same way too!" Dawn held Piplup up to her friend.

Leona tried to say something, but Misty had cleared her throat to try and get Dawn's attention. "Aren't you gonna introduce us to your buddy already?" Ash asked.

Dawn smiled with embarrassment. "Hey, sorry guys. I want you all to meet Leona, my best friend since way back when we met in Kindergarten!" Dawn said, "Say hello to my friends: Brock, Ash, and his…girlfriend…Misty." Dawn said, whispering the word "girlfriend", hoping that they didn't hear her. Her hopes were dashed, as Ash and Misty gave her a growl that could make a Gyarados quiver with fear.

"Um…hello there, I'm afraid you've caught me while working at being a Pokémon trainer." Leona said, slightly nervous by Ash and Misty's growls.

When Leona mentioned Pokémon, Ash immediately got excited. "Awesome! That's just what I'm doing! Hey I know, let's have a battle!"

"A battle sounds great!" Leona said excitedly, but she then covered her mouth with her hands, as if she was trying to push the words back into her mouth, "Oh, the thing is, I really don't have time for that right now." she said apologetically.

"Aw man." Ash groaned.

"It doesn't matter Ash, we're not here for that anyway." Misty said.

"That's right; we're here to go relax in Leona's hot-spring!" Dawn exclaimed.

"But Dawn, I…" Leona was cut-off.

"C'mon guys! Let's go get changed and splash right in!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock walked into the hotel, leaving Leona alone.

After the group got changed into their swimsuits, they, along with all of their Pokémon, ran to the hot-spring and gasped at the beautiful sight. "Wow, look how pretty it is!" Misty exclaimed.

"The healing waters in this hot-spring are supposed to be good for whatever may be ailing you no matter what!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Awesome! I guess that means the water will help take care of the leftover soreness from the whole Unown situation." Ash said.

"Uh, let's just try to dwell on the good things, like the scenery, ok?" Misty said, not wanting to dwell on past events.

"Let's see if the water matches the scenery!" Ash said. Ash leaped into the water, ready to feel the hot water start to heal his fatigue and soreness. Piplup and Azurill, who were just as eager, also hopped in. The other three humans quickly followed, but they were caught in an awkward moment when the water barely reached their ankles.

"Um…did I jump in the kiddy pool or something?" Misty asked awkwardly.

"This is it?" Dawn wondered aloud.

"It's shallow." Brock said.

"And it's cold." Ash added.

Leona came running in through the back gate, apologizing for the issue with the water. After a quick wardrobe change, Leona explained her situation. "I guess you can tell how embarrassed I am right?" she said with a nervous laugh.

"What's wrong with the hot-spring Leona?" Dawn asked, trying to put her friend at ease.

"Last week, out of nowhere the water just stopped flowing. The source of the hot-spring is located at the top of that mountain, and the water flows down through a huge pipe running down the mountainside. And when it stopped, Mom and Dad went to investigate." Leona explained.

"I guess that would explain why you're here all alone." Misty said.

"You're right, I really wish you could check out for yourselves how relaxed and refreshed our hot-springs can make you feel, but I'm afraid that if things don't change for the better soon, we'll have to shut down for good." Leona said with a sad smile.

"No way!" Misty yelled suddenly.

"Huh? What is it?" Leona asked in shock.

"As a water-Pokémon trainer, I'm making it my mission to find out why the water has stopped flowing and fix the problem!" Misty yelled determinedly.

"As a matter of fact, I was getting my Swinub on the case right when you showed up! They were going to look for another hot-spring to tap into!" Leona said with a change of spirit.

"Swinub huh?" Dawn said, pulling out her Pokédex.

"Swinub, the pig Pokémon. Swinub love mushrooms that grow under the dead grass, searching for them by smell, and often finding hot-springs in the process." her Pokédex said.

"I get it! Your Swinub can find another hot-spring naturally!" Brock said.

"That's right!" Leona said.

"I know who can help out too! Come on Vaporeon!" Misty exclaimed, calling out her newest Pokémon.

"What are you gonna do with Vaporeon Misty?" Dawn asked.

"Since Vaporeon loves clean and fresh water, maybe she can track down some, and what's fresher than a hot-spring?" Misty explained.

"Good point Mist!" Ash said.

"We'll all help Leona!" Dawn said.

"Thanks everyone, let's get going!" Leona said excitedly.

Leona's three Swinub, along with Vaporeon, started sniffing around to track down water. After a while, Vaporeon ran off in the direction of whatever it sensed. "Vaporeon, where are you going?" Misty asked.

Just as she asked that, Leona's three Swinub took off in the same direction as Vaporeon. "They must've found a hot-spring!" Leona exclaimed.

"Hey, that was easy!" Ash said happily.

They followed Vaporeon and the Swinub to a spot behind some trees, and they announced their arrival with a loud cry. "You found something Swinub?" Leona asked.

"They must have! Look up there!" Brock pointed into the sky.

"It's steam!" Ash said.

"Mmmm…that's definitely hot-spring water!" Misty said, sniffing the air.

"How can you tell Misty?" Ash asked.

"Come on Ash, you don't know by now? Water is my life and I know what I'm smelling is hot-spring water. It smells great!" Misty explained.

"Come on, let's go see!" Dawn exclaimed. They ran to the source of the hot-spring expecting it to be untouched, but they were shocked to see blockades everywhere and a billboard that was announcing the building of a new hotel.

"The hot-spring's already been dug out!" Ash said.

"I guess we're a little too late." Brock added disappointedly.

They looked over and saw who was behind it, three very suspicious looking diggers. "Alright kiddies, dis ain't no sandbox, we've got woik ta do! So move your juvenile keisters to another spot!" the shortest worker said.

"Excuse me, but that's _my_ hot-spring hotel down the mountain, are you saying that this hot-spring construction belongs to _you_ three?!" Leona asked angrily.

The worker sweat-dropped, before his two helpers came to bail him out. "You are perceptive!" the girl said.

"And I'll have you know we worked hard to spring this spring!" the other man said.

Backed up by his two friends, the short worker regained his composure and pointed his finger accusingly at the group. "See, we've been doing more digging dan a bunch of music lovers at a rock concert!" he said.

After a quick explanation as to how they found the water, Leona began to grow more suspicious. "Hold on a sec, I know our hot-spring water like the back of my hand! The way it smells and looks, and this water's the _same!"_ Leona bent down and felt the water, only making her surer that her theory was correct. "I _knew_ it! It_ feels_ the same too!"

"Swi nub!" (She's right!)

"Obviously, your Swinub agree with you." Dawn said.

Leona turned her attention toward the three workers. "I'll tell you what_ I_ think;_ I_ think you tapped into our pipe without permission!" Leona screamed accusingly.

The short worker said something, but he was quickly hushed by the taller workers. _"And what was _that _about?"_ Misty thought suspiciously.

"So…taste, touch, and feel are fine, but let's see you produce some positive proof!" the female worker challenged.

Leona noticeably lost some of her fire, but she didn't back down yet. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said. Show me where your hotel's name is written on the water. Proof of liquid ownership! Then, and only then, will I adhere to your ridiculous ranting!" the female worker cackled triumphantly.

"But…how do I do that?" Leona asked.

Misty, being the water expert that she was, pointed something out. "You know…as much as it pains me to admit it, but water flowing from different sources on the same mountain just might smell and feel pretty similar."

"What are you saying Misty? That these creeps are telling the truth?" Ash asked.

"I didn't say that! I think they're lying, but there's no way we can prove it like this!" Misty replied.

"At least _one_ of you gets it! You're lucky your faceless accusations don't land you in juvenile court! You've got some nerve!" the female worker said conclusively.

"Opportunists!" the taller man mocked.

"Now get outta here before we have to give you five a spanking!" the female screamed angrily.

The group walked away dejectedly. "Phew, that was close." the taller man mumbled as they left.

Ash, Misty, Dawn, Brock, and Leona all started the walk back to the hotel. "I guess…the hotel is history." Leona said sadly.

Misty grabbed Ash's hand and held him back. "Ash…" she said softly.

"What is it Mist?" Ash asked.

"Those three were _lying!_ I could tell by the way they tried to cover up their tracks, and when they quickly shut up that short guy, it _had_ to be because he was going to fess up or something!" Misty explained.

The other three, who had heard Misty's explanation, walked over to complete the circle. "So, what do you intend to do Misty?" Dawn asked.

"I wanna take another look around! That was just a hot-spring that they dug out, but it wasn't the actual _source!"_ Misty exclaimed.

"You have a point Misty, but there's no way we'll get all the way up there." Brock said.

"Oh yeah? You're forgetting that I have a one-Pokémon transport! Charizard, I choose you!" Ash tossed a Pokéball, and Charizard roared upon his release.

"And we can use Vaporeon so we have a sensor to go by!" Misty said.

"What do you want _us_ to do?" Leona asked, getting back into it.

"Go keep an eye on those three bozos at their hot-spring, keep out of sight!" Misty ordered.

"Good luck you two!" Brock said.

"Thanks. All right Charizard! Let's fly!" Charizard opened its wings, and flew high into the sky.

"You really think they can find the source?" Dawn asked.

"Maybe _they_ can't, but I bet _Vaporeon_ can." Brock explained.

"Well as long as _they're_ not giving up,_ I'm_ not giving up either!" Leona said determinedly.

"We're with you Leona! Let's go spy on those boneheads!" With that being said, Dawn led Brock and Leona back towards the spot of the new hot-spring.

"Try to stay out of sight of those three workers down there Charizard." Ash said. Charizard gave a nod and flew higher.

"Alright Vaporeon, you remember the smell of that water right? If you smell something, let us know." Misty said.

"Va po!" (Got it!)

**Ash's POV**

We flew up the mountain on Charizard, with Misty's arms wrapped around my waist for balance. It was great to have two of my friends back, especially Misty and the feeling of coziness she brought with her. But I couldn't dwell on that now; we had a job to do. "Va va po!" (I smell something!) Vaporeon suddenly cried.

I looked around and noticed something floating down the river, which Vaporeon had confirmed as hot-spring water. "Charizard, let's go down and see what that is!" Charizard acknowledged me, and we landed a little bit ahead of the object, or as we would soon find out, a Pokémon.

"Look Ash, it's a Wooper." Misty said.

"Yeah, you're right."

"Remember the Wooper Daycare back in Johto?" Misty asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, that was tons of f –" My reminiscing was cut short when I spotted something strange, "Misty; does that Wooper have something around its tail?"

"It looks like a collar or something."

"Pika pika pi pi ka chu!" (It's a Pokémon tracker!)

I was a little confused on how Pikachu would come to that conclusion, but Charizard and Vaporeon had nodded the same. "Pikachu, how can you tell?"

"Pi pi pi ka chu." (It's a Pokémon thing.)

"Ash, if it's a tracker, then someone had to put it in the river to see where it led!" Misty concluded.

Misty was probably right, but we had to see the source first. "C'mon Mist, we've gotta follow the river! Maybe we'll spot the source, or whoever put that Wooper in the water!" Misty gave me a determined nod, and we hopped back onto Charizard. "Charizard, we've gotta find the source and fast!" Acknowledging my urgency, Charizard took off quickly. I pulled out another Pokéball, and called out Staravia. "Staravia, go find Dawn, Brock, and Leona and tell them we're on the trail, but make sure you're not spotted by those three workers!" Staravia nodded, and flew off in the direction of the fake hot-spring.

**Misty's POV**

I made sure to keep a tight grip on Ash so I didn't fall off, as Charizard was now flying faster than before thanks to Ash's encouragement. I knew right away that those creeps were lying, but if I had said anything beforehand, it would've been my word against theirs, and that always ends in stalemate. But a little private investigation wouldn't hurt, and it was a good thing we did too! Because now we had a clue thanks to Vaporeon sniffing that river and Ash spotting the Wooper. Vaporeon suddenly became restless, and started pointing downwards. "Vaporeon, you found the source?" Vaporeon nodded, and pointed at a huge spring with a large pipe inside of it.

"That must be the pipe to Leona's hot-spring!" Ash exclaimed.

"Ash, that Wooper was headed towards another part of that same pipe! If we spot the Wooper again, we'll be able to see where the water's going!"

"You heard her Charizard, let's go!" Ash ordered. With that, flew off back to where we were before.

**Normal POV**

Staravia had arrived at her destination, and explained to the trio of spies that Ash and Misty were hot on the trail of what happened to the hot-spring. "They saw a Wooper in the river? I wonder…" Leona paused.

"What is it Leona?" Dawn asked.

"My mom and dad have a Wooper that they took with them, I wonder if it could be the same one." Leona replied.

"If it is, then it's proof that those three down there really _are_ tapping into your hot-spring." Brock said.

"Let's keep an eye on that pipe; we may be having a little visitor soon." Leona said.

Meanwhile, Ash and Misty had found the main section of the pipe. "Misty look, there's a smaller pipe coming off of Leona's!" Ash pointed out.

"You're right Ash, and look over there! It leads to the same area that those three crooks are!" Misty added.

"That settles it! They_ are_ stealing the water!" Ash said angrily.

"That means that the Wooper will show up in their hot-spring!"

"Gun it Charizard, we've got thieves to expose!" Ash yelled. Charizard roared and flew faster.

Back at the hot-spring, the three workers were stopping for a bit of lunch. "Ahhh, dere's nuthin like a bit of grub in your belly ta give ya an energy boost." the short one said.

"And after the twerps showed up, I'm _more_ than famished!" the girl said. Suddenly, they heard a splash in the water, and they saw a Wooper floating in the hot-spring, and three very irate kids running towards them.

"It's a Wooper! And it has something on its tail!" Brock said, picking up the Wooper and examining its strange accessory.

"I _knew _it! That is the same Wooper that belongs to Mom and Dad!" Leona screamed angrily.

"Is that Leona?" a male voice asked.

"I think so dear." a female voice replied. Everyone turned around and spotted Leona's mom and dad standing by the pipe. "It _is_ Leona!" Leona's mom said cheerfully.

"Wow, what a coincidence." Leona's dad added. They greeted her in unison, and Leona happily greeted them back. "So Leona, what are you doing all the way up here?" her dad asked.

"Probably the same thing _you_ are!" Leona said.

"Your dad and I were right in the middle of giving the pipe a good once-over to see if there was a leak somewhere." her mom said.

"There's a leak alright!" her dad said.

Just then, Ash and Misty appeared over the horizon on Charizard. "We were right! It led us right to this hot-spring!" Misty screamed angrily.

"Look down there; it must be Leona's mom and dad!" Ash said.

"Come on down you guys!" Dawn called.

They landed, and Ash thanked Charizard and Staravia before returning them to their Pokéballs. "We were right! We found a Wooper with a tracker on its tail and it led us here!" Misty explained.

"That was our plan! We had it go right into the pipe to see where it went!" Leona's dad said.

"That's means you three _were_ lying! You knew it was our hot-spring all along!" Leona screamed.

"Looks like this court sides with the twerps!" the female said nervously.

The three workers knew they were now busted, so they tossed of their uniforms to reveal none other than Team Rocket.

Jessie: "But _we_ object of course!"

James: "You're twerps, consider the source!"

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "The stars!"

Meowth: "Da boss!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos with a spring in our step!"

James: "Dashing hope with vigor and pep!"

Jessie: "A spring by any other name is just as hot!"

James: "We need to relax; we want what you've got!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "Jolly James!"

Meowth: "Meowth's da name!"

Jessie: "Putting me at ease and you in your place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Wobbuffet!" (Yeah!)

"Mime mime mime!" (Yeah!)

"Uh…they're…an interesting group, that's for sure." Leona's dad said.

"And they seem like a lot of fun!" her mom said naively.

"Maybe to _you!"_ Dawn screamed angrily.

"Team Rocket is really a group of criminals who steal Pokémon!" Misty explained.

"Criminals or not, you three are gonna fix our hot-spring and get it back the way it was!" Leona screamed.

"Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" Jessie said non-chalantly, "Meowth dear, give them a shower they'll never forget!

"Ya want water? Here's a _flood!_ Presenting da Bada-Bing-Supreme-Soaker number six!" Meowth yelled, pushing a button on his remote.

"Strange how we didn't stop after five." James said with a sweat-drop. The rocks suddenly parted, and a giant mecha appeared, and fired hot water at the feet of the group.

"Look out!" Brock yelled.

Ash leaped in front of Misty, taking the majority of the hot-water soak for her. They retreated before getting soaked again. Pikachu turned around, sparks flying from his cheeks. "Pikachu, nail 'em with a 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Ash, wait! With everyone soaked like this, that 'Thunderbolt' will hit _all_ of us!" Misty screamed.

"You're right, try an 'Iron Tail' instead!" Pikachu's tail glowed and became as hard steel as he tried to do some damage to the robot, but Pikachu slipped on the robot's wet exterior, and contact was never made.

"Anything that slips up a twerp certainly works for us." James said smugly.

"Dis Bada-Bing baby's so slippery from all dat water on the brain dat it's slicker dan a Psyduck's back!" Meowth exclaimed.

Misty's Psyduck randomly popped out of his ball upon hearing his name. "Psy…duck?" (Who…me?)

"Get back in your ball! He wasn't referring to _you;_ he was referring to a _slick_ Pokémon!" Misty screamed, returning Psyduck.

"Hey Leona, do you remember our Kindergarten days? Think back to when we worked together to beat that bully!" Dawn said.

"Of course!" Leona replied.

"No need to worry!" the two friends said in unison.

"Swinub, use 'Dig' quickly!" Leona exclaimed. The three Swinub dug a hole, leaving a confused Team Rocket to wonder what they were up to. The Swinub emerged from underneath the foot of the mecha, and knocked it off balance. It spilled water all over itself, causing the mecha's body to heat up to an extremely hot temperature. "It's all yours Dawn!"

"Right, leave it to me! Buneary, use 'Ice Beam'!" Dawn called out her rabbit who fired a freezing cold beam at the mecha, and out of instinct, Misty's Vaporeon launched a 'Blizzard' attack to help things along.

"Awesome! Flash-freezing that thing while it was still hot caused the metal to form all those cracks!" Brock explained. The mecha shut down, and fell onto a terrified Team Rocket that was sent blasting off again.

"Bada-bing then bada-boom and bam!" James said randomly.

"Bing-bang-boom and then zoom then wham!" Jessie added.

"Our Supreme-Soaker-Bada-Bing sure made a big blam!" Meowth added.

Jessie stopped the rhyming game on a bad note: "Are you aware of the end result of this like I am?"

They groaned before screaming: "We're blasting off again!"

*Ping*

"We did it!" Dawn and Leona said in unison.

"Those were some really good combinations." Brock said.

"Yeah, awesome!" Ash added.

"Hmmph, no respect for helping out." Misty mumbled, pouting.

"You did good too Mist." Ash whispered. Misty's face brightened at that.

"Now you promise you'll all stick around and try our hot-spring!" Leona's mom said.

"Yes, we insist! As soon as I get that pipe fixed!" her dad added.

"You got it!" Ash agreed.

**LATER**

"Now about that battle, how about a little tag-team workout before we take a dip?" Leona offered.

"Yeah! _Now_ you're talkin'!" Ash said excitedly.

"And what better tag-battle partner for me than Dawn?" Leona said.

"Awesome! I'd love to!" Dawn replied, happily accepting the invitation.

"So how about we show those ladies a thing or two?" Brock asked determinedly.

Ash was about to accept, until Misty interrupted and cut in between. "Forget it Brock, _I_ wanna tag-battle with Ash! Besides,_ you_ have to be the ref!" Misty said, dragging Ash by the hand.

"Sometimes it's rough being the oldest." Brock moaned.

Ash and Misty positioned themselves on one side of the field, with Dawn and Leona on the other.

"Ready Swinub?"

"Ok Piplup, you ready too?"

"Misty calls Vaporeon!"

"Chimchar, I choose you!"

"Alright, now that all the Pokémon have been chosen, let the battle begin!" Brock exclaimed.

"Swinub, now! Use 'Tackle' on Vaporeon!" Leona ordered, getting the first attack. Swinub ran towards Vaporeon to tackle it.

"Dodge it Vaporeon!" Misty countered. Vaporeon shifted over, and Swinub slid on its side after missing the attempted tackle.

"Piplup, use 'Peck' on Chimchar now!" Dawn ordered.

"Quick, Chimchar, use 'Scratch' on Piplup now!" Since Chimchar was faster than Piplup, the 'Scratch' attack struck Piplup, and it landed next to Swinub.

Dawn and Leona looked at each other with determination; there was no way they were backing down.

"Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam' on Chimchar!"

"Swinub, use 'Ice Shard' on Vaporeon!"

The attacks were launched simultaneously, and were about to make contact until… "Dodge it!" Chimchar and Vaporeon easily dodged the attacks, and now it was Ash's turn to make a move.

"Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'!" Chimchar spewed a powerful flame from its mouth, that would've hit both Piplup and Swinub, but the two girls told their Pokémon to dodge the attack, which they did, but Ash wasn't through yet. "Chimchar, use 'Flame Wheel' on Swinub!" Chimchar charged toward Swinub, who would've been hit dead-on, but everyone was surprised when Piplup jumped in front of Swinub to take the hit itself. The attack supposedly made contact, but when Chimchar stopped spinning, both Piplup and Swinub had vanished. Chimchar looked down and the ground he was standing on suddenly threw him off. "Chimchar, no!"

"They used the hole that Swinub dug to dodge!" Leona exclaimed.

Now that Chimchar was off guard, it was their chance. "Piplup, use 'Whirlpool' on Chimchar!" Dawn ordered. Piplup launched a giant whirlpool at the flaming monkey, that should've nailed it, but Vaporeon jumped in front of Chimchar and took the attack, leaving Chimchar unharmed, and Vaporeon with a health-refill. "What happened?" Dawn cried.

"That's Vaporeon's special ability of 'Water Absorb' for ya!" Misty explained.

"Fine, let's see Vaporeon take _this_ on! Piplup use 'Peck' on Vaporeon!" Piplup charged towards Vaporeon, who dodged the attack.

"Ah ha! Swinub use 'Ice Shard' on Chimchar!" Leona ordered. Swinub fired a shard of ice that hit Chimchar and melted on his body, leaving him soaking wet.

"Those two are getting to be a pretty good team." Misty said.

"Duh, what do they expect from two young warriors who got their training on the playground?" Dawn said confidently.

"You got _that_ right Dawn!" Leona agreed.

"Oh yeah? Well Misty and I make a pretty good team ourselves!" Ash said.

"No doubt there, but let's see you top _this!_ Swinub, use 'Blizzard' on _both_ of them!" Leona ordered.

"You wanna play in the snow?! Fine! Vaporeon, _you_ use 'Blizzard' too!" The two 'Blizzard' attacks were fired, and the air was filled with a mini-snowstorm. Ash shielded Misty from the freezing snow, while Dawn and Leona merely turned their backs. When the snow finally cleared, four completely frozen Pokémon stood on the field.

"All four Pokémon are unable to battle! It's a tie!" Brock announced.

"Aww, we were just being nice, that's why." Dawn said.

"Hey you two, thanks for giving us a great battle!" Leona said.

"Nah, thank _you."_ Ash replied.

"You and Dawn make a really good team." Misty added.

"And we all know what a team _you two_ make." Dawn said with a wink. Both Ash and Misty turned a bit pink at that remark.

"Hey Dawn, now's the perfect time to get a sample of our great hot-spring! It's the _least_ we can do for our frozen Pokémon." Leona suggested.

"Yes! _Finally _I can enjoy that water!" Misty exclaimed happily.

"Me too!" Ash added.

"Come on Ash, what are we waiting for?!" Misty grabbed Ash's hand and ran towards the hotel.

"Pikapi! Pikachupi! Pika pika chu!" (Ash! Misty! Wait for me!)

"We can't let those two get there first! Come on, let's hurry!" Dawn exclaimed cheerfully. The other three humans grabbed the still frozen Pokémon, and rushed to the hot-spring to enjoy a long-desired soak.

After getting changed, the group let out all of their Pokémon, allowing them to enjoy the steam as well. Pikachu, Buneary, Pachirisu, Happiny, and Azurill were having a playful splash fight. Chimchar, Piplup, Staryu, Vaporeon, and Leona's three Swinub were relaxing near the edge of the water while Sudowoodo and the non-swimming Psyduck stayed on shore to avoid getting wet. Croagunk, Politoed, Turtwig, and Staravia were relaxing in the smaller pool. Gyarados and Charizard took the biggest pool along with Buizel, who was punching the water flow. And the five humans were huddled together in the only pool that wasn't taken, with Ash and Misty closest to each other of course.

"I'll tell ya! There's nothing like a great hot-spring!" Ash said as he stretched out his aching muscles.

"It just melts all of your stress away." Misty sunk deeper into the water, her eyes closed in contentment.

"It's the perfect thing to recharge the old batteries." Brock added.

"It makes you feel like giving your all to everything you do!" Dawn said.

"You know, after having that battle with Ash and Misty, I've decided to go back to the gyms again. Good luck on _your _gym battles Ash!" Leona said.

Ash eagerly thanked her, "Hey thanks!"

"Good luck with _your _battles too." Dawn said.

"Thanks Dawn. And hey, no need to worry, things will get better!" Leona encouraged. Dawn's face fell when she realized what Leona meant. "Now that you've been in my hot-spring, there'll be no stopping you, I'm sure of it!" Leona added.

"Wow, you think? Sounds great!" Dawn said cheerfully.

"You know guys; I think Dawn finally has her confidence back." Brock said.

"I'm so glad. We don't need more than one mope in our group." Misty teased.

"Ha ha. Very funny." Ash replied with a roll of his eyes.

Misty giggled and gave Ash a quick peck before sinking back into the water, "Doesn't mean I don't love you."

Ash stuck his tongue out at the redhead playfully, but then he realized something. "Hey I just remembered something! There's something I've been meaning to ask you Leona."

"Sure Ash, fire away." Leona said.

"Why do all of Dawn's old friends call her Dee Dee?"

"Ash, are you _trying_ to get hurt?" Misty hissed.

"Oh, I don't mind telling you, I'm surprised you don't know! You see…" Leona was abruptly cut-off by Dawn, who had jumped up out of the water to dunk her friend.

"This hot-spring's more help than I thought!" the coordinator snarled.

When Dawn finally let Leona resurface, she simply laughed. "Well, I guess it'll stay mine and Dawn's little secret." Dawn soon joined in on her laughter, much to the confusion of the other three teenagers. A little later, they decided to call back their Pokémon, and go to sleep. But Misty had decided to stay back and enjoy the water a little longer. "Stay as long as you like." Leona had said before walking back inside with Dawn and Brock.

**Misty's POV**

"Ahh, finally…a little peace and quiet." I immersed myself into the water, inhaling the steam and enjoying the moon-lit sky. "You don't see a view like this in Cerulean." I said to myself, or so I thought.

"Yeah, it really is something." Ash was still in his bathing suit when he said that.

"Aren't you going inside Ash?"

"Nah, I figured I'd stay out here a while, enjoy the fresh air."

I gave him a smile and invited him to come in next to me. He graciously accepted, and once he got in, I shifted over to him and placed myself under his arm. "The moon sure is beautiful tonight, isn't it Ash?"

"Yeah, and all those stars, I think I can see Ursaring Major up there." Ash pointed to the sky with his other arm.

We floated in silence for a few minutes, when a thought crossed my mind. "Do you really think Dawn has her confidence back Ash?"

"Well Mist, all we can do is hope. When my confidence was down back in Kanto, you and Brock built me back up. We can probably do the same for her now!" Ash said determinedly. That was always Ash, when his friends were feeling bad, he would do anything he could to make them feel better. I stared at his chocolate-brown eyes in admiration, and gave him a longer kiss on his cheek. I blushed when Ash turned his eyes to me.

**Ash's POV**

She had kissed me again, I was getting used to it, but this one had…what was it? More love behind it? Whatever it was, it felt really good on the inside. I stared at her deep, viridian eyes, and I felt myself start to blush, and I saw that she was blushing too. Either that or the heat from the hot-spring was starting to get to both of us.

**Misty's POV**

Immersed in the warm feeling of both Ash and the hot-spring, I was feeling myself start to fall asleep while I was leaning on him. "Come on Mist, let's get inside, it's late and you're starting to doze off." Ash said softly. I gave him a nod as he helped me out of the water and we changed back into our clothes.

I was expecting everyone to be asleep by now, but I was surprised when Dawn was standing in the hallway with a goofy grin on her face. "Here's your room Misty!" Dawn said a little too cheerfully.

"Uh, thanks, but where's _Ash's_ room?" I already had a gut-feeling of what the answer was.

"Oops, did I forget to separate you two _again?_ My bad." Dawn said with a grin. I gave her a frustrated smirk and walked into the room with Ash.

"Good night…_Dee Dee!"_ Ash said before slamming the door. Me and Ash laughed hard when we heard Dawn screaming to open the door and let her practically kill Ash, but the screaming abruptly stopped when we heard Leona open her door and tell her to be quiet.

"Pi…ka." (Good…grief.) Pikachu said sleepily.

"That was mean Ash." I said in a mock-disapproving tone.

"How many times do we have to call her that before she learns her lesson?" Ash snickered. We slipped under the covers and I snuggled next to him, not wanting to lose any heat that the hot-spring had granted me. "Sleep well Misty, we've got a long day ahead of us." he whispered.

I smiled and closed my eyes. "Good night Ash." I whispered.

"G'night Misty."

Early the next morning, I woke Ash up and told him that breakfast was on the table, which got both him and Pikachu to get moving really fast. He slipped on his vest and put on his hat and ran to the kitchen, where Leona's mom had treated us to pancakes. "So Ash, where are you guys headed now?" Leona asked.

"We're heading to Veilstone City!" Ash replied.

"Really? I heard that the Gym Leader there likes to use fighting-type Pokémon a lot." Leona said.

"Hey thanks! I'll keep that in mind!" Ash said.

"And what about you Leona?" I asked.

"Well, I guess I'll train when I get the chance, but you know, I don't want to get too far away from our hot-spring." Leona said with a grin.

"I can attest to that!" I agreed.

**Normal POV**

After breakfast, the group packed up their things and headed out. "Great to see you again Dawn!" Leona called, waving goodbye along with her mom and dad.

"Come again and enjoy our hot-spring!" her mom added.

"We'll be here waiting for you!" her dad added. The group waved goodbye to Leona and her parents, and walked down the path to Veilstone City.

"Boy, do I feel great!" Ash exclaimed.

"That water sure does wonders!" Misty added.

"And I know that once I get back on the contest trail, I'm gonna do great!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That's the spirit! I'm so happy for you!" Misty said.

"Thanks Misty, for everything." Dawn replied.

"No problem, that's what friends are for." Misty said.

"You know, I feel so good, that I want to do some training with Turtwig!" Ash exclaimed.

"Sounds good to me! I'll get Vaporeon!" Misty exclaimed. The two trainers got to battling.

"Oh no." Dawn and Brock said in unison. They were stuck once again, until Ash and Misty decided to stop training, and get back onto the trail to Veilstone City.


	15. Riding the Winds of Change

**Here's yet another episode redo. This time it's the Gligar and Gliscor episode. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and please continue to give reviews. Enjoy!  
_**

Chapter 15

**Misty's POV**

I was feeling so refreshed after taking that hot soak in Leona's hot-spring. I guess me and Vaporeon had a lot in common, since we both feel better after being in the water. But now we had reached yet another city, but this one was a lot larger than Brad's town, and it was filled with regular people. Although one thing we noticed, it was really breezy here. Ash and I had once again begun to spar with each other, as he was determined to make Turtwig master 'Energy Ball'. I had to give him credit; he was being really patient with this.

"Turtwig, use 'Energy Ball'!" Ash ordered. Turtwig created the ball and fired. And this time, it stayed intact all the way. "Way to go Turtwig!" I cheered. "Alright, now we've gotta work on your aim! Fire it at Vaporeon!" Ash said. Turtwig fired, but my Vaporeon stood its ground, as it flew off course of its intended target. "One more time!" Ash yelled. It fired again, except this time it sailed far off into the distance.

"At least Turtwig is getting some distance!" I yelled. "Yeah, Turtwig's got the form; the control just needs a bit more work!" Ash said. I was about to launch an attack, when a giant shadow flew overhead. I looked up, and saw a bunch of Gligar with one bigger Pokémon who was probably the leader.

The larger Pokémon instructed its Gligar followers to dive-bomb Dawn and Brock, who had set up a picnic lunch while me and Ash were battling. I snatched Azurill from the blanket and watched as the Gligar stole all of our food. "Do something Ash!" I cried.

**Normal POV**

"Turtwig, 'Energy Ball' now!" Ash ordered. Turtwig fired, but again it missed its target. Ash growled in frustration. "A little help here?" Ash yelled. "Right!" Misty and Dawn said in unison.

"Turtwig, 'Razor Leaf' go!"

"Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse'!"

"Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!"

The attacks were fired at the Gligar in the trees, but they all easily dodged. "Guys, call back your Pokémon!" Brock yelled, calling back his. Misty and Dawn did as they were told, but Ash wasn't quite ready to give in yet, so he kept his out just in case. "Who are those Pokémon?" Dawn asked. "Gliscor and Gligar." Brock said.

"Whoa, I gotta see this." Dawn said, pulling out her Pokédex. "Gligar, the fly-scorpion Pokémon. It glides using the membrane attached to its arms and legs and attacks the base of its prey with its claws." her Pokédex said.

Ash pulled out his, and analyzed Gliscor. "Gliscor, the fang-scor Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gligar. It watches its prey as it hangs from trees by its tail, and attacks from above when it sees the chance." his Pokédex said.

"And boy, did it see a chance!" Misty said. Just then, an 'Ice Beam' came flying in from nowhere. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock ducked, as it almost nailed the now angry Gliscor. They turned around and saw a purple-haired boy with a Weavile.

"Who's that?" Misty yelled angrily. "It's Paul!" Ash yelled. "THAT'S Paul? He almost made us popsicles!" Misty yelled.

"Right, Murkrow, use 'Haze'!" Paul yelled, calling out his flying-type. Gliscor called for its followers, and they attacked their adversary. "Dodge that Murkrow!" Paul ordered. Murkrow flew up to avoid the attacking Gligar. A strong gust of wind came in, and Gliscor signaled the Gligar to make a break for it.

They all glided underneath the wind, except for one that was too busy eating an apple to realize they had gone. It noticed that its friends had vanished, swallowed the apple whole, licked its face, and then took off. Without the wind though, Gligar didn't get far, and landed right on top of Ash.

"Get off me!" Ash yelled. Charizard grabbed Gligar and held him still while Ash was helped up by Misty and Brock. Pikachu, Turtwig, Piplup, Vaporeon, and Ash's other Pokémon glared angrily at the now scared Gligar. It freaked out, slapped Charizard in the face with its tail, which caused Charizard to release it. It jumped into the air and tried to leave again. This time, it managed to take off without issue.

Ash grumbled, and thanked his Pokémon for a job well done before returning them to their balls. The group heard another sound from a Pokéball; they turned around and saw Paul returning his Pokémon. "At least that Gliscor lives up to its reputation." Paul said smugly. Misty remembered the attack that almost froze her, and had some words for Paul.

"You creep! You almost made ice-statues out of us!" Misty screamed. "It's your fault for getting in my way." Paul said. "US get in YOUR way?" Misty screamed, her rage growing stronger. "Does that mean you're here to catch a Gliscor?" Ash asked. "Just stay out of my way, got it? And keep your mouth to yourself, whoever you are." Paul said. "What did you say to her?" Ash yelled furiously. Ash was about to take off after Paul, probably to punch him or something, but was held back by the firm grip of the Pokémon breeder.

"Let me go!" Ash yelled. "Forget it Ash, whatever he says doesn't matter." Brock said calmly. Ash growled and finally gave in. "Charming fellow." Misty said sarcastically. "Well that's Paul for you." Dawn said. "He's got some nerve." Ash hissed. "Ash, he shouldn't have said what he said, but what good would fighting do?" Misty reasoned. Ash calmed down a little, but he was still upset at Paul for insulting Misty.

They heard a noise from the street, and saw that it was Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. Brock immediately went into "girl-crazy" mode, as hearts appeared in his eyes. "Are you folks alright?" Officer Jenny asked. "We're fine, except that they got away with our lunch." Dawn said. "It looks like they've done it once again." Nurse Joy said to Officer Jenny. "And we weren't in time once again." Officer Jenny replied.

Brock got down on one knee. "On the contrary, your timing's perfect! My heart was feeling so empty, but now my heart is full again, all because of you!" Brock said passionately. "So, should I do it, or let Croagunk?" Misty asked. "Yank him away Mist, I need a good laugh." Ash snickered. Misty cracked her knuckles and grabbed Brock by the ear. "Your heart may be full but your head is empty." Misty said, dragging Brock away.

"Did you see the way Gliscor and Gligar looted the twerps' lunch?" Jessie asked, hiding behind a bush. "Ya know? If we could hitch a ride on those powerful Pokémon's lunch wagon, we'd never be scrounging for sandwiches again!" Meowth said. "Consistently full stomachs translate directly into greater thieving creativity and productivity too!" James added. With that, Team Rocket snuck away to devise a scheme.

Meanwhile, Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock had reached the Pokémon Center with Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy. "The Gliscor and Gligar have turned our city into a ghost-town." Officer Jenny said sullenly, "They've eaten up every bit of fruits and vegetables they can find, and now they're grabbing food right out of our hands."

"But Gliscor and Gligar usually live in the forests, don't they? What are they doing here?" Brock asked. "Yeah, remember Gligar-man back in Johto? We met his Gligar in the forest." Misty added. "I remember Gligar-girl!" Brock said excitedly. Croagunk jabbed him, and Brock fell to the floor in pain. "I must apologize for our friend, you were saying?" Misty said. "I was saying that we think they've all managed to get lost." Officer Jenny said sullenly.

"That is so weird." Ash said. "Pi ka." (Yeah.) Pikachu agreed. "But unfortunately it's true." Nurse Joy said, "We had a storm one day, and the wind was particularly fierce, it was so strong that Gliscor wasn't able to escape its force, so it ended up being trapped in our city." Nurse Joy explained, "Of course Gliscor WANTED to return to the forest, but the winds were just too strong…they still are." Nurse Joy finished.

"Of course! Those sky-scraper currents are strong…TOO strong to fight!" the now recovered Brock exclaimed. "That's it exactly." Nurse Joy confirmed. "Sky-scraper currents?" Dawn asked. "The taller a building is, the stronger the winds that swirl around it." Brock explained. "So Gliscor had no other choice but to stay here. And before long it attracted all the Gligar in the surrounding area." Officer Jenny said.

"But how'd it do that?" Ash asked. "Gliscor and Gligar give off a sort of sound-wave in order to detect obstacles and fly around them." Nurse Joy said. "You mean like echolocation!" Misty exclaimed. "Exactly! But in the city, their echolocation can become amplified and scattered, bouncing wildly off of buildings! Their powerful sound waves are what attracted the Gligar, attracting them to the city. "We've tried many times to capture them so we could return them to the forest, but they're very cautious and we can't get a hold of them!" Nurse Joy explained.

"So our latest plan is to lure all the Gligar by using their favorite fruit as bait!" Officer Jenny said. "I wanna help!" Ash exclaimed. "Good idea! Whaddya say guys? Want to help too?" Misty asked. "You bet!" Dawn and Brock said.

"Alright, let's load up a truck and get going!" Officer Jenny exclaimed. The group went down to a warehouse to gather the fruit, and they gasped at how much there was. "No way can we do this alone!" Dawn whined. "Then we won't! Come on out everyone!" Ash exclaimed, calling out all of his Pokémon. Buizel, Turtwig, Chimchar, Staravia, and Charizard announced their presence, and immediately started dumping fruit into the truck. "Misty called out her land-capable Pokémon, and Dawn and Brock called theirs as well.

Brock's Happiny immediately grabbed the biggest box, and dumped it into the box. Charizard stared at the little egg Pokémon with wide eyes. "How did it pull that off?" Charizard thought. After a lot of help from Happiny and Charizard, along with the assembly line of smaller Pokémon, they finished the job quickly.

"Alright! Thanks a lot guys!" Ash exclaimed. "We better hurry! We can't afford to waste any time!" Officer Jenny said. Nurse Joy joined them with her laptop and a bazooka, and hopped into the passenger seat of the truck. "Oh man, that back seat sure looks cramped." Ash said. "Looks like we'll just have to squeeze." Misty said in mock disappointment. "Yeah, I bet you're real torn up about that." Dawn teased. Ash and Misty turned pink, and proceeded into the back of the truck.

"Open the door Joy, and let's get going!" Officer Jenny said. Nurse Joy pushed a button on her laptop, and the warehouse door opened up remotely. Jenny started the truck, and drove towards the Gliscor and Gligar's hideout. "Alright, toss them the bait!" Officer Jenny exclaimed. Nurse Joy pulled out the bazooka she brought, and fired a silver orb full of fruit into the window. "Any minute now!" Officer Jenny said.

Just then, a swarm of Gligar, led by Gliscor, flew toward the truck full of fruit. Ash and Misty peered out the window to see the swarm. "They're following us!" Misty exclaimed. "Great, it's working!" Ash added. "Let me see!" Dawn said, squeezing her head out the window. "Get your heads back in! I'm heading for the target and it's a sharp turn!" Officer Jenny ordered. They obliged, just in time for Officer Jenny to execute a sharp left-turn. The Gliscor and Gligar continued to follow, not passing up an opportunity to sample their favorite fruit.

Nurse Joy analyzed the wind patterns to see how their plan's status was. "The wind is about to get a lot stronger! Let's hope that does the trick!" Nurse Joy said. "So the idea is to use the strong winds to blow them all the way back to the forest!" Brock reasoned. Just when things were going their way, they heard Gliscor give a cry of agony. "That can't be good!" Ash yelled. "Stop the truck!" Brock yelled. Officer Jenny slammed on the brakes, and once the truck came to a complete stop, they all rushed out to see a Meowth balloon. "It's Team Rocket again!" Misty screamed. "What in the world are they doing?" Nurse Joy asked with concern.

Jessie: "Listen, is that some clueless claptrap I hear?"

James: "Clueless, but crystal clear."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing hope, putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet!"

James: "When everything's worse, our work is complete!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And James!"

Meowth: "Meowth! Dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Playfully putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: "Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Wobbu wobbu!" (Yeah!)

"Mime mime!" (Yeah!)

"Back off you creeps! We're trying to get them back home!" Misty screamed.

"Yeah, they're not yours so give them back!" Dawn added.

"You don't fork over family, and that's what they are!" Jessie replied.

"Anyone who grabs grub for free is in my family tree!" Meowth added.

"They're going back to the forest where they belong! Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!"

The attacks were launched and they struck the glass case, but it wasn't even scratched. Gliscor, who refused to be caged up, used an 'X-Scissor' attack to break through, but the glass proved to be just as strong on the inside as it was on the outside. "The 'Thunderbolt and the 'Bubblebeam'…even Gliscor's 'X-Scissor'…they did nothing!" Brock gasped in horror.

"Then let's try a size advantage! Misty calls Gyarados!" Gyarados roared upon release, which scared James back into the balloon faster than a 'Quick Attack'. "Gyarados, nail that cage with a 'Hyper Beam'!" A powerful beam formed in his mammoth jaws, but just like before, no damage was done. "That's impossible!"

"Sorry red-head, but not even your Gyarados can't beat our special twerp-proof cage!" Jessie taunted.

Just then, the late Gligar landed on top of the cage. "I remember that Gligar!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's the same clumsy one that flattened you!" Misty added.

Gligar naively cut the rope, which was not nearly as strong as the cage itself, and the cage plummeted down towards a pile of sharp rocks. When it landed, Gligar was thrown off, and it flailed in the air. "No, Gligar!" Ash yelled.

"It's gonna get hurt!" Dawn screamed.

"Gligar!" Ash ran to catch Gligar.

"Ash, be careful!" Misty ran after Ash, who had gotten flattened by Gligar again while trying to catch it.

"Hey, can't you watch where you fall?!" Ash yelled. Gligar hopped off of Ash, and Misty helped him get up.

"You ok Ash?" Misty asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm alright Mist." Ash replied reassuringly.

Suddenly, the cage broke open, and an angry Gliscor flew up to the Meowth balloon, followed by the rest of the Gligar. "Well, looks like Gliscor and his gang will take care of Team Rocket for us." Misty said.

"Uh oh, it's the cavalry!" Jessie whimpered. Gliscor and his gang 'X-Scissored' the balloon, that smashed into the already weak building, and sent Team Rocket blasting off into the hemisphere. But after that crash, the walls of the partly demolished building started to come crashing down.

**Ash's POV**

The walls were about to crash down on me and Misty, when I saw an opportunity. "Misty, _move!"_ I gave her a strong shove and pushed her out of danger, but it was too late for me to get out of the way.

"Ash, no!" I heard Misty cry. She was safe, I knew that.

_"I've only got one shot!"_

**Misty's POV**

When Ash shoved me out of the way, I imagined the worst: Ash, crushed underneath the wall that he had saved me from. "Ash, no!" I felt tears forming in my eyes as the wall came crashing down, but at the last moment, Ash leaped into one of the windows of the wall, and dust went flying everywhere. As soon as the dust settled, I ran to the crash site to look for Ash. "Ash! Ash where are you?!" I heard a soft cough from where the window of the fallen wall was, and I saw Ash. He was dusty, he had a few scratches on his arms and face, but he seemed ok. I ran to him and embraced him tightly, crying the whole time. "Ash, I thought I lost you!" Ash wrapped me into a comforting hug and let me cry, reassuring me that he was alright. I didn't even care that I was weeping in public, the thought of Ash being dead was always too much for me to handle.

Then Nurse Joy ran towards me and Ash to give us the once-over. "Are you two alright?!" she asked with concern. We gave her a reassuring nod, and I wiped the tears from my eyes before gingerly helping Ash back to his feet. He wobbled a bit, and leaned on me for support, but before long, Ash had walked off his weakness and was back to his old self.

**Normal POV**

"Ash! Are you alright?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, just a bit scratched up." Ash replied as he dusted himself off.

"What were you thinking?!" Dawn screamed.

"I knew we couldn't_ both_ fit through that window, so I shoved Misty out of the way." Ash explained.

"Well I'm glad you're alright, but we have a problem now that the road is blocked!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

Nurse Joy analyzed the wind, and saw that it was now blowing in a different direction. "How will Gliscor and Gligar be able to get through?"

"Oh no! Look!" Dawn pointed towards the truck of fruit. Gliscor and Gligar had begun chowing down, which meant that their bait was history now. After their failure, they regrouped at the Pokémon Center, where Misty assisted Nurse Joy in tending to Ash's wounds.

"Gliscor and Gligar are wreaking havoc, and the city has come to a stand-still!" Nurse Joy said sullenly.

"Right now, I'm just glad that _Ash_ isn't at a stand-still." Misty said sincerely, wrapping a bandage around her boyfriend's knee.

"We have to get those Pokémon back to the forest _now!"_ Officer Jenny banged a fist on the table she was sitting at.

"Yeah, but how? The only way out of here has been blocked off." Dawn sighed discouragingly.

"If we could just create a current of wind strong enough to blow them out of the city, our problem would be solved." Officer Jenny figured.

Misty gasped. "That's it! Ash, don't you have a flying-type that can help?!"

"Yeah! Staravia, and maybe even Charizard!" But Ash's enthusiasm quickly drained away, "But…there's no way that those two alone can do the job."

"We have a whole bunch of Pokémon inside the roof dome that can use 'Gust', and if we make a huge gust of wind from the roof…" Nurse Joy made some calculations on her laptop. Moments later, she beamed. "That'll work!" she said excitedly.

"Well alright then!" Ash handed Nurse Joy two Pokéballs, "Here Nurse Joy, take Staravia and Charizard and take them to the roof, it's time for a talk!"

"A talk? With who?" Dawn asked.

"With Gliscor of course. I'll just explain to them that we want to help and then everything will be fine!" Ash exclaimed.

"I'm going with you Ash!" Misty chased after her boyfriend.

"Hey, wait for us you two!" Dawn called. Dawn and Brock ran after the couple, while Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny went to make preparations for their last-ditch effort.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket was trying to enjoy what was left of their ever empty food-stash. "Lost our posse and our balloon as well." Jessie groaned.

"Though that sparking effect was striking." James said in the same tone, referring to the multiple 'X Scissor' attacks.

Just then, an apple core fell from above. Team Rocket looked up, and saw a still angry Gliscor and Gligar staring them down. They swooped down and chased after Team Rocket. "I guess Gliscor and da Gligar have come back home to roost!" Meowth yelled, running from the angry gang.

Jessie tossed Gliscor and the Gligar some food, hoping that they would get them off their backs. Gliscor ate the food, but persisted the chase. "Those were my organic rice-balls you just under-handed!" James yelled angrily.

Suddenly, an 'Ice Beam' came out of nowhere, and blasted Team Rocket off for the second time that day. "So who under-handed dat 'Ice Beam'?!" Meowth yelled, as they vanished into the sky.

Another 'Ice Beam' was fired, Gliscor managed to avoid it, but all of his Gligar friends were frozen solid. Gliscor growled at the purple-haired trainer and Weavile that were responsible for freezing his gang. "Weavile, 'Blizzard' now!" Paul ordered. Weavile obeyed, and launched a 'Blizzard' attack at Gliscor, who not only managed to counter the snowstorm with a 'Sand-Attack', but also thawed out its friends, allowing them to escape. Gliscor immediately retreated, causing his Gligar friends to fly off after him, except for one. "Hold on!" Paul chased after them.

Meanwhile, Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock were running down the street, and saw a Gligar just sitting on the ground. "Gligar, you ok?" Ash called. Gligar gave the group its goofy smile, which identified it as the one that kept landing on Ash.

"I can't believe it's the same one!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's great to see you again!" Ash said. Gligar licked the other side of its face, and then felt a gust of wind come from the alley. It took off in the direction where Gliscor and its other friends went. "Hey, where are you going now?"

"Gliscor must be somewhere over there!" Brock reasoned.

"Come on, we have to hurry, there might be trouble!" Misty exclaimed.

"Right, let's go!" Ash took off after the Gligar, with his friends following close behind.

Paul was still chasing after Gliscor when he called out his Electabuzz to back up Weavile. "Weavile, 'Ice Beam', Electabuzz, 'Thunder'!" His Pokémon attempted their attacks, but Gliscor ordered his followers to fly around their two adversaries, intimidating and confusing them. "Keep focused! Electabuzz, 'Thunder Punch'!" Electabuzz followed through, and unleashed a vicious electric-punch onto a bunch of Gligar. Gliscor became enraged, and decided to take them on and defend its friends. Gliscor unleashed a powerful 'X Scissor' onto Electabuzz, who slammed into Weavile, who slammed into Paul.

Just as Paul and his Pokémon landed on their backs, the Gligar that kept crashing into Ash came flying in, followed by Ash and his friends themselves. "Gliscor! Hold on! We wanna help you and your friends get back to the forest!" Ash yelled.

"Gli?" (Really?) Gliscor said with interest.

"You come with us, over to the Pokémon Center quick!" Ash explained. Gligar believed them, but before Gliscor could make a decision, it was nailed by an 'Ice Beam' and a 'Thunder' attack simultaneously. "Now what?!"

The group turned around to find Paul, once again trying to take Gliscor for his own personal use. "Now! Go Pokéball!"

_"No way!"_ Ash leaped into the air and deflected Paul's Pokéball away from Gliscor. "You can't do this Paul! They_ need_ Gliscor!"

"What do I care? I'm after Gliscor and nothing is going to stop me!" Paul shoved Ash out of his way, only to have Misty step in his way with her arms spread, acting as a blockade for the ruthless Pokémon trainer.

"What kind of a trainer are you?! You don't even care about Pokémon at all!" Misty screamed. Paul grabbed Misty's arm and threw her out of his way. She landed on her bottom, got up, and was then faced by a snarling Paul.

"You try anything like that again and I'll make sure you don't get up ever again!" the purple haired trainer growled menacingly.

Misty didn't back down, and now Ash was by her side. "That's enough! You keep your hands off of her!" he barked.

"I couldn't care less about what your girlfriend does, as long as she stays out of my way!" Paul said, matching Ash's tone. "Electabuzz, Weavile, keep Gliscor from going anywhere!"

The two Pokémon made moves to attack Gliscor, but Pikachu jumped in front of the exhausted Gliscor, cheeks sparking with anger. Piplup soon joined Pikachu, which stopped Electabuzz and Weavile. "Aren't you going to do something Brock?" Dawn asked fearfully.

"Only if I see fists flying. One punch or kick from either of them and I'll stop both of them quickly." Brock said seriously.

"I happen to have a name you know, it's Misty! Gym Leader of Cerulean City!" Misty announced.

"If you're a gym leader, then you know the importance of having powerful Pokémon! Which is what I want!" Paul yelled.

"Yes, but Pokémon are meant to be companions and not slaves! And you have to have respect for the world around you!" Misty screamed.

Paul scoffed, "Figures…a loser girlfriend to go with the loser trainer."

"What did you call her?!" Ash clenched his fists.

"I don't have time for this. Electabuzz, Weavile, get those weaklings out of the way!" Weavile and Electabuzz smashed Pikachu and Piplup into the opposite sides of the wall, where they collapsed in pain.

"Pikachu/Piplup!" Ash and Dawn yelled.

"Now, go Pokéball!" Paul tried again. This time, Brock tried to deflect it, but he fell short and landed on his side, as the Pokéball struck Gliscor, and was captured. Seeing that saying anything else would prove to be pointless, Ash and Misty rejoined their friends after picking up the injured Pikachu, Dawn had gone to get Piplup, who chirped in pain. As Paul picked up the newly captured Gliscor, he scanned its stats with his Pokédex. "This Gliscor may be useful to me."

"Another slave to join his party." Dawn hissed.

"And what do you intend to with all those Gligar, Paul?" Ash asked with venom dripping from his voice.

"Don't you get it? They're none of my concern." Paul replied.

Ash growled in fury. The friendly Gligar charged towards the Pokémon trainer who had captured its leader, seeking vengeance. "Gligar, don't do it!" Brock warned.

Gligar ignored the warning, and dive-bombed Paul. "Electabuzz, 'Thunder Punch'." Paul said coolly. Electabuzz obeyed, and gave Gligar a vicious punch in the stomach. It quite possibly could've been enough to knock Gligar unconscious if it wasn't part ground-type, which gave it some defense.

Instead, Gligar was sent flying into Ash, who got the wind knocked out of him when Gligar crashed into him. "Ash, are you ok?" Misty asked, now deeply concerned for the boy who taken hit after hit over the past few days. Ash tried to speak, but found it was too difficult at the moment, so he settled for a nod.

Paul called back his Pokémon, and turned to walk away. "I've had enough of you and this town. I'm out of here." with that the trainer walked away without another word.

Misty and Brock gingerly helped Ash onto his feet, shooting icy-glares at the slave-driver Paul. "He's worse than _ten_ Gary's. At least _Gary_ cared for what happened to his Pokémon." Misty hissed.

"This is a new low, even for Paul." Ash strained, still trying to get his breath back.

The Gligar above them had just now realized what happened. Their leader had been captured, leaving them confused as to what to do. They flew around in confusion, some of them nearly running into the group of teens, who did a face-plant to avoid getting hit. "What's going on Brock?!" Dawn screamed.

"Now that Gliscor's been captured, the Gligar have no idea what to do!" Brock explained.

Ash slowly stood back to his full height after being hunched over from the hit. "We've gotta get them to the Pokémon Center!" Ash looked down at his Pokémon partner, "Pikachu, I know you're weak, but I need you to give us one last 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu obliged, and gave a 'Thunderbolt' attack to lead the Gligar to where they were supposed to go.

"Piplup is too weak!" Dawn screamed, holding her exhausted penguin.

"Then leave this to me! Staryu, come out and use 'Water Gun'!" Misty's sea-star Pokémon leaped out of its ball, and fired a stream of water that forced the Gligar to move toward the Pokémon Center.

"Alright, now they're heading in the right direction!" Brock exclaimed.

"Not _all_ of them! Some of the Gligar don't want to go along with the others!" Dawn said.

Just then, the clumsy Gligar appeared from behind Ash and explained to the stragglers the plan, they followed it into the sky, and flew towards the Pokémon Center. "It's our buddy!" Ash exclaimed.

"And it understood what you said Ash!" Brock added.

"Come on we have to follow them!" Dawn said. Dawn and Brock ran off after the Gligar.

"Ash, can you run?" Misty asked with concern.

"I'm alright now Mist, let's just help those Gligar!" Ash replied. Misty grabbed Ash's hand, just in case he needed help, and chased after the Gligar as well.

By this time, Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy had gathered all of the Pokémon in the dome that could use 'Gust' and explained to them the situation. "Here they come." Officer Jenny said.

Sure enough, a swarm of Gligar came flying towards them, and landed in the trees. "Wait a minute, where's Gliscor?" Nurse Joy asked.

"There's no time for that Joy! We can't wait or we'll lose our chance!" Officer Jenny replied.

"Right! Quick everyone, use 'Gust'!" Nurse Joy ordered. The Pokémon, which included Staravia and Charizard, created a huge gale of wind that blew all of the Gligar out of the city and into the forest. By now, the group had reached the top of the Pokémon Center.

"Wow, they did it!" Brock exclaimed.

"Great job everyone, it worked like a charm!" Officer Jenny said.

"Soon they'll all be back home." Nurse Joy added. Suddenly, evil laughter filled the air, and yet another Meowth balloon came into view.

"We'll beat you goons as long as we got balloons!" Meowth cackled.

"That's what _you _think! Staryu, use 'Swift'!" Misty ordered. Staryu showered a flurry of stars, but it fell short of the target.

"They're too far away to hit!" Dawn said.

"I want no Gligar left behind." Jessie said.

"With one swish, you'll get your wish!" James said, pulling out a net.

"Turtwig, protect the Gligar with 'Energy Ball'!" Ash yelled. Turtwig popped out if its ball, and immediately fired an 'Energy Ball' at the balloon. It had the range required, but the aim was off.

"Nyahh nyahh! You missed us!"

"The distance is there…" Brock paused.

"But the control isn't!" Dawn finished.

"Ash, this is _not_ a good time to train! Use an attack that _will_ reach!" Misty screamed.

"Turtwig can do it!" Ash insisted, "Turtwig, try it again and aim carefully!" Turtwig concentrated its power, and with determination and adrenaline flowing through its body, it fired the 'Energy Ball', which nailed the Team Rocket balloon right on target. "Bulls-eye!" Ash cheered.

"I wanted to net _Gligar,_ not _you!"_ Jessie screamed at Meowth.

"I guess it's back ta scrounging for our own sandwiches." Meowth said sullenly.

"And consistently empty stomachs translate into just one thing…" James added.

"We're blasting off again!"

"Wobbuffet!"

*Ping*

"That was awesome! Now don't forget how that felt!" Ash said encouragingly. Turtwig nodded in acknowledgement.

"Well Ash, I apologize. Turtwig really came through when it counted." Misty said, petting Turtwig's head.

"Twig!" (Thanks!)

"No worries Mist, I know you were just trying to help." Ash said.

"Uh, you guys? Look over there!" Dawn said, pointing towards one of the trees.

They found their friend Gligar reaching for an apple. "Alright Turtwig, use 'Energy Ball'!" Ash ordered. Turtwig fired below Gligar, and the detonation caused Gligar to fly off the tree.

"Now use 'Gust' again everyone!" Nurse Joy ordered. The Pokémon obliged, and blew whatever remaining Gligar there were back to the forest.

"Bye Gligar, hurry home!" Ash called.

"And please, _stay_ home!" Dawn added.

"(Sigh) That's a relief." Nurse Joy said.

"Now we can finally relax." Officer Jenny added.

Just then, the clumsy Gligar came flying in again. "Not again!" Ash said. Gligar glided in, and landed on Ash yet again. "Hey, where'd you learn how to fly anyway?!"

"Why didn't you go with your friends?" Dawn asked, dragging Gligar off of Ash. Gligar licked its face in response.

"I'll tell you what I think! Gligar likes Ash!" Brock explained.

"Cool! Do you want to be _my_ Pokémon then?" Ash asked.

"Gli gar!" (Yeah!)

"But Ash, you already have six Pokémon with you don't you?" Misty asked.

"Sure, but at least he'll be with Prof. Oak." Ash replied. "Alright, go Pokéball!" The Pokéball struck Gligar, and it happily stayed in. The group waited for the Pokéball to vanish, but they began to grow confused when the Pokéball just stayed on the ground.

"Um…why is it still here?" Misty asked in confusion.

"Good question." Ash picked up the Pokéball, and threw it. Gligar popped out and licked its face.

"This is a little weird." Brock said.

"Nurse Joy, I thought you could only have six Pokémon at a time?" Ash asked.

"Oh yes, there's been some confusion regarding that. You see, the Sinnoh Region has a slightly different rule set. In the Sinnoh League you can only enter six Pokémon, but to save time and make things more efficient, you can keep up to eight Pokémon with you at a time so you can decide quicker." Nurse Joy explained.

"Really? That's awesome!" Ash recalled Gligar and cheered. "I just caught…a Gligar!"

"Oh, by the way, in gratitude for helping us save the Gligar, we're offering you a free-night at the Pokémon Center!" Nurse Joy said cheerfully.

At that, Brock got down on one knee and grabbed Nurse Joy's hand. "Oh my dear Nurse Joy, you can't imagine how much we appreciate your offer, but no one appreciates you more than me…" Brock was cut-off by Croagunk's 'Poison Jab'. "Why…do I…keep doing…this?" Brock strained. Croagunk snickered and dragged Brock away by the wrist.

"Thanks for letting us stay Nurse Joy; I think we could use a good-night's sleep." Ash said.

"Think nothing of it, I just wish I knew what happened to Gliscor, he wasn't there to go with his friends." Nurse Joy replied.

Ash's expression turned grim, thinking about the purple-haired trainer who had selfishly and mercilessly ripped Gliscor away from his friends. "Gliscor got captured." he muttered angrily.

"Oh…I see." Nurse Joy said sadly.

"Nurse Joy, I'm afraid that Piplup was pretty badly hurt chasing the Gligar, could you take care of it?" Dawn asked. Nurse Joy gave a nod, and took Piplup.

Ash handed Pikachu to Nurse Joy as well, "Here, Pikachu could use a nice rest too." With that, he walked back into the Pokémon Center without another word.

**Ash's POV**

_"I can't believe Paul. He captured Gliscor and left all of those Gligar without a leader, he made fun of me for defending the Gligar, and he hurt Pikachu without even thinking twice! And on top of it all, he insulted Misty! This is a new low." _I went down to the cafeteria to try and enjoy a sandwich, but my stomach was tied up in knots from my frustration. I managed to eat half before I just threw away the rest. On the way to the rooms, I ran into Misty, Dawn, and Brock.

"You ok Ash?" I pretended I didn't hear Brock and kept walking. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone, I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts, so I opened the room with the key Nurse Joy had given me on her way to the Pokémon healing room, and went to the balcony that it happened to have.

**Misty's POV**

Ash walked away without a word. I knew exactly what was on his mind. That creep Paul had done something unforgiveable. Taking Gliscor away without thinking about the Pokémon he was hurting in the process was something that Ash simply couldn't stand. "What's wrong with Ash?" Dawn asked.

"I think Paul is on his mind." Brock suggested glumly.

"Maybe we should talk to him." Dawn and Brock agreed with me, and followed me to the elevator.

After getting back to the main floor, we saw Ash leaving the cafeteria with a grim look. "You ok Ash?" Brock asked. I knew Ash could hear, but he pretended that he didn't. He walked up the steps to the rooms, and eventually vanished from sight. "Misty, maybe _you _should talk to him."

"Yeah, if Ash will listen to _anybody,_ it _has_ to be you." Dawn agreed. I didn't want to blow my own horn, but I couldn't help but feel they were right. I gave them a nod, and chased after Ash. I saw one of the room doors open, and looked through it. I saw Ash leaning over the balcony, and he was still obviously upset. I slowly walked up to him, and joined him over the side of the balcony.

"Hey Misty." Ash said sullenly.

"Hey."

"I can't believe that creep, Paul."

"Ash, what's done is done. As sad as it is, Gliscor is a member of Paul's group now."

Ash gave me a look that said he was still upset. "That's not the only thing he did that's making me mad."

Now I was confused, I figured that'd be it. "What did he do Ash?" I was slightly surprised by his answer.

"He insulted you Mist, how can you not remember?"

_Figures…a loser girlfriend to go with the loser trainer._

I blushed at that. He wasn't just upset because of Gliscor, he was mad at Paul for calling me a loser. I smiled inwardly, touched by his concern. I gave him a playful nudge, and he gave a small smirk before frowning again. "Ash, I don't care what some random creep thinks about me. What I _do_ care about…is what _you_ think of me." I said soothingly.

Ash gave me a smile. "I think you're the best Mist, thanks." I gave him a loving hug which he gladly reciprocated, and we stood there in each other's embrace for a few minutes before breaking apart. "You see what I meant when I said I needed you here?"

"I see. You need me to keep you from losing your temper and beating the tar out of Paul." I said playfully.

"Yeah, I mean, the guy could use a bit of discipline…like you gave to me." Ash said, rubbing his head jokingly.

_"There's_ an idea."

"What?"

"Next time he messes with either you or me, I give him a beating he'll never forget!" I said, swinging my mallet.

"Watch it Misty! Or you might put _me _to sleep _right now!"_ Ash said fearfully, ducking my weapon.

I giggled, and put away my mallet. "Oh Ash, I think I forgot to get a room for myself." I said, feigning fake guilt.

"Of course, you sure Dawn didn't put you up to this?" Ash asked playfully. I shook my head in a "no" fashion and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Hey, I'm starving, let's get something to eat."

"You're hungry? I thought you already ate dinner?"

"You call half a sandwich dinner? I need something that'll last me the night!" I shook my head in amusement and grabbed his hand, and we walked down to the cafeteria where Dawn and Brock looked relieved to see Ash back to his old self.

**Normal POV**

"Hey guys." Ash greeted.

"You alright Ash?" Brock asked.

"I am _now."_ Ash made a loving glance at the redhead holding his hand.

"Wow Misty, you're like some sort of happy pill for Ash." Dawn joked.

"Nah, a pill would take too long. Misty's like an insta-cure." Brock joked.

Ash and Misty blushed and smiled at each other. "So Brock, how long before we get to Veilstone City?" Ash asked.

"It should be just a couple more days." Brock said.

"Alright, and then I'll get me another gym badge!" Ash exclaimed.

"Hey Ash, you know what I just realized?" Misty asked.

"What is it Misty?" Ash asked.

"Now that you have a Gligar, you can enter the gym as another Gligar-man!" Misty joked. Ash face-faulted and groaned. And the group laughed at their friend.  
_

**A/N: Ok, I'm well aware that the whole "more than six Pokémon" is completely non-canon, but Charizard is too awesome to ignore, and I also like the Gliscor that Ash eventually gets. Also, I have some reservations as to how I wrote up Paul. I would appreciate some opinions on what you thought of Paul, because I know that he's mean, but I think I may have pushed it beyond the limit. And one more thing, I realize that there are many episodes that lead into each other. (The eventual Wallace Cup for instance) So some chapters may be far longer than others, since it really is a "To-be-continued" thing. I hope to cut down on the chapters, while still getting all the required episodes. Thanks for reading, and keep an eye out for updates!**


	16. Three Battles, One Galactic

**You're probably thinking: "Why is this so chapter so dang long?" Because it's 4 episodes in 1 that's why! All of these episodes I've redone are crucial points in the story, so to cut down on chapters, I smushed them all into one super fat chapter. They all take place within two days, so the episode switch is graceful and easy to point out. It took me forever to write this one, and if you guys think I should stick to individual chapters for each, let me know please. But be gentle, there's a thin line between constructive criticism, and flaming. Enough of my rambling, enjoy this mega-chapter!  
_**

Chapter 16

Misty's POV

After Ash caught that Gligar (and I did some temper taming) we left for Veilstone City. On the way there, we ran into a Hippowdon that my Azurill and Dawn's Pachirisu had inadvertently gotten stuck in. It was a tedious chase over sand-dunes as Hippowdon kept digging all over the place. After running into Team Rocket's so-called "elite" members: Cassidy and Butch, Jessie and James showed up and had a mecha-battle.

As usual, our stalkers lost, but we managed to pull off yet another decisive victory over Team Rocket, and we got our Pokémon back. I scolded Azurill for doing something so dangerous, but it nuzzled my cheek affectionately, I just couldn't stay mad at it no matter how hard I tried. Ash had said it was nice to see the soft-side of me; I flicked his nose in response. He was asking for it after all. I expected an argument to ensue, but he just laughed it off.

We rarely have arguments anymore, and when we do it doesn't last nearly as long as they used to. Ash and maturity go together well, plus I get to do things that I normally couldn't…like kiss him. Nothing drastic, they're still on the cheek, but maybe one day…anyways, we were walking down the path to Veilstone City, enjoying the scenery…and each other's company. I don't think hanging with Ash will ever be boring; excitement seems to follow him and all around him. Although close-calls were known to take place.

But that wasn't important now. Things were peaceful, I was close to the boy I loved, and the scenery was beautiful. "It's so peaceful out here. Back in Cerulean I would've battled at least one challenger by now." I said. "Yeah, but thanks to your friendly neighborhood Pokémon trainer, you won't have to worry about that anymore." Ash said playfully.

I giggled and took his arm. "Still, I should call Daisy and see how things are going." I figured. "When we get to Veilstone City, we'll go to the Pokémon Center and you can call your sisters." Ash said. "We're there! Look out there!" Dawn exclaimed, running towards a roped-off area. Me, Ash, and Brock ran after the blue-haired girl and her Piplup, and gasped in awe at the sight of Veilstone City.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go get that gym badge!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. I still had his arm, so he dragged me along with him, but I didn't mind, I just laughed as we ran down the hill to the city. "Wait for us you two!" Dawn called out.

Normal POV

Ash and Misty were only a quarter of the way down, when Ash abruptly stopped. "Ash, what's wrong?" Misty asked. "I…feel something." Ash replied. Dawn and Brock had now caught up to the couple. "What's up Ash?" Brock asked. Ash's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Get down!" Ash yelled. A blue sphere of energy suddenly came flying in, just after the group did a face-plant to avoid getting hit. "What in the world are those?" Dawn asked, as more spheres went flying through the air.

"It feels like the air is shaking!" Brock said. "T-Those are…Aura Spheres!" Ash exclaimed. "Aura Spheres? You mean…" Brock paused. "Yeah Brock, we gotta get down there now!" Ash yelled. The group ran down the hill, and headed for the source of the spheres. "Ash? What's going on?" Misty screamed. "You'll see in a minute!" Ash replied. They saw another sphere flying through a wooden fence, and the group looked through the hole it left behind.

They saw a pink-haired girl doing flips and kicks to dodge the spheres, and then Ash's suspicion was proved correct, as a Lucario came into view. "I was right! A Lucario!" Ash exclaimed, pulling out his Pokédex. "That's a Lucario?" Dawn asked. "Lucario, the aura Pokémon, and the evolved form of Riolu. By sending an aura at its opponents, Lucario can read their thoughts and movements." Ash's Pokédex said.

The Lucario fired another 'Aura Sphere' at the girl, who kicked it with her bare-foot back at Lucario, who dodged easily. "Check out how she's deflecting those 'Aura Spheres'!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "Aura Spheres?" Dawn asked. "It's a mysterious power that some say everyone has. But I've heard that it's stronger in some people than in others." Brock explained. "But Ash was able to sense the aura from those attacks…" Misty said in awe. "Ash's aura came into play once before." Brock said. "Whoa…you've gotta tell me what happened Ash." Misty said, in awe at her boyfriend's unique skill. "It's a long story, I'll tell you later." Ash replied.

Lucario used 'Bone Rush' on the girl, who narrowly escaped being hurt by the attack. "Awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "Not awesome Ash! That's way too intense for it to just be training!" Misty screamed. Brock was about to make a comment, when a 'Thunder' attack came from nowhere and narrowly missed Pikachu and Piplup. Enraged, Pikachu yelled at the source of the attack, and an Electabuzz emerged from behind a tree. "Electabuzz!" the group exclaimed in unison.

The angry Piplup charged towards Electabuzz to get it back for almost shocking it. "Piplup, come back!" Dawn screamed. Pikachu ran after Piplup to try and stop it. "Pikachu, come back!" Ash called. Piplup had now leaped to head-butt Electabuzz in the stomach, but Electabuzz merely knocked it back as if it were nothing at all. Piplup landed on top of Pikachu, who had just decided not to stop Piplup, instead, it would help fight.

"Pikachu, stop!" Ash yelled. Pikachu ignored Ash, and attacked with a 'Thunderbolt' before jumping back into the dust cloud. Piplup appeared next. "Piplup cut it out!" Dawn screamed. Piplup thought about it, but when it got zapped by a 'Thunderbolt' that Pikachu accidently hit it with, its rage was refueled, and it leaped back into the battle.

Further orders to stop were aimed at Pikachu and Piplup, but it resulted in Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock getting zapped by a 'Thunderbolt' that Pikachu had once again aimed wrong. The battle was finally stopped when an 'Aura Sphere' was fired at the battling trio. Out of instinct, Ash shielded Misty with his body as the dust cloud overtook the group.

When the dust cleared, a very shocked Pikachu, Piplup, and Electabuzz were seen. "Pikachu/Piplup!" Ash and Dawn exclaimed. "I'm so sorry." the pink-haired girl said, "Lucario, say you're sorry."

Lucario grunted dismissively. "What do you mean it was nothing?" the girl asked. "Maylene, what happened?" a man with purple hair asked. "H-Hi Reggie." Maylene stammered. Electabuzz tried to sneak away when he appeared, but that was foiled. "And where are you going Electabuzz?" Reggie said accusingly. Electabuzz turned around and gave a guilty chuckle. "Hey Pikachu, don't you think that looks like Paul's Electabuzz?" Ash asked. "Pika pika." (Yeah, it does.) Pikachu replied. Reggie and Maylene gasped when Ash mentioned Paul. "That must mean you know Paul!" Reggie exclaimed.

"Yeah, we have a…interesting relationship with him." Misty said, anger slipping into her voice. "Ohhh, and this must be the Pikachu that can use 'Volt Tackle'." Reggie said. "How did you know Pikachu could use 'Volt Tackle'?" Ash asked. "Because that's probably why Electabuzz was giving you grief." Reggie said, giving an accusing stare at Electabuzz. Electabuzz sweat-dropped in response. "Wait a sec, who are you?" Dawn asked. "I'm Reggie. You seem to already know my brother." Reggie said.

"You're Paul's older brother?" Ash asked in shock. "And that Electabuzz belongs to Paul alright." Reggie said. "Hmmph, like trainer, like Pokémon." Misty hissed. "See, since I'm a breeder, Paul decided to leave all of his Pokémon here with me for a little training." Reggie explained. "Well, I'm Ash. This is Misty, Dawn, and Brock." Ash said.

"Pleased to meet you. Say, I think I remember you Misty." Reggie said. "Huh? What do you mean?" Misty asked. "Yeah…you're the little girl who was sitting in the stands when I came to the Cerulean Gym." Reggie said. Misty turned a bit pink from embarrassment. "I'm sorry, but I don't remember you though." Misty apologized. "I understand, you couldn't have been older than six years old when I went." Reggie said. "So, has Paul had a battle with the gym leader here yet?" Ash asked. "Yeah, he won. He defeated her." Reggie said, glancing over at Maylene.

Maylene's face grew grim, and she gave a sad sigh which was only loud enough for Lucario to hear. "So she's the gym leader?" Ash asked. "Yep. Say hello to Maylene, the gym leader of Veilstone City." Reggie said. "Awesome! Wow, you've even got a Lucario! Can we have a gym battle soon?" Ash pleaded. Maylene looked up from the floor, and gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry…but…would you mind going to another gym instead?" Maylene asked pleadingly.

After she said that, a humming was heard, and Lucario blasted Maylene with an 'Aura Sphere'. "Is that thing crazy?" Misty screamed. "No, you see, Lucario's been pushing Maylene really hard like this all day long. Lucario's not happy with Maylene as a battle partner yet." Reggie explained. "What about all those 'Aura Spheres' we saw?" Dawn asked. "That must've been Lucario…training the trainer." Brock said. "Training the trainer?" Ash asked in confusion. "Sure Ash, how many times has Pikachu taught you something?" Misty said. "Good point." Ash replied.

"So Lucario rules." James said from behind a bush. "While that gym leader drools." Jessie said, stifling laughter. "Now if we could grab dat dynamo we'd stop drooling and some of dat ruling might rub off on us." Meowth added. And with that, Team Rocket snuck away.

Maylene groaned before getting up angrily. "I told you to stop already!" Maylene screamed. "Unacceptable! I thought I might find you out here Maylene." a man in a dojo uniform said. He had a goatee that outlined his jaw, well-built muscles, and he was with two other men. Maylene ran up to him. "I'm NOT going back to the gym!" Maylene said, nervousness creeping into her voice. "Stop! A gym leader does not act in this manner in front of other trainers." the man scolded. "They should speak for themselves. I acted sad a lot until Ash rescued me from the gym." Misty whispered. "But I don't think Maylene is as lucky as you are Mist." Ash replied softly.

"Those black-belts are students of the Veilstone Gym, actually, Maylene is well-respected as a battler, but she became the gym leader just six months ago and they're trying to toughen her up." Reggie explained. "I can understand how she's feeling." Misty said.

"Please understand, I don't want to be gym leader anymore!" Maylene begged. Lucario growled and fired another 'Aura Sphere', but Maylene deflected it without even looking, and gave a small growl. Reggie walked up with Ash and Co. "Is it because of Paul?" Reggie asked plainly. Maylene gasped, and looked to the floor as if it was the most interesting thing in sight.

"I thought so." Reggie said sullenly. "What happened Reggie?" Ash asked. "Veilstone Gym is a fighting-type gym, Paul came here using flying-type Pokémon, which is a smart strategy, his Murkrow had evolved into a Honchkrow, and he polished off first and second Pokémon in no time flat. Then when he battled against Lucario, he cleverly used Magmar which of course is a fire-type." Reggie explained.

Maylene groaned and spoke for herself. "I was totally out of sync…with Lucario…and all of my Pokémon. It didn't even look like a battle with a gym leader…I can hardly blame the challenger for what he said to me." Maylene said sadly. Ash and Misty looked at each other with knowing expressions. "What did Paul say?" Ash said, with resent for Paul obvious in his voice.

"You're the weakest…the weakest gym leader I ever fought…and this lightweight badge is just like you." Maylene said, quoting Paul's words exactly.

Misty's POV

_"I just cannot believe – no, I take it back…I CAN believe that Paul said that. The more I hear about Paul, the more I hate him as much as Ash does. And now I can understand why, he must be as heartless as a ghost-type."_

I growled after Maylene finished. "That…creep." I said, venom dripping from my voice, "He has no respect for Pokémon, other trainers, or even gym leaders."

"I'm sorry Maylene, but Paul's always had a bit of a cruel streak." Reggie apologized. "But the thing is…he was completely right. I do appreciate everything Lucario's been trying to do for me…I'm sorry!" Maylene screamed, running away to avoid showing everyone her tears. "Maylene, wait!" I called. "Just stay away!" Maylene screamed without looking back. I knew exactly how Maylene was feeling; my situation in Cerulean was very similar. Being mocked and made fun of at every turn.

"Master Maylene…" the black-belt said sadly. "Khanali, I'd like you to let Lucario and me handle this." Reggie requested. "Ok, if that's what you wish, Master Reggie." Khanali said. "I'm sorry; you traveled a long way…" Reggie was cut-off. "It's ok; it would've been awesome to battle Lucario though." Ash said. "Come on, let's find another gym." Brock said. Brock was suggesting we leave! But I couldn't go yet. "No way!" I exclaimed. "What is it Misty?" Reggie asked. "I can't go without trying to help Maylene! If anyone can help it's me because no one knows more about being mocked as a gym leader than me! I explained determinedly.

"I want to help too Misty!" Dawn exclaimed. I decided to let her come with me, and I gave her a nod. "Fine, but let me get to her first." I said. Dawn nodded in acknowledgement. "Lucario, which way did Maylene go?" I asked. Lucario grunted, and motioned for me to follow. I chased after Lucario, and Dawn followed with Piplup. _"I've just got to help Maylene…I may not be in Cerulean, but I'm still the gym leader, and it's my duty to help other gym leaders in any way possible._

Normal POV

_"Good luck Misty."_ Ash thought. Well, as long as Misty and Dawn are going to go talk to Maylene, how about we head over to my place to wait?" Reggie suggested. "That sounds like a good idea." Brock said. "How does that sound Ash?" Reggie asked. Ash didn't reply, he stared in the direction that Misty and Dawn had run off in, as if he were in a trance. "Ash, come on, there's nothing you can do." Brock said.

Ash reluctantly gave in, and followed Reggie and Brock to his place.

Meanwhile, Maylene was sitting by a river, trying to collect herself after her outburst. She sensed a presence from behind her. "Please…please Lucario, let me be." Maylene said. Lucario walked up with Misty, who had sympathy drawn all over her face. Maylene turned around and saw her fellow gym leader standing behind her. "What do you want?" Maylene asked.

"Maylene and Lucario were a famous battling team in Veilstone City; it was big news when Maylene became the Veilstone gym leader." Reggie said, handing bowls of food to Pikachu and Chimchar, "But as you see she's begun to have a few doubts about herself."

"Everyone has doubts in the beginning. Especially gym leaders who have to learn how to win under intense pressure." Brock said. "Yeah Brock, you'd know alright…and so does Misty." Ash said.

"You know Maylene; I can understand how you're feeling right now." Misty said. "I don't want to talk about it." Maylene said sadly. "Then don't talk, just listen." Misty said, placing a hand on Maylene's shoulder.

Maylene stayed silent, but she gave the slightest hint of a nod. "I was always being made fun of when I was the gym leader in Cerulean City…my sisters always told me that I would never match up to their reputation…runt, scrawny, ugly…they were relentless…but I knew that in the end, they were still my sisters, and they'd have my back when it really counted." Misty said. She looked at Maylene who was now listening intently. Misty gave her a smile and continued.

"You have an amazing friend in Lucario, and I'm sure your other Pokémon feel the same way. Because whenever my sisters ever got me down, my Pokémon, my friends, they would build me back up. Your Pokémon will too." Maylene looked away. "I know Misty, but I let them down." Maylene said sadly. Dawn walked up from behind a tree, and decided to put in her input. "You're not the only one who's felt discouraged lately Maylene. I didn't make it past round one in two straight contests, I'm taking a break." Dawn said.

"You know Misty, I never told you this either, but I tell everyone I'm just recharging my batteries, but to be totally honest, sometimes I think I'm just not cut-out for contests." Dawn said. Misty gave a sad sigh; she thought that Dawn had really gotten over it. She was hiding her true feelings all along. "I can relate to both of you." Maylene said.

"To tell the truth, every time I start to consider that winning or losing a gym battle could change a challenger's whole life, it kinda scares me." Maylene admitted. "I know how you feel, when I went back to Cerulean the first time, I felt nervous too." Misty said. "Then you know what it feels like when you just can't concentrate correctly." Maylene said.

Lucario growled menacingly. "Please, don't be angry!" Maylene said fearfully. "Yeah, come on Lucario; listen to what she has to say." Dawn said. "I just can't be a gym leader feeling this way; especially after what Reggie's younger brother said to me." Maylene said sadly.

"That's just the kind of person Paul is, don't let it bother you." Dawn said. "What he said was totally uncalled for. From one gym leader to another, I think that Paul needs to get an ego-check, and I think that one day Ash will give him the whuppin' he deserves!" Misty said. "Yeah, Paul will get his just-desserts, because what goes around comes around!" Dawn added.

"I know, but what I really want is for it to be fun again, whether I win or lose." Maylene said, leaning back on her arms. Dawn's expression changed back to sad. "Yeah, I know. I only lost twice and now I'm not even sure what to do anymore. Sometimes, I feel like my contests are holding Ash back from his dreams." Dawn said.

"And sometimes, I feel like I'm just causing trouble for me and my students." Maylene added. The trio of females sat in silence for a few seconds, before Team Rocket appeared. "Relax, your troubles are history!" Jessie exclaimed. "Oh no, please tell me it's not…" Misty paused. "Team Rocket!" Dawn finished. "Hey, are these friends of yours?" Maylene asked naively.

Jessie: "Friends? Yet another twerpette without a clue."

James: "A meeting of the old and new."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "Yippie yahoo!"

Jessie: "We've come here to bring chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet!"

James: "When everything's worse, our work is complete!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting you do-gooders in your place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"You be careful Maylene!" Dawn exclaimed. "These bozos have to be after your Lucario." Misty added. "Us bozos? Who's the one with the red clown hair?" Jessie countered. "I dunno; let's check under that wig you're wearing." Misty countered. "Well, are you after Lucario?" Maylene asked. "We're here to offer lucky Lucario a better deal!" Jessie said, regaining her cool.

"What deal?" Dawn asked. "Any deal you three make always has bad repercussions!" Misty said. "If you would just be quiet for two minutes we could say it!" Jessie screamed. "A winning warrior like Lucario deserves to side with someone stronger than this gym leader loser!" James said. "Sure, let us know when you find someone." Misty heckled. "Dat someone is us you red-headed big mouth! Lucario, with you on board we'll rule da world!" Meowth said.

"Oh please, even Lugia and Ho-Oh combined couldn't help you three losers rule the world." Misty said. "Just shut up already! What do you say Lucario, you in?" Jessie asked.

"I remember this little Chimchar! How are you?" Reggie asked, petting Chimchar's head. "Char!" (Great!) Chimchar chattered happily. "So Ash, I'm sure Paul must've put you through the mill with all those intense battling strategies he comes up with." Reggie said. "I don't care about any of that stuff! The most important thing about winning a battle is being one with your Pokémon! I'll beat that guy!" Ash growled, squeezing the glass he held in his hand with anger. "I'd like to see that, a battle between you two." Reggie said.

"Come on, make up your mind! Stay with that sad sack, or tag along with us!" Jessie said cheerfully. "Act now and this balloon can be YOUR ride!" Meowth said, trying to sound like a salesman. "Not to mention, access to my bottle caps!" James added. "Decide in the next ten seconds and you'll get first chunk off of my chocolate bar!" Jessie offered.

"I'll give them this, they're annoyingly persistent." Misty mumbled. Dawn and Maylene sweat-dropped, and Lucario activated his 'Bone-rush' attack. "What a unique way of telling us it's a deal!" Jessie exclaimed happily, not realizing what was about to happen. "Yay, that's some steel!" James added. "I think the show's over. Send them away will ya Lucario?" Misty requested. Lucario gladly obliged, and clubbed Team Rocket into the stratosphere.

"Maybe it was allergic to chocolate!" Jessie whined. "It CAN'T be allergic to bottle caps." James replied. "I think it was allergic to YOU." Meowth said. "We're blasting off again!" *Ping*

"Wow, thank you…I'll bet you're still mad at me though." Maylene said. "If Lucario's angry, it's only because it really cares about you and wants to you to battle with it, don't you see?" Dawn said. "Really?" Maylene asked. _"The poor girl is absolutely baffled on what to do next. There's just got to be something I can do…hey, maybe a battle!"_ Misty thought.

"Hey, I know! Let's you and I have a battle!" Dawn exclaimed. "I was just thinking of that, except I should be the one to battle Maylene." Misty said. "And what makes you more qualified Misty?" Dawn asked. "Because I'm a gym leader too, and Maylene needs someone who can relate to the pressure she feels." Misty replied.

"But it was my idea!" Dawn said. "I was thinking it, I just didn't say it!" Misty replied. "Stop! Please…" Maylene said. "Ok, I know how to settle this. Misty, heads or tails?" Dawn said. "Your coin-toss application? I choose heads I guess." Misty replied. "Alright then, coin-toss!" Dawn exclaimed, pressing the button on her wristband. The Magikarp coin flipped, and landed on…tails. "It's tails, I win!" Dawn exclaimed happily. Misty face-faulted in disbelief. "This just isn't fair." Misty mumbled.

"Come on Maylene, whaddya say?" Dawn asked excitedly. "Well…if you say so…I guess." Maylene said. Lucario gave a grunt of thanks to Dawn and Misty, for getting his master back onto the right track. "Lucario, did you just say thank you?" Misty asked. Lucario nodded to acknowledge.

"Huh? You want to have a battle with me?" Ash asked in surprise. "I know it's no substitute for the Veilstone Gym but I'd really like to see how Paul's rival stacks up." Reggie said. "Awesome, it's a deal!" Ash exclaimed, "Let's use the same three-on-three rules I used with Paul which means two wins takes it!"

"Ok, sounds great!" Reggie agreed. Ash grabbed his hat and placed it on his head. "Alright, we'll be waitin' for ya outside!" Ash said, running out the door of Paul's house. _"And if it comes down to one last battle, I'm gonna unleash my secret weapon."_ Ash thought.

"Ash, wait up!" Brock exclaimed. "Chimchar has really grown up…thanks to Ash's hard work." Reggie said, impressed. "Hey, are all these badges Paul's?" Brock asked. "No Brock, they're mine. C'mon, let's go!" Reggie said, walking out the door. _"The Boulder and Cascade badge…that means he beat my dad and Misty's sisters a long time ago."_ Brock thought. He stared for a few seconds, then joined Ash and Reggie outside.

"What's Ash up to?" Dawn asked, walking up with Misty and Maylene. "Hey guys, perfect timing! Reggie is just about ready to have a battle with Ash!" Brock exclaimed. "Figures, Ash just can't stay away from a chance to battle." Misty said, sitting down onto the stairs. "Like you want to miss a chance to cheer him on." Dawn teased. Misty turned pink. "Show him what you're made of Ash!" Misty cheered. Ash gave Misty a thumbs-up, and called out his first Pokémon. "Gligar, come on out!"

Gligar popped out of its ball, and crash-landed onto Ash's face. Ash began screaming incoherently, before ripping Gligar off of his face._ "On second thought, maybe Gligar should just watch instead."_ Ash thought.

"Ok Gligar, I'm gonna have a Pokémon battle with Reggie and I want you to watch closely 'cause I'm gonna want you to team up with me in a battle soon too!" Ash said. "Gli gar." (Got it.) it replied. "Gligar's gonna watch? Sounds like fun. "Maylene, you watch too ok?" Reggie said.

"Turtwig, I choose you!" Ash yelled, calling out his speedy grass-type. "Alright Bibarel, you're up!" Reggie exclaimed, "You have the honor Ash!"

"Turtwig, 'Energy Ball' let's go!" Ash ordered. Turtwig concentrated its power, and fired a perfect 'Energy ball' at the beaver Pokémon. "Awesome! Great power too!" Ash said. "Use 'Super Fang'!" Reggie countered. Bibarel ripped the 'Energy Ball' apart with its powerful teeth, leaving Ash and Co. stunned at Bibarel's power.

"Now 'Secret Power'!" Reggie exclaimed. Bibarel glowed in a pink aura, and the grass around the area started to glow as well. Turtwig looked both ways in confusion, trying to decipher exactly what was happening, but it made no difference, as the effects of the attack were completed, and Turtwig fell asleep.

"Turtwig! Wake up!" Ash yelled. "Turtwig's out cold!" Dawn exclaimed. "Secret Power's effect changes depending on the field. This is a very grassy area so it put Turtwig to sleep." Brock explained. "Turtwig, come on, you gotta wake up!" Ash exclaimed. "Use 'Take Down'!" Reggie exclaimed. "Ash, look out!" Misty cried. Bibarel rammed towards the sleeping grass-type, and gave it a hard tackle.

"That's not fair!" Misty screamed. "That attack was way strong!" Dawn said. Just then, Turtwig woke up, and got back into battle-ready stance. "Ash look! Turtwig's awake!" Misty cried. "Yes!" Ash exclaimed. "Turtwig's awake already?" Reggie asked in surprise, "Use 'Super Fang'!"

Bibarel leaped towards Turtwig to bite it. "Dodge it, and then 'Razor Leaf' quick!" Ash countered. Turtwig waited until the last second to dodge. Bibarel was barely five inches away when Turtwig practically vanished from sight. It slid against the grass and fired multiple 'Razor Leaf' attacks at Bibarel, who took the full brunt of the attack.

"Wow Ash, I like the way your Turtwig moves!" Reggie said. "Thanks a lot Reggie! That move came from watching Gardenia and her Turtwig at the Eterna Gym! 'Energy Ball' once more!" Ash exclaimed. Turtwig concentrated its power, and was about to fire until…

"Bibarel, 'Ice Beam'!" Reggie ordered. Bibarel fired a freezing ice attack at the small grass-type, but Ash was ready for it. "Now, jump Turtwig!" Ash countered. Turtwig leaped high into the air, avoiding the 'Ice Beam'. "Check it out! Turtwig still has the 'Energy Ball'!" Misty exclaimed. "That's right! Now Turtwig, fire!" Ash exclaimed.

In mid-air, Turtwig launched the 'Energy Ball' at Bibarel, who took the full brunt of the powerful attack. When the dust settled, Bibarel had fainted. "Nice going Turtwig! One for us!" Ash said happily. Ash's Pokémon cheered for their friend Turtwig, who had successfully defeated Bibarel's 'Secret Power' and survived with its trademark speed. "Way to go Ash!" Misty cheered. Ash gave Misty yet another thumbs-up, thanking her for cheering him on.

Reggie recalled Bibarel, but unlike his little brother, Reggie congratulated Bibarel for a great effort. "That Turtwig of yours is sure strong!" Reggie said. "Hey, thanks for the kind words!" Ash replied. Turtwig bit onto Ash's arm affectionately. "Wow, that was awesome Turtwig; you've really got the hang of that 'Energy Ball'!" Ash said.

Maylene gasped in awe at Ash's ability. "Isn't that something? Ash and Turtwig have been practicing really hard, it took a while but they practiced and they kept training like crazy. And now they've got it down pat!" Dawn said. "That's just the way Ash is, many trainers should look up to people like him when they train, because when Ash is determined to teach his Pokémon something new, he doesn't quit until it's practically routine." Misty added.

"That's wonderful! Lucario's done a lot of training too, haven't you?" Maylene said. Lucario glanced down at Maylene's hands, which were now clenched into fists of determination.

"Swalot, you're up next!" Reggie yelled, calling out his poison-type. "Turtwig, return. I'm proud of you." Ash said, before pulling out his Pokédex to analyze Swalot.

"Swalot, the poison-bag Pokémon, and the evolved form of Gulpin. Swalot sprays a powerful poison at its opponents from its pores." his Pokédex said. "Ok, Staravia, I choose you!" Ash yelled, calling out his flying-type for battle. Staravia gave a shrill cry to announce its appearance. "Use 'Quick Attack' go!" Ash ordered.

Staravia dive-bombed the poison-bag Pokémon, who awaited orders to counter. "Now Swalot, use 'Stockpile'!" Reggie countered. Staravia made contact and flew back into the sky, but then Swalot seemed to inhale, and grow in size. "What the?" Ash exclaimed in shock. "Did that thing just get bigger?" Misty asked. "Uh oh." Brock stated. "Staravia's really quick! Obviously well-trained!" Reggie complimented.

Ash didn't hear, he was too focused on the battle. "Alright, 'Wing Attack' go!" Ash yelled. Staravia built up speed, and its wings began to glow pure white. "Use 'Stockpile' once more!" Reggie countered. Just like before, Swalot took the full brunt of Staravia's attack, but then inhaled, and grew in size again.

"Why don't they counter-attack?" Dawn asked. "It's got to have something to do with the way that thing's growing!" Misty exclaimed. "It's not really growing at all. At the same time Swalot's flexible body is resisting damage, it's also storing up power using 'Stockpile'!" Brock explained. "Storing up power?" Dawn asked. "Right! And look out when they let that power go!" Brock said. "Oh no, I don't think Ash knows what Reggie's up to!" Misty said with concern. "Unless he figures it out quick, Staravia's going to take a lot of damage." Brock said.

"Let's finish it with one hit! Use 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash ordered. With incredible speed, Staravia dive-bombed the now twice as big poison-bag Pokémon, ready to finish the battle quickly. "Staravia's fast!" Maylene said. "But is it fast enough?" Misty asked with concern. "Use 'Spit-Up'!" Reggie said suddenly. Swalot opened its mouth and a blinding white beam completely shrouded Staravia, who gave a shrill cry of pain as it was knocked back into the air by momentum.

The attack was completed, and Swalot shrunk back to its normal size. "Wow, that's what you were talking about!" Dawn exclaimed. "Using 'Spit-Up' released all the energy stored up with 'Stockpile', and the more times you use 'Stockpile' the more damage 'Spit-Up' inflicts on your opponent." Brock explained. "But could Staravia handle such a painful hit?" Misty asked, looking into the sky.

Staravia gained back its composure, ready to battle once more. "Holy cow! It's ok!" Misty exclaimed. "Staravia doesn't give in that easy! Use 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash ordered. Once again, Staravia dive-bombed Swalot. "Use 'Sludge Bomb' let's go!" Reggie countered. Swalot fired globs of poison sludge up at Staravia, who was moving at too high a speed to get out of the way.

Staravia took the hit, and plummeted to the ground. "Oh no, Staravia!" Ash yelled. Ash ran to catch his exhausted flying-type, who landed in his arms with a thud. "Staravia, you were awesome!" Ash said, congratulating Staravia for a job well-done. "Star." (Thanks.) it replied. "I guess that 'Spit-Up attack was just too much to handle." Misty said sadly. "I'm surprised Staravia could even handle pulling off another attack." Brock said.

Reggie recalled Swalot. "You were great, thanks Swalot." Reggie said. "Looks like it's all tied up." Dawn said. "I wonder who Ash will use this time." Misty said. "Knowing Ash, it'll probably be Pikachu." Brock predicted. "I'm completely impressed with your Staravia's amazing athletic skills. But there's a move I'd love to show you though." Reggie said. "Wow, that'd be great!" Ash replied. "I think I know who's coming next then." Maylene said.

"Staraptor, come on out!" Reggie yelled, calling out his final Pokémon. Staraptor gave a shrill cry, and Staravia was surprised to see its evolved form. "The evolved form of Staravia?" Ash wondered, pulling out his Pokédex.

"Staraptor, the predator Pokémon, and the evolved form of Staravia. Staraptor's ferocious nature means it has no problem facing much larger opponents." his Pokédex said. "Staravia, watch closely ok?" Ash said. "Star avia." (Got it.) Staravia replied. "Pika pika chu Pikapi?" (You want me to go in Ash?) Pikachu asked.

"Not this time Pikachu." Ash said. Misty, Dawn, and Brock gasped when they heard they were wrong. "If he's not using Pikachu, then who is he using?" Dawn asked. "Guess we'll see in a minute." Brock said. "Get ready for this! Charizard, I choose you!" Ash yelled. Charizard emerged, and gave a roar to announce its presence. The group gasped again at Ash's choice. "Ash is using Charizard?" Misty asked in shock. "Alright Charizard, it'll be just like old times, you ready?" Ash asked with determination. Charizard roared in response. "Well Ash, Paul never mentioned a Charizard to me." Reggie said.

"That's because not even Paul knows I have Charizard with me!" Ash replied. "In that case, my lips are sealed. Bring it on Ash!" Reggie exclaimed. "Charizard, let's start it off with a 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard aimed for the sky, and fired a powerful flame towards the predator Pokémon. "Use 'Brave Bird' quick!" Reggie countered.

Staraptor dodged the 'Flamethrower', and charged towards Charizard with a flaming aura. "Uh oh, take to the sky and dodge it Charizard!" Ash ordered. Charizard opened its wings and took off, narrowly escaping the attack, but Staraptor turned around and nailed Charizard in its stomach. Charizard took the hit and plummeted to the ground, and when it collided with the ground, Charizard was lying in a huge crater. "Oh no, Charizard!" Ash yelled.

Charizard shook it off, and roared its rage. "I'm surprised that someone as big as Charizard can get up so quick." Reggie said. "Wait a minute, did Staraptor take damage too?" Dawn asked. "Brave Bird is a risky move because it can also cause quite a bit of damage to the one using it in the first place." Brock explained. "You have to have a lot of confidence in your speed and power." Maylene added. "And that definitely isn't something Reggie is short on." Dawn said. "True, but at least it's not to the point of arrogance like his younger brother." Misty said.

"Staraptor, 'Steel Wing' go!" Reggie ordered. "Let's take the fight to him Charizard! Take off and counter with your 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered. Charizard took off again, and this time made a clean dodge, then turned around and charged towards the large bird with its attack. "Whoa! That Charizard is fast for something its size! To say nothing of Ash's abilities." Maylene said in awe. "Just remember, he's mine." Misty mumbled. "Psst, I don't think she cares about him that way." Dawn whispered teasingly.

Misty narrowed her eyes at Dawn, and then averted her attention back to the aerial battle taking place. Staraptor dodged Charizard's attack, and turned to face its opponent. "Use 'Wing Attack'!" Reggie ordered. Staraptor flew towards Charizard with glowing wings, ready to strike. "Charizard, counter it with 'Flamethrower'!" Ash yelled. Charizard spewed a powerful flame at the incoming bird. Staraptor took the hit, but wasn't slowed down much, it managed to hit Charizard with its attack.

"Stay strong Charizard!" Ash encouraged. Charizard snapped out of its haze, and went back into battle-ready. "Alright, knock it down with 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered. Charizard flew towards the large bird. "Use your 'Steel Wing' to counter!" Reggie yelled. Staraptor flew towards the incoming Charizard, and the two collided with a bang. Size came into play, as Charizard's attack triumphed over Staraptor, who was now plummeting to the ground.

"Oh no, Staraptor!" Reggie yelled. "And here it comes!" Misty screamed cheerfully. "Here what comes?" Dawn asked. "Just watch." Brock replied. "Finish it off with a 'Seismic Toss'!" Ash ordered. Charizard flew down to grab the falling Staraptor, who was helpless to do anything as Charizard did three mid-air somersaults, and then hurled Staraptor back to the ground with a painful thud, and when the dust settled, Staraptor was seen lying in a crater, fainted. "That's two out of three so Ash wins!" Brock exclaimed. Charizard landed, making the earth rumble a bit, and it roared in triumph. "Way to go Charizard! You were awesome!" Ash congratulated. Charizard gave a grunt to acknowledge. "You were great too!" Misty exclaimed, running up to Ash to wrap him into a congratulatory hug.

Ash accepted the affectionate gesture gratefully, and returned it. "Hey, thanks Mist. But Charizard did most of the work." Ash said. Charizard grunted again. "Wasn't that exciting Piplup? Ash won, and watching his Charizard battle for the first time was something beyond awesome!" Dawn exclaimed. "Pi pi plup!" (He rocked!) Piplup replied.

Reggie called back Staraptor. "Staraptor, you were great." Reggie said. "Hey Reggie, thanks for everything!"Ash said with Misty by his side. "Hey I can't remember the last time I had such a great battle, and I bet Paul will be in a big surprise when he meets that Charizard of yours." Paul said. "Yeah, Charizard and I have a lot of history together; it's nice to have him back." Ash said. Charizard grunted its agreement.

"And now if you still want, I'd like to show you that move." Reggie offered. "I'll bet 'Brave Bird's' the move!" Ash exclaimed. "You got it; Staravia will pick it up in a flash!" Reggie said. "You think so?" Ash asked excitedly. "The amazing way your Staravia uses 'Aerial Ace'? Ash I guarantee it!" Reggie replied. "Staravia, whaddya say?" Ash asked determinedly. "Star avia!" (Let's do it!) Staravia replied.

"Oh great, now I'll have to get Vaporeon ready for flying-type moves since it'll be battling Staravia." Misty said in mock annoyance. "Look at it this way Misty, I'm definitely helping Vaporeon along with its training while this is going on." Ash said. "Yeah, because I REALLY need your help to train my Pokémon." Misty replied sarcastically. "Glad you agree." Ash said teasingly. Misty jabbed Ash in the ribs playfully and giggled.

"Maylene, come on, wouldn't you like to have that battle with Ash?" Reggie asked. "Well I…" Maylene was cut-off by Dawn. "Now hold on! Excuse me, but I asked Maylene for a battle first!" Dawn exclaimed. "Yeah, but it was my idea first." Misty mumbled. "Wait wha?" Ash asked. "I'll explain later." Misty replied. "Hey Dawn, mind if we have our battle tomorrow? I'll be at the gym." Maylene said.

"Why not now?" Dawn asked. "I just need a little time to get myself ready first." Maylene said. Maylene sounded sincere, but Lucario growled as if he sensed something wrong. "Of course, I don't mind at all! Tomorrow it is!" Dawn exclaimed. "Now that that's settled, how about we all go by that clearing and do some training?" Reggie suggested. "Now you're talking! Let's do it!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah! Ash, can you call out Buizel please? I want Piplup to have another water-type it's familiar with to train with it." Dawn requested. "Sure thing Dawn." Ash replied.

The group walked over to the clearing, and called out their Pokémon. Piplup got right to it, and started warming up by punching the air with Buizel. "Hey Politoed, come over here and get some exercise!" Misty exclaimed. Politoed hopped over and joined Piplup and Buizel in their warm-up. "Looking good Politoed!" Misty said. "Piplup's really getting into it huh?" Ash said, noting Piplup enthusiasm. "Now Piplup, I want you to keep an eye on how Buizel moves." Dawn said. "Hey Ash, Staraptor and I are ready when you are!" Reggie called. "Alright then! Good luck with your battle Dawn." Ash said. "Thanks, good luck to you too." Dawn replied. "Thanks." Ash said. "I'll go with you Ash." Misty said. "Sure thing Mist, come on!" Ash said, running to Reggie's location, followed closely by Misty.

"And there they go; all they're missing is a sunset." Dawn gushed. "Yeah, sure. Anyways, have you decided which Pokémon you're going to use?" Brock asked. "Well, Maylene uses fighting-type Pokémon, so I've decided to start with Piplup since it can use a flying-type move." Dawn explained. "Sounds good, and your other two?" Brock asked. "Next I'll take advantage of all that battling experience Ambipom got with Ash, then Buneary with its awesome jumping skills!" Dawn said.

"Sounds good to me." Brock said. "Alright Staravia, up!" Ash ordered. Staravia flew up to join Staraptor in the air for training. "I want Azurill to watch the training. Just so it can get the idea of what real training should be like." Misty said. "Good idea Misty, it's always a good idea to let a baby Pokémon get the feeling of training atmosphere." Reggie explained. Misty called out Azurill, who nuzzled Misty's cheek upon release.

"Watch closely Azurill." Misty said. "Azu zu rill." (Ok Mommy.) Azurill replied. "Now watch closely Ash." Reggie said. "You got it." Ash replied. "Staraptor, let's go, use 'Brave Bird'!" Reggie ordered. Staraptor dive-bombed and powered up its attack. With the momentum of its speed matched with the actual attack, Staraptor cut through a solid rock without feeling a thing. "Man, what power!" Ash exclaimed. "With an attack like that, Staravia would be able to knock out almost any Pokémon weak against its type." Misty figured.

"Not necessarily, it always depends on the level of the Pokémon you're battling, and besides, you have to be careful because using power as strong as this takes its toll on Staraptor as well. 'Brave Bird' tests the toughness of both Pokémon AND trainer." Reggie explained. "That means me." Ash said. "You're not afraid, are you Ash?" Misty teased. "No way Mist! I'm ready for the challenge!" Ash replied. "That's good to hear, so let's give it a try!" Reggie said.

"Right! Ok Staravia, 'Brave Bird' now!" Ash ordered. Staravia mimicked Staraptor's movements, but when the time came to go into full power, Staravia lost her balance and slid on the ground painfully. "Ooh, that probably hurt." Misty said with concern. "Staravia!" Ash exclaimed. Ash ran to his flying-type who was sprawled out on the floor, followed closely by Misty and Reggie. "Staravia, are you ok?" Ash asked with concern.

"Looks like Staravia lost its balance right at the moment of power release." Reggie said. "Well, since it's such a powerful move, it's a lot of power to adjust to the first time around." Misty said. "Yeah, you're probably right Misty." Ash said, "So what can we do Reggie?"

"Well maybe if we were to use a moving target instead of a rock we could work on improving Staravia's concentration." Reggie said. "Too bad Team Rocket isn't nearby, we could use them." Misty joked. "Hey, there's an idea Mist!" Ash said excitedly. "What, you want to use Team Rocket?" Misty asked. "No, I'LL be the target!" Ash exclaimed. "What?" Misty screamed. "Azu!" (Mommy!) Azurill cried. Misty had squeezed Azurill tightly with her outburst. "Oh, sorry Azurill." Misty apologized. "What's wrong with me being the target Misty?" Ash asked. "It's too dangerous, that's what! You've already taken a beating over the past few days; if Staravia actually hits you…I don't even want to think about it." Misty said, avoiding the thought of what might happen. "Hey, don't worry about me Mist; you know it's my duty as a trainer to give 100% in order to make my Pokémon stronger. You ready Staravia?" Ash said. "Star star." (Let's do it.)

"Ash, please be careful." Misty pleaded. "I will, I promise." Ash replied. Ash ran to the middle of the field, with Staravia flying overhead. "Alright, let's do it!" Ash said, starting to run. Staravia made a bee-line for the running Ash, and successfully output the power. "Yeah, way to go Staravia, just like that!" Ash exclaimed. Ash leaped out of the way at the last second, and avoided getting hit by Staravia's attack.

"That was too close!" Misty said fearfully, hugging Azurill tightly for comfort. "Looking good Staravia! One more time!" Ash exclaimed, repeating the sequence. "Ash sure is something." Dawn said, walking up next to Misty. "Yeah, he's a…one of a kind alright." Misty said. "Hey, no need to worry; you know Ash'll be fine." Dawn said. "Yeah, but I can't help but be nervous, I mean…look at that attack!" Misty said as Staravia dive-bombed Ash again.

"That's pretty typical training for Ash, you know that Misty." Brock said encouragingly. "(Sigh) I guess I'll just have to try and relax." Misty said finally. "I kinda feel like I should stop him though. He's just the opposite of my brother." Reggie said. "Yeah, Ash makes his Pokémon stronger the right way." Dawn said. And with that, Dawn went back to her training. As soon as she was out of ear-shot, Reggie spoke. "So what's the story with Dawn, Brock?" he asked.

"Oh, she's ready to go alright." Brock said. "But why would a coordinator fight a gym battle? She just doesn't seem like the type to do both contests and battles." Reggie said. "I honestly think Dawn's going through all of this to help Maylene get her confidence back." Brock explained. "Even though she hasn't really gotten over it completely herself yet." Misty added. "That's just it Misty. Dawn knows Maylene's a little shaky right now, and she really wants her to rediscover her love for battling." Brock said. "Hopefully doing this will help Dawn rediscover her passion as well." Misty said.

"Phew, ok, I think that's enough for now Staravia." Ash panted. "I'm impressed by how fast Staravia's picked up on what to do." Reggie said. "Hey thanks!" Ash said. "Um, do me a favor Ash?" Misty asked. "What is it Misty?" Ash asked. "Now that Staravia's got the technique, please don't use yourself as a target anymore." Misty pleaded. Ash saw the concern for his well-being in Misty's eyes and smiled. "Ok Misty, I think Staravia can handle a still target now." Ash replied.

"Star star avia!" (Bring it on!) Staravia said. "Looks like Staravia agrees Ash." Brock said. "Thank goodness." Misty said with a relieved sigh. "I think we should stop for today Ash, remember Staravia can only do that move so many times." Reggie suggested. "Yeah, you're right. Alright Staravia, return." Ash said, recalling his flying-type.

"You guys should probably find yourselves a place to sleep tonight." Reggie suggested. "Good idea Reggie, we'll head to the Pokémon Center and call ahead." Brock replied. "Call! Oh my gosh I forgot to call my sisters!" Misty exclaimed. "You can call them at the Pokémon Center." Brock said. "Come on, let's hurry then!" Misty exclaimed, grabbing Ash's hand and running off. "Wait for me you guys!" Brock exclaimed. "I'll call when Dawn is done with her training!" Reggie called.

Misty's POV

After we got to the center, I went to the videophone to give my sisters that long-due call. I was really curious as to how Daisy was getting along as the new gym leader. But I really hoped that this wouldn't be a mistake, and Daisy would need me to come back to Cerulean again. I heard the phone pick up, and Daisy's voice came over the audio. "Like, who's there?" she said. "Turn on the videophone Daisy, it's me Misty!" I said. Daisy's face came on the screen. "Like, what's up Misty?" Daisy asked. "Nothing much, only a few life-threatening adventures so far." I joked.

"I actually called to find out how you were doing without me." I said, hoping the answer would be good. "You wanna know something Misty? I've like, actually won a few battles!" Daisy said cheerfully. I was beyond happy when she said that, there was even a sense of pride for my sister that had never been there before. "Are you for real Daisy? Tell me about it!" I said excitedly. "Well, this young kid with a Bulbasaur came in and like, challenged me to a one-on-one battle, I figured I should like, use Dewgong because it could use 'Ice Beam'." Daisy explained.

"Smart strategy. I'm impressed!" I said. "Thanks, anyway, the kid used a 'Razor Leaf' attack, and I like, told Dewgong to dive underwater to avoid it. The kid like, totally panicked. It was hilarious! Dewgong emerged from behind the kid, and I like, told it to use 'Ice Beam'. And that was that." Daisy said proudly. "Wow Daisy, I can't believe how much you've improved." I said, impressed with my older sister. "Like, what do you expect from a Sensational Sister?" Daisy said. I laughed at my sister's haughtiness.

"Enough about me, I'm curious…have you like, kissed your little boyfriend yet?" Daisy asked with a smirk. I felt my face heat up as if I had gotten hit by an 'Ember' attack. "Daisy!" I hissed angrily. Daisy started cracking up, and I started getting REALLY upset. "It's not funny Daisy!" I screamed. "Listen here girl, you better kiss that boy soon or I'll find you and make you do it!" Daisy teased.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Ash showed up. "Hi Daisy, make her do what?" Ash asked. I had to think quick. "Oh hey! I was just telling Misty that she needs to…" I cut her off. "Well, gotta go Daisy, say hi to Lily and Violet for me, bye!" I said, quickly hanging up the phone. "What was that about?" Ash asked. "N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" I said, hoping his denseness would kick in for once.

It did. "Alright then, we've got our room for the night set." Ash said. "Wait, room? Not plural?" I asked. "Nope, we all get the same room; there should be enough beds for everyone this time." Ash replied. I was actually kind of disappointed that I wouldn't get to sleep with Ash again; he made an amazing pillow for me. "Well…that's good." I said with a disappointed tone. Ash obviously didn't pick up on my disappointment, because he gave me a smile in response.

I gave him a kiss on his cheek, and we walked to the cafeteria to get something to eat. "Hey guys, Reggie just gave me a call, Dawn's ready to come back." Brock said, meeting up with us. "Alright Brock, you need Charizard to give you a ride?" Ash asked. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble." Brock replied. Ash handed Brock Charizard's Pokéball, and we watched Brock walk out of the center. "Now how about dinner?" I said.

As we got our Pokémon Center Cafeteria sandwiches, a thought crossed my mind. "Hey Ash?" I asked. "Yeah Mist?" he replied. "How could you feel Lucario's 'Aura Sphere's'? I mean…Brock said that some people's auras are stronger than others, and you said that there was a story behind it." I said.

"Well, it was back when May and Max were traveling with us. We had gone to a sort of medieval Pokémon battle tournament. Basically, we dressed in old clothes from the days of knights and stuff. I won the tournament, and there was a banquet held in honor of the 'True Guardian of Aura'. I was given a scepter that honored Aaron, the hero of their kingdom, and for some reason, I heard a voice crying from the jewel on top. I would find out it was a Lucario that could use telepathy from a long, long time ago."

I stared in awe at Ash as he told his story, the things I missed back at the gym was obviously incredible. We had finished dinner, and had gone up to our room by now.

"Later on, I somehow released Lucario by doing a hero pose, and it mistook me for its master, because our auras read the same. Anyways, we had no idea of the adventure we were getting ourselves into. There was a tree called: The Tree of Beginning. We went to go see it and an automatic security system or something attacked us. Quite honestly, I think I had died for a few minutes, because there are gaps in my memory. One minute, I'm saying goodbye to my Pokémon, and the next, I'm saying an emotional hello." Ash continued.

I felt tears form in my eyes as I imagined Ash being dead. He must've seen me start to cry, because he took a hold of my hand and gave it a squeeze to comfort me. I wiped the tears from my eyes, and motioned him to continue.

"Later on, we found that history was repeating itself, when Mew got sick, the tree itself got sick, and that tree held the key to the kingdom's survival! The only thing that could save both Mew and the tree was the power of aura. Lucario had realized by now that Aaron had sacrificed himself to save the kingdom. Lucario knew that he could do the same as Aaron did and tried to transfer his aura into Mew to strengthen it, but he wasn't strong enough." Ash said.

I had a feeling I knew where this was going. If my theory was correct, Ash would say that he offered up his life to save the kingdom.

"I realized that my aura matched Aaron's and with the help of Aaron's old gloves, I helped Lucario by channeling my aura into Mew along with his. I knew I probably would've died, but at the last minute, Lucario pushed me out of the way and said not to worry, because the aura was with him. He managed to finish the job, but he had been so badly weakened, that he died the same way Aaron did: Crystallized in the tree's chamber. At the very least, I was able to show Lucario that Pokémon and humans could be friends after all." Ash finished.

"Oh…Ash…y-you…almost died…I…I…" I couldn't finish my sentence, I was in too much shock and my heart was hurting too much. Ash shifted over from his spot on the bed and hugged me close. I sobbed in his embrace, the thought of him being dead was too much for me to handle. "Somehow I wish I didn't ask." I said between hiccupping sobs. I tried to relax as Ash hugged me tighter.

"It doesn't matter Mist. I'm here, and so is everyone else. We're all ok. All this happened over a year ago." Ash said soothingly. I eventually calmed down to a slight sniffling. I usually felt vulnerable when I cried, but with Ash it was different. I knew I could cry without shame…that is until Brock and Dawn saw us.

Normal POV

"What happened Misty?" Brock asked. Misty turned beet-red, grabbed her pajamas and ran into the bathroom to shower and to hide her face. "Ash, what did you do to her?" Dawn asked accusingly. "Nothing I swear! All I did was tell her the story of when we met Lucario and Mew. She did ask after all." Ash explained. "Hmm, alright then." Brock said, apparently understanding what happened.

"I think I'll take Happiny and go to the balcony for a while." Brock said. "Ok Brock, see you later." Dawn said. Brock took Happiny and went to the balcony to get some fresh air. "I hope Misty's ok." Ash said. "I'm sure she will be. No need to worry Ash." Dawn reassured. Misty came out of the bathroom in her pajamas, and grabbed Azurill's Pokéball before going out to the balcony.

A little later, after everyone was showered and in their pajamas. They stared at the city from their balcony. With Happiny sleeping in Brock's arms, and Azurill likewise in Misty's. "How ya feeling Misty?" Ash asked softly. "Better. I guess the fact that you're here now means that it worked out for the best." Misty whispered. Misty kissed Ash's cheek affectionately, and went back to rocking Azurill.

"Hey Ash, how's Staravia doing?" Dawn asked suddenly. "Awesome, even Reggie's amazed at how quick Staravia's getting it." Ash replied. "Well what do you expect? Staravia's got an awesome trainer to help it through anything." Misty said. Ash blushed slightly at the compliment, and stared back into the sky. "And what about you Dawn? How's your training coming along?" Misty asked. "We're doing great thanks to Buizel, Pikachu and Politoed." Dawn replied.

"And what about you Misty? I'm sure that since you're on the road again, you've been able to get some training in." Dawn said. "As a matter of fact I have. Thanks to Ash, I've had a sparring partner for Vaporeon, and she's getting really strong really fast." Misty said, winking at Ash. "I think I should've battled you earlier today Misty." Dawn said. "Huh? Why do you say that?" Misty asked.

"Well, this is my first gym battle, and I have to admit I've got a case of nerves. Battling an actual gym leader might've prepared me for tomorrow." Dawn said. "Well I appreciate the compliment, but you know I'm not the only gym leader here." Misty said. "Yeah, I used to feel exactly the same way back at the Pewter Gym." Brock said. "That's right! I remember you used to be a gym leader." Dawn exclaimed.

"A gym leader's biggest priority is to bring out the very best in their Pokémon. When I first started out I was worried about what I was doing, but after meeting lots of trainers I learned the most important thing of all." Brock explained. "And what's that?" Ash asked. "The truth is great gym leaders are shaped by their challengers, through all of those gym battles." Brock explained.

"That's exactly why Dawn's battle with Maylene might really help her, although I admit I still wish it were me doing the battling." Misty admitted. "You may get your shot Mist; she may need a round two, who knows?" Ash said. "By the way, Reggie said he'd be there tomorrow, it's gonna be great." Brock said. "I have to thank you guys for your support." Dawn said. "No problem Dawn, that's what friends are for." Misty said. "We'll all be there cheering you on tomorrow!" Ash added.

"It's late gang, let's get some sleep ok?" Brock suggested. "Yeah, sounds great Brock." Ash said. "(Yawn) I am pretty tired now that you mention it." Misty said. "I may not sleep tonight, I'm too excited." Dawn said. "You'll sleep, don't worry. Come on guys." Brock said, slowly getting up as not to wake Happiny. Ash slowly helped Misty up from her chair so as not to wake Azurill. Misty nuzzled Ash's cheek affectionately and made her way up the ladder to her bunk.

Dawn took the other top bunk, while the boys took the bottom bunks, Ash under Misty, and Brock under Dawn respectively. After the team gave their routine good nights, Brock shut off the light and quiet filled the room.

Misty's POV

I couldn't believe it. I was freezing again! Except this time I didn't have any excuse to sleep with Ash for warmth since he was already comfortably snoozing. I peered my head over the side of the bed and saw Ash's figure in the dark, sleeping peacefully. I had gotten used to sleeping close to Ash, I felt as if I wouldn't be able to sleep without his presence, which was actually kind of embarrassing.

My mind was now flinging a thought back and forth, should I wake up Ash and ask to share his bunk, and also risk Dawn's practical jokes? Or keep trying to sleep by myself in the cold? When I considered the two choices, it came as an easy answer.

"Ash?" I whispered. Ash didn't stir. "Ash?" I said a bit louder. Ash stirred this time, but didn't wake up. I climbed down the ladder as quietly as I could, and tried to shake Ash to consciousness. Ash eventually turned over, and opened his eyes a slit. "Misty?" he said drowsily. Now I was starting to lose my nerve, but a chill that ran down my spine gave it back. "A-Ash? I'm cold." I said quietly.

Ash gave me a small smile, and scooted over to make room for me. I crawled under the covers and I immediately felt a feeling of warmth wash over me, I snuggled up to Ash and hugged him, and I released a happy sigh when he wrapped his arms around me. Sleep would come easy for me now, since I didn't feel cold in the slightest anymore. But I did feel a chill run down my spine when I heard a snap and snickering from the other side of the room. _"Dawn, you might not have a Pokédex tomorrow."_

MORNING

Normal POV

Misty woke up early the next morning and dug through Dawn's backpack for her Pokédex, she found it and looked through the memory of the camera function, she saw a picture of her and Ash cuddled up comfortably. _"And delete."_ Misty thought as she eliminated the evidence from last night. She managed to put everything back in time for Ash and the rest of the gang to wake up as well.

"Morning guys!" Misty said cheerfully. "Morning Misty." the group said in unison. "Today's the day! Let's get going right now!" Dawn exclaimed. "Uh, Dawn, don't you think you should put some regular clothes on first?" Misty asked. Dawn was about to run out the door in her pajamas. "Oops, yeah, I guess I should." Dawn said with a sweat-drop.

After everyone got dressed, they went for a quick breakfast, and headed towards the gym. "Here we go! My first ever gym battle!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly. "I still wish it was me though." Misty mumbled. "Look at it this way Mist, Maylene needs to fight someone she'll actually have a chance against, not someone who'll kick her can all over the gym." Ash said quietly. Misty gave a small laugh. "You're sneaky Ash." she replied. "Alright, we're here!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Maylene, I challenge you!" Dawn screamed. "Awesome, that's how you challenge a gym leader to a battle!" Ash complimented. "Maybe, but it feels kind of awkward to scream at a building now that I think about it." Dawn said. Ash sweat-dropped. The group walked in and found Maylene and Lucario standing on one end of the field, and Reggie sitting on the sidelines.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Welcome." Maylene said. "Thank you, and thanks for accepting my challenge." Dawn said. "She's acting as if they didn't agree to this yesterday." Misty said in exasperation. "We should be the ones thanking you." Maylene said. "Well here we go." Reggie said.

The referee called out the rules, and Maylene sent out her first Pokémon. "Now let's begin! Go Meditite!"

"Wow, so Meditite's her first choice." Dawn said, pulling out her pink Pokédex, which for some reason was on camera mode. Dawn narrowed her eyes at Misty, who immediately realized why Dawn was staring at her. "Excuse me whilst I switch to the right setting." Dawn said, not averting her gaze. Misty gave a guilty grin, and Ash looked at Misty with confusion. "Meditite, the meditate Pokémon. Meditite uses meditation to increase its power, never skipping a day of yoga training." her Pokédex said.

"Looks like Dawn's battling a psychic-type Pokémon." Brock said. Suddenly, Psyduck popped out of its ball. "Psy?" (Me?) "Arrgh! He said psychic not Psyduck!" Misty said angrily before returning Psyduck. "So now it's Dawn's turn." Ash said. "Ash, look." Misty said, pointing towards Dawn. "Whoa, what's wrong with her?" Ash asked. "I think Dawn is starting to feel the pressure that comes with battling a gym leader." Misty replied.

"I can fix that!" Ash exclaimed. "Huh? What are you gonna do?" Misty asked. Her question was answered when Ash stood up and yelled. "Hey Dawn, have fun out there! And Maylene, remember that you're a gym leader, so show your strength!" Ash encouraged. "Whoa! But Ash…" Dawn stammered. "Oh my, well thanks very much Ash. Ok Dawn, let's do this, whenever you're ready!" Maylene exclaimed. "Right, this is going to be fun! Buneary, let's go!" Dawn screamed, calling out her rabbit Pokémon. Buneary popped out of its ball, and waved at Pikachu. Pikachu waved back, encouraging Buneary to battle her hardest.

"Well Pikachu, do you like Buneary too?" Misty asked teasingly. Pikachu sweat-dropped. "Pi…ka." (Well…uh.) Pikachu stammered. Misty couldn't help but giggle at Pikachu's flustered expression. "Alright, let's get this over with nice and quick." Dawn said confidently.

"Meditite, let's make this an early day." Maylene said with the same confident tone. "Alright, they're both ready to go now!" Ash exclaimed. "Wow, Ash really did the trick!" Reggie said, impressed. "Well I'm not surprised, Ash has a knack for instilling confidence for sure." Brock said. "That's my Ash." Misty said with a wink. Ash's hand flew to the back of his head as his face turned a bit pink. Misty giggled in response.

"Could you two hold off the flirting until after I'm done here?" Dawn asked. Both Ash and Misty blushed this time. "Pi ka." (Busted.) Pikachu snickered. "Just watch the battle." Ash said to Pikachu in a mock annoyed tone. "Buneary, use 'Bounce'!" Dawn ordered. Buneary leaped high into the air, did two mid-air somersaults, and came back down to earth with her foot outstretched to kick Meditite.

"Detect!" Maylene countered. Meditite's eyes glowed in an ominous green color, and it seemingly vanished from sight before Buneary could land the attack. "It dodged!" Ash exclaimed. Buneary landed on her back, due to her not regaining balance beforehand. "It's called 'Detect' because it detects and avoids your opponent's move." Brock explained. "She must've practiced it to use against flying-type Pokémon." Ash said. "So does that mean that Meditite could just avoid every attack that comes it way?" Misty asked.

"Not necessarily. There are some disadvantages to using that move in succession." Brock replied. "Alright, now it's my turn! Use 'Drain Punch'!" Maylene exclaimed, doing the movements of the attack with her body. Meditite followed through with the exact same movements as its master. "Maylene and Meditite are moving in sync!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's just the way Maylene does it. Since she's a warrior, she mirrors her Pokémon's moves which makes herself stronger. She literally becomes one with her Pokémon." Reggie explained. "Sounds like the water shows my sisters put on back at the gym. Maybe that's why Daisy's actually won a few battles." Misty said. "Could be, like I said before, being one with your Pokémon is the most important thing!" Ash said.

"Spin and dodge it!" Dawn ordered. Buneary got up and twirled in the air, but it was hit by shave damage as it grazed the edge of the energy-draining punch. Buneary hit the ground painfully. "Buneary, are you ok?" Dawn asked. Buneary forced herself to her feet, and turned to face her opponent. "Even with that spin, they still got stuck." Ash said. "Which only shows how well Maylene and her Pokémon are in sync with each other." Misty said. "The big problem with 'Drain Punch' for Dawn is that it can take away a lot of power from Buneary, and channel it back into Meditite." Brock added. "It's obvious that Maylene is a lot more accustomed to battling. If Maylene keeps this up, I'm afraid it's going to be a rough day for Dawn." Reggie added.

"Don't give up Buneary! 'Ice Beam' let's go!" Dawn ordered. Buneary fired a powerful, freezing beam at Meditite, who was frozen in a block of ice after getting hit dead-on. "Bulls-eye!" Ash exclaimed. "But wait a second." Misty said. "Huh?" Ash asked. "Maylene doesn't seem to care that Meditite was frozen." Misty explained. "Waah! You're right! Maylene must have something up her sleeve!" Ash exclaimed.

"Now's our chance!" Dawn exclaimed. Buneary charged towards the frozen psychic/fighting-type. "Alright Meditite, 'Confusion'!" Maylene ordered. Meditite's eyes glowed in an ominous pink color, and the ice encasing it broke into pieces, controlled by the psychic attack. It used the ice to attack Buneary.

"Dodge it!" Dawn said in a hurry. Buneary started jumping back and forth, dodging ice chunks all the way. "Once again Meditite, 'Confusion'!" Maylene ordered. Its eyes glowed again, and this time it took control of Buneary's entire body, which started floating in mid-air under the influence of Meditite's attack.

"That's the same thing that Brad did with Slowpoke!" Ash exclaimed. "Now, to the ground Meditite!" Maylene ordered. Meditite swung its arm downward, and flung Buneary towards the ground. "Just like when Brad did it!" Misty exclaimed. "But thanks to him, we're ready! Buneary, land, and then 'Bounce'!" Dawn ordered. Buneary landed on her ears, and bounced up into the sky for a downward kick.

"Awesome rebound!" Ash exclaimed. "Who would've guessed that the battle with Brad would prepare her for this?" Brock said. "I guess there's a reason for everything." Misty added. "Use 'Drain Punch' let's go!" Maylene countered. Meditite charged towards the incoming rabbit with a powerful energy-sapping punch, the two attacks collided, challenged each other for superiority, and then an explosion took place in mid-air.

Both Buneary and Meditite landed in the same manner, and it seemed like the two attacks would be a draw. "Buneary's bounce landed great…" Ash said. "But so did Meditite's 'Drain Punch'." Brock added. Just then, Buneary fell to her knees, and then fainted right on the spot. "It was too much to take." Misty said sadly. "Pika pika." (Yeah, guess so.) Pikachu said in the same tone.

"Meditite, that was excellent." Maylene said proudly. Dawn recalled Buneary. "Thank you Buneary…all of your hard work won't be wasted! Ambipom, you're next!" Dawn screamed, calling out her next Pokémon. Ambipom emerged in battle-ready stance. "Get 'em Ambipom!" Ash yelled. Ambipom made her friendship symbol in response.

"Since Ambipom used to be Ash's Pokémon, it has more experience with the pressure of gym battles than any of Dawn's Pokémon." Brock said. "Then this should be interesting to see." Misty added. "Ambipom, 'Swift' let's go!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom jumped, and fire a flurry of stars that flew in a circle around Meditite. "That looks like how she starts 'Rainbow Swift'!" Misty pointed out. "Hey, you're right!" Ash exclaimed.

The stars suddenly attacked Meditite from all directions, so Meditite could do nothing except take the attack. "Meditite, 'Drain Punch'!" Maylene countered. Meditite charged through the remainder of the stars, and went to drain the energy from the two-tailed Pokémon. "Block it quick!" Dawn countered. Ambipom chattered with determination, and its tail negated the effect of the 'Drain Punch'. "Wow." Reggie said in awe. Ambipom already had instincts on what to do next, thanks to Ash's training, so Dawn simply followed through with the command.

"Alright, 'Double Hit'!" Dawn exclaimed. From above, Ambipom swung its tails to gain power, and then brought them down hard onto Meditite's head. It landed on the ground with a painful thud, and Meditite lied there, fainted. "Awesome! Ambipom, we did it!" Dawn cheered. Ambipom did the symbol and chattered happily.

Maylene returned Meditite with a forlorn look. "Meditite, thanks for your effort." she said. At first she seemed sad, but a smirk slowly crept onto her face. "Interesting. It seems…you approach a battle like a contest." Maylene predicted. "I guess so. And I'm having a lot of fun doing it!" Dawn replied. "I guess once a coordinator, always a coordinator." Brock said. "All of a sudden I'm glad it's Dawn doing the battle." Misty said. "And why's that?" Ash asked. "They're both enjoying themselves out there; this battle may prove to help Dawn as much as it'll help Maylene." Misty explained.

"Our next go-round will not be easy. Lucario, you ready to go?" Maylene asked. Lucario leaped onto the field, and growled at Ambipom with determination. "Lucario sure looks ready." Dawn said. "Lucario, don't be taken in by her contest-like moves!" Maylene warned. Lucario grunted to acknowledge.

"There's something about Lucario that's different." Ash said. "The bond between those two is strong. Lucario must be sensing the confidence welling up inside Maylene." Reggie explained. "Let's go Ambipom, use 'Double Hit'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom leaped to attack. "Bone Rush!" Maylene countered. A bone made of energy appeared in Lucario's paws and it countered Ambipom's attack without issue. It then twirled the long bone threateningly, and bashed Ambipom into the dojo wall. The impact was too much to take, as Ambipom immediately fainted. "Ambipom!" Dawn screamed.

"That was a great 'Bone Rush'." Maylene congratulated. Lucario twirled the bone in triumph before it dissipated. "It took out Ambipom with just one hit." Misty said in awe. "That was amazing." Ash added. "Every movement with a purpose." Brock added. "Exactly, when Maylene and Lucario are working perfectly in sync, let's just say I defy anyone to find any kind of opening. It looks like Dawn has reawakened Maylene's passion for battling, and ignited her team spirit." Reggie explained.

"And it looks like she's awake now too." Misty said happily. "Now, Piplup, you're up next!" Dawn screamed, calling out her third and final Pokémon. "Alright, give me everything you've got!" Maylene exclaimed. "I wouldn't think of doing anything else! 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn screamed. Piplup jumped into the air and fired a stream of bubbles at the fighting/steel-type.

"Dodge it, and then use 'Aura Sphere'!" Maylene countered. Lucario easily dodged the attack, and then fired a ball of aura directly at the small penguin, who took the dead-on. "That was a direct hit!" Brock gasped. Piplup rebounded, and stared its opponent down. "Hmm? It did nothing?" Maylene gasped. "Piplup, way to go!" Ash cheered. "Show her what water-types are made of!" Misty cheered, punching the air. "Piplup, use 'Whirlpool', let's go!" Dawn ordered. Piplup formed a giant whirlpool and fired it at Lucario, who became surrounded by water. "Alright, Lucario's trapped! Piplup, it's time to use 'Peck' let's go!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup surfed on the waters of the whirlpool, and charged towards Lucario to use the flying-type move.

"Check it out!" Ash exclaimed. "I have to admit, that's not the way I would've approached it." Misty said. "Using contest techniques to cover up their bad match-up! Nice strategy!" Reggie exclaimed. "Lucario, quick, 'Metal Claw' right now!" Maylene countered. Before Piplup could land the attack, the spikes on Lucario's paws turned into sharp, steel claws, which disassembled the whirlpool and stopped Piplup cold.

"Awesome move!" Dawn complimented. "Hey, you too!" Maylene replied. "They're both looking great!" Ash exclaimed. "Maylene and Lucario are totally in sync! And it has everything to do with Dawn's passionate battling style stirring things up!" Reggie explained. "Now Piplup, 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup fired again. "Lucario, let's go!" Maylene screamed. Lucario ran right through the 'Bubblebeam' without getting hit once, and grabbed onto Piplup with its palm. "W-What?" Dawn stammered.

"Use 'Force Palm'!" Maylene ordered. A large beam of energy came out of Lucario's palm, and a cry of pain was heard before Piplup was seen flying through the air, and landing on the ground with a thud. Piplup forced itself to its feet once more, and stared angrily at Lucario. "Whoa, what kind of move was that?" Ash asked in awe. "Force Palm'. 'Force Palm' is a fighting-type move. First you get past your opponent's defense, and then hit them with massive energy focused in your palm." Reggie explained.

"She's some gym leader…what strength." Dawn said in awe. Piplup managed to shake off its weakness, and went back to battle-ready stance. "Alright Piplup! That's the way it's done!" Dawn praised. Lucario gave a grunt to Maylene. "You're right Lucario…how much fun is this battle? It's been a while since I felt so good!" Maylene responded. "Wonder if THIS Maylene would've been beaten by Paul?" Reggie wondered out-loud.

"Now Lucario, use 'Aura Sphere'!" Maylene ordered. Lucario fired an 'Aura Sphere' at the small penguin. "Piplup, 'Peck'!" Dawn countered. Piplup ran right into the sphere with a glowing beak, which broke up the sphere upon contact. Maylene and Lucario gasped in shock, as Piplup poked Lucario in the stomach with a sharp beak. "You ok?" Maylene asked. Lucario grunted in acknowledgement.

"Since 'Peck' is a flying-type move, it's a good match against the fighting-type 'Aura Sphere'! Of course that means we can still win this thing!" Dawn exclaimed. Lucario grunted to Maylene again, proposing an idea. Maylene nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's do that." she said, "We'll break down their combinations!"

"Lucario, use 'Aura Sphere' once more!" Maylene ordered. "Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn countered. The two attacks collided, causing the field to be covered in smoke. "And now use 'Peck'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup charged through the smoke, ready to stab Lucario on the other side, but when the smoke cleared, Lucario wasn't there. Piplup looked around in shock, and finally looked up to see Lucario bearing down from above. "Look out Piplup!" Dawn screamed. "Force Palm!" Maylene ordered. Lucario grabbed onto Piplup, and used all the energy it could muster into one ultra-powerful 'Force Palm'. Dawn gasped in horror at the sight of Lucario concluding the brutal attack. When the dust settled, Piplup had fainted.

"I guess…that's it." Ash said sullenly. "But hey, for her first gym battle, Dawn was great." Brock said. "Lucario, thanks so much." Maylene said gratefully. Lucario responded with a soft grunt. Dawn picked up her exhausted water-type. "Thank you Piplup, you battled hard." Dawn said. "You both battled hard." Ash said. "We couldn't be prouder, and that's speaking for all of us." Misty added. "Thanks, but, we lost." Dawn said.

"Come on Dawn, that was an awesome battle! You should be proud of yourself too." Ash said. "Thanks you guys. I mean it." Dawn said gratefully. "And I don't know how to thank you Dawn." Maylene said, "Or you either Misty."

"Of course, we gym leaders need to stick together." Misty said. "You both managed to make me forget my fears about winning or losing, and all I could think about was how much fun it was. Wow, it sure felt like old times." Maylene said gratefully. "That really means so much to me, hey, and I bet you'll have AT LEAST that much fun when you have a battle with Ash." Dawn said. "That's right, I guess I forgot." Maylene replied.

"A battle between you two will be a REAL gym battle!" Dawn exclaimed. "Ok, I'm starting to get the whole picture now. And I realize, I've got to stay on as gym leader, especially after you reminded me how much fun a great battle could be!" Maylene said. "Although for some gym leaders, they prefer to follow different dreams." Dawn said, looking at Misty and Brock. "Maylene, I can guarantee you'll have a great time going up against Ash's battling style!" Reggie exclaimed.

"If that's the case, I've got another fun battle to look forward to." Maylene said. "Great, when can we do it?" Ash asked excitedly. "Give us a few hours, and me and Lucario will be waiting for you." Maylene said. "And then we can all cheer for Ash!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly. "Dawn, you're not gonna…" Brock was cut-off. "C'mon Misty, I've got something to show you back at the Pokémon Center!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Um, sure?" Misty said unsurely. Dawn grabbed Misty's wrist, and dragged her back to the Pokémon Center. "Well, I guess we'll see you later Maylene." Ash said. "Alright then, we'll be waiting!" Maylene said. "I'm proud of you Maylene, see you later." Reggie said. "Bye Reggie, and thanks." Maylene replied. The trio of boys walked out of the gym, and Reggie split up with the two teens to head back to his house.

Meanwhile, Dawn was gushing over an idea of hers at the Pokémon Center. "Lock the door Misty!" Dawn said excitedly. Misty obliged, and locked the door. Suddenly, Dawn called out all of her Pokémon. "Dawn, what are you doing?" Misty asked. "Since we'll be cheering for Ash, I figured we should dress the part." Dawn explained. "Wait, what do you mean?" Misty asked suspiciously. Her question was answered when Dawn reached into her backpack and pulled out a bunch of mini-cheerleading outfits for her Pokémon. "Wait a minute…I know where this is going Dawn, I'm not putting on a cheerleader outfit!" Misty screamed. "Oh come on! You've just gotta look your role, and besides, Ash will think you're a knock-out!" Dawn said with a wink. Misty blushed a bit and then allowed Dawn to dress her in the outfit.

Misty looked in the mirror and examined her image. The outfit did accentuate her body nicely, but it just didn't feel natural to her. "Dawn, are you sure about this? It just feels…weird." Misty said hesitantly. "Of course! I guarantee Ash won't be able to take his eyes off you!" Dawn exclaimed cheerfully. "You really think – hey wait a minute! That's the last thing he needs!" Misty screamed. "W-What do you mean?" Dawn asked, shocked by Misty's sudden outburst. "If Ash is looking at me, how will he be able to focus on the battle?" Misty screamed, taking off the outfit as if it were on fire.

"Hmm, I guess you have a point there. Oh well, I can still wear my outfit, Ash was always too focused to even look my way." Dawn said. "Fine then. As long as you don't distract Ash during the battle." Misty said, slipping back into her regular clothes. "No need to worry Misty. I guess all that matters to Ash is the fact that you'll be there. This'll be his first gym battle since your arrival!" Dawn exclaimed, changing into her outfit. "I'm really curious to see how much Ash has improved." Misty said.

"I'm sure you won't be disappointed!" Dawn exclaimed, now fully in her cheerleader attire. Dawn returned her Pokémon, and the two girls walked out of the room and found Ash and Brock in the cafeteria. "Hey guys!" Dawn said cheerfully. "Hey, you gonna wear that outfit again Dawn?" Ash asked. "Of course, you have to look the part!" Dawn exclaimed. Brock shook his head. "Same old Dawn, always wanting to make the best of appearances." Brock said.

"And you're not going to wear one Misty?" Ash asked. "Uh…I wasn't planning on it." Misty said. "That's cool; all I really care about is your support." Ash said. "And that you shall have." Misty replied. Misty sat down next to Ash and kissed his cheek. "Better load up on carbs Ash, you'll need the energy." Brock said. "Good idea Brock!" Ash exclaimed. And with that, Ash ran inside the cafeteria.

"So Dawn, you seemed to enjoy yourself during your battle." Misty said. "Yeah, using the contest moves to battle with was a lot of fun!" Dawn replied. "So that means you'll be back on the contest trail soon?" Brock asked. "Without a doubt!" Dawn replied. Ash came back with a plate-full of food. "You want to load upon carbs Ash, not overload!" Misty said. "Hey, when I get psyched up, I need a lot to eat!" Ash exclaimed.

"Psy?" (Huh?) Psyduck said, popping out of its ball. "(Sigh) He said psyched, not Psyduck." Misty groaned, recalling Psyduck. "What's up with that Psyduck of yours?" Dawn asked. "Me catching Psyduck was strictly an accident, believe me." Misty said. "Can it do anything?" Dawn asked. "Only when its headache gets REALLY bad. Otherwise, it's useless." Misty sighed.

"And Ash, you'll be useless if you don't slow down. Take your time, Maylene isn't going anywhere." Brock said, trying to stop Ash from eating too fast. "Sorry Brock, I'm just way psy – uh, excited." Ash said, trying to avoid another visit from the dopey Psyduck.

After Ash finished lunch, and Misty soothed his hurting belly, they walked back to the gym, where Ash yelled into the building. "You ready to go Maylene?" Ash yelled. They walked into the gym, and found Maylene and Lucario standing at the end of the field. "Get comfortable everyone, Lucario and I are ready to put on a show!" Maylene said determinedly.

Dawn called out her outfit-wearing Pokémon, and gave them their pom-poms. "Alright, let's all cheer super-hard for Ash and Maylene!" Dawn exclaimed. Her Pokémon announced their approval. "Wow Dawn, cheering for both sides?" Brock asked. "Well, I want to witness the greatest battle of all time!" Dawn replied. Ash looked over to the sidelines and saw Misty. She blew a kiss in his direction, and adrenaline suddenly coursed through his veins.

"Alright Maylene, I'm pumped and ready to go!" Ash exclaimed. "So am I! Alright Machoke, come on out!" Maylene screamed, calling out her first Pokémon. "She's got a Machoke huh?" Dawn said, pulling out her Pokédex.

"Machoke, the superpower Pokémon, and the evolved form of Machop. Machoke has enough strength to lift a truck with one hand, and are often used for extremely heavy work." her Pokédex said. "Now it's my turn. Staravia, I choose you!" Ash called out his flying-type, who gave a shrill cry. "No surprise to see Staravia make an appearance." Misty said. "Right, because now he has the type advantage!" Dawn added. "Staravia, 'Quick Attack'!" Ash ordered.

Staravia charged toward the muscular Pokémon at incredible speed. "Now Machoke, use 'Brick Break'!" Maylene countered. Machoke brought down its hand in a karate-chop fashion, and stopped the 'Quick Attack' cold. "She's using 'Brick Break' as a defense." Dawn said in awe. "Sounds like what a warrior like Maylene would do." Brock added. "That was impressive, but I know Ash has something ready." Misty said.

"That's right Mist! Staravia, push back!" Ash ordered. Staravia backed away from its opponent, causing a huge gale of wind to fill the room. Maylene growled as Machoke was pushed back by the gust. "Alright, use 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash yelled. Staravia backed up some more, and then charged toward its opponent for a powerful flying attack. "Dodge it, and then use 'Cross Chop'!" Maylene countered.

Machoke ducked, narrowly escaping Staravia's swooping attack, and then nailed Staravia with a two-way karate-chop. "Ash wanted Staravia to get closer with that 'Aerial Ace'." Brock said. "But it looks like Maylene saw that coming and was ready for it." Misty said. "Now keep using 'Brick Break'!" Maylene ordered. Machoke started bashing Staravia with multiple 'Brick Break' attacks, causing extreme damage to the speedy flying-type.

"I don't think Staravia can afford to take many more hits!" Brock said. "Ash, do something! Staravia won't last much longer!" Misty screamed. "Right, time to finish this…with 'Seismic Toss'!" Maylene ordered. Misty, Dawn, and Brock gasped. Machoke moved to grab Staravia and throw it into the ground, until…

"Quick Attack' let's go!" Ash said quickly. With near blinding speed, Staravia countered the attack with a smooth 'Quick Attack'. "Alright, and Staravia's back in the battle!" Misty cheered. "That was a smart move on Ash's part." Brock added. "Alright, use 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash ordered. Staravia backed up, and built up speed for the swooping attack. Staravia made contact, and Machoke groaned in pain.

"That was a critical hit!" Dawn exclaimed. "And because of the intense speed from that 'Quick Attack', all of its effects were doubled!" Brock added. Machoke fell to the ground with a dull thud, fainted. "Way to go Ash!" Misty cheered. Ash looked to the sidelines and gave Misty a thumbs-up and a smile. "You were great too Staravia." Ash praised. "Star star!" (Thanks!) it replied. Maylene recalled Machoke. "Wow, you worked really hard Machoke, now you deserve a good rest…and you Ash…the way you switched from 'Quick Attack' to 'Aerial Ace'…I'm impressed!" Maylene said. "Thanks!" Ash replied. "Now, time to bring out my second Pokémon." Maylene said.

While the battle was going on, Team Rocket was snooping around the building, looking for Pokémon to snatch. "We mustn't disturb the twerps' gym time." Jessie whispered. "Otherwise they'll disturb our Pokémon poach time." James said. "Bet there's Pokémon plenty through dis door." Meowth said. They opened the sliding door, and found two men and a woman in meditation. "Welcome." they said in unison.

"Would you care to treat yourself to a relaxing massage free of charge?" the oldest man said. "Free? I'm relaxed already!" Jessie exclaimed. "That's just what we need!" James said. "Da poifect thing for us woiking stiffs!" Meowth added. They would soon regret agreeing to the massage, as their masseuses turned out to be students of the trade, who were obviously new due to their painful techniques.

Meanwhile, Maylene was calling out her second Pokémon. "Alright then Meditite, you're up next!" she screamed. "Now why am I not surprised?" Brock asked. "Ash got to get a good look at Maylene's techniques with Meditite, so that helps him out." Misty said. "But he'll have to watch out for those psychic moves." Dawn added. Dawn covered her mouth with her hand, and looked over to Misty, whom Psyduck had just appeared next to.

"I need to find a lock for your Pokéball." Misty growled, recalling Psyduck. Dawn and Brock sweat-dropped. "Sorry about that Misty." Dawn apologized. "Staravia, use 'Quick Attack' now!" Ash ordered. Staravia charged towards the floating Pokémon. "Now 'Detect'!" Maylene exclaimed. Meditite's eyes glowed green, and a picture perfect dodge was executed.

"Meditate!" Maylene exclaimed. Meditite glowed in a white aura as it meditated. "What's 'Meditate'?" Dawn asked. "A move that raises attack power." Brock replied. "Staravia, 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash yelled. Staravia backed up once more, and built up speed for the attack. "Detect!" Maylene countered. Again Meditite's eyes glowed, and it avoided the attack entirely.

"Geez! It keeps dodging everything Ash throws at it!" Misty screamed. "Now 'Meditate'!" Maylene ordered. The aura returned as Meditite raised its strength again. "Why the same attacks?" Dawn asked. "Maylene's maxing out its attack power so it can finish it all in one hit." Brock predicted. "(Gasp) Did you hear that Ash?" Misty cried. "I heard, and I won't let ya! Staravia, use 'Gust'!" Ash yelled. Staravia created a gale of wind with her wings, which interrupted Meditite's meditation. "Bounce off of the wall and then use 'Drain Punch'!" Maylene countered. Meditite pushed off of the wall, and made a direct hit with the energy-sapping punch. "That was some attack!" Brock exclaimed. "And Meditite's attack power was way up!" Dawn said. "Stay strong Staravia!" Misty called. "You heard her Staravia, stay strong and use 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash ordered.

Staravia charged towards its opponent once more. "Use 'Confusion'!" Maylene countered. Meditite's eyes glowed purple, and it took control of Staravia's movements, making Staravia slam to the floor. "Oh no!" Dawn cried. Staravia's eyes were purple when she opened them, and it started slamming its head into the floor. "Staravia got confused by that attack!" Misty cried. "Staravia, return!" Ash exclaimed.

"As soon as Staravia returns, the confusion's erased!" Maylene said. "That was a smart move on Ash's part." Brock said. "Hopefully Staravia can take enough of a break to get her strength back." Misty said. "So Ash, are you gonna use that Charizard of yours?" Maylene asked. "Nope, but that's a close guess! Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash yelled, calling out his smaller fire-type.

"Use 'Scratch' now!" Ash ordered. Chimchar swiftly scratched Meditite's face, knocking it back. "Your Chimchar's got great speed! But, so does Meditite! 'Drain Punch'!" Maylene exclaimed. Meditite matched Chimchar's speed, and landed a direct hit on the flaming monkey.

"That was a direct hit!" Brock exclaimed. "Keep using 'Drain Punch'!" Maylene ordered. Meditite attacked with multiple punches, each one taking away Chimchar's energy, and refueling Meditite. "If Chimchar doesn't get moving, Meditite will have taken all of poor Chimchar's energy!" Misty cried. "Not gonna happen! Dodge and keep using 'Scratch'!" Ash exclaimed.

Chimchar dodged a punch, and proceeded to follow through with the command. "Detect." Maylene said calmly. With glowing eyes, Meditite dodged Chimchar's attacks. "That's just so unfair! It seems like Meditite knows what Chimchar'll do for before it does it!" Misty exclaimed with frustration. "Poor Chimchar can't land a thing!" Dawn added. "True, but like I said before, you CAN use 'Detect' too much." Brock said.

As if on cue, the effects of 'Detect' wore off, and Chimchar finally managed to nail Meditite with a 'Scratch' attack. "Your Chimchar's got some impressive battling skills!" Maylene complimented. "Check out some fire-type moves! 'Flamethrower' let's go!" Ash ordered. Chimchar fired a burning flame, which made contact with the now squealing Meditite. "Now let's show 'em 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar enveloped itself in fire, and rolled towards Meditite.

"Yeah! Ash is on the attack!" Misty cheered. "Looks like things are going his way at last." Brock said. "Meditite, 'Confusion'!" Maylene countered. The group gasped. "I think I may have spoke too soon!" Brock exclaimed. Meditite's eyes glowed, and Chimchar's direction was altered. It rammed into the wall painfully. "Chimchar, are you ok?" Ash asked. Chimchar got to its feet, but then started attacking a nearby pole.

"Oh no, now Chimchar is confused too!" Misty cried. "That psychic-type move Maylene uses always seems to cause trouble!" Dawn exclaimed. "Chimchar, return. Thanks buddy, you need a good rest." Ash said. "So who's next?" Maylene asked confidently. "Staravia, I need you again!" Ash exclaimed.

Staravia appeared once more. "Looks like Staravia's confusion is gone. Meditite, 'Drain Punch'!" Maylene ordered. Meditite charged to punch down Staravia. "Quick, push back!" Ash countered. Staravia backed up, using 'Gust' to slow the momentum of Meditite. "Wow, Meditite's worn out from battling with Chimchar!" Brock exclaimed. "Now's your chance Ash!" Dawn cheered. "Finish it while you can!" Misty added.

"You heard 'em Staravia! Let's show 'em 'Brave Bird'!" Ash ordered. Staravia charged towards Meditite with a flaming aura. "Confusion' again!" Maylene screamed. "She's gonna change Staravia's flight pattern!" Misty screamed. "No, look again!" Brock exclaimed. Meditite attempted 'Confusion', but it was too worn out, and took the full brunt of the ultra-powerful flying attack, and fainted.

"Yeah, you did it!" Ash praised the panting Staravia. "Wow, they've really mastered 'Brave Bird'!" Dawn said. "That attack did the trick!" Misty exclaimed. "It did the trick on Meditite, but it may have done the same to Staravia since it causes damage to the user as well. I don't know how much longer Staravia will last." Brock said sullenly.

"Meditite, thanks for your hard work. Ash, you and Staravia have 'Brave Bird' down pat, you should be so proud!" Maylene complimented. "Thanks Maylene! We learned it just in the nick of time, thanks to everyone's awesome help." Ash said, giving a thumbs-up to his friends. "And now it's time for my third Pokémon! Lucario, come on out!" Maylene screamed. "Finally, Lucario's up!" Ash said excitedly. "Get to it Ash!" Misty encouraged. Ash gave another thumbs-up, this one directed straight at Misty, and Misty winked in response.

"Let's rock and roll! Use 'Brave Bird'!" Ash ordered. "Ash shouldn't be using 'Brave Bird'!" Brock warned. "Why? What's wrong?" Dawn asked. "It's not like any small moves will have that much of an effect." Misty said. Staravia charged toward Lucario, and it seemed as though the attack would hit...until…

"Use 'Metal Claw'!" Maylene countered. Lucario lashed out at the bird with steel claws, and the combination of Lucario's attack with the recoil of 'Brave Bird' left Staravia fainted. "Staravia!" Ash exclaimed with concern. "I warned him about using 'Brave Bird'." Brock said. "Ash didn't really have any choice though." Misty said. "That 'Metal Claw' sure didn't help anything." Dawn added.

"Thanks Staravia, you really deserve a good rest." Ash said. "Lucario, excellent as always." Maylene said confidently. "Man oh man…Lucario's tough." Ash said. "Yeah, but you're tougher Ash! Don't you forget it!" Misty cheered. "Subtle much?" Dawn asked. "Said the girl in the cheerleading outfit." Misty countered. "Touché Miss Waterflower." Dawn replied. "Alright, Chimchar, back at it!" Ash yelled.

Chimchar made his second appearance of the day, ready to battle the fighting/steel-type Lucario. "Chimchar versus Lucario should be a perfect match!" Dawn exclaimed. "Alright! Ash is on the right track!" Misty cheered. "Hate to burst a bubble, but Maylene and Lucario have shown that they can beat type advantages." Brock said. "Let's go Chimchar! 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. "And dodge it!" Maylene countered. Lucario let the flames go right by it. "Keep it up Chimchar! 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. "And you keep dodging!" Maylene countered. Lucario dodged the multiple flame attacks. "Lucario doesn't even look like it's trying!" Misty said. "That's because when it comes to speed, Lucario rules!" Brock said. "Come on Chimchar!" Dawn encouraged.

"Let's try getting in closer, use 'Scratch'!" Ash ordered. "Dodge, and use 'Force Palm'!" Maylene countered. "Uh oh!" Dawn panicked. "Ash, look out!" Misty cried. Chimchar's attack was a clean miss, and Lucario released a powerful energy that sent Chimchar flying. "Stay strong Chimchar! 'Flame Wheel' let's go!" Ash yelled. Chimchar rolled into Lucario in a fiery wheel, and made a direct hit. "Bulls-eye!" Brock said. "With maximum power!" Dawn exclaimed. "Looks like Chimchar is pretty fast itself!" Misty added.

"Alright, do it one more time!" Ash ordered. Chimchar got up to attack again, but was held back. "Hey, what's wrong?" Ash asked. "Oh no! Chimchar's paralyzed! But how?" Misty screamed. "It must've been that 'Force Palm'!" Brock figured. "Now's our chance! 'Bone Rush'!" Maylene ordered. Lucario started pounding Chimchar mercilessly with its attack. "Use 'Dig' to get away!" Ash yelled. Chimchar dug a hole, trying to escape its beating.

"Just try and sense Chimchar's aura!" Maylene said. "Why am I not surprised?" Misty groaned. "Lucario can sense auras, so hiding is virtually pointless." Brock said. Lucario closed its eyes, feeling the auras around him. It managed to point out one aura under the ground. "You found it! Lucario, 'Aura Sphere'!" Maylene ordered. Lucario fired the sphere towards the ground, and Chimchar was forced out of the ground.

"Now that you've flushed it out, 'Metal Claw'!" Maylene ordered. Lucario slashed Chimchar with its claws, and the hit was too much for the fire-monkey to handle, as it fainted. "You did your best, like you always do. Lucario was too tough. Ok, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash yelled, sending out his final Pokémon. "Buizel, it's up to you now!" Ash exclaimed. "It's obvious your Buizel is strong. We'll see how strong." Maylene said.

"Alright Buizel, show her what water-types are made of!" Misty cheered. "You hear that Buizel? You've got a water-Pokémon master cheering you on, so let's not disappoint her!" Ash exclaimed. Misty blushed a bit at the compliment. "Looks like it's down to the last two, eh Croagunk?" Brock said. Brock looked over to where Croagunk had been quietly croaking during the whole battle, and found it wasn't there. "Wonder where Croagunk went?" Brock wondered.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket had finally finished their so-called "massage", and were now trudging through the walls of the building, complaining about their pain, but still looking for Pokémon to steal. They opened yet another door, and found a Croagunk, using 'Poison Jab' on something in a cooking pot. They reminisced on their previous Croagunk stealing, and closed the door. They were about to move on, when Brock's Croagunk appeared in front of them, stopping them in their tracks.

They sweat-dropped simultaneously. "Déjà vu." they said. With one powerful 'Poison Jab', Croagunk sent Team Rocket flying. "Another crazed masseuse!" Jessie screamed. "My back's whack!" James yelled. "I'm in such shabby shape, my charm hurts!" Meowth added.

"We're blasting off again!" "Wobbuffet!" *Ping*

Back at the battlefield, the final match was getting underway. "Buizel, 'Water Gun'!" Ash ordered. Buizel fired a powerful stream of water at its opponent. "Lucario, 'Aura Sphere'!" Maylene countered. The attacks collided, and an explosion was seen. "That looks like a draw." Dawn said. "Look again!" Brock exclaimed. The sphere cut through the steam, and hit Buizel dead-on. "Lucario, 'Bone Rush'!" Maylene exclaimed.

"Dodge it!" Ash yelled. Through a series of jumps and ducks, Buizel dodged the attacks. "Check out that speed!" Dawn exclaimed. "Thanks to that water-type slipperiness, Buizel's speed rules!" Misty exclaimed. But at the last minute, Misty almost took back what she said, as Lucario tripped up Buizel with its 'Bone Rush'. "See what you think about this! Spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. Buizel enveloped itself in swirling water, ready to attack. "That looks a lot like a contest move!" Misty exclaimed. "That's because it's the combination we worked on when Buizel was training with me!" Dawn exclaimed happily.

"That makes sense; it's great for a contest. Now 'Metal Claw' go!" Maylene countered. Lucario tired to slash at Buizel, but the spinning 'Aqua Jet' was too much to handle. But Lucario wasted no time getting back to its feet. "There are some advantages in spinning, it can increase attack power in moves like 'Aqua Jet'." Brock explained. "I should've known Ash would figure that out." Misty said proudly.

"Alright, 'Sonic Boom' go!" Ash ordered. Buizel leaped into the air and fired powerful sound waves from its tail. "Defend with 'Bone Rush'!" Maylene countered. Lucario twirled its bone, and deflected the 'Sonic Boom' attacks. Then under the orders of Maylene, Lucario fired multiple 'Aura Spheres' at the water weasel. "Knock it back with 'Sonic Boom'!" Ash countered. Buizel's tail disintegrated the spheres, similarly to how Lucario defended, but then Lucario appeared in front of Buizel, grabbed by the palm, and launched its 'Force Palm' attack, then it prepared to finish the battle with another 'Aura Sphere'.

"Buizel, you gotta get up!" Ash encouraged. "This might be it." Brock said sullenly. "No way! Buizel, stand up!" Misty screamed. "You hear that Buizel? Now you've just gotta get up!" Ash added. Under the urgings of Misty and its master, Buizel forced itself to its feet, and everyone was surprised when a blue ball started materializing in its hands. "Am I seeing things?" Maylene said in awe. "That's 'Water Pulse'!" Misty exclaimed, immediately recognizing her favorite water-type move.

"Awesome! Buizel can use 'Water Pulse' now!" Ash exclaimed. "Well I don't intend to give it the chance to use it! Fire Lucario!" Maylene ordered. "Buizel, 'Water Pulse'!" Ash countered. The two attacks collided, and this time they were tied for power. "Look at that power!" Dawn exclaimed. "That's why water-types rule!" Misty cheered. Lucario grunted to Maylene. "Yes Lucario, I'm happy too. It's great to have an opponent that strong!" Maylene agreed.

"Spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. Maylene had Lucario counter with 'Force Palm'. The two attacks collided, and both Lucario and Buizel were knocked into walls of the dojo. Under encouragement from their respective masters, the two Pokémon leaped into the air.

"Aura Sphere'!"

"Water Pulse'!"

Again, the two attacks collided, and the resulting explosion caused the roof to weaken, and start to cave in next to the sidelines. "Look out!" Brock yelled. They dodged pieces of tile and wood that were dropping onto them. _"Oh no, Misty!"_ Ash thought.

"Charizard, protect them using 'Steel Wing'!" Charizard appeared, and Misty, Dawn, and Brock huddled underneath the outstretched wings of the powerful dragon, whose wings that were under the influence of the attack were now as hard as steel. "Those attacks had power beyond belief!" Brock exclaimed in awe.

"You guys ok?" Ash asked with concern. "We're fine Ash, just make you sure you win this thing!" Misty replied. Ash gave another thumbs-up, and the battle continued. Lucario attacked with another 'Metal Claw', and Buizel landed on the floor in pain. The referee was about to declare Buizel unable to battle, when it slowly pushed up, and forced itself to its feet.

"That's the way water-types roll! Way to go Buizel!" Misty cheered. "We'll never give up!" Ash declared. "Now that's what I call courage, but this is it! 'Bone Rush'!" Maylene ordered. "Buizel, dodge it!" Ash yelled. Buizel tried to move, but its energy was too low. "Guess this IS it!" Brock exclaimed. "Buizel, dodge it!" Dawn screamed. Just then, a rain-drop came from the sky. But they managed to avoid getting wet thanks to Charizard.

"It's raining?" Brock wondered. Dawn and Brock looked at the water-type Pokémon trainer. "Don't look at me, none of my Pokémon know 'Rain Dance'." Misty said. "Then this weather couldn't have come at a better time!" Brock exclaimed. "What do you mean?" Dawn asked. "Just watch." Brock replied. With newly rejuvenated energy, Buizel dodged all of Lucario's attacks. "Whoa! As if Buizel wasn't already fast!" Misty said in awe. "But now it's almost a blur!" Dawn added. "That's Buizel's special ability: 'Swift Swim'. When it rains, Buizel's speed increases!" Brock explained.

"Spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!"

"Force Palm'!"

The two attacks collided again, but this time Lucario gained the edge, and Buizel was knocked back once more, and what was worse, the 'Force Palm' had paralyzed it. "Oh no, now Buizel can't move at all!" Misty gasped. Dawn started doing a cheer routine, which Misty sweat-dropped at._ "Yeah, now is a good time for something so peppy."_ she thought sarcastically.

"Use 'Water Pulse'!" Ash ordered. The attack was fired once more. "Now Lucario, 'Force Palm' at max power!" Maylene countered. "Oh no, we already know the outcome of this!" Misty screamed. "Not yet you don't!" Ash yelled. That caught Misty's attention, he had heard her, and was about to prove her wrong.

"Buizel, spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash yelled. Buizel charged towards Lucario, enveloping itself and the 'Water Pulse' and merging it into a super-powerful attack. "It's now or never!" Brock yelled. The attacks collided once more, both battling for victory over the other. Steam covered the entire field, which forced them to wait for the outcome.

When the steam finally dissipated, the two Pokémon were seen staring each other down, before they both fainted at once, leaving the battle in a draw. "Well what do you know? Hey Buizel, you were great." Ash said, congratulating his Pokémon. "Lucario, you fought hard." Maylene said.

"Wow, both sides really gave it their all." Dawn said. "Ash and Maylene should be proud of themselves." Brock said. "And I'm glad I was here to cheer Ash on. And I'm even gladder that I'll be here to cheer him on for the rest of his battles." Misty said happily. "I think Ash is happy too." Brock said, pointing over to where Ash was waving to his friends. Misty gave a wink in response.

After cleaning up the mess, Ash and co. along with Maylene stood outside the gym for their farewell. "Since the battle ended up a tie, what happens to the badge?" Dawn asked. Maylene had been told that it was her choice to make. "Well, Ash challenged me to the greatest gym battle I've ever had." Maylene said. Her Pokémon all agreed. "What do you say Misty? From one gym leader to another?" Maylene asked.

"I say, if you feel he deserves the badge, then you give him the badge." Misty replied with a smile. "In that case, Ash, please accept the Cobble Badge." Maylene said. "For me?" Ash asked in shock. "No Ash, she's giving it to Dawn. Of course you!" Misty said with mock annoyance. Ash chuckled sheepishly, and graciously accepted the badge. "Thanks a lot Maylene." Ash said gratefully.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. Thanks to you and your friends, I've got the courage to continue as gym leader!" Maylene exclaimed. "That's great!" Dawn said. "You make sure you stay strong!" Brock added.

Alright! Check it out! I just got the Cobble Badge!" Ash cheered, holding up the badge into the setting sunlight. His Pokémon cheered along with him. "Well, I guess you'll be on your way?" Maylene figured. "Nah, we're gonna sack out at the Pokémon Center tonight." Ash replied. "Sounds good to me, I'm got exhausted just watching." Brock said. "Admittedly, same here." Misty added. "You're tired? I battled with Maylene today too, and then I cheered all the way through the battle!" Dawn screamed.

Ash, Misty, Brock, and Maylene sweat-dropped at Dawn's outburst. "Well, I guess we'll see you around. Good luck on your future battles Ash, and good luck on your contests Dawn." Maylene said. "Thanks." Ash and Dawn replied. And with that, the group started the short walk back to the Pokémon Center.

About three-fourths through the walk, Ash and Misty had intentionally fallen a bit behind the other two teens. "You did great Ash." Misty said softly. "Thanks Mist, quite honestly, I don't think Buizel would've made it without you cheering him on." Ash replied. Misty blushed a bit and smiled. "I'm really you were here to cheer me on. I felt more focus and energized then I have in a long time, and it's all because you were there to watch!" Ash said.

"You sure it wasn't Dawn's cheerleading?" Misty asked teasingly. "Nah, all I need is the support." Ash replied. "And that you shall have, and this time it isn't temporary." Misty said, leaning her head onto Ash's shoulder. "Hey, we're here!" Brock exclaimed. "And isn't that Reggie over there?" Brock asked. "Sure looks like it. Come on; let's go tell him about the battle!" Ash exclaimed.

They would find though that Reggie already knew the outcome. "Maylene gave me all the details; it must've been intense if it ended in a draw." Reggie said. "Yeah, the Pokémon really gave it their all." Ash replied. "True, the Pokémon deserve a lot of credit, but I think we have to thank Dawn as well." Brock said. "That's right! If Dawn hadn't have battled with Maylene, her battling spirit would still be down, but now it's back where it belongs." Misty added. Dawn blushed out of embarrassment. "Well, let's just say that I was going to do anything I could to see an awesome gym battle between Ash and Maylene." she said.

"Although next time something like this happens…can I do it instead?" Misty asked. "I have no problem there. Gym battles are fun, but they're way too much pressure, so any future issues are all yours." Dawn replied. "Cool, which means I may get to cheer Misty on for a change." Ash said. "Well, if you'll all follow me, I'd like to show you something." Reggie said. "Uh, sure." Brock said.

They walked in silence a bit before Dawn broke it. "So Reggie, why don't you fill us in on where we're all headed now?" Dawn asked. Reggie chuckled a bit. "Can't wait huh? Relax, you'll see." Reggie replied. "I get the feeling that if he's keeping it a surprise; it's gonna be something awesome." Misty whispered. "Yeah, it's fun to wonder what it might be." Ash replied.

They reached their destination, and they gasped in awe at the sight. "You like it? Pretty neat huh? Since you're probably leaving Veilstone City bright and early tomorrow, I wanted you to see our city landmarks tonight." Reggie explained. "City landmarks huh? You mean that bunch of rocks?" Ash asked. "Those aren't just any rocks Ash! Those are meteorites, right Reggie?" Misty said. "Exactly." Reggie confirmed.

"There are so many." Brock said in awe. "There meteorites are part of what put Veilstone City on the map." Dawn explained. "And how do you know that?" Misty asked. "I read about it a couple of years back." Dawn replied. "Our city's been called: The City Hued from Rock, and these meteorites are part of it." Reggie explained. "They're so beautiful; they look like they're glowing in the moonlight." Misty said dreamily. _"They're not the only things that glow."_ Ash thought, staring at Misty's shining, blue-green eyes.

Misty caught Ash staring at her, causing him to look away, and her to blush. "These meteorites have been honored as guardians since ancient times, of course as the meteorites' fame grew, people came traveling here from all over to see them, and that's how Veilstone City gradually began taking shape. Now, the fair people of this city are watched over by all of our guardians." Reggie explained. Misty sweat-dropped. "You don't really think those things can protect a city, do you?" she asked. "Of course not, but it's part of the legend, and it's fun to imagine." Reggie said. "Well, they're still cool either way." Ash said.

"I can't help but wonder where they came from; I just love a good mystery!" Dawn exclaimed. "Yeah, think of all the people all over the world, moving here all those years ago, creating what turns out to be Veilstone City." Brock added. "It really makes you think." Misty said softly. The group admired the relics a little while longer, before returning to the Pokémon Center, saying bye to Reggie in the process.

As soon as they went inside, Ash began his usual ritual of polishing his newly earned gym badge. "Ash, it's so great that you've got three gym badges now!" Dawn exclaimed. "And what a battle Buizel put up, that water-type of yours sure is something." Misty added. "Thanks guys, but I still need five more to get into the Sinnoh League! This is no time to get too confident." Ash said. "That's why I'm here right? To deflate that big head of yours." Misty said teasingly.

"Yeah Mist, but something feels wrong about this badge…I didn't get it by beating Maylene fair and square." Ash said. "Come on, she gave you that badge because she recognized you and your Pokémon's strength and determination, so you should be proud." Brock said. "And besides, that's how you won the Cascade Badge from my sisters, it didn't stop you then." Misty said. "I guess…but that was years ago…I don't want to earn badges on sympathy anymore, I want to earn them because I won." Ash said.

"Who said anything about sympathy?" Dawn asked. "You put up an incredible battle, and if you want to get technical, a tie isn't a loss." Brock said. "Yeah, but it isn't a win either." Ash said sullenly. Just then, Misty started pretending to inflate something. "Uh, Misty? What are you doing?" Ash asked. "I'm not just here to deflate; I'm here to inflate too. Chin up Ash, you did your very best, just like always, and that's all it takes to say you earned that badge." And with that, Misty kissed Ash's cheek, causing a smile to appear on his face very quickly. "Awww." Dawn gushed quietly, so she didn't embarrass them too badly.

"You know what? You're right Mist. I'm just gonna have to keep battling as hard as I can, and prove that what Maylene did was the right thing!" Ash exclaimed. "Pi pi ka chu!" (I'm with you!) Pikachu cheered, jumping into Ash's arms. "That's the Ash we all know and love." Dawn said. "Although some more than others eh?" Brock said teasingly. Ash and Misty blushed a bit, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Anyway, why don't we figure out where your next gym battle will be?" Brock suggested. He pushed a button on a remote control, causing a map of all the gyms in Sinnoh to appear on the screen. Nurse Joy appeared with refreshments, and pointed out that the gym in Pastoria City would be the best choice. "You think so Nurse Joy?" Ash asked.

"There's a resort on the shores of Lake Valor on the way, so you can break for a little rest. I've heard that the gym leader there is an expert with water-type Pokémon as well." Nurse Joy explained. "Water-types? Cool! Well Mist, looks like I'll be doing a lot more training with you now!" Ash exclaimed. "I'm ready and willing!" Misty replied. "You're lucky Ash; you have a water-type gym leader to train with coming along with us." Dawn said. Brock started flirting with Nurse Joy. "Perhaps you'd like to come too? And together we'll find what we've been seeking, a love…OUR love burning like a fire deep within our hearts!" Brock would've continued, but Croagunk had stopped him in his usual manner. "Of course, fire burns in other places as well." Brock strained before falling over like a statue.

Croagunk dragged Brock away and the trio of teens sweat-dropped at their love-struck friend. "So Dawn, how about your next contest?" Ash asked. He didn't notice, but Misty's face had drooped when he brought that up. "Ash, you'll never guess! We're working on a brand new combination right now!" Dawn said.

Misty's POV

_"That look on her face says she's lying. I was really hoping that her battle with Maylene would get her back to normal, and it seemed like it did…up until now."_ I was sad that Dawn still hadn't recouped after the contest, I was running out of ideas on how to help her too. But I was jarred from my thoughts when I heard a strange hum, and then saw a pillar of light from outside the window. "Whoa…that's weird." Ash said. That looked like the same glow that the meteorites gave off, only now it was a lot brighter.

Normal POV

Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock weren't the only ones who noticed the strange phenomenon, as Reggie had seen the pillar as well, and Maylene and Lucario sensed something was wrong as well. "You sense something too, don't you Lucario?" Maylene had asked.

The light eventually dissipated, leaving everyone in a haze as to what had just happened. All of a sudden, with no reason or explanation, all systems in the Pokémon Center, and Reggie's home, had decided to just shut down. "Nurse Joy, what's happening?" Brock asked with concern. "Something's gone terribly wrong with all of our medical equipment! And it's affecting the recovery of the Pokémon!" Nurse Joy explained.

"What?" Ash asked. "And you don't know why?" Dawn added. Just then, Maylene came rushing in with Lucario by her side. "We sensed something was wrong, and we came as quick as we could! We've got to figure this out!" she exclaimed. Misty snapped her fingers. "It's got to have something to do with that light we saw!" she predicted. "What light and where was it?" Maylene asked. Misty pointed out where the pillar of light had formed.

"(Gasp) That's where the meteorites are!" Maylene screamed. The group gasped at her quick announcement. "We've got to get there now!" Maylene declared. The group nodded, and ran back to the park where the meteorites were. "Check out those helicopters!" Ash yelled. "They've been there all day long, so they have to have something to do with it!" Dawn added.

They reached the park, just in time to see Team Rocket sprawled out on the floor, and a bunch of other soldier-like people behind them. "It's Team Rocket!" Ash yelled. "But where are the meteorites?" Maylene asked. "And who are those guys?" Dawn asked. "Well Team Rocket? Are those bozos friends of yours? They match your style!" Misty insulted. "Sure! Best friends like you!" Jessie screamed sarcastically. "And what about that Pokémon?" Ash yelled, pulling out his Pokédex. "Toxicroak, the toxic mouth Pokémon, and the evolved form of Croagunk. The poison produced in its sacks is carried through tubes in its arms to its knuckle claws." the Pokédex said.

"Fashion freaks or not, dey stole our meteorites and they're no friends of ours!" Meowth yelled. "Fashion? Since when?" Dawn asked. "Hey…I think I remember them now!" Brock said. "I think I get it now…they're the ones who were behind making the Unown all upset!" Ash yelled. "You mean you creeps are the ones who stole whatever they were guarding?" Misty screamed accusingly. "Maybe, and maybe not. Toxicroak, 'Dark Pulse'." the leader said coolly.

The Poison frog fired a stream of dark rings that Lucario countered with its 'Aura Sphere'. "It didn't even hit them?" Ash asked. "That Toxicroak must be strong!" Dawn added. "We don't care about your landmarks, but these meteorites must take their necessary forms." the leader said ominously. "What are you creeps talking about?" Misty screamed.

"We're talking about the necessary forms to build a new world!" the leader replied. "A…new world?" Dawn asked. "Sounds bad to me." Ash said. Just then, Officer Jenny appeared, riding her motorcycle and stopping with a skid. "Thanks for the tip-off Maylene." Officer Jenny said. Maylene gave a salute. "Just doing my civic duty!" Maylene replied.

"They make me sick." James said. "At least the heat's off us." Jessie said. Officer Jenny averted her gaze back to the men and women in silver. "You took the meteorites right? All communications are down thanks to your tricks!" she accused. "Maybe, and maybe not." the leader said again. "I'll be they're responsible for the Pokémon Center breakdowns!" Brock said. "And not just the Pokémon Center, every piece of equipment in Veilstone City is down! Thanks to you, Team Galactic!" Officer Jenny said, pointing an accusing finger at the now exposed team.

"Since you know who we are, I need not waste any more time here. Toxicroak, 'Dark Pulse' go." the leader said coolly. Again the attack was fired. "They mean business so let's show 'em we do too!" Misty exclaimed, tossing out a Pokéball.

"Right!" the group said.

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Staryu, 'Water Gun'!"

"Piplup, 'Bubblebeam'!"

"Lucario, 'Aura Sphere'!"

The attacks collided, and the 'Dark Pulse' exploded into individual rings, and one of them headed directly for the panicking Brock. "Brock, look out!" Ash yelled. Just before the attack made contact, Croagunk appeared and deflected it with a powerful 'Brick Break'. "Awesome job Croagunk!" Ash cheered.

"Thanks Croagunk, you saved me." Brock said, trying to catch his breath. Toxicroak stomped over to his devolved form, and they stared each other down with angry croaks. "Surrender peacefully while you can, unless you'd rather leave here screaming and kicking in handcuffs!" Officer Jenny threatened. Having heard the notion of jail, Team Rocket tried to sneak away.

"Clear the way now!" the leader ordered. The lower members of Team Galactic threw out multiple Pokéballs, and a swarm of Golbat filled the air. "What are those things?" Dawn asked fearfully.

"Golbat, the bat Pokémon, and the evolved form of Zubat. Being nocturnal, Golbat fly at night in search of prey." her Pokédex said. "And I think we're the prey!" Dawn screamed. The Golbat started attacking them with 'Air Cutter' attacks, and they did their best to dodge them. "We need some help now!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

"Toxicroak, what are you doing? Destroy Croagunk!" the leader ordered. "Now Croagunk, use 'Brick Break'!" Brock countered. The two frogs put distance between themselves, before Croagunk attempted to bring its hand down hard on the larger Pokémon. It easily dodged, and Croagunk was knocked back.

"Alright Croagunk, 'Poison Sting'!" Brock ordered. "Use 'Sludge Bomb'!" the leader countered. Unfortunately for Team Rocket, they were caught in the crossfire, and were sent blasting off when the attacks collided.

Meanwhile, thanks to all the Golbat distracting the group, Team Galactic was able to pull up the meteorites. "There are so many Golbat, that we can't get close to the helicopters!" Officer Jenny exclaimed. One Golbat had decided to sneak up behind Pikachu and Piplup and fire a 'Shadow Ball' at them. "Pikachu, Piplup, look out!" Ash cried. Ash dove to snatch the two Pokémon from danger. The undeterred Golbat charged another attack, but was stopped when a bolt of electricity struck it.

"It's Reggie and Electabuzz!" Ash exclaimed. "Reggie, they're getting away with the meteorites!" Dawn screamed. "We've got to combine all of our Pokémon's attacks and destroy those lines!" Reggie explained.

"Let's get these Golbat out of the way then! Staryu, hit them with 'Swift'!" Misty exclaimed. Ash, Reggie, and Dawn followed through with 'Thunderbolt', 'Thunder', and 'Bubblebeam' respectively. Under the heavy barrage of attacks, Golbat started falling out of the sky one by one. "It worked!" Ash yelled. "Then let's move!" Reggie yelled.

They charged towards Team Galactic, who by now was starting to lose some of their cool. "Toxicroak, use 'Sludge Bomb'!" the leader yelled. With Croagunk attacking its head, Toxicroak turned around and fired blobs of poison at the group. Reggie was knocked away, while Electabuzz got surrounded by the remaining Golbat. Out of instinct, Pikachu fired 'Thunderbolts' at the Golbat, to protect its rival electric-type.

While Pikachu checked on Electabuzz, one weak Golbat managed to get off a 'Shadow Ball' before fainting. It would've hit Pikachu dead-on, but Electabuzz repaid the favor, by disintegrating it with a 'Thunder Punch'. They put their backs to each other, and combined their electric attacks for one strong blast, that knocked out all of the remaining Golbat simultaneously.

"Looks like Electabuzz just paid off his debt." Reggie said. "Alright Pikachu, let's knock out those cables with 'Volt Tackle'!" Ash yelled. Pikachu ran at top speed, building up more and more energy with each bounding step. "Electabuzz, help it out with 'Thunder'!" Reggie yelled. Pikachu leaped onto Electabuzz's head, and was propelled upward by the powerful electric attack.

"Wow! Power to the max!" Misty exclaimed. Pikachu smashed the cables to bits, and the meteorites encased in boxes plummeted to earth. "Alright Lucario, 'Bone Rush'!" Maylene ordered. With swift strikes, Lucario destroyed the boxes. "Now Piplup, catch the meteorites with a 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered.

Piplup's 'Whirlpool' easily caught the meteorites, and they were gently placed on the ground. "Wow it worked!" Dawn exclaimed. "That was good work everyone." Officer Jenny said. "Commander Saturn…" one of the grunts said. "I know there's no choice. Retreat now! Return Toxicroak!" Saturn said, returning the larger frog. When Toxicroak vanished, Croagunk fell to the ground with a thud.

"They're getting away!" Brock yelled. "Oh no they're not! I won't let them! Charizard, let's go!" Ash yelled, calling out his flying dragon. Charizard roared, and Ash hopped onto its back. "Ash, be careful!" Misty pleaded. "I will, let's go Charizard!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard took off after the helicopters at high speed. "We've got to follow them!" Officer Jenny exclaimed. She hopped onto her motorcycle and started the engine.

"Let me go too Officer Jenny!" Misty exclaimed. Officer Jenny nodded, and allowed Misty to hop on. "Misty, take Happiny's Pokéball!" Brock exclaimed. "B-But why?" Misty asked. "Just in case! Happiny will know what to do!" Brock explained. Misty gulped audibly, and nodded. "Hang on tight!" Officer Jenny ordered. Misty obliged, and gripped Officer Jenny's waist before speeding off after them.

Ash's POV

There was no way I was going to let them escape, I had a way to catch them and I was going to use it! Although I didn't exactly know what I would do once I caught up with them. "Pikapi, pi pi pi ka chu?" (Ash, what are you going to do?) Pikachu asked. I shrugged. "I dunno Pikachu; I'm making this up as I go!" I replied. Charizard finally caught up with the leader's helicopter. "Pikachu, nail 'em with a 'Thunderbolt'!" I ordered. Pikachu fired, but it missed by inches.

_"Oh no, there was no way they didn't see that!"_ I thought. My suspicions were proved correct when Toxicroak appeared from the side door of the helicopter. It opened its mouth and fired globs of poison. "Dodge them Charizard!" I ordered. Charizard moved from side to side to avoid the attacks. "Now hit it with 'Dragon Breath'!"

Charizard breathed out a fiery breath, which hit Toxicroak before it could avoid it. Toxicroak was now obviously angry, and it fired a 'Dark Pulse' attack at us. "Charizard, counter it with 'Flamethrower'!"

Charizard obliged, and the attacks exploded, but I had forgotten what happened the one time we did that. The rings of the attack were now individual, and I gasped in horror when the leader appeared from the door and gave me a 'farewell' salute. Charizard was in the wings by the rings, and lost its balance.

"Charizard, you've gotta pull up!" I yelled. Charizard tried, but the downward momentum was too much to take. I thought that this was the end for me and my friends, until I saw a little pink dot appear on the ground below.

Misty's POV

"No, Ash!" I screamed at the top of my lungs when I saw Charizard take the hit and plummet to the ground. I could hear Ash screaming, probably trying to encourage Charizard to pull up, but it didn't seem likely. I thought Ash was done for, but I remembered that Brock gave me Happiny's Pokéball._ "That's it!"_ I realized now what Brock meant.

"Happiny, get out there and catch them!" I threw out Brock's small but mighty egg Pokémon, and I gave a sigh of relief when Ash, Pikachu, and Charizard were caught, alive and well. Officer Jenny stopped the motorcycle, and I immediately jumped off to have an emotional reunion with Ash.

Normal POV

Misty embraced Ash tightly with tears flowing. "Ash, I almost lost you again!" she cried. Ash hugged her back tightly, reassuring her that he was alright. "Thanks Happiny, you bailed us out of a big-time jam." Ash said. "Happ happiny!" (You're welcome!) Happiny squeaked. "You did great too Charizard, are ya hurt?" Ash asked. Charizard grunted. (Just my pride.)

Ash gave a chuckle, and returned Charizard, while Misty returned Happiny. "I'm sorry I let them get away Officer Jenny." Ash said sullenly. "We did manage to get the meteorites back, for that I thank you for your help." Officer Jenny replied. The trio hopped onto the bike once more, and rode all the way back to the meteorite clearing.

"Ash, are you alright?" Brock asked. "Yeah, but I let Team Galactic get away." Ash said sullenly. "That's alright for now; I just wish we knew more about their plans." Officer Jenny said. "Is there anything else we can do to help?" Reggie asked. "No, all of you go home now; I'll call for back-up now that communications are back up, and take it from there." Officer Jenny said. "Good idea making the children go to bed, now we can have this romantic area all to our…" Brock was cut-off by 'Poison Jab'. "Hey…that…hurt…more…than usual." Brock strained. Croagunk hastily dragged Brock away.

"Wonder what's up with Croagunk?" Ash asked. "Losing to its evolved form probably made it upset." Reggie explained. "That makes sense I guess." Misty said. "Yeah, well, goodnight everyone." Reggie said. The team bid Reggie a goodnight, before Maylene said the same and headed back to the gym.

"Come on, let's go back to the Pokémon Center and get some sleep." Misty said. "Sounds good to me." Ash replied. "I could sure use some sleep after all this excitement." Dawn added. The trio walked back to the Pokémon Center, following the frustrated Croagunk all the way.

After Brock recovered in the bedroom, he tried to soothe the rage of his poison frog. Croagunk seemed to listen, so Brock decided to return it to its ball. "Let's get some sleep gang; we have a long day tomorrow." Brock said. "Right." they replied. After getting changed, Dawn and Brock took their respective bunks, while Ash and Misty automatically went to share the bottom bunk.

"What gives you guys?" Brock asked. "The room gets too cold, I…need warmth." Misty said blushing. Ash blushed as well. "Aww man! I'll never get to sleep knowing that you two will be all cozy while I have no one to be with!" Brock cried out. "Oh is that all Brock? You need to sleep?" Misty asked. Brock nodded. "I can get you to sleep, no problem." Misty said. "Really? How?" Brock asked. Misty bashed Brock's head with her mallet, and Brock fell into his bed, unconscious. "Well, he asked for sleep." Dawn said with a sweat-drop.

Dawn shut off the light, the trio of teens bid their goodnights. "I'm glad you're ok Ash." Misty whispered. "I am too." Ash replied. Misty giggled, and kissed Ash's cheek before snuggling close to him. It didn't take long before everyone was out like a light.

Early the next morning, the team packed up their things, and walked out of the Pokémon Center with Brock rubbing the lump on his head. "That's not what I meant by sleep you know." Brock said bitterly. "You should've specified." Misty teased. Reggie and Maylene met up with the group to say their goodbyes.

"All the best for a safe and happy time on the rest of your journey." Maylene said. "Thanks Maylene, you stay well." Ash said. "I'm sure we'll see you again someday." Dawn added. "Yeah, in the meantime, I'm looking forward to watching you win your next contest!" Maylene exclaimed. "Paul told me last night that his next gym battle is in Pastoria City too, now have a safe trip and make sure you win your fourth badge there." Reggie said.

"Thanks, I'll do my best!" Ash replied. And with that, the group waved goodbye to their friends in Veilstone City, and got on the trail to Pastoria, and Ash's next gym battle. "So Misty, when do you want to start training?" Ash asked. "Anytime's good for me." Misty replied. "Then how about right now?" Ash said excitedly. "S-Sure! Bring it on!" Misty stammered. They called out Turtwig and Staryu, and battled right there on the spot.

"They're training already?" Maylene noticed. "Ash is sure dedicated. I wonder if he knows we're watching." Reggie wondered. Maylene giggled, and whispered something in Lucario's ear. Lucario nodded, and fired an 'Aura Sphere' at the sparring couple, which caused them to jump. "You guys should get out of the city first!" Maylene teased. And with that, they ran out of the city to avoid anymore 'Aura Spheres'. "That should do the trick." Maylene said with satisfaction. Reggie just sweat-dropped.


	17. The Kidnapped Riolu

**Here we go, another episode redux. I have a question for you all, I think I may be neglecting the Pokémon in my writing, but Pikachu says "pika pika" just about every other sentence. I'll let you guys decide what happens. Also, in response to previous reviews, I will not be making Misty and Paul have any past with each other, especially one involving Paul being a perv. And Misty has already met Zoey, check the contest battle chapter. Anyways, without further ado, the next chapter is here!  
_**

Chapter 17

Ash's POV

We were on our way to Pastoria City for my next gym battle. Battling Maylene and Lucario was awesome, and I felt more energized in that battle then I had in a long time, and for once I knew why. The fiery, red-headed angel walking next to me was why, Misty cheered me on just like old times, and her voice caused an adrenaline rush to go through me during the battle.

And she would make an awesome sparring partner since the next gym leader was an expert in water-type Pokémon; of course I thought that Misty would be the judge of that. But there were more serious things happening now, this new group of freaks called Team Galactic showed up before we left Veilstone, talking about creating a new world, what did that even mean?

I couldn't think about that now though, I had to worry about comforting the trembling Misty, who was afraid a bug would appear since we were walking through a forest. I wondered if she'd ever get over this bug-phobia of hers.

"Come on Misty, nothing's gonna hurt you." I said comfortingly. "A-Are you sure?" Misty asked fearfully. "For the fifth time, yes I'm sure." I replied. Not that I thought Misty gripping my arm was a bad thing, I rather enjoyed it, but she was squeezing so hard that I was starting to lose blood-flow in my arm.

"I can't believe you're still terrified of bugs Misty, I figured that since you're fifteen now, you'd at least have gotten over it a little." Brock said. "Forget it Brock! I'm working on getting over carrots, but bug-Pokémon I'll never get over!" Misty screamed. "Oh please, try being surrounded by a swarm of Ariados that know 'Hyper Beam' and then we'll talk about fear." Dawn teased.

I laughed when Misty gave Dawn an icy-glare that would've made me wish I were a Shuckle hiding in its shell. "Alright, watch this Misty." I said. I pulled out a Pokéball and called out Chimchar. "Chim char?" (What's up?) it asked. "Ok Chimchar, if a bug-Pokémon tries to attack us, scare it off with a fire-attack. Got it?" I said. "Chim chim char!" (I'll do my best!) it replied with enthusiasm. And with that, Chimchar started scanning the area. "See Mist, nothing to worry abo…" I stopped in my tracks.

I suddenly felt a strange feeling inside…not a Misty feeling…it was like I…sensed something.

Normal POV

"Ash, w-what's wrong?" Misty asked. "I feel something." Ash said, looking straight ahead. "Is it Lucario again?" Dawn asked. "No…it's weaker than Lucario, but it feels the same." Ash replied. The team looked around, and saw nothing, but suddenly a Riolu came into view, clutching its arm. "Whoa, what is that?" Misty asked. "A Riolu!" Brock exclaimed. Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned it.

"Riolu, the emanation Pokémon. When sad or scared, its aura becomes stronger as a way of signaling its allies." the Pokédex explained. "Ash, you felt it! It must need help!" Misty exclaimed. Suddenly, Riolu fell to its knees in pain. "Look, Riolu is hurt!" Brock exclaimed. "Here, let me help!" Ash said, kneeling down in front of Riolu. When Ash touched it, Riolu smacked his hand away threateningly. "Hey little guy, I'm just trying to help." Ash said. Riolu growled, and readied an 'Aura Sphere' to attack with. "Ash look out!" Misty cried. Ash took the full brunt of the attack, and rolled in front of the trio of concerned teens. Naturally, Misty was the first one by his side.

"Ash, are you hurt?" she asked with concern. "(Groan) Don't worry Mist, I'm ok. But man that was some move." Ash said. "That was an 'Aura Sphere' for sure!" Brock exclaimed. "Aura Sphere'?" Dawn asked. "Why is that such a surprise?" Misty asked. "Because 'Aura Sphere' is usually learned after Riolu evolves into Lucario, but obviously not this time…incredible!" Brock explained.

"Then this Riolu is really special." Dawn said in awe. "Special or not, Riolu needs a hand." Ash said. "Ash wait, what if it attacks you again?" Misty asked. "So what if it does? I felt its aura, which means it's practically calling for help!" Ash replied. "But Ash…" Brock stopped talking, since Ash had already went to confront Riolu again.

"C'mon, just relax, I know you're hurt and I'm only trying to help!" Ash said. Riolu ignored Ash, and readied another 'Aura Sphere'. Riolu fired, but before the attack could hit, a young, brown-haired man in a trench coat appeared and deflected the sphere. "Hey, everybody still in one piece?" he asked. "Yeah, we're alright." Ash said. "Thanks for helping us." Misty said. "No prob." the man replied. While the humans talked, Riolu turned to walk away.

"Hey, Riolu!" Ash exclaimed, noticing the injured Pokémon trying to escape. "Don't worry, I'll handle this!" the man said. And with that, he chased after Riolu, leaving Ash and co. behind. "I wonder who that was." Dawn said. "Come on guys! We can't just stand here and do nothing while Riolu needs help!" Ash exclaimed. Ash ran off in the direction of the man and Riolu. "Ash, wait!" Brock called. "Let's just follow him, there's no changing his mind when a Pokémon needs help." Misty said. Misty chased after Ash, soon followed by Dawn and Brock.

Team Rocket had seen the whole scene from behind a bush. "An 'Aura Sphere' toting Riolu is one power-packed Pokémon, wouldn't you agree?" James asked. "Yeah, and dat's the kinda power we need ta pack!" Meowth said. "We can't allow Riolu to languish with those losers, Team Rocket for the power play!" Jessie exclaimed. And with that, Team Rocket continued their stalking.

Meanwhile, Misty had caught up with Ash, and was once again clutching his arm for protection. "Why do you keep doing this Ash?" Misty asked fearfully. "Look, I can help Riolu, I know I can!" Ash said. "I have no doubts on that, I mean why do you keep getting us lost in bug-infested forests?" Misty said. Ash was about to reply, when someone grabbed his arm and yanked him into a bush, dragging Misty along too.

"I told you guys I'd take care of this, didn't I?" the man scolded. "Yes, you did." Misty said, glaring at Ash. "But…" Ash was cut-off. "Shh! Look up there!" the man said, pointing up into a tree. "It's Riolu." Misty whispered. Dawn and Brock had now found the trio, and kneeled down to join them. "So, is that your Riolu?" Dawn asked. "Nope, it's not mine." the man replied. "So then it's a wild Riolu." Brock figured. "Nope, it's not wild either." the man replied. "Then I don't get it, that's pretty much the only two choices." Misty said. "Riolu has a home already, and all it wants to do at this point is go back home." the man explained. "Go back home? Where's that?" Ash asked. Just then, a loud noise was heard, and two giant tank-like vehicles stormed in. As soon as they stopped, four soldiers came out, who were immediately recognized by Ash, Dawn, and Brock.

"That's Pokémon Hunter J's goon squad!" Dawn hissed. "Who's Pokémon Hunter J?" Misty asked. "That's right, you don't know." Brock said. "Hunter J is a Pokémon Bounty Hunter! If she's involved, there's bound to be trouble!" Ash said angrily. The group watched, as the leader of the thugs barked out orders.

"Now Crobat, 'Wing Attack' go!" the leader barked. A Crobat appeared, and knocked Riolu out of the tree. "Retrieve the target!" the leader ordered. "Those thugs are after Riolu!" Brock said quietly. "No way! I won't let them!" Ash said determinedly. "Ash wait!" Misty hissed. It was too late; Ash had already gone to confront them. "Stop it!" Ash yelled. "Hey kid, who are you?" the leader asked angrily. "Ok, Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu tried to zap the Crobat, but it dodged with its aerial acrobatics, but it got knocked out of the air when an 'Aura Sphere' made a clean hit. After taking out its flying foe, Riolu leaped out of the bush, and angrily fired multiple 'Aura Spheres', which nearly struck Ash and Pikachu. Riolu landed back on the ground after its assault, and clutched its hurt arm in pain.

"So that's the famous 'Aura Sphere'…impressive…good power. Riolu's ours, let's go!" the leader barked. The three lower goons tossed out Pokéballs, revealing three more Crobat. Angrily, Ash clutched a Pokéball of his own, ready to take them all on. "Crooks, no way!" Ash yelled. "I won't allow it!" the trench coated man said. The man ripped off his guise, and revealed himself as a Pokémon Ranger.

By now, Misty, Dawn, and Brock had come out of their hiding place to check on Ash, and were amazed at their friend's true identity as a ranger. "It's a Vatonage Styler!" Brock pointed out. "That means he's a…" Misty paused. "Pokémon Ranger!" Ash finished. "Capture on!" the ranger yelled. His styler flew around a nearby Ariados, as he proceeded to make his temporary capture. "Capture complete! Ariados, use 'String Shot'!" the ranger ordered.

Now under control of the ranger, Ariados acknowledged, and fired a stream of sticky string at the three Crobat, wrapping them up in a web. The ranger reloaded his styler, and proceeded to capture a nearby Nincada. "Nincada, use 'Dig'!" he said. The Nincada obliged, and dug a huge hole underneath the four thugs, trapping them in a pit.

"Awesome." Ash said in awe. "Wow! Seeing a real life Pokémon Ranger in action up close and personal like this is so cool!" Dawn gushed. "And he's no ordinary Pokémon Ranger either, he's a top ranger!" Brock exclaimed. "A top ranger?" Ash asked. "That's a Pokémon Ranger who's skilled enough to use a Vatonage Styler!" Brock explained. The ranger thanked the captured Pokémon for their help, and let them be on their way, and then he walked up to the frightened Riolu and showed it a red bag, which contained a doll shaped like a Riolu. "You see Riolu? You can trust me." the ranger said.

He placed the bag around Riolu's neck, and picked it up into his arms. "Come on, follow me." the ranger said. "So you came out here to help out that Riolu right?" Ash figured. "Right, the name's Kellyn, hi there." Kellyn said.

"Hi, I'm Ash."

"My name's Misty.

"And mine is Dawn."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Brock."

After the introductions were completed, Kellyn took the group to a nearby stream, where he tended to Riolu's wound with a Super Potion. Riolu winced at the stinging pain from the antiseptic in the potion. "Riolu, you'll be feeling better in no time." Kellyn said calmly. Riolu backed off and stared at the river, wanting to be alone.

"Looks like Riolu's suffered through some tough times, which can make it hard to trust anyone." Kellyn said. "Maybe that's why Riolu attacked Ash." Brock figured. "The poor thing, not being able to trust anyone, it must be so lonely." Misty said sadly. "As sad as it is, it's going to take time before Riolu can trust people again." Kellyn said.

Riolu took its doll out of the bag, and stared at it, as it remembered its home. "Hey, isn't that the doll you gave to Riolu before?" Dawn asked. "Yeah, it was a gift from the man who raised it." Kellyn explained. Suddenly, Ash gasped in astonishment. "Ash, what is it?" Misty asked. Ash didn't respond. "Ash…are you alright?" Misty tried again. Ash stayed silent, it was as if he was in a trance of some sort.

Misty waved her hand in front of his face, when Ash didn't react, Misty began to get worried. "What's wrong with Ash?" Misty asked with concern. "I…don't know." Brock said, staring at his frozen friend. Not one of them realized what Ash was seeing, memories and thoughts that connected to Ash through Riolu's aura. Ash finally blinked, and Misty wasted no time getting to him. "Ash, what happened?" Misty asked with concern.

Ash didn't respond, and walked up to Riolu. "That means more to you than anything, right Riolu?" Ash asked. Riolu looked up at Ash, and even Riolu itself was shocked at what Ash said next. "You used your aura to tell me that." he said. "Ash, what do you mean Riolu used its aura?" Dawn asked. "I think he means that he just felt exactly what Riolu was thinking, right Ash?" Misty asked.

"You're right Misty. I saw a whole bunch of stuff about Riolu's home." Ash said. "Like what?" Brock asked. "He lives in a kingdom, but was taken away." Ash growled. "The poor thing, who would do something like that?" Misty asked. "Hold on a sec, how come Ash feels all this and not us?" Dawn asked.

"You see, an aura is like a feeling or spirit, all living things have their own unique aura, Ash my friend, it looks like your aura and Riolu's aura are a perfect match." Kellyn said. "Yeah, I guess so." Ash said. "Then you were right Ash, Riolu was calling for help." Misty said. "Yeah…I'll help you get home safe, don't worry about that Hunter J, you can trust me." Ash said calmly, kneeling down in front of Riolu. "And I'll help you too Riolu, we all will." Misty said, kneeling down in front of Riolu as well. "Yeah." Dawn and Brock said in unison. Just then, Kellyn's styler began beeping, signaling a fellow ranger was calling.

"Kellyn here." he answered. A young, turquoise-haired woman appeared on the screen of his styler. "Hi, it's Solana!" she said. Ash saw his friend appear on the screen, and gave her a cordial greeting. "Well if it isn't Ash and Pikachu, it's been a long time." Solana said. "And…who is that Ash?" Misty said, tapping her foot. "Uh…just a ranger friend of ours we met when May was traveling with us." Ash defended.

"You know a real life Pokémon Ranger? Wow, it IS a girl! And with such awesome clothes! My name's Dawn!" Dawn squealed. Brock pushed Ash out of the way with hearts in his eyes. "There's your proof Misty." Ash said, pointing at the love-struck Brock. "Hmm, I guess I'll let you off the hook THIS time." Misty said teasingly. Misty pushed Brock over to get her own look. "And who is this?" Solana asked.

"This is my girlfriend, Misty." Ash said, making his way past the crowd. "Wow, YOU of all people found a girlfriend?" Solana asked teasingly. "Actually, I'm more of an old friend turned girlfriend; this isn't the first time I've been traveling with Ash." Misty replied with slight blush. "Well I'm very happy for you both." Solana said with a smile. Ash and Misty blushed a bit harder, and then were knocked over again by Brock. "I hope you didn't forget little ol' me Solana!" Brock exclaimed.

"Of course not Brock, still working on becoming a Pokémon Breeder?" Solana asked politely. "Yes, of course, though now I'm working on something else, and that's for you to use your capture styler to capture me!" Brock exclaimed passionately. Misty had had enough, so she slammed her mallet onto Brock's head, just as Croagunk 'Poison Jabbed' him. "Capture…incomplete." Brock strained. "High-five Croagunk." Misty said. Croagunk obliged happily, and the group laughed at their breeder friend.

"So, you're in the Sinnoh Region now, working hard to join the Sinnoh League I'll bet." Solana said. "Yup, that's the plan for sure!" Ash replied. "Well that's great, good luck! And Kellyn, with Ash being such an amazing trainer, I'm sure he's gonna be a big help to you." Solana said. "Sounds good Solana." Kellyn replied. "He's already proven that he'll be a big part of this because of the whole aura thing." Misty said. "That's another good point." Kellyn said, "So what's the latest on the search?"

"We've determined the precise location of Pokémon Hunter J's client, and Officer Jenny and I are on our way there now." Solana said. "Excellent, Riolu's under our protection, and we're heading for the rendezvous coordinates." Kellyn said. "Understood, we'll be in touch." Solana replied, and then she hung up. The team suddenly heard a loud thunder-like noise, and saw Hunter J's ship in the sky.

"What's that thing?" Misty asked. "It's Hunter J's ship." Dawn replied angrily. "She finally arrived." Brock said. "Let's go, for Riolu!" Ash said determinedly. "Now everybody needs to stay calm, and do just what I say, got it?" Kellyn said sternly. "Right." they said in acknowledgement. They followed Kellyn to the stream, where a boat just happened to be there for the waiting.

"We'll use this to avoid making any footprints or traceable signs, and then we'll meet with a transportation team on the other side." Kellyn explained. "I'll get Staryu to pull the boat." Misty said. "It'll need help, come on out Buizel." Ash said. The two Pokémon appeared, and Kellyn placed a rope connected to the boat around Buizel's neck, and Staryu's top point. After they shipped off, Kellyn began explaining the story.

"This paradise kingdom is Riolu's home, Riolu's official title is: Inheritor of the Aura, and it was carefully raised by its breeder." he explained. "Inheritor of the Aura?" Misty asked. "Each royal generation uses Riolu's aura to protect the kingdom, it's passed on and on, from generation to generation, and Riolu's next in line." Kellyn explained.

"So that's why Riolu can use 'Aura Sphere'!" Brock exclaimed. "A kingdom…protected by the power of aura…oh no." Misty said quietly. Ash picked up on why Misty had become scared, and squeezed her hand to comfort her. "Riolu was kidnapped and locked up by people who planned to use its power for evil purposes. But a different group of people orchestrated Riolu's breakout for THEIR evil purposes, although it's obvious Riolu managed to escape from them too." Kellyn said. "And now this…hunted by a Pokémon Bounty Hunter." Brock said sullenly.

"That's exactly what I saw when Riolu used its aura to talk to me." Ash said. "The poor thing, no wonder it doesn't trust anyone outside its kingdom." Misty said sadly. "What an awful way to live, always afraid someone will betray you." Dawn added. "Selfish people mistreating Riolu like that, I can't stand it!" Ash said furiously. "To transport Riolu safely back home. That's what my mission is all about." Kellyn said.

"And we'll have your back all the way through! There's no way I'm gonna let them get away with what they've done!" Ash exclaimed. "Hopefully there won't be much to it; the recovery team from headquarters should be just up ahead." Kellyn said. Suddenly, four Sharpedo leaped up from the bottom of the boat, sending the group flying into the water.

Ash breached the water with Buizel and Pikachu, and looked around frantically. "Misty, Misty where are you?" Ash called. Misty breached the water with Staryu, and Ash had Buizel swim over to her. "Are you ok?" Ash asked. Misty gave a small nod, and tossed out Politoed for Brock to hang on to. "What are they doing?" Ash yelled.

"Those Sharpedo belong to Hunter J! They found us!" Brock exclaimed. A Floatzel suddenly leaped out of the water, and Kellyn wasted no time capturing it for his own use. "Now guys! To the other side! Floatzel, help out!" Kellyn ordered. The group obliged, and proceeded to make their escape…until…

"Sharpedo, 'Aqua Jet'!" the leader yelled. The four Sharpedo combined their attacks, for one ultra-powerful 'Aqua Jet', causing the group to go flying. They regrouped again, but the Sharpedos continued their pursuit. "Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu jumped out of the water, and fried the Sharpedos with a powerful electric attack. "Floatzel, step on it!" Kellyn yelled.

The group and their Pokémon sped up their escape, but were cut off by a sweeping 'Hyper Beam' before they could get away. When the water settled, Hunter J loomed over them on her Salamence. "It's J!" Ash yelled angrily. "I'm taking Riolu!" 'J' exclaimed. "I don't think so! Piplup 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn screamed.

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Staryu, Politoed, 'Water Gun'!"

The attacks were fired, but 'J' stayed calm. "Salamence, use 'Hyper Beam'." she said. The attacks collided, and when the smoke cleared, 'J' had cocked her Cement Cannon, ready to fire at Riolu. "Aaah! Floatzel, 'Water Gun'!" Kellyn yelled. Floatzel fired, trying to knock Salamence off balance, but 'J' remained focused on her target.

"Ash, isn't Salamence a dragon-type?" Misty asked. "Yeah, why?" Ash replied. "Don't you have someone who can use a dragon-attack?" Misty asked. "Hey yeah!" Ash exclaimed. Ash pulled out a Pokéball and threw it into the air. "Charizard, I choose you!"

Charizard roared upon release, and stared down its opponent. It remained stone-faced however, as Hunter J fired her unique weapon. "Dodge it!" Kellyn yelled. Kellyn, Floatzel, and Riolu narrowly escaped becoming statues, but the beam did manage to scrape the bag containing the Riolu doll, which fell into the river.

Riolu split up with the group, and swam after its only reminder home. Noting Riolu's decision to separate from the Top Ranger, J ordered her men to chase down Riolu. "Buizel, let's go!" Ash exclaimed. With Charizard overhead for protection, the group swam after Riolu to keep it safe from the thugs, but J chased after them.

"Salamence, use 'Hyper Beam'!" she ordered. Salamence fired, getting the attention of Charizard. "Charizard, use 'Dragon Breath'!" Ash ordered. Charizard turned around and fired a 'Dragon Breath' attack at the dragon-type. But they would learn that the group was not Salamence's target, but the rocks in the canyon were. Salamence easily dodged Charizard's attack, leaving the group to face the danger.

The canyon walls began crumbling around them, forcing everyone to branch off in different directions to avoid getting crushed. Ash had continued going forward, chasing after Riolu while dodging the rocks. "Ash, come back!" Misty screamed. But that would prove impossible, as Hunter J chased them down just before the canyon created a blockade of rocks in front of the group.

"She's gone." Kellyn said. "There's…nothing we can do?" Dawn asked. Kellyn was about to respond, when Misty spoke up. "There's something I can do! Charizard can fly me over the rocks to help Ash!" Misty exclaimed. "If that's the case, I think I should go instead." Kellyn said. "But Charizard won't listen to you? Will you Charizard?" Misty asked with a smirk. Charizard gave a small smirk, and shook its head in a 'no' fashion.

Brock and Dawn gave their own smirks, knowing that Misty had once again outsmarted her argument opponent. "I guess we have no choice then." Kellyn said. Misty gave a satisfied smile, and Charizard lowered himself enough for Misty to pull herself up, and then return Staryu to its ball. "Good luck Misty." Brock said. "Misty, be extremely careful, Hunter J is ruthless, and will stop at nothing to get her hands on Riolu." Kellyn said bluntly. Misty gave a nod to respond. "Let's go help Ash, Charizard!" Misty exclaimed. Charizard grunted out a response. (I've got some business with that Salamence.) And with that, they flew off in pursuit of Ash and Riolu.

Ash's POV

Riolu was still chasing down its doll, and I felt my face fall when Riolu was forced through some rapids. Buizel and I charged through them, gaining some air after being propelled by the speed of the rapids. When we splashed down, I felt Riolu's aura weaken, as it started to drown. "Riolu's in trouble! Dive underwater!" I yelled. Buizel acknowledged, and we managed to scoop up the now unconscious Riolu and bring it back to dry land.

I sent Buizel to fetch the doll, and it returned quickly with it in hand. "Thanks Bui…" I stopped, as I started seeing things through Riolu's aura.

Misty's POV

"You see anything Charizard?" I asked with concern. Charizard shook its head. "Oh Ash, where are you?" I began to lose hope, maybe he had gotten captured…or worse. But I wasn't going to give up, I would find him even if it was the last thing I did. I looked down, and I saw a figure by the stream, and two smaller figures next to him, one yellow, and one orange. "Pikachu and Buizel! It must be Ash down there!" I exclaimed. Charizard roared, and swooped down to the spot I had pointed out.

We landed, and I was thrilled to see that it was Ash. "Pikachupi!" (Misty!) Pikachu said excitedly. Pikachu jumped into my arms and I hugged it tightly. "I'm so glad you guys are alright!" I said happily. "Bui bui bui." (That's a relative term.) Buizel said with its arms crossed. I looked at Ash, who was kneeling down in front of something. "Charizard, stand guard." I told it. Charizard grunted to acknowledge, and I walked up to Ash, who was kneeling in front of Riolu.

"Ash? It's me…are you alright?" I asked softly. Ash's face was completely blank, as if he was in a trance of some sort. _"It must be another one of those aura things." _I figured. There was nothing I could do except wait for Ash to come back to reality.

Ash's POV

What I was seeing…was like some sort of dream. I was seeing Riolu's memories through its aura! Riolu was practicing how to use 'Aura Sphere' by the looks of its warm-up, and there was an old man carving Riolu's doll out of wood. The man called Riolu over to him, saying that the doll was finished. Riolu ran to him happily, and smiled in glee at its new toy. Just then, I saw strange men approach Riolu and its master.

When I saw Riolu run behind its breeder in fear, I figured out that these must've been the men who took Riolu.

"Give us Riolu…or should I say Project RX1?" they had said. When I heard them say that, I felt like going over and punching the guy in the nose with a right-hook. But I had to remember that I wasn't really there, these were only memories…but I was still pretty ticked.

The last thing I saw was their Drowsee using 'Psychic', and Riolu's breeder pushing Riolu away, telling it to make its escape. After that, I "woke up" from the aura connection, just before Riolu regained consciousness.

"Ash, are you alright?" I heard a voice ask. I turned around and saw Misty standing over me, concern obvious on her face. I stood up to meet her face. "I'm alright, but how did you get here Misty?" I asked. Misty pointed over to Charizard, who was standing guard. "What about the others?" I asked. "They were cut-off by the rock slide, Charizard flew me here." Misty replied.

This was bad; this meant that it would be me and Misty versus Hunter J and all of her cronies. But Riolu was awake now, so I couldn't act nervous, I kneeled down in front of Riolu.

"I'm glad you're awake Riolu, we were worried about you." I said. Riolu started looking around; I knew what it was looking for. "Here, I'll tell ya Riolu, your kingdom is a beautiful place, I can really feel it, its aura that is." I said, as I handed Riolu its doll. "This belongs to you; now take good care of it." I said with a smile. Riolu gave me a smile back. "Looks like Riolu finally trusts you Ash." Misty said happily. "Yeah, and I'm glad too." I replied.

Normal POV

Pikachu sensed something nearby, and it was obvious that Charizard did too, because he was growling angrily. "J must be nearby! Return for now Charizard!" Ash whispered, calling back Charizard. "They'll find us if we stay here too long!" Misty whispered. "Then let's get going! Come on guys!" Ash said. Ash, Misty, and the Pokémon ran to hide in the forest, hoping to escape their pursuers. "You think they spotted us?" Misty asked. "Hope not, but we have to be ready for anything!" Ash said.

Suddenly, the whole forest seemed to catch fire all at once, which startled the group. "They must know where we are, they're trying to flush us out!" Misty screamed. "C'mon, we can't let them get Riolu!" Ash yelled. They ran through the blazing forest, looking for any place where they could hide, but that would be futile, as 'J' had spotted them, and cut them off with a 'Flamethrower' from Salamence.

"I warned you to stay out of my way!" Hunter J said threateningly. "We're taking care of Riolu, so you just ran out of luck!" Ash yelled back. "It looks like you're the one who's out of luck." J replied. "We've faced worse than you and come out on top, so this time won't be any different!" Misty screamed. "Then I'll finish this here. Salamence, use 'Flamethrower'." J said. Salamence fired a burning flame directly at the group.

"Look out!" Ash yelled. They dived to avoid their fiery death, and just narrowly escaped. But now they were surrounded by a ring of fire with nowhere to go. "Buizel, 'Water Gun'!" Ash ordered. Buizel fired a jet of water at the flame, and gave them an opening. "Let's go while we can!" Misty exclaimed. They turned to run, but Salamence came up from behind them. "Enough!" J exclaimed. She fired her Cement Cannon, and Riolu was instantly transformed into a statue. "Riolu!" Ash yelled. They ducked to avoid the swooping Salamence. "I spared Riolu the pain and suffering from the flames, you should be grateful!" J exclaimed. With anger coursing through his veins, Ash picked up Riolu's doll and squeezed it in his fist.

"Who do you think you are?" Ash yelled. "You have no right to take Riolu away from its home, or destroy the homes of other Pokémon!" Misty added. "Hmmph, part of being a Bounty Hunter means you have no use for rights." J replied. "And what makes you think we'll just stand-by and let you take Riolu?" Misty screamed. "Exactly, we won't let you get away with this!" Ash added.

"I don't expect you to stand-by, I expect you to perish! Salamence, use 'Hyper Beam'!" J ordered. Salamence fired its attack, and the group dived out of the way to avoid their probable doom. "That's it! You want a battle? You've got one!" Ash yelled, clutching a Pokéball.

"Charizard, I choose you!"

"Misty calls Gyarados!"

The couple called out their two most powerful Pokémon, who roared upon release. "I won't be intimidated by the likes of you. Salamence, use 'Hyper Beam'!" J ordered. Salamence backed into the sky, and fired a powerful beam that stretched out to hit both Pokémon.

"Get ready Charizard!" Ash yelled. Charizard readied its wings for flight, muscles tensed and tingling. "Gyarados, counter with your 'Hyper Beam'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados fired, and the two beams collided in mid-air with an explosion. "Now! Use 'Dragon Breath'!" Ash yelled. Charizard flew through the smoke, and fired a super-effective breath attack at the dragon-type Salamence, who groaned in pain, but didn't fall out of the sky.

"I wasn't hired to fight with brats! Salamence, use 'Flamethrower' and then get that Riolu!" J exclaimed. Salamence fired its attack, forcing Charizard and Gyarados to back off a bit, but that was all it took, as Salamence swooped through the hole that had opened up. "No you don't!" Ash yelled. Ash leaped out of the bush and ran to grab Riolu, but was blocked off by Salamence who tackled him.

Ash took a painful tumble, and finally stopped when Misty stepped in from behind him. "Ash are you ok?" she asked fearfully. Ash clutched his mid-section, but gave a nod. "She's got Riolu!" he yelled. "Now Salamence, finish them with 'Flamethrower'!" J ordered. Ash and Misty gasped in horror, as the dragon Pokémon prepared to end the battle there and now.

"Chimchar, come on out and use 'Dig' quick!" Ash yelled. Chimchar popped out and dug a hole, big enough for the humans to squeeze through. "We can't beat her like this; we have to get out of this forest!" Ash exclaimed. Ash and Misty returned their Pokémon, who growled at J before withdrawing into their balls.

Salamence fired the flame, just as Ash and Misty dove into the hole dug out by Chimchar. "Mission complete. We have the target." J said with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Kellyn, Dawn, and Brock were at the end of the burning forest, trying to keep all of the wild Pokémon from freaking out. "Everyone! Over here!" Dawn screamed over the flames. "This way, everybody keep calm!" Brock yelled. Kellyn turned around, and noticed three Blastoise who were staring at him determinedly. "Alright Blastoise, I'll need all of your help! Capture on!" Kellyn exclaimed.

Kellyn proceeded with the capture, and the Blastoise roared their approval. "Blastoise, use 'Rain Dance'!" Kellyn ordered. The three Blastoise fired six balls of water high into the sky, which quickly formed thick clouds that rained out the fire all over the area. "Yes! Blastoise's 'Rain Dance' will put out the fire!" Brock exclaimed. "You're all going to be just fine." Dawn reassured the Pokémon.

"I'm sure that this fire was the work of Hunter J! I'm worried about Riolu, Ash, and Misty." Kellyn said. "Ash and Misty are the best team you could ever want, they just have to be ok, and Riolu has to be too!" Dawn exclaimed with worry. "Well let's go and find out!" Kellyn said. "Right!" Dawn and Brock replied. They ran off in search of their friends.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket, who had dug yet another pit-trap, and purposely jumped into it for protection, were now gasping for air from their now full hole. "Alright, alright, who did the 'Rain Dance'?" Jessie said angrily, looking in all directions. "Not me, I was a bit preoccupied, treading water." James said. "Only one thing it coulda been, the great Team Rocket wata boy in da sky!" Meowth said dramatically.

Back with Ash and Misty, Chimchar had now resurfaced from underground, with the couple not far behind it. "Hey, thanks to you using 'Dig', we're all safe and sound." Ash said, congratulating Chimchar. "Chim char." (No problem.) Chimchar replied. "Now take a nice rest." Ash said, recalling his monkey.

"At least this rain will take care of the fire." Misty said. "Yeah, I just hope all the Pokémon are ok." Ash said. "Ash, are YOU ok? I saw you holding your ribs earlier." Misty said with concern. "They're a bit sore still, but not enough to stop me from trying to help Riolu!" Ash replied with determination. "But we have no idea where they are right now, how will we find them?" Misty asked.

As if on cue, a rumble was heard from the nearby canyon. Ash and Misty looked over, and saw a huge air-ship. "It's Hunter J's ship!" Ash said. "And it looks like they're getting ready to leave!" Misty pointed out. "Come on, they must have Riolu!" Ash said. Ash and Misty snuck into the air-ship, just before the hatch closed and the ship took off, leaving them trapped inside.

The ship flew over the forest, which did not go unnoticed by the others down below. "That's Hunter J's ship!" Dawn exclaimed. "Does that mean they got Riolu?" Brock asked nervously. "Oh no, what about Ash and Misty?" Dawn asked worriedly. "As long as they're together, the things they're capable of are amazing, don't underestimate them." Brock said. "Don't underestimate Hunter J either." Kellyn said.

"I hear talking behind here." Misty whispered. "Is it J?" Ash asked. "It's a girl's voice for sure, but it's hard to tell from behind this door." Misty replied. "If Riolu is behind here, we have to get it now! Charizard can fly us out of here after." Ash figured. "That's actually a decent plan, I'm impressed." Misty said. Ash nodded, and counted off seconds on his fingers, when he ran out of fingers, Ash charged through the door. "Riolu!" Ash yelled. Riolu turned its head as much as it could, since its bottom torso was still petrified. It cried out happily at Ash's presence, but J re-petrified its upper-half, keeping their reunion at a minimum. "Let Riolu go!" Ash yelled angrily. Hunter J pulled out a Pokéball instead. "Drapion, grab him now!" she ordered. A giant scorpion Pokémon emerged, and grabbed Ash tightly between its claws. Ash groaned in pain at the increasing pressure Drapion was putting on his body.

"I've been aware of your little intrusion the whole time." Hunter J said. "So why didn't you do something before?" Ash strained. "So I could personally punish a little fool like you." Hunter J said menacingly. Drapion squeezed Ash tighter, causing his face to begin to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

"You will suffer the consequences of getting in my way. And weren't there two of you? Where's your foolish friend?" Hunter J asked. "She's right here!" Misty screamed from the door way. Misty pulled out her mallet and leaped over the giant scorpion, smashing its eye with a painful bang. Drapion released Ash, who collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath.

"M-Misty…Riolu." Ash coughed. Misty was about to acknowledge, when Hunter J pressed a switch, and a hole opened up from underneath the couple. They fell through a long, dark tube, and they suddenly found themselves falling to the forest.

"Ash, call out Charizard!" Misty screamed. Ash reached for Charizard's Pokéball, but he fumbled with it, and the Pokéball fell to the ground as well. "No! I dropped it!" Ash said with panic. "Now what do we do?" Misty screamed. "This…could be it! I'm sorry I got you into this Misty!" Ash yelled with regret. "Ash, I don't regret a thing, I'm just sad that it's ending like this." Misty said. Ash and Misty shared what they thought would be their final goodbye hug in mid-air, as the trees below them were growing closer and closer.

Just then, Ash was caught by the backpack by a pair of large talons, and Ash gripped Misty's wrist with all of his strength to ensure that she would not fall to her death. "I got you guys! You alright?" Kellyn asked from the back of the Staraptor he was riding. "A little out of breath, but otherwise ok." Ash replied. "I got off better than Ash did, so I'm cool too." Misty said with relief. "Wait, what about Charizard?" Ash asked suddenly. "You mean this?" Kellyn asked, holding a Pokéball.

"Thanks a lot Kellyn." Ash said gratefully. They stared at the enormous air-ship, which under the influence of its cloaking device, vanished from sight. "They got away." Kellyn said. "Riolu's with J! And it's all because I messed up big-time." Ash said. "How can you possibly blame yourself Ash? You did everything you could to save Riolu! Misty said. "She's right you know, it's not your fault. Don't worry; we'll save Riolu for sure." Kellyn said.

Staraptor flew towards a large clearing, where Dawn and Brock awaited the return of Kellyn. "Brock look!" Dawn exclaimed. "It's Kellyn!" Brock replied. "And he's got Ash and Misty with him!" Dawn said, running to meet up with her friends. "We're so glad you're ok!" Dawn said with relief. "Thanks." Ash and Misty said in unison. "I guess J must've escaped with Riolu." Brock said sullenly.

"She did…but not before Ash nearly got the life squeezed out of him, that creepy Drapion of hers almost killed him!" Misty said angrily. "J is known to be ruthless. She won't show mercy to her enemies." Brock said. "Don't take this the wrong way Ash, but why are you still alive then?" Dawn asked. "Misty saved me. She bashed that bug in the eye with her mallet." Ash explained. Misty gave a proud smile and twirled her mallet in triumph.

Just as Kellyn released Staraptor, his communicator began beeping again. "Kellyn here." he said. "I'm so sorry Kellyn, but unfortunately J's client managed to escape." Solana said sadly. "What did you say?" Kellyn asked in shock. "You see, Jenny and I did our best and got as close as we could…but…" Solana was cut-off my Kellyn. "I see…the truth is…J stole Riolu from us as well." he said. Ash's face fell when he said that, he still thought it was at least partly his fault. Misty gave Ash a small hug from behind to comfort him.

"That's awful!" Solana said. "She's on her way to rendezvous with her client and then transfer Riolu, then…they'll probably cover their tracks, which of course means one thing." Kellyn replied. "That we'll have lost Riolu." Dawn said. "Which means…Riolu will never be able to get back to its kingdom!" Brock added. Misty gave the two teens a glare before she felt Ash's fists shaking at his sides. "Ash, try to relax. It is NOT your fault." Misty said soothingly.

"I know Misty…but there's no way I'm gonna let Riolu be taken away!" Ash yelled. Ash broke free of Misty's embrace, and ran to the middle of the field, shouting. "Riolu, come on, let me know, tell me where you are! Riolu!" he yelled. Ash fell to his knees, with tears welling up in his eyes. "Riolu…I'm sorry." Ash said quietly. Ash's friends surrounded him, and Misty knelt down next to him and tried to give him a hug, which this time Ash rejected. "Ash?" Misty said, slightly hurt at his rejection.

"Riolu…if you can hear me somehow…tell me…come on, tell me!" Ash said, straining his body. Ash suddenly gasped, as if he had figured out something. "What is it Ash?" Brock asked. Ash stood up and looked into the distance in an almost trance-like fashion. "Riolu…THAT'S where you are!" Ash exclaimed. "Ash, do you sense Riolu's aura?" Misty asked. "Exactly! This way! Riolu's this way!" Ash exclaimed, pointing in the correct direction.

"We're on our way to free Riolu right now! Please inform headquarters for me!" Kellyn said. "Understood. Good luck Kellyn!" Solana said before hanging up. "Can you really feel where Riolu is Ash?" Misty asked. "Yeah Mist. It's like I can see Riolu in my mind." Ash replied. "Then let's go save it!" Dawn exclaimed. "Right, follow me!" Ash exclaimed. "No wait! I have an idea, come on!" Kellyn said.

The team ran after the Pokémon Ranger, who activated his styler for capture. "Well Mist, looks like you're getting your own adventure with auras." Ash said. "I just hope that we don't get any closer to death than we already have." Misty said sincerely. "We'll be fine. I promise." Ash replied. Misty gave a smile in response.

"Alright, capture on!" Kellyn yelled. Kellyn had found and captured five Dodrio, which would make the trip much faster. "Hop on everyone, and let's go save Riolu!" Kellyn exclaimed. The team hopped onto their birds, and Ash led them on. "Hang on Riolu, we're coming!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

"Ash, what do we do when we get there?" Misty asked. "If J tries using Salamence again I'll just have Charizard give it a beating it'll never forget!" Ash replied. "But what about Riolu? She probably still has it!" Dawn exclaimed. "Only until she makes the exchange with her client, that's our chance to get Riolu back!" Kellyn exclaimed. "I still can't believe Riolu's aura could reach Ash all the way out here!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That just goes to show how strong the connection between Ash and Riolu is!" Brock said. "You should've seen the way Riolu reacted to Ash while we were separated; they acted like they were best friends!" Misty added. "Riolu responded to Ash's thoughts, those thoughts, along with Ash's emotions allowed Riolu to use its powerful aura to transmit its whereabouts." Kellyn explained.

"Wow, this is just so complicated." Dawn moaned. "Riolu, don't worry!" Ash said to no in particular. "How's that feeling Ash? You got a bead on Riolu?" Misty asked. "Yeah! The aura's stronger than before, so we're getting really close!" Ash replied. "Get ready everyone; it's time for a showdown!" Brock exclaimed.

Just before they reached the edge of a canyon, Ash winced a bit. "Riolu must be down there!" Ash exclaimed. "Hurry!" Kellyn yelled. They reached the edge of the canyon, and found Hunter J and her cronies with a few other men. "There she is!" Misty exclaimed. "We found you J!" Ash yelled angrily. "We won't let you get away with this!" Kellyn declared. "A-A Pokémon Ranger?" the client said fearfully. "Annoying brat." J mumbled. "Riolu needs to return to its kingdom so give it back immediately, or else!" Kellyn threatened.

"No, I'll give you nothing!" the client yelled defiantly. "Then we'll TAKE Riolu back, and get it back where it belongs!" Misty screamed back. "Staravia, use 'Quick Attack' go!" Ash ordered. Staravia popped out of its ball, and swooped down to knock Riolu out of the man's hands. "Charge!" Ash yelled. The five Dodrio ran down the canyon wall. "What now?" Hunter J's head thug asked. "We have our money, let's go." Hunter J said calmly. "It's J!" Ash exclaimed. "And she's getting away!" Brock exclaimed. "Never mind, it's too late, get Riolu!" Kellyn ordered. "No, Riolu belongs to me and nobody else!" the client exclaimed. "No, Riolu!" Ash yelled. Ash's Dodrio ran to scoop up Riolu, until…

"Golem, use 'Hyper Beam'!" the man's henchman said. A Golem appeared, and fired a 'Hyper Beam' right at Ash's Dodrio. The resulting explosion knocked Ash off of his Dodrio, and Ash landed with a painful thud. "Ash!" Misty cried. The team got off of their Dodrios, and surrounded their friend, Misty as usual, tended to him. "Ash, are you ok?" Misty asked worriedly. Brock and Kellyn helped Ash to his feet, and Ash gave a nod to acknowledge. "Finally, I've got a Riolu that can use 'Aura Sphere'!" the man said excitedly.

Suddenly, J's ship took off, causing a huge gale of wind to blow inside the canyon. The group shielded themselves from the hurricane-like winds, as J took off without issue. "I've got Riolu, let's go!" the man ordered. "If you think you creeps are going to get away with hurting Ash and taking Riolu, you really are insane! Misty calls Gyarados!" Misty screamed. Gyarados appeared in front of the group of thugs, blocking them off from their truck. "Now Staravia, slash their tires with 'Quick Attack'!" Ash exclaimed.

Staravia swooped down again, this time to rip apart the tires on their truck. "What? No!" the man yelled. "Now give Riolu back!" Ash demanded. "Forget about it! Get them!" the man ordered. His henchmen all threw out Pokéballs, revealing a Nidoking, Tyranitar, Rhyhorn, and Graveler next to the already released Golem. "That's a lot of power on their side." Dawn said fearfully. Just then, a Fearow appeared in the air, the leader gripped its leg to make his escape.

"I'll leave you to take care of them!" the man laughed. "Riolu!" Ash yelled. Ash turned to his adversaries, angrily clutching Charizard's Pokéball, when all of a sudden Officer Jenny appeared with Solana. "Kellyn, leave them to us, you go after Fearow!" Solana exclaimed. "Come on Ash, let's go!" Misty exclaimed. "Not you Misty, they need your Gyarados' power to beat them, in fact, take Charizard's Pokéball to even the odds." Ash said before hopping onto his Dodrio.

Misty clutched Charizard's ball tightly. "Be careful Ash." she said. "I'll be back Misty, I promise, and I'll have Riolu!" Ash replied. "Alright, hyahh!" Kellyn yelled, getting the Dodrio going. "No you don't, Golem, 'Sandstorm'!" one of the thugs said. Another thug ordered his Rhyhorn to do the same. "You're not getting your greasy mitts anywhere near Ash! Misty calls…Charizard!" Misty screamed.

Charizard roared and spewed a flame at the two rock-types, which managed to stop them just enough to let Ash and Kellyn get away. "Time for a free-for-all!" Solana exclaimed.

"Growlithe, come on out!" Officer Jenny said.

"You too Croagunk, let's go!" Brock said.

"I need everyone's help, let's go!" Dawn said.

Growlithe, Croagunk, and all of Dawn's Pokémon flanked the two dragon-like Pokémon: Charizard and Gyarados, and faced off against their adversaries. "Let's do this for Ash and Riolu!" Misty shouted. The rest of the team roared their approval, and readied themselves for a Pokémon Battle for the ages.

Meanwhile, Ash and Kellyn had caught up with the man and his Fearow. "Stop now!" Ash yelled from below. "Stubborn pests!" the man growled. Kellyn had his Dodrio run up the wall, and jump onto the back of Fearow. "Dodrio, 'Fury Attack'!" Kellyn ordered. The three heads of Dodrio pecked away ay Fearow's neck, forcing it down for a crash landing. "Now give Riolu back!" Ash demanded. "Not in a million years!" the man replied.

He ran for a cave inside the canyon wall, hoping to make his escape. "Come on, let's get him!" Ash yelled. They chased after him, and when they caught up, the man's Aggron used a 'Rock Smash' to create a cave-in, blocking them off from him. "Oh no, he's getting away!" Ash exclaimed. "There has to be another way through." Kellyn said calmly. Ash snapped his fingers, and called out Chimchar.

"Chimchar, try using 'Dig' to get us under these rocks!" Ash ordered. Chimchar dug a hole, but quickly came back up, saying that the ground was too hard to dig under. "Well, thanks for trying Chimchar, return." Ash said sullenly. _"I hope Misty's alright, I left her Charizard, but I don't know if that was enough." _Ash thought worriedly. Kellyn looked around and saw a Donphan walking through the cave; he quickly captured it, and ordered it to use 'Rollout'. Donphan smashed through the rocks like they were nothing, but they were shocked to find four choices to go through. "Oh great." Ash said.

Meanwhile, the battle continued back inside the canyon. Misty and Solana were leading the group through battle. "Gyarados, use "Hydro Pump' on Rhyhorn! And Charizard, use 'Dragon Breath' on Tyranitar!" Misty ordered. "Piplup, Ambipom, help them out with 'Bubblebeam' and 'Swift'!" Dawn added. The four Pokémon fired their attacks, and their adversaries groaned in pain.

"Nidoking, use 'Hyper Beam'!" another thug said. "Growlithe, 'Flamethrower'!" Officer Jenny countered. The attacks collided and made an explosion. "Quick Croagunk, use 'Brick Break' on Nidoking!" Brock ordered. Croagunk leaped through the smoke and bashed Nidoking's head, unaffected by its 'Poison Point' since Croagunk was also a poison-type. "Buneary, Pachirisu, use 'Ice Beam' and 'Discharge'!" Dawn ordered.

The attacks were fired, but then Tyranitar used a 'Hyper Beam' to create a barrier against them. "Charizard, hit Golem and Graveler with a 'Steel Wing'! Gyarados, help Buneary and Pachirisu!" Misty ordered. The Pokémon followed through, but it was obvious that the two most powerful members were getting tired. Even Misty herself was getting fatigued from calling out orders for the dragon-like Pokémon, her shoulder-length red hair swinging back and forth as she turned her head in all directions to continue calling out orders.

Golem and Graveler got up from Charizard's 'Steel Wing', and attacked using a 'Sandstorm' attack. Buneary and Pachirisu, being the lightest Pokémon there, were sent tumbling backwards, while the others shielded themselves. "Charizard and Gyarados can't keep up this pace, those Pokémon are too strong for them to take on alone!" Misty screamed. "We're trying to help, but they keep defending each other!" Dawn added. "There's got to be a way to stand up to them!" Brock yelled.

"There is! I'll capture that Trapinch and have it use 'Rock Tomb'!" Solana exclaimed. "Alright…we'll try to cover you!" Misty screamed wearily. Solana ran to fire her Capture Styler at the ant-Pokémon. "No way! Tyranitar, use 'Hyper Beam'!" a thug ordered. "Gyarados, give them one more 'Hyper Beam'!" Misty countered. With sweat dripping from its brow, Gyarados fired once more, countering the beam sent by Tyranitar.

"Rhyhorn, use 'Take Down' on those punks!" another thug ordered. Rhyhorn charged towards the exhausted water-dragon, which would tip the odds in their favor. "Charizard, use 'Seismic Toss' on that Rhyhorn and do it for Ash!" Misty countered. With the extra motivation to help its master, Charizard attempted to lift Rhyhorn into the air, after a bit of struggling, Charizard managed to get into the air and throw the rhino-Pokémon into its friends.

After which, Charizard collapsed onto one knee from exhaustion. "Anytime Solana!" Misty screamed. "Capture complete, everyone back off! Trapinch, use 'Rock Tomb'!" Solana ordered. Trapinch activated its attack, and rocks appeared from the ground, surrounding the thugs and their Pokémon. Misty stumbled and fell to her knees in exhaustion from leading the battle. "G-Good job Gyarados, I couldn't be prouder." Misty panted, with sweat dripping from her brow. Gyarados gave a tired growl in thanks.

Brock and Dawn came up to help the exhausted gym leader to her feet. "And you Charizard, were amazing. Ash would be proud if he saw you battling just now." Misty said wearily. Charizard gave a tired grunt in response. "And I think Ash would be proud of YOU if he was here Misty." Dawn said. Misty managed to turn a little redder from blush instead of fatigue, before being sat down onto a rock by Brock and Dawn. "Then we're done here. It's all up to Kellyn and Ash now." Solana said. _"I hope you're ok Ash."_ Misty thought.

"There are tons of boulders blocking every passageway, and Riolu can only be behind one of them." Kellyn said. Ash closed his eyes, and concentrated his aura. "Riolu, tell me, where are you?" he said. After a minute, Ash's eyes popped open, and he ran towards the passage farthest to the left. "There, Riolu's in there!" he exclaimed. "Donphan, 'Rollout'!" Kellyn ordered. Donphan smashed through the rock pile, and they quickly caught up with the man.

"Alright, stop!" Ash yelled. "It's all over!" Kellyn added. "But how could you have figured out which way we went?" the man asked in panic. "Simple, Riolu told me!" Ash exclaimed. "T-Told you?" the man said in disbelief. "Riolu's coming with us now!" Kellyn declared. "Not a chance!" the man said defiantly, "Quick, Aggron, 'Double Edge'!"

The Aggron charged forward for a hard shoulder tackle. Ash gripped a Pokéball in his hand, ready for battle, but Kellyn held him back. "I'll handle this one! Donphan, 'Horn Attack'!" he yelled. Donphan's tusks glowed and grew in size, and nailed Aggron in the ribs, knocking it backwards into its master. The man dropped Riolu's case, and it rolled on the floor. "Riolu!" Ash cried. Ash ran toward the case, and wasted no time freeing Riolu from its statue-like state.

Riolu looked around, wondering where it was, and then it saw Ash. Riolu squealed with glee, and ran into Ash's arms for a tight hug. "Riolu, you're ok!" Ash said with relief. "No! Riolu belongs to me! Aggron, 'Hyper Beam'!" the man ordered. Aggron charged its attack, ready to strike. Riolu leaped out of Ash's arms and fired an 'Aura Sphere' to counter the powerful beam. After the two attacks collided, Ash got up to finish the job. "Pikachu, 'Volt Tackle'!" he yelled.

Pikachu ran at full speed, an electric aura completely enveloping it, and it crashed into Aggron with a powerful tackle. Aggron fell over backwards, and crushed its master underneath, leaving him trapped. "I'd say you're done. Give up!" Kellyn said triumphantly. The man grunted in defeat, and surrendered himself to Kellyn's custody. "Ok Ash, let's get back to the others." Kellyn said. "No problem!" Ash said happily.

They walked back to the group with their prisoner in tow, and they were happy to see the thugs tied up, and their friends alive and well. "Ash!" Misty cried happily. Misty ran up to Ash and embraced him in a tight and loving hug, which Ash gladly reciprocated. "I'm glad you're alright Misty." Ash said softly. "What? You were actually worried that we couldn't handle these losers?" Misty asked teasingly. "No, I was worried that something would happen to you while I was gone. Was Charizard any help?" Ash said seriously.

"Ash, Charizard battled like he never had before. He and Gyarados led the pack against those bozos and exhausted himself in the process." Misty said. "How is he now?" Ash asked. "He's completely out of energy. Charizard battled until he couldn't any more. I'm sorry if I worked him too hard." Misty apologized. "As long as you're ok, both me and Charizard don't mind." Ash said. Misty embraced him again in response.

"Misty battled pretty hard herself." Brock said. "Yeah, she was calling out orders left and right, non-stop! She was amazing!" Dawn complimented. Misty blushed from embarrassment. "I'm glad to see Riolu is back safe and sound." Solana said, walking up to the teens. "Ash's aura sure came in handy." Kellyn said. "Now, let's go meet up with headquarters to take Riolu home." Solana said.

Later, as the sun set over the horizon, Riolu's breeder showed up in a truck, just as Officer Jenny sped away with the thugs and their leader in tow. "So thanks to all of you, mission safely accomplished. You were great!" Kellyn said. "Don't forget, I told you Ash would be a big help." Solana said. "Aww, it wasn't much. Don't forget, if Misty hadn't have battled as hard as she did, it would've been a lot tougher." Ash said, putting his arm around Misty. Misty smiled and blushed a bit at the compliment. "Aww, thanks Ash." she said coyly.

"On behalf of the many wonderful people who live in our kingdom, I wish to convey my sincere gratitude for returning our Riolu to us." The breeder said. "Hey thanks, and since Riolu's first set of captors have been arrested as well, you can return home without worry." Brock said. "Riolu, you take care." Dawn said. "And I hope you remember us." Misty added. Riolu nodded to acknowledge, just before Ash remembered something. He pulled out Riolu's doll from his pocket, and placed it in Riolu's paw. "And remember to take good care of this too." Ash said.

Riolu squealed with glee, just before Ash got one last aura message with a wince. "Riolu's aura, right Ash?" Misty asked. "Yeah Mist, that was just Riolu saying thanks. Ain't that right Riolu?" Ash said. Riolu grunted happily, proving that Ash was indeed correct.

"Riolu, I'm never gonna forget you, not ever!" Ash exclaimed. "And I'm sure Riolu will never forget you." the breeder replied. "Good luck in the Sinnoh Region Ash, and thanks again for your help." Solana said. "No prob, we'll see you around, so long Riolu." Ash said. The group turned to walk away, and find a place to set up camp. Ash was walking with his eyes closed though. "What is it Ash?" Misty asked. "Oh, Riolu was just telling me goodbye." Ash replied.

"I'm so glad Riolu will get to go back home finally!" Dawn exclaimed. "Yeah, under MOST…circumstances, there's no place like home." Misty said. "It's really getting dark you guys, how about we find a clearing, and settle down for the night?" Brock suggested. The group nodded, and walked to the grassy clearing that the Dodrio ran across.

"I'll get dinner ready now guys." Brock said. "Alright Brock, I'm starving." Ash replied. "You're always starving!" Misty said teasingly. "Who wouldn't be after a day like today?" Ash said. "Good point, I'm proud of you, you know that?" Misty asked. "Thanks Mist, I'm proud of you too." Ash replied. The group enjoyed a dinner in comfortable silence, and rolled out their sleeping-bags for bed.

Ash squeezed into his bag with a bit of difficulty. "Looks like that sleeping-bag is gonna be too short for you soon Ash." Misty said. Ash blushed with embarrassment. "What can I say that won't sound like I'm tooting my own horn?" he said. Misty giggled and placed her sleeping-bag as close as she possibly could to Ash's. "You going to sleep with your Teddiursa Misty?" Dawn teased. Misty stuck out her tongue at the younger girl, and slipped into her sleeping-bag. "Let them be Dawn, they're probably exhausted." Brock said.

"I know, they really are a perfect couple, but I have to tease them, I can't resist!" Dawn replied. "What if Misty gets her mallet?" Brock asked. Dawn's face fell in fear, but quickly went back to a smile, as they stared at the two teens, whose hands were intertwined as they slept. "Well, tomorrow's another day, and Ash will be back to training tomorrow." Brock said. "I guess you're right. Goodnight Brock." Dawn said.

"Goodnight Dawn." Brock replied. Dawn slipped into her sleeping-bag, and was soon followed by Brock, who had to put out their campfire. The group slept soundly, and the next day they would back on the road to Pastoria City, and Ash's next gym battle.


	18. New Friends and Old

**Phew, sorry this one took so long everyone. There were a few issues here and there during the whole editing process. It's not as easy as it seems to just add Misty's presence to already completed episodes. But you know? It's a lot of fun to read the result of the work, since Misty should've been there all along. Thanks for all the reviews, I really appreciate them. And one last...embarrassing note: I realized that I added Cacnea to a chapter, where it had already been released. So, all references to Cacnea or its attacks have been replaced by Carnivine. Anyways, enjoy this chapter! Oh yeah, I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 18

Misty's POV

We had reached the Lake Valor Pokémon Center on the way to Pastoria City, but not before a series of events that tested Ash and Pikachu's relationship. We ran into this overly-confident boy named Sho, who had a Pichu and a Raichu with him. Thinking it was wild, Sho tried to capture Pikachu to finish off his evolution set. Once Sho realized that Pikachu wasn't wild, he offered up a few Pokémon to trade; namely a Mareep, Magnemite, and Magneton. Ash turned down all of the other Pokémon.

Ash asked why Sho didn't just evolve his Pichu, and Sho said that then he'd have to catch another Pichu. Now I thought that was just the epitome of laziness right there. And I had no problem saying it out loud either, Sho didn't seem to appreciate it too much, and I got a kick out of that.

Ash challenged Sho to a battle – His Raichu against Pikachu. Sho accepted on the terms that if he won, Pikachu was his. However, Ash declined that offer. Still, Sho agreed to battle him anyway. I had told Ash: "I don't think this is such a good idea, he seems really confident in that Raichu of his."

Ash replied by saying: "And I'm just as confident in Pikachu, we'll be fine." I gave up trying to convince him otherwise; I just walked over to where Dawn and Brock were standing to cheer them on. The battle proved to be a carnage however, as Raichu was able to easily out-power Pikachu. Ash tried using speed, but Raichu was just too powerful. And to top it off, Sho decided it was time to use Hyper Beam to end the battle.

Once Ash tried to get Pikachu to dodge it, Raichu used its tail to attach Pikachu to a near-by rock so it couldn't run away. Raichu charged up its Hyper Beam attack and cruelly hit Pikachu at point-blank range! This also destroyed the rock and sent Pikachu flying. Pikachu tried to stand up, but fell back down when Raichu stepped in front of it. Pikachu looked in fear at the face of the attacker before Ash, concerned, ran over to Pikachu and held it.

And Sho, who obviously had no sense of sympathy, asked to trade again. I gave him my best scowl, which seemed to intimidate him a little, but he kept his cool outward expression. Ash again refused to trade, and I proudly announced that I was sure that nothing Sho could say would make Ash say otherwise.

Sho changed his mind, and made fun of Pikachu before walking away smugly. I grabbed my mallet to bash Sho's head in, but Brock held me back. And if that wasn't enough, that creep: Paul showed up and said that Pikachu needed to evolve before Pikachu would even come close to Raichu. Ash growled at him, but Paul just walked away without another word. Just then Pikachu passed out in Ash's arms, and we immediately ran to a Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy rushed Pikachu into the emergency room, and started hooking it up to wires.

I looked at Ash, and saw that tears were welling up in his eyes, and he was desperately trying to keep them from falling. But when he saw through the window that Pikachu's pulse and heart rate had begun to drop, Ash had no more defense against the tears that were fighting to let loose. He pounded his fist against the windowsill, and he cried through gritted teeth. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop himself from crying, but it was a futile attempt, as his tears flowed freely. I could see that it was my turn to play the role of comforter; I wrapped my arms around him and tried to heal his hurting heart. Without letting go, I walked him over to a nearby bench, leaving Brock and Dawn by the window.

His tears continued to flow, and he obviously didn't like looking vulnerable in front of me. I told him: "It's ok Ash, if you want to cry, then cry. We're here for you…I'm here for you." Ash leaned into my embrace, and hugged me back. I felt water dripping on the back of my yellow top, and I knew it was really tears coming from the eyes of the Pokémon Trainer in my arms. I took his hat off of his head, and stroked his jet-black hair, trying to calm him. I shushed him softly, and started humming a little song. I always enjoyed singing, and I often did it in Cerulean, I hoped that my little melody would soothe his soul.

Ash's POV

I really hated looking vulnerable in front of Misty. I felt like I was weak, like I couldn't handle the situation without tears. But Pikachu was dying and it was all my fault! I couldn't help but feel horrible on the inside.

But when Misty started humming, I felt a feeling of peace wash over me, I was still crying, which I really didn't want to, but I didn't feel quite as disturbed. It seemed like an angel was singing to me with her heavenly voice, as she stroked my hair with a light and comforting touch. It was a simple hum, but it was one of the most calming things I had ever heard.

Misty's POV

Dawn and Brock walked up, wearing sympathetic smiles as I hummed my song to Ash. After a few minutes, Ash freed himself from my embrace, wiped his tears, and faced his other two friends. Brock said that Pikachu's vitals were back to normal, which brought sighs of relief from both me and Ash.

Later that afternoon, Nurse Joy led us to where Pikachu was sleeping in a hospital bed, and we waited for it to come to. Once it did, Pikachu quickly tried to rush off to get revenge on Raichu, but Ash put it back in the bed, saying that it needed to rest. Then, Ash got out a Thunderstone, and I recognized it as the same one from his gym battle with Lt. Surge's Raichu. He had kept it all that time in case Pikachu ever wanted to evolve, but Pikachu didn't seem to want to evolve even then. Since Pikachu still seemed hurt, we left the room after Ash placed the Thunderstone on the table next to the window.

Later that night, me and Ash had gone in to check on Pikachu again, but we became worried when we noticed that Pikachu was gone, and so was the Thunderstone. We ran out of the room, passing Dawn and Brock on the way, and I told them that Pikachu was missing and that we were going to search for it.

Ash spotted what seemed like a 'Thunderbolt' in the starry night sky, and he tugged on my arm, motioning me to follow him. Running into the clearing, we saw Pikachu using 'Volt Tackle' on a rock, smashing it to bits. Ash happily ran over and hugged his yellow friend, happy that Pikachu had decided not to evolve after all.

Dawn and Brock eventually found us, and were just as relieved as me when Pikachu hadn't evolved. We went to bed, relieved that everything was alright, and the next morning we found Sho again, and Ash immediately challenged him to a rematch. But not before they had done some special training to counter Raichu's power.

With spinning dodges and attacks, Pikachu triumphed over its evolved form. I saw Paul watching in the nearby bushes, so I put my fingers in an 'L' formation, labeling him as a loser. I laughed when Paul walked away in disgust. I was surprised that Sho was being a good sport about losing, for the most part anyway, and he said goodbye coolly.

Satisfied with the win, Ash suggested that we hit the road, and we walked on the path to Pastoria City. Which led us to where we were now: At another Pokémon Center on the path to Pastoria City. I was sitting next to Dawn, who was brushing her Pachirisu as the TV showed a young man with forest-green hair and his Milotic on the screen. "Awesome, I can't believe Wallace is actually there!" Dawn exclaimed. I was starting to get bored, I was glad Dawn was excited again, but documentaries weren't really my thing, even if it starred a hunk like Wallace. Besides, I had my own hunk to be with, and he came in asking if I would train with him.

"Coming Ash!" I said excitedly, taking the opportunity to escape. I left Dawn to watch her show, and I ran to the battlefield to call out Vaporeon.

Normal POV

"Misty calls Vaporeon!" Misty exclaimed. Vaporeon stretched, and then got into battle-ready stance. "Ready to go Pikachu and Turtwig?" Ash asked. The Pokémon acknowledged. "Alright Misty, start us off with a water-attack." Ash said. "Vaporeon, use 'Blizzard'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon sent a freezing wind at the two surprised Pokémon. "Waah! Pikachu and Turtwig, spin and dodge it!" Ash countered quickly.

The two Pokémon followed through, and spiraled in mid-air to avoid the freezing attack. "Misty, I said water, not ice!" Ash yelled. "Ahh, but that was a surprise attack! I'm trying to show you the fact that if Vaporeon knows an ice-type move, it isn't uncommon for other water-types to know ice-type moves, which of course is super-effective against grass-types like Turtwig." Misty explained.

"Hey, you're right! Guess we'll have to be ready for something like that." Ash said. "And now for your water-attack. Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse'!" Misty ordered. This time, Vaporeon fired its water-attack, and Ash ordered his Pokémon to dodge the same way as before.

"Turtwig, use 'Energy Ball'! Pikachu, 'Iron Tail' let's go!" Ash ordered. After their dodges, the two Pokémon began their assault on Misty's Vaporeon. "Vaporeon, dodge that 'Energy Ball' and counter the 'Iron Tail' with your tail!" Misty countered. Vaporeon leaped into the air to avoid the projectile, and then countered Pikachu's 'Iron Tail' by using its tail as a shield.

But then, Pikachu hooked onto Vaporeon's tail, and spun its own tail around before throwing Vaporeon into the air. "Ahh! Try to land on your feet Vaporeon!" Misty cried. Vaporeon regained its balance, and landed gracefully on the ground. "Va po." (Not bad.) Vaporeon said. "Pi pika pi." (Not bad yourself.) Pikachu replied.

The battle ended when Brock, who was watching with Happiny, Sudowoodo, Dawn's Buneary, and all of Ash's other Pokémon, started to applaud the performance. "Now that was some impressive work." he said. Ash ran to his Pokémon to congratulate them, and Misty joined them with Vaporeon a few seconds later. "Great stuff Turtwig, your 'Energy Ball' is really starting to get powerful!" Ash exclaimed, "You're gonna rock at the Pastoria Gym!"

Pikachu was congratulated by Buneary, who happily showed its affection to Pikachu, who blushed out of embarrassment. "Aww, that's so cute." Misty gushed. Pikachu sweat-dropped as Buneary gave it a hug.

"You know, it looks like Pikachu learned some of those moves Raichu was using back in their battle." Brock said. "I guess everything does happen for a reason." Misty said. "You bet! And thanks to you Misty, we're gonna be more than ready to go at the water-type Pastoria Gym!" Ash exclaimed. "You're welcome Ash, happy to do it. So have you decided which Pokémon you're going to use yet?" Misty asked.

"I'm gonna use Pikachu and Turtwig for sure, but I'm not sure about the third one yet." Ash said. Suddenly, Gligar hopped off of Sudowoodo, and tackled Ash in its excitement. "I wonder if this is how Brock always feels." Ash moaned. Misty pulled Gligar off of Ash, and helped him to his feet. "You ok Ash?" she said. "Yeah, I'm fine. Gligar just got too excited is all." Ash replied. "At least you know Gligar feels about it, in no uncertain terms." Brock said. By now, Dawn had come outside with her Pokémon, and was watching the training take place.

Dawn's POV

_"Ash is so incredible…to think he took that spinning move of ours, and brought it up to such a high level. Amazing…no battle's too much for him. And Misty, just a couple of weeks ago she was in the Kanto Region as a gym leader, and now she's come to travel with us, and just looking back on the impact she's made on all of us and our Pokémon in such a short time, it's almost impossible to believe. They both have an incredible way of making their Pokémon stronger and stronger, by using their own powers! It's no wonder they're a perfect match, they both train with everything they've got…well now it's our turn!" _I thought.

"So how does some serious training sound?" I asked my Pokémon. I smiled when they shouted their approval, and we ran to the field next to where Ash and Misty were training.

Normal POV

"Hey you two, looks like Dawn's taking a cue from you!" Brock exclaimed. "Alright! It's about time Dawn started contest training again." Misty said. "Give it all you got Dawn!" Ash said. "Thanks Ash, you do the same. Hey Buneary, come over here!" Dawn called. Buneary hopped over to her master, but not before giving Pikachu one last hug, which Pikachu blushed at.

Dawn turned her back on her Pokémon, and took a deep breath before facing them again. "Now, I know that you've been worried about me lately, but now's our time to shine!" she exclaimed determinedly. "Shine on Dawn!" Misty screamed. "Right! First, a warm-up! Now Piplup, let's get going with 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered.

Piplup created a giant whirlpool and held it in place over its head. "Buneary, you use 'Bounce'!" Dawn added. Buneary bounced around all over the field, leaping high into the air at times.

"Ambipom, quick, use 'Swift'! Pachirisu, 'Discharge'! The Pokémon fired their attacks, and they swirled in the air, creating a very pretty design. "Alright, that's the way it's done! Now, let's do it bigger and with more power!" Dawn exclaimed.

Dawn's Pokémon pushed themselves to the limit, powering up their attacks and making it shine in a grand display. "Awesome, look at 'em go!" Ash exclaimed. Misty sighed sadly. "What's wrong Misty?" Ash asked. "Don't you remember what Zoey tried to tell Dawn?" Misty asked. Misty wasn't planning on Dawn hearing what she had just said, it brought a flashback to the blue-haired girl's mind.

_"In the middle of all that flash, Ambipom's disappeared! You've gotta remember that it's your Pokémon that are always the main attraction!"_

Ash, Misty, and Brock were shocked when Dawn suddenly started freaking out. "Alright, hold on, hold on! Forget everything I told you, everything!" Dawn exclaimed. She ran into the middle of where the attacks were, and got zapped by Pachirisu's 'Discharge', bombarded by 'Swift', and soaked by 'Whirlpool'. Ash, Misty, and Brock ran to Dawn, whose attempt to stand up had been foiled by Buneary's 'Bounce'.

"Hey Dawn!" Ash said. "Are you ok?" Brock asked. "No need to worry." Dawn replied woozily. "Are you sure about that Dawn?" Misty asked. Dawn got to her knees and held her head. "Well, that's what I'd like to say, but I'm not feeling so good." she said. All of a sudden, Dawn's hair frizzed and stood up on end from the static in Pachirisu's 'Discharge' attack. "Oh great, now I feel fine, but my hair doesn't." Dawn moaned.

"What happened out there Dawn?" Ash asked. "See, I was focusing on making all those moves as big and powerful looking as I possibly could, but then I heard Misty tell you about what Zoey had said to me before, and I suddenly remembered what it was she said and realized I was doing it all wrong." Dawn explained.

"I'm sorry Dawn; I didn't mean to discourage you." Misty apologized. "It's not your fault Misty; I should've remembered what to focus on before I got started." Dawn replied. "Hey, no need to worry. I mean it!" Ash said, putting his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Yeah, you looked really excited about doing it, so it's a start." Misty added. "You don't have to be so hard on yourself, since as long as your moves are making your Pokémon look as appealing as possible, then everything will be just fine." Brock added.

"That's what I SHOULD focus on. But instead of doing that, I end up only thinking about giving it my all." Dawn said. "Don't worry Dawn, you'll get it." Misty encouraged. "I sure hope so." Dawn said.

"Hey everybody! Can we talk for a minute?" a female voice asked. The group looked up, and saw Nurse Joy walking up to them along with Rhonda the reporter and her camera and sound crew. Upon seeing Nurse Joy, Brock immediately went into girl crazy mode, as he took Nurse Joy's hand into his.

"Of course, we can talk for a minute, or an hour, or a day, or forever!" Brock exclaimed passionately. Brock's romantic thinking was interrupted by Croagunk's 'Poison Jab'. "My…how…the…time…flies." Brock strained before face-faulting. Brock fell to the floor, and was dragged away by the irritated poison-type. "Hey Rhonda, long time no see." Ash said. "Ash, you know an actual reporter?" Misty asked. "Yeah, we met her when Dawn and I did a tag-battle versus twins a few months back." Ash explained.

"Well, and who is this?" Rhonda asked, holding her microphone up to Misty's face, which drew a sweat-drop from her. "Oh yeah, meet Misty Waterflower from Cerulean City. She's my…" Ash was cut-off by Misty's hand. "Old friend from Kanto! Yeah, I actually used to be the gym leader in Cerulean, but now I'm here to cheer on my friends: Ash and Dawn." Misty said.

Dawn quickly fixed her hair upon attention being brought to her, and Ash looked at Misty with confusion. "Hmm…interesting." Rhonda said indifferently. Misty made a face of disgust. _"Hmmph, all reporters are snobs."_ she thought. "Anyways, you didn't happen to see Contest Master Wallace hanging around here did you?" Rhonda asked. "THE Wallace? Hanging around here?" Dawn exclaimed with shining eyes. "Who's Wallace?" Ash asked. "What's he look like anyway?" Brock asked jealously.

"He was the guy in that documentary Dawn was watching this morning." Misty said. "How can you not have ever seen Wallace?" Dawn asked in disbelief. "You have now, isn't he a dreamboat?" Rhonda asked, holding up a magazine cover. "So Wallace uses a Milotic, does he?" Brock said. "I guess he's kinda cute." Misty said. "Kinda? He's only the biggest superstar that every coordinator's dying to meet, and I'm one of them too!" Dawn gushed. Ash backed up a few steps and crossed his arms, which Misty caught.

"We'll talk later." Misty whispered. Ash responded with a frustrated glare, which seem to hurt Misty. She turned back to Rhonda, not wanting to see Ash's face anymore.

"Wallace regularly travels the Kanto and Hoenn regions holding Pokémon Contests that bears his name, it's called the Wallace Cup, and as you can probably guess, Wallace is its main promoter. Also, the prestigious Wallace Cup Ribbon counts as an official ribbon in any of the competitions all over the country! This year's Wallace Cup is to be held right here at Lake Valor." Rhonda explained.

"Hey, you do know that we're right by the lake right now!" Brock said. "You're right! I'm thinking of entering the Wallace Cup myself!" Dawn exclaimed. "Really Dawn? You're finally getting back to it?" Misty asked excitedly. "So that's why you were so pumped up before during your training." Brock said. "So…Rhonda, what did you say about Wallace hanging around here somewhere?" Dawn asked dreamily.

"This is Wallace's day off, and because of that, his whole staff refuses to tell me where Wallace is! But my sources tell me he's somewhere around here." Rhonda said, "A shot of Wallace relaxing would be priceless so needless to say we've got to find him! So if any of you see him, you've got to let me know!"

Rhonda turned to walk away, when her out-of-shape microphone holder whacked her on the head with it. "Will you cut out this nonsense and get a grip already? We've got an exclusive to cover." Rhonda said, stomping away. "So Wallace is in the same forest as me." Dawn said dreamily. "Big deal." Ash mumbled.

"You really want to meet him, don't you Dawn?" Misty asked teasingly. "How did you guess?" Dawn asked. "Why don't we all go look for him together?" Brock suggested. "Wow! Thanks so much guys!" Dawn exclaimed. The group walked into the forest to search, although one member wasn't too happy about it.

Ash's POV

_"So Misty thinks that Wallace guy is cute huh? What does he have that I don't anyway? And when I tried to tell Rhonda she was my girlfriend, she stopped me. Does she not care anymore? Or does she care about Wallace more?" _I thought angrily. I felt jealously building inside of me, bringing more and more anger along with it. I didn't want any part of this whole searching for Wallace thing, but Dawn was so bent on it, that I'd get never-ending harassment if I didn't go along with it, so I had no choice.

Normal POV

After a while of searching, Misty turned her head back to Ash, who was walking with his arms crossed and his head bowed. _"I know why he's so mad. He's jealous of Wallace because I said he was cute. I have to fix this."_ Misty thought. She slowed her pace enough so that she was walking side-by-side with the irritated Pokémon Trainer. "What do you want?" Ash snapped. "Ash, I hope you didn't think that what I said meant I like Wallace." Misty said.

"What am I supposed to think?" Ash asked. "Don't you think I would've gone all starry-eyed like Dawn if I really cared?" Misty replied. Ash looked Misty in the eyes, and they showed sincerity. "I guess, but what about when you stopped me from saying that you were my girlfriend?" Ash asked. "You were about to tell a reporter Ash! I didn't want the whole Sinnoh Region to know we were a couple! She looked at me like a subject for a story!" Misty explained.

"Yeah, I guess Rhonda is over the top." Ash admitted. "You don't have to be jealous of ANYONE Ash, believe me, you'll always be number one in my heart." And with that, Misty kissed Ash's cheek, which left a huge grin on his face. "Well, if you say so." Ash said happily. "I say so, now how about we try and make Dawn's dream come true?" Misty suggested.

"Sure thing, except where do you look for a famous guy?" Ash asked. "I don't know, I guess we'll just have to keep looking." Misty replied. Just then, Misty's Vaporeon started sniffing the air with pleasure. "Hmm? What is it Vaporeon?" Misty asked. "Va va po." (Fresh water, it smells great.) Vaporeon replied. "Does Vaporeon smell something Misty? Maybe something…or someone special?" Dawn asked dreamily.

"Nah, it's just water." Misty replied. Dawn face-faulted in disappointment. "But wait, there's some weird fog over there." Brock said. "Let's go check it out!" Dawn exclaimed, regaining her excitement. The group walked into the fog-bank, and then stopped when they heard a siren-like song. "You hear that?" Ash asked. "It sounds heavenly." Misty said with her eyes shut.

They moved further into the fog-bank, following the angelic sound, and they gasped in awe at what they saw. "Oh, it's beautiful." Misty said. "It's beyond that…could that be a Milotic?" Dawn asked, pulling out her Pokédex.

"Milotic, the tender Pokémon, and the evolved form of Feebas. At the first sign of fighting, Milotic will come up from the bottom of its lake-habitat to calm any negative feelings." her Pokédex said.

"Wow…no wonder it can do that. Its singing voice is absolutely breath-taking." Misty said quietly. "That means you represent a Milotic, Mist. Your singing voice calmed my negative feelings yesterday." Ash whispered. Misty smiled sheepishly with blush on her cheeks and nuzzled Ash's cheek affectionately at the compliment.

"Sometimes I wonder if they remember we're still here." Brock whispered jokingly. Dawn was about to respond, when she suddenly gasped as she looked at the figure that was relaxing on a rock. "I-It's…Wallace." Dawn squeaked. Wallace turned to see the four teens staring in awe, and gave a small smile. "Well well, hello there everyone." he said. "Uh…um…h-h-hi." Dawn stammered. Wallace chuckled at Dawn's reaction. "And what might your names be?" Wallace asked cordially.

"I'm Ash."

"My name's Misty."

"I'm Brock, nice to meet you."

"I-I-I'm…D-Dawn."

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you all, I'm Wallace." Wallace said. "No need to introduce yourself, I know exactly who you are!" Dawn squealed. "Well, that's very flattering." Wallace replied. "Your Milotic is absolutely breath-taking sir. I just adore water-types and your Milotic is high amongst the most beautiful ones I've ever seen." Misty said.

"Well thank you Misty, we both appreciate that. And no need for formalities, you may all call me by my name." Wallace said. "Hey, did you know there are reporters looking for you?" Brock asked. Wallace gave a sad sigh. "That's no surprise." he said sadly. "What do you mean?" Ash asked. Wallace chuckled, and called Milotic to his side. "Milotic, take these Pokémon out for a good time on the lake, will you?" Wallace requested. Milotic obliged, and allowed Pikachu and Piplup to hop onto its back, while Vaporeon surfed on the water.

"Sit down everyone, and I'll explain." Wallace said. The group obliged, and sat down on the grass, they watched their Pokémon enjoy themselves with Milotic as Wallace told his story.

"Ever since I arrived in Sinnoh, my schedule never seems to end. The talk-shows, magazines, radio, even at the hotel the fans are…all over me. And so I pleaded with my staff to give me just one day off and let me truly relax…and have some quality time with Milotic." Wallace said, watching his beloved Milotic dive underwater with Pikachu and Piplup, followed closely by Vaporeon.

"They sure are having fun." Dawn said. "Milotic hasn't looked this happy since we arrived in Sinnoh…my beautiful Milotic." Wallace said. "I think beautiful is an understatement, if I could find a better word to describe it, I would." Misty said. "Why thank you again Misty." Wallace said graciously. Wallace hopped off the rock he was sitting on, and petted Milotic, who had come over to the water's edge for affection.

"The most important thing for Pokémon and trainer is kinship, and should you ever forget about that, your Pokémon will never shine." Wallace said. "That sounds like what Ash always says." Misty said. "Is it now?" Wallace asked. "Well, I always say that the key to winning a Pokémon Battle is to be one with your Pokémon." Ash said with his hand behind his head. "That is a very good state-of-mind, and a true one." Wallace replied.

"Oh! Hey, we're sorry for bothering you while you were taking a break. We won't let anyone know you're here." Dawn said. "Especially that nosy Rhonda lady." Misty added. "That's very nice. Thank you all." Wallace said. "You know Wallace, Dawn's a Pokémon Coordinator too, and since she's going to be entering the Wallace Cup, you'll see us all again for sure!" Ash exclaimed. Wallace turned to face the teens and smiled.

"Oh? Then I'm honored to have Dawn as one of our entrants. And if you wouldn't mind Dawn, I would love for you to show me some of your contest moves right now." Wallace requested. "(Gasp) Right now?" Dawn asked with shock. "That's great Dawn! What an opportunity!" Brock exclaimed. "How can you pass up a chance to show Wallace what you're made of?" Misty added. "They're right! Think of how ready you'll be for the Wallace Cup." Ash added.

"I guess so…but…" Dawn said hesitantly. "You know something? You'll need an opponent!" Misty exclaimed. "Huh? You want to battle with me?" Dawn asked. "Oh not me, I haven't been here long enough to know the basics. I was going to suggest Ash." Misty replied. "That's a great idea! What do you say Dawn? Wanna take me on?" Ash asked.

After a quick encouragement from Piplup, Dawn said yes, and thanked Wallace for his gracious offer. They walked over to a spot with more space to begin, but little did they know that they were being watched.

"The superstar's benevolent." James said. "And beautiful, Milotic too!" Jessie said dreamily. "But get a load of da twoips trying to get the upper hand." Meowth said. "Are we jealous? Most unflattering." Jessie said with mock disapproval. "So now what then Jess?" James asked. "What else? I get into my Jessilina outfit and charm the living daylights out of him!" Jessie replied. James and Meowth sweat-dropped at her answer.

"Oh dear, I don't think I've been this nervous in my life." Dawn said nervously. "Hey Dawn; remember your battle with Maylene? It's the same thing now. Just have fun out there!" Misty exclaimed from the sidelines. "You're right. Thanks Misty!" Dawn replied. "That's what I like to hear out of you Dawn." Ash said. "Thanks Ash, now let's do it!" Dawn replied.

"Kay, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash called out his water-type, who stood with its arms crossed, waiting to begin. "Dawn was actually Buizel's trainer first." Brock explained. "And what a battler too. I sure am proud of Ash for making his water-type as strong as he did." Misty added. "So they made a trade then?" Wallace figured. "She got Ash's Aipom, who loves competing in contests." Brock explained. "I see." Wallace stated.

"Piplup, you ready to go?" Dawn exclaimed. "Pi plup!" (You bet!) Piplup replied. "Alright then, bring it on!" Ash exclaimed. "Bui bui bui!" (Come and get some!) Buizel added, waving its paw in a "bring-it-on" fashion. "Ok Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup acknowledged, and fired a stream of bubbles at the water weasel.

"Buizel, 'Sonic Boom'!" Ash countered. Buizel swung its tail, and a powerful sound wave carried to counter the stream of bubbles. "Now use 'Water Gun'!" Ash ordered. Now on offense, Buizel fired a high-powered stream of water at Piplup. "Piplup, spin and dodge it!" Dawn countered. Piplup spun out of the way of the attack, which seemed to catch Wallace's attention.

"Great, now use 'Peck'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup charged towards Buizel to poke it with its sharp beak. It made contact, but Buizel crossed its arms in an 'X' formation and defended itself. "Buizel, 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. Buizel enveloped itself in water, and flew into the sky with amazing speed, which caused water to sprinkle down from above.

"That's excellent! The water brings out the best in Buizel!" Wallace said, impressed by the display. "Who knew Ash had it in him?" Misty wondered in awe. "Alright, 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup created a massive whirlpool in mid-air, and it collided with Buizel's 'Aqua Jet', the two attacks fighting for superiority.

Buizel finally turned away, just as the whirlpool broke apart, leaving a light mist to sprinkle on everyone. "Yeah! Way to go Dawn!" Ash exclaimed. "You too Ash!" Dawn replied. Wallace applauded the performance. "Wow, wonderful performance, Buizel AND Piplup. Shall we end it there?" he said. "Yeah sure, thanks a lot Buizel." Ash said, giving a thumbs-up. Buizel gave his own thumbs-up in response.

"Great going Piplup!" Dawn said happily. Dawn lifted the laughing Piplup over her head and laughed along with it in joy. "You looked really good out there Dawn, you too Ash. Who knew you had it in you?" Misty said. "Well, I guess while traveling with May and now Dawn, I picked up a few things here and there." Ash said modestly. "So Dawn, I heard it was you that raised Buizel." Wallace said. "Yeah, it was." Dawn acknowledged.

"Since Buizel is so fond of battling, it would be wonderful to see those impressive movements utilized in a contest, remember that Buizel's unique battling style comes from the way Dawn raised it." Wallace said. "Yeah, I guess Buizel got used to doing things that way while with me." Dawn said. "So what would you think of entering the Wallace Cup with Buizel as your partner Ash?" Wallace asked.

"Here's the thing…both of us always get super pumped-up and then we totally forget about the performance." Ash explained. "You've been in contests before Ash?" Misty asked. "Yeah, I was in a few, but mostly just for fun." Ash replied.

"I would love to see Buizel in a contest!" Dawn exclaimed, Of course, you know that Buizel never got the chance to compete in a contest when we were partners. And what Wallace said is true; I know it would be great for Buizel."

"You have a point. Buizel, so whaddya say?" Ash asked. Buizel acknowledged with a nod of its head. "So what did you think of Dawn and Piplup's performance?" Brock asked. "Hmm…let's see." Wallace said thoughtfully. Misty caught the fact that Dawn's face had turned grim. _"Please say that she did good."_ she thought hopefully.

"The way you show your moves is flawless, very well researched and rehearsed. But I heard some things about Piplup from Misty and Brock, and I think you may indeed be focusing too much on the moves themselves." Wallace said. Dawn audibly groaned, her facial expression never changing.

Wallace winked, and continued his review. "Think for a moment about Piplup's basic nature. It can't be ALL about dramatic performances so I suggest keeping it more natural. Dawn, I was wondering, have you played with your Pokémon lately?" he asked.

"Played with them?" Dawn wondered. Dawn gasped with realization and stood up. "You're right; I've been concentrating too much on working and contests. The truth is, I've been thinking only about myself, I've been putting my needs over my Pokémon's needs the whole time, I guess we haven't been playing much at all." she said.

Everyone smiled as Dawn hugged Piplup happily, but then they heard an overly-cheerful voice. "Trying to hide from the real contest talent, are we Wallace dear?" the voice said. They turned to see the overly-perky Jessilina standing with her two escorts. "Come come, it's not fair to not share your talents with those of us who really appreciate them." she said.

"Um, and you three would be?" Wallace asked. "Hello! I too am an idol, with one ribbon under my designer belt, the lovely Jessilina!" Jessilina exclaimed. "Oh brother, how do you run into so many people with ego-problems anyway Ash?" Misty asked. "Just unlucky I guess." Ash replied with a sweat-drop.

"I'm your biggest fan!" Jessilina exclaimed, shaking Wallace's hand a little too zealously. "And this magnificent Milotic must be the most precious Pokémon in the whole wide world! And here I am getting completely up close and personal with both of you!" she squealed. "I can see why Wallace said he needed a break." Brock said quietly. "Yeah, no kidding, who would want to be fawned over like that?" Ash asked. "You would Ashy." Misty teased. Ash blushed out of embarrassment. "Yeah…I guess." Ash admitted. "Now watch this! Go Seviper!" Jessilina threw out a Pokéball, and her Seviper emerged, wearing a Milotic hat, which drew sweat-drops from everybody.

"A teensy tribute to you and your precious Pokémon partner in my own unique star-struck style!" Jessilina exclaimed. "I'm flattered, but you might want to remove that before you compete." Wallace said. "I'll say." Ash added. "I feel sorry for Seviper." Misty said.

"Of course, I'm entering the Wallace Cup too! So make sure you blow me kisses and chant Jessilina, Jessilina, Jessilina, Jessilina, Jessilina, Jessilina!" Jessilina squealed. "Can't you make a fool of yourself on your own time?" her taller escort yelled. "We've got enough of your social graces at home! Back in da box lady!" her shorter one added. Much to Jessilina's dismay, they stopped her from flirting with Wallace by yanking her away and putting distance between them.

"Wow, a weirdo that could rival Team Rocket." Misty said with a sweat-drop. After the odd display, Wallace turned and hopped onto a rock. "Milotic, shall we demonstrate to these promising, young coordinators what a wonderful day of relaxation and play can do?" he said. Milotic swirled around Wallace, ready and waiting to put on a show.

"You mean…you'd put on a performance for us?" Dawn asked. Wallace winked and said: "Sure, my way of thanking you all for a wonderful time."

Ash and co. moved to a nearby log, and sat themselves down to watch the performance. "Better put your hair up Misty, remember what happened last time." Ash said. Misty obliged, and put her hair into the familiar, but now longer ponytail. Then, she slipped herself under Ash's arm, which caused Ash to give her a confused look. "What? I need a good reason for this?" Misty asked teasingly. Ash smirked and brought her closer to him. "Blech, I think I'm starting to lose my support for those two." Jessilina/Jessie grumbled.

"I hope you two won't be so busy flirting that you miss the performance." Brock teased. "No way, I want to see Milotic in action!" Misty exclaimed. "Then let's begin. Use 'Safeguard'!" Wallace ordered calmly. Milotic glowed in a green and magical aura, a fogbank rolled in as it sang its heavenly tune. The group of teens gasped in awe at the sight. "It's beautiful…" Dawn said. "Aqua Ring'!" Wallace ordered.

Milotic leaped into the air, and was surrounded by rings of water, that reflected the sunlight, which gave it the illusion of being inside of a rainbow. "Awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "It's almost mystical." Dawn said. "I want to learn that move…it's just too beautiful for words." Misty added. "I want that move too! And I want it right now!" Jessilina exclaimed.

"Use 'Dragon Pulse'!" Wallace ordered. Milotic broke up the rings with its attack, causing water droplets to splash everywhere. "Now, Milotic, finish with 'Twister'!" After flying around the small audience, and taking a small detour to push Ash and Misty even closer together, Milotic flew high into the air, making a water tornado as it spun in the air.

When the wind died down, and the twister fell back to the water, Milotic floated in mid-air, signaling that its performance was complete. "How did you do that move? I want to use 'Aqua Ring'!" Jessilina exclaimed. "I'm terribly sorry, but Seviper can't perform 'Aqua Ring'." Wallace said. "But…it's dressed up like Milotic." Jessilina persisted.

Misty jumped out from under Ash's arm, and ran next to Jessilina with her Vaporeon. "But 'Aqua Ring' is a water-type move, and Seviper is not a water-type!" Misty exclaimed. "I'm afraid she's right, that's precisely why it's impossible for Seviper." Wallace said. "Meddling brat." Jessilina grumbled. "But she's right about that move, it was incredible! Can Vaporeon learn 'Aqua Ring'?" Misty asked. "It's possible, but the bond between the trainer and the Pokémon must be quite strong." Wallace said.

"Then it's a done deal! Isn't that right Vaporeon?" Misty said, petting Vaporeon's head. "Va po va!" (You got it!) Vaporeon replied happily. "You see, Ash gave Vaporeon to Misty as a gift." Dawn explained. Ash put his hand behind his head and chuckled. "I see. Well in that case, I'm sure it can be done." Wallace said. "Alright!" Misty cheered.

After Milotic demonstrated the technique for 'Aqua Ring', the training began. "Vaporeon, use 'Aqua Ring'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon concentrated its power, and rings of water started forming around Vaporeon. "Looking good!" Ash exclaimed. But just before it finished, the rings fell apart, leaving small puddles on the ground.

"Shoot! We were so close." Misty said. "That was quite well done for a first time." Wallace said. "Yeah, a little more training, and Vaporeon will have it down!" Ash encouraged. "Thanks Ash, you too Wallace. And I give special thanks to you Milotic." Misty said, petting Milotic, who trilled with pleasure.

"Seeing your enthusiasm to learning such a graceful and attractive move, I think that you should also enter the Wallace Cup Misty." Wallace said. "M-Me? I never really thought about it before." Misty said with surprise. "Of course, any trainer who's willing to put in the work to make their Pokémon as attractive as possible can be a coordinator." Wallace said. "Do it Misty! If it's good for Buizel, it's got to be good for Vaporeon!" Dawn exclaimed. "Well, I don't know." Misty said unsurely.

"C'mon Mist, I still have to get my rematch for you beating me in the Whirl Cup!" Ash exclaimed. Misty's face now bore a smirk. "In that case, count me in!" Misty exclaimed. "Excellent, I look forward to seeing you all at the Wallace Cup. Thanks for a nice time." Wallace said. And with that, Wallace leaped onto Milotic, and disappeared without a trace into a wave.

"Whoa, where'd he go?" Ash asked in awe. "I'll tell you, he's a real contest master." Brock said. "No kidding, he just convinced me to enter the Wallace Cup! What do I do?" Misty asked. "Just have fun, like any battle." Ash said. "Yeah, you're right." Misty figured. "With Wallace seated squarely in my cheering section, I'm sure my next contest win is as good as won." Jessilina said. "Really?" the group asked sarcastically with sweat-drops.

"Well there's no threat with your entering. Maybe if your luck holds out you'll make it past the first stage this time." Jessilina said smugly. "You creep! You asked for this!" Misty screamed. Misty yanked out her mallet and waved it threateningly, which caused Jessilina and her escorts to run off in fear. "And next time, I'll REALLY be mad!" Misty called out. Dawn audibly sighed, which caught the attention of her friends.

"You'll be great Dawn, no doubt." Brock said comfortingly. "No need to worry!" Ash added. "I have need to worry though. I have to think up a routine!" Misty exclaimed. "You'll both get through it. I'm sure." Brock said. "Right." the girls said in unison.

The group headed back to the Pokémon Center, where Misty began planning her routine over the next few hours. "(Sigh) Where to begin?" Misty wondered. "I would start with figuring out who to start with." Dawn said. "Yeah, how about Vaporeon?" Ash suggested. "Or how about Azurill? That'd be appealing." Brock suggested. "Psy duck?" (Or me?) Psyduck asked, popping out of its ball. "Depends, can you swim Psyduck?" Misty asked with a smirk.

Psyduck's eyes grew wide, and it retreated back into its ball. "Thought so." Misty said with a smirk. "Maybe Staryu then?" Dawn suggested. Misty suddenly snapped her fingers and a huge smile appeared on her face. "What is it Mist?" Ash asked eagerly. "Sorry Ash, you'll just have to wait and see what's in store for you to see." Misty said teasingly. "Aww man. That's not fair Mist." Ash moaned.

"Hey guys, look! Wallace is on the TV." Misty said, changing the subject. "Wow, and to think we hung out with him all day today." Ash said. "Not jealous anymore Ash?" Misty whispered teasingly. Ash shook his head no, which earned him an affectionate nuzzle from Misty.

"You know, it's easy to say I'll put my Pokémon first, but not so easy to actually do. I really need to appreciate what's really special about each of my Pokémon. I'll do my best!" Dawn exclaimed. "Just relaxing is a good start." Brock said. "Yeah, that too. I hear you." Dawn said. "Wallace did say that playing with your Pokémon is really important." Ash said. "More important than you think. My having time to play with my Pokémon back in Cerulean is going to play a big part in my routine, and that's the only hint you get." Misty said.

"Excuse me, Ash; a message to call the Pokémon Center in Snowpoint City has just come in." Nurse Joy said, walking up to the teens to deliver the message. "Where's Snowpoint City?" Ash asked. "It's right here. It's Sinnoh's farthest northern city." Nurse Joy explained. "Well, I guess I should go call then." Ash said. "Alright Ash, seeya later." Brock said. Ash gave a two-finger salute, and followed Nurse Joy to the videophones.

Meanwhile, in Snowpoint City.

"It's a phone-call, from Ash of Pallet Town." Nurse Joy said. The young, brown-haired girl stood up and laughed. "Great, thanks! I'll go take it right now!" she said. The girl walked to the videophone, and answered the incoming call. "Hello?" she said.

"Hey, who's this?" Ash asked. "Turn on the camera." she replied. Ash obliged, and the brown-haired girl appeared on the screen. "Hey May! What's up?" Ash said cordially. "Nothing much, just thought I'd let you know that I'll be at Lake Valor tomorrow, and I thought I'd come see you guys." May replied. "Wait, how'd you know where we were?" Ash asked. "I saw Wallace on TV mention you guys, and I'm coming for the Wallace Cup!" May replied.

"Awesome! Can't wait until you get here, it'll be nice to see another old friend." Ash said. "Another? Who else have you seen?" May asked curiously. "I'll let you see for yourself." Ash said. "Oh come on, you gotta tell me!" May pleaded. "Sorry May, but believe me, you'll be way surprised." Ash said. "Oh fine." May said with a pout. After a bit more conversation, May finally had to go.

"I'm gonna get on an overnight ferry now, tell everyone I said hi, and I'll see them tomorrow!" May said. "No problem May, seeya." Ash said. The videophone hung up, and May picked up her things and got on the ferry to Lake Valor. _"Another old friend? I wonder who?"_ May wondered.

"Hey guys, guess who that was?" Ash said. "Who Ash?" Misty asked. "It was May, she's in Sinnoh for the Wallace Cup and she's coming tomorrow." Ash replied. "Really? Your coordinator friend is coming here?" Dawn asked excitedly. "Yeah, she said to say hi to everyone, and she's looking forward to the surprise we have." Ash said with a smirk. "And what surprise would that be?" Brock asked. Ash pointed his finger to the now confused red-headed girl.

"I didn't tell May that Misty was here." Ash said, laughing. "Well, looks like she'll be in for quite a shock tomorrow." Brock said. "Wait, Misty met May before I got the chance?" Dawn asked. "Yeah, it was when…I lost Togetic." Misty said sadly. Tears started forming in Misty's eyes as she reminisced on the friend she left behind in the Mirage Kingdom. "Togetic? What do you mean?" Dawn asked. Misty tried to speak, but it came out as a sad gasp. "Come on Misty, let's go to the room." Ash said, leading Misty to the upper floor of the Pokémon Center. "What did I say?" Dawn asked guiltily. "It's a long story." Brock said.

Dawn listened intently, as Brock explained the story of Misty and her Togepi/Togetic. Meanwhile, Ash had led Misty to the bedroom, where she sat down and hugged her knees to her chest. "I'm sorry Misty." Ash said. "It's not your fault Ash, and it's not Dawn's either. It was an innocent question." Misty said through tears. "Hey, you know, if I had a singing voice like yours, I would use it now." Ash said. Misty gave Ash a small smile as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Ash opened his arms for a hug, and Misty gladly accepted as she walked into his embrace.

"I love you Ash." Misty whispered, enjoying the comforting warmth of Ash's hug. "Same here Mist. Love you too." Ash replied soothingly, stroking her shoulder-length, red-hair. They stood in their embrace for a few minutes, until Brock and a guilty-looking Dawn walked in. "Misty? I'm sorry…I had no idea…" Dawn was cut-off. "It's ok Dawn, I'm not mad." Misty said. Dawn sighed with relief.

"But…I'm kind of tired now." Misty said wearily. "Well, it's late anyway. And we have to meet May tomorrow, so we should get some rest." Brock said. "Right." the three younger teens said. After a quick wardrobe change, they slipped into their bunks. No one was even surprised when Ash and Misty slipped into the bottom bunk and cuddled together.

"If you think Dawn is bad, wait until May finds out about you two." Brock teased. "You want me to put you to sleep again Brock?" Misty threatened. Brock put his hands up in self-defense, and shut off the light. "How long will May be here Ash?" Misty asked. "Probably a couple of days." Ash replied. "That means that the girls will officially out-number the guys for the first time!" Misty exclaimed in the dark. Ash and Brock groaned, while Misty and Dawn giggled in the dark.

The room grew quiet, and the first sound that was heard in the dark was the peaceful breathing of Misty, held in the arms of Ash Ketchum, her official boyfriend of two weeks. "G'night Misty." Ash whispered. Even though she was asleep, she unconsciously responded with a happy sigh.

Early the next morning

The group had a quick breakfast, and headed over to the Valor Lakefront to wait for May. "Hey Misty, when we see the ferry that May is on, I want you to go hide behind that statue." Ash said. "What for Ash?" Misty asked. "Gotta keep you a surprise, I'll let you know when to come out." Ash replied. Misty raised her eye-brow at Ash, and then finally shrugged.

"I'm so excited that I'll finally get the chance to meet the coordinator friend that you guys used to travel with!" Dawn exclaimed. "Albeit for me, I only traveled with May for a couple of days." Misty added. Just then, a Beautifly flew in, unnoticed by Misty, and perched itself onto Misty's head, causing her to cringe. "A-A-Ash…" Misty squeaked. Ash took the Beautifly off of her head, and placed it onto his finger.

"Phew, it's just a Beautifly." Misty sighed. "And it's beautiful." Dawn said, pulling out her Pokédex. "Beautifly, the butterfly Pokémon, and the evolved form of Silcoon. When flowers are in full bloom, the Beautifly fly around collecting pollen." the Pokédex chirped. "Wait a sec, do we know this Beautifly?" Ash asked. "You'll find out soon enough!" Brock exclaimed.

The large ship came in, and a young, brown-haired girl was seen waving at the group. "Yoo hoo! Long time no see!" the thirteen year old girl called out. "That's May! Misty, go hide!" Ash said quickly. Still unsure of why he didn't want May to see her, Misty obliged and ran behind the statue Ash had pointed out.

The ship docked, and May came onto dry land, toting two huge bags worth of luggage. "Well Ash, looks like you finally grew up." May said, noting that she had to look up to see Ash's face now. Ash put his hand behind his head, embarrassed. "And Pikachu and Brock, it's great to see all of you again!" May exclaimed.

"Uh, that's a lot of luggage…you've got there." Brock said. "No, this stuff? I brought presents." May said. "Awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "Ah ah ah, not yet Ash." May said teasingly. "Aww, why not?" Ash whined. "You still have some explaining to do, about another old friend?" May replied. "Oh yeah…you can come out now!" Ash called.

Misty took her cue, and came out from hiding. "Good to see you again May." Misty said. "Um, have we met?" May asked with confusion. "You don't recognize her May?" Ash asked. May shook her head in a "no" fashion. Dawn snapped her fingers in realization. "I've got it! Put your hair up!" she exclaimed, now going along with the gag.

Misty smiled and pulled out her old hair band, and then put her hair back up into the familiar ponytail. Once she did that, May's eyes grew, and a huge smile spread across her face. "Oh my gosh! Misty, how are you?" May exclaimed happily. "I'm doing really well." Misty replied. "I'm sorry for not recognizing you sooner, but I've never seen your hair down like that, it looks really good!" May exclaimed.

Misty blushed out of embarrassment and smiled. "Thanks for the compliment." she said. "And now that we've got that out of the way, it's time for presents!" May exclaimed. May reached into her bag and pulled out two wooden figures, a Teddiursa for Ash, and an Ursaring for Brock. "Thanks! This is awesome." Ash said. "Knowing what it's for would be awesome." Brock mumbled, examining the wooden figure he was now holding.

"And this is for Dawn and Piplup; it's so nice to meet you!" May said cheerfully. Dawn opened the jewelry box, and it revealed a special Piplup Charm. "It's adorable! I finally get to meet you after all this time! They call you the princess of Hoenn, right?" Dawn said. "Stop, you're making me blush! Call me May, ok?" May said, blushing with embarrassment.

"And we have Wallace to thank for getting to see you again." Ash said. "I guess that goes the same for Misty too right? Came to see his water-type Milotic for the Wallace Cup?" May figured. "Um…actually…" Misty was cut-off. "I'm so sorry for not having a present for you Misty, if I had known you were here, I would've stopped to find something." May apologized.

"Oh don't worry; Ash has already given her the best possible present." Dawn teased. Ash and Misty blushed a bit, which caught May's attention. "Really? Can I…see this present?" May asked with a smirk. Misty nodded and pulled out a Pokéball, which released her beloved Vaporeon. "Wow! What a beautiful Vaporeon! And Ash gave it to you?" May exclaimed, hugging Vaporeon, who squealed with pleasure at the shower of affection.

"So when did you get it? Yesterday?" May asked. "Actually, I've had Vaporeon for almost two weeks now." Misty replied. May looked up in confusion at the taller girl. "How could that be if you came for the Wallace Cup?" May asked. "I tried to explain, I'm not here for the Wallace Cup." Misty said. "Then…what could be so important that your sisters let you leave the gym?" May asked.

Ash and Misty glanced at each other and smiled. "Misty's not going back to the gym." Ash said. "What? But you said that your sisters couldn't handle it!" May exclaimed in shock. "Not then. Now they can, thanks to Ash." Misty replied. "Wait…so that means…you're traveling with Ash and Brock again?" May asked, putting together the pieces of the puzzle.

"Ding ding ding! Give the girl a prize!" Ash teased. "Wow! That's so awesome! You must be really happy now." May said. "More than you can imagine." Misty said dreamily. May was now once again confused. "Hey, did I miss something?" May asked. "Yeah! Tell her you…" Dawn was cut-off by Brock's hands on her mouth. Ash, Misty, and May sweat-dropped at the girl who was desperately trying to say something. "Ok, what's going on?" May asked with her hands on her hips. Ash looked at Misty, who nodded to answer his non-verbal question.

"Meet Misty Waterflower, my girlfriend." Ash said, placing his arm around Misty's shoulders. Misty blushed a bit, and placed her head onto Ash's shoulder. "Are you serious?" May squealed. "I wouldn't do this if it wasn't true." Misty said, giving Ash a peck on the cheek.

"Wow! I'm so happy for you two! I knew that when I saw how happy Ash was that you were coming with us on the way to the Battle Frontier that there was something between you two!" May squealed, giving the couple a tight hug. "I'm starting to wonder if there's anybody we know that didn't think that." Ash said. "Somehow, I doubt it." Misty said playfully.

"Come on guys, are we gonna just stand around the port all day? Let's go!" Dawn exclaimed. The group laughed and followed May up the steps to the where the city was. "So May, are you all ready to compete for the Wallace Cup?" Brock asked. "Yeah, I've been waiting to do this for such a long time, and as soon as I heard it was going to be held in Sinnoh, I came here as fast as I could so I could see you guys again, although I wasn't expecting to see a happy couple when I did." May said with a wink.

Ash and Misty blushed a bit. "So what's Max up to these days?" Ash asked. "Oh yeah, Max is your little brother, right May?" Dawn added. "Right. Max is doing great. He's hard at work, helping to take care of Dad's Pokémon. Max is always talking about doing it just like he learned from Brock. Needless to say, Dad's as proud as he can be." she explained.

"Aww, you're a role-model Brock." Misty teased. "You are too Misty." May said. "Huh? What do you mean?" Misty asked. "Where do you think he learned how to use the ear-pulling trick on Brock?" May asked with a laugh. Misty giggled when she heard Brock groan. "Well anyway, I'm glad he's doing well." Misty said. "Max was always watching Brock super-closely." Ash added.

"That's amazing. So May, when did you arrive in Sinnoh?" Dawn asked. "Three days ago, there was I really wanted to do before the Wallace Cup got started, so first I went to Snowpoint City." May explained. "So what DID you do?" Dawn asked.

May pulled out a Pokéball. "I'll show you! Now Glaceon, on stage!" she exclaimed. May's newly evolved Glaceon popped out of its ball. "May, your Eevee evolved! Great!" Brock exclaimed. "When did you get an Eevee?" Misty asked. "A couple of weeks after we left for the Battle Frontier, I got a Pokémon Egg, later on, it hatched into Eevee." May explained.

Dawn kneeled down in front of Glaceon, and pulled out her Pokédex. "Glaceon, the fresh snow Pokémon, and the evolved form of Eevee. Glaceon can freeze the fur on its body, and make it stick out like sharp needles." her Pokédex said. "So cute!" Dawn squealed. "Come meet Glaceon, Vaporeon." Misty said, calling out her water-type. Vaporeon walked over to Glaceon, and the two greeted each other cordially.

"Looks like they like each other." Brock pointed out. "Of course, they're both water in a sense." Misty said. "When did it finally evolve May?" Ash asked. "You see, over near Snowpoint City, there's an ice cave, where a huge ice crystal causes Eevee to evolve." May explained. "And where your Eevee evolved." Dawn said. "Right! Since I was coming to Sinnoh anyway, I thought it would be fun to return to the Johto contests with a newly evolved Pokémon." May said.

"You're traveling the Johto Region? You didn't happen to run into a baseball-obsessed girl with a Meganium did you?" Misty asked. "As a matter of fact, I did. When she told me that she was training to take Ash on, I told her that I was a friend of his, and then she sang this weird anthem for me." May said with a sweat-drop.

"At least we know she's still working hard." Ash said. "She sounds like an…interesting person." Dawn said. "Interesting' sounds like it would describe her well." Misty said. "So May, how many Johto ribbons do you have by now?" Brock asked. "I've got three of 'em." May replied. "Three? Nice work." Dawn said.

"Thanks…but as usual…Drew and Harley are as strong as ever, and I just can't seem to beat either of them." May said. "Yeah, but you like that green-haired devil anyway don't you?" Misty teased. May blushed a bit, and then replied. "I think Drew finally respects me as a coordinator, it's about time too." she said. "Sounds like you've worked really hard." Ash said.

"Don't worry, as a former gym leader, I can say from personal observance that hard work will always pay off." Misty added. "Former gym leader? You were really serious about traveling again." May said. "Of course, I'll tell you the story later, ok?" Misty said. "May, would you mind showing me your ribbons?" Dawn exclaimed with her hands clasped together.

"Sure thing." May replied. May pulled her ribbon case out of her pocket, and revealed three colorful contest ribbons. "Wow…real Johto ribbons." Dawn said in awe. "You know, Ash told me all about you last night." May said. "Oh…he did?" Dawn asked. "Yep, everything." Ash said.

"Ash told us this morning while you were getting breakfast. She knows all about how you lost in the first round twice in a row, and right now you're recharging a bit." Brock said. "…Oh…" Dawn said quietly. "Hey, chin up. Since I got to Johto, it's been one disaster after another for me." May said. "Wow….you too?" Dawn asked.

"So I wanted to compete in the Wallace Cup as a good way to get myself back on the contest track, so why don't we both make this our comeback stage?" May said. "It's a deal!" Dawn replied. "I feel that you should know, you'll have a little competition this time around." Brock said. "What do you mean by that Brock?" May asked.

"I mean, you won't be the only ones competing in the Wallace Cup." Brock said. "Well, who else is there I need to know about?" May asked. When May noticed Ash and Misty's embarrassed facial expressions, her question was automatically answered. "Wow! Ash and Misty are competing too?" May asked. "Yeah, I guess we are." Ash said sheepishly.

Just then, a growling noise was heard. The team looked around in curiosity, and then found the source when it was heard again. "Some things never change." May said. "That's what I said when I got here." Misty giggled. "I guess I have been kinda hungry for a while now." Ash said, clutching his stomach. "Well, since it's lunchtime, we're probably all hungry." Dawn said.

"And I just happened to make reservations at the perfect place, only the most popular restaurant in Valor Lakefront!" May exclaimed. "You serious? What are we waiting for then?" Misty exclaimed. Misty grabbed onto Ash's hand, and once again took off ahead of the group.

"Isn't this like the third time Misty's done this now?" Dawn asked. "She'll have to learn that unlike Kanto, she doesn't know where everything is here." Brock said with a sweat-drop. "I don't think Ash really minds though, it's just too cute!" May gushed. "Let's hurry before they get themselves totally lost!" Dawn exclaimed. "Right, follow me!" May said, rushing off to catch the couple.

After a few minutes, Ash and Misty were now walking around the city, finally stopping in front of a huge building with stars on it. "You know Mist? You should probably stop taking off without knowing where to go." Ash said. "If I did that, I wouldn't get any time alone with you, now would I?" Misty replied, nuzzling Ash's cheek.

Ash blushed a bit, and then pulled Misty into a hug. "You know Ash, I think telling May about Dawn was actually a good idea. Since she knows how coordinators feel, she can be someone for Dawn to relate to." Misty said. "And you're not?" Ash asked. "I'm not a coordinator Ash, I'm making my debut at the Wallace Cup, but it might very well be my only contest." Misty replied.

"Why Mist? I mean, you could pull it off I'm sure." Ash said. "I appreciate the compliment, but I enjoy battling more than contests. I just want to be able to train without the pressures of gym leadership." Misty said. "Makes sense I guess." Ash said. "Rest assured Ash, I'll have fun being in that contest, and kicking your butt again, but I'd rather have a regular battle with you any day." Misty said.

"Yeah sure, I'm not the same twelve year old brat you battled back then. I'm a lot more powerful now, and I intend to give you a run for your money!" Ash said. "I have no doubts on that Ash; it'll definitely be fun to battle you again." Misty replied.

They stood there a while longer, before Dawn, Brock, and May appeared to break them up. "How sweet!" May gushed. Ash and Misty broke away from each other quickly and blushed hard. "I guess they're not used to you teasing them yet." Dawn giggled. "Well they better get used to it; because I'm gonna have fun with this!" May said teasingly. "Speaking of which, is Drew going to be in the Wallace Cup?" Misty countered.

May blushed a bit, then replied. "No, he's still in Johto." she said quietly. "The winner, and still champion: Misty!" Brock said, declaring Misty the winner of the banter. "Oh well, you guys are lucky you didn't get lost, by the way." May said. "Well, we're together now, lead the way." Misty said. "Don't have to, we're here!" May exclaimed.

The group turned to see the huge building with stars on it. "This is it?" Ash asked. "Yep, the Seven Stars Restaurant! This is the hottest place to eat in the whole Sinnoh Region!" May exclaimed. "And to think we were lucky enough to find our way here." Misty said. "Yeah, but try not to make a habit of running off like that." Brock said.

"Wow, this place sure is impressive." Dawn said. "May's always had a nose for finding great places like this." Brock added. "Hey, I'm the kind of girl who enjoys the finer things in life." May said. "Sure, when you actually find those things." Ash teased. "Oh whatever, come on, let's go inside!" May exclaimed. The group opened the doors, and were greeted by a waiter with a red vest.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen." he said. "Reservations for May?" May said. "Yes, of course, we've been waiting for you Miss May, your reservation for four. Right this way." the waiter said. May was about to follow, but was stopped by Ash. "What's wrong Ash?" May asked. Ash pointed at Misty, who made five in their group. May's eyes grew in realization, and she quickly ran to stop the waiter.

"Is there something the matter Miss May?" the waiter asked. "Um, we have a last minute addition to our group; do you think you could find space for one more person?" May asked. "Of course, reservations for five then. Right this way." the waiter said. "Sorry about that Misty." May apologized. "No problem, as long as I actually get in is the only thing that matters." Misty replied.

"I don't think I would've been able to eat knowing that you couldn't get in." Ash said sincerely. "Well now that I am getting in, don't stuff yourself, ok?" Misty asked. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises." Ash said playfully. Misty rolled her eyes and took Ash's arm as they walked down the hallway.

They reached two doors, which burst open as an angry young man ran out to face the waiter. "You're leaving?" the waiter asked. "I'm gonna go back and train some more, but I'm gonna eat here if it's the last thing I do!" the young man exclaimed. "Then we'll be waiting to serve you at another time." the waiter replied calmly. "I won't forget this!" the man yelled angrily, as he ran out of the restaurant.

"Well there's something you don't see every day." Misty said. "No kidding, what was that about?" Dawn asked. "That young man lost his battle, so of course he wasn't accepted at our establishment." the waiter replied. "Battle? You mean a Pokémon battle?" Ash asked. "Come with me, and I'll explain." the waiter replied.

The group followed the waiter through the doors, and gasped in shock at what they saw. "It's a battlefield!" Ash exclaimed. "But I thought it was a restaurant!" Dawn exclaimed. "Wait, this isn't a gym in disguise is it? That's kind of the way it is in Cerulean." Misty said.

"No, it isn't a gym. You see, besides being a wealthy and successful businessman, the owner of the Seven Stars Restaurant is an avid battle fan as well. As a result, only those who battle against him and his fiancé and emerge victoriously are allowed to dine here." the waiter explained.

"Wait a sec, so that means…if we don't win…" Misty said. "Then you'll be leaving with empty stomachs, just like the last customer did." the waiter finished. "That's rough." Dawn stated. "Nah, I think it's great!" May exclaimed. "Are you saying that you chose the only restaurant where we have to EARN our meal?" Misty exclaimed angrily. "You can't put a price on quality." May said. "(Groan) If you say so. I'm starving." Ash moaned. The doors that led to the actual restaurant opened, and an elderly couple walked out. "Those customers were successful in their battle, and have just completed a FREE, full course meal." the waiter said.

"Yeah!" Ash said excitedly. "Free? Now I like the sound of that! And that smell wasn't half-bad either!" Misty added. "No kidding! When those doors opened, that smell made me even hungrier than before!" May exclaimed. "Then we'll just have to win, and that's that!" Dawn exclaimed.

"So you must be our next customers then." The owner's fiancé said. "Welcome to the Seven Stars Restaurant, My name is Roman and I'm a restaurateur who prides himself on the finest cuisine." Roman said. "And my name is Kylie; I've spared no expense in providing only then finest in décor and ambiance." Kylie added.

"So, shall we proceed two at a time with a tag-battle then?" the waiter asked. "Tag-battle? Cool!" Ash exclaimed. "May, can I be on your team?" Dawn asked with pleading eyes. "Sure! And then we can eat!" May replied. "Looks like it's you and me big guy." Brock said. Before Ash could answer, Misty cut in between. "Looks like it's you and you Brock, because I'm battling with Ash!" Misty said. "Wait a minute! If I don't have anyone to battle with, how will I get in?" Brock asked.

"Not to worry, we'll have a one-on-one battle just for you." Roman said. "Gee, thanks!" Brock replied. "Well in that case, we shall start off with the one-on-one battle." the waiter said. Brock stepped up to the end of the battlefield, and Roman stepped to the other end after Kylie stepped back.

"Alright Sudowoodo! Let's go!" Brock called out his tree-like, rock-type, who gave its trademark salute upon release. "Awesome Brock, that means Bonsly evolved then?" May asked. "Yep, now Brock's got one fully-raised Pokémon under his belt." Ash answered for Brock. "Alright Sudowoodo, if we want to get some of that food, we gotta win this!" Brock exclaimed. "Sudo woodo!" (Gotcha!) "Very nice…now for me, Raticate! Come out!" Roman exclaimed.

A giant rat Pokémon appeared, and growled at Sudowoodo. The referee signaled the battle to begin, and the Pokémon awaited their orders.

"Raticate, use 'Hyper Fang'!" Roman ordered. The giant rat charged towards Sudowoodo, with sharp teeth at the ready. "Dodge it Sudowoodo!" Brock countered. Sudowoodo jumped out of the way, leaving Raticate to fall on its side. "Now use 'Double-Edge'!" Brock ordered.

Sudowoodo complied, and ran forward to deliver a hard shoulder-tackle to the rat. The attack made contact, and Raticate was sent flying, it then landed on its back, fainted. "So Raticate is unable to battle, that means the customer wins!" the referee announced. "Whoa, just one hit?" Misty said in shock. "I guess he wasn't as strong as he led on." Ash said.

"Nice job Sudowoodo." Brock said, calling back his rock-type. "Of course, you may now go ahead and order your meal." Roman said. "Thanks, but I'll stay and watch the rest of the battles." Brock said. "Very well, so who's next?" the waiter asked. "Me and Misty! C'mon Mist, let's show 'em what we're made of!" Ash exclaimed. Ash and Misty took their places on the end of the field, and Kylie rejoined her fiancé on the other end. "Now call out your Pokémon!" Roman exclaimed.

"Alright! Misty calls Staryu!" Misty called out her sea-star Pokémon, who leaped into battle-ready stance. "Kay, Pikachu, get in there!" Ash told his yellow friend to run out to the field, and it got into battle-ready stance. "Oooh, Nice Pokémon!" Roman exclaimed. "And now it's our turn!" Kylie added.

"Alright, Snorlax!"

"You come on out too Munchlax!"

Roman and Kylie sent out Snorlax and Munchlax respectively, and they too went into battle-ready. "Hey, a Munchlax!" May exclaimed. "Evolution pairs are popular!" Dawn said, pulling out her Pokédex to scan both Pokémon.

"Munchlax, the big eater Pokémon. It gobbles its body weight in food each day, and it swallows its food without almost any chewing." it said.

"Snorlax, the sleeping Pokémon, and the evolved form of Munchlax. It can eat four-hundred pounds of food before feeling full." it finished.

"I would suggest in order to expedite our battle that we launch our moves at the same time." Roman said. "They seem a lot more confident this time around." Misty said. "Yeah, they might have something up their sleeves, so let's try and finish it the way Brock did." Ash replied.

"We accept your terms!" Misty declared. And with that, the referee started the battle. "Alright Snorlax, use 'Mega Punch'!" Roman ordered. "Pikachu, let's start and end it with 'Volt Tackle'!" Ash countered.

"Munchlax, 'Giga Impact' go!" Kylie ordered. "Staryu, use 'Rapid Spin'!" Misty countered. The four Pokémon charged ahead with their attacks. Pikachu dodged Snorlax's punch, and jumped into its face with its powerful electric attack, while Staryu merely over-powered the big eater Pokémon.

Munchlax and Snorlax slid on their backs back to their masters, fainted. "So, Snorlax and Munchlax are unable to battle, so that means the customers win!" the referee announced. "What? Again?" Roman exclaimed in shock. "No! Not my Munchlax!" Kylie cried. "Alright Mist! We did it!" Ash cheered. "And with one hit!" Misty added. Ash and Misty shared a congratulatory hug, and called back their Pokémon, Pikachu stayed out of his ball of course.

"Aww, how sweet! That's the way a couple should battle together!" May gushed. Ash and Misty blushed at the comment. "Hey Dawn; let's finish our battle with one hit too!" May said. "Sounds good to me!" Dawn replied. Dawn and May exchanged places with Ash and Misty, who now watched from the sidelines.

"Dawn, May, just because we did it in one hit doesn't mean they're push-overs. Don't be too confident." Ash said. "Don't worry, we know." Dawn replied. "And of course, if you wish, the winners may proceed into the restaurant and place their orders." Roman said. "Nah, it's all or none of us." Ash replied.

"Aww, oh my, aren't they just darling?" Kylie said. "This one won't be so easy. Alright, let's go!" Roman yelled.

"Girafarig, come out!"

"Alright Drifloon, you too!"

Roman and Kylie sent out Girafarig and Drifloon respectively, and they went into battle-ready stance. "Wow! Your Drifloon is just the cutest thing!" May exclaimed. "Well, I'm honored by your kind words." Kylie replied gratefully. "A psychic-type and a ghost-type, that's a pretty interesting pair they've got." Brock said. "Well, there have been stranger pairs." Misty said playfully. Ash smiled sheepishly and blushed a soft pink.

"Hey! How many times do I have to tell you guys to wait until after the battle to flirt?" Dawn asked with irritation. "Let them have their moment, we can take them anyway." May said determinedly. "Right, you ready Piplup?" Dawn asked. Piplup waddled onto the field, ready for battle.

"As for me, I'm going with Blaziken!" May called out her fire/fighting-type Pokémon, who announced its presence with a loud battle-cry, which surprised Piplup. "Whoa, check that out." Misty said. "Blaziken! It's so big!" Dawn exclaimed, pulling out her Pokédex.

"Blaziken, the blaze Pokémon, and the evolved form of Combusken. Flames come out from its wrists, making its punches extremely damaging and dangerous." the Pokédex said.

"Man has it been a long time!" Ash exclaimed. "Blaziken looks stronger too." Brock added. "A water and fire-type duo, the same rules apply, alright?" Roman said. "That's fine with us!" Dawn replied. "Hurry up so we can eat, ok?" Misty said. "No need to worry! We'll make this nice and quick!" Dawn replied.

The referee was about to start the battle, when an explosion was heard, and the doors to the restaurant blew open with smoke coming out. "Roman! Somehow every single solitary piece of food from the kitchen's been stolen!" the panicked busboy said. "Our food?" Ash yelled. "Oh no!" Misty screamed. "I'll tell you, nobody steals my food and gets away with it!" May screamed furiously. May was so angry, that flames had actually enveloped her like an aura, and her eyes glowed red in fury. "I think May's turned into a fire-type." Dawn said fearfully. "One thing that'll drive May over the edge is someone swiping her food." Brock said.

"What happened to our princess?" Dawn wondered out loud. "I'll bring her back." Misty said. Misty walked up to the flaming coordinator and stared her down. "You know, water-types cool off fire-types really quickly." Misty said. "Whoever stole my food is going to pay dearly for it!" May screamed, apparently ignoring Misty completely.

"Well, so much for the gentle approach." Misty said with a shrug. "Hurry up before she starts spewing flames or something!" Dawn exclaimed. Misty pulled out a Pokéball and called out her baby Pokémon. "Azurill sweetie, use 'Water Gun' will you please?" Misty asked sweetly. "Azu zu rill." (Ok Mommy.) Azurill replied.

Azurill fired a soft stream of water at the face of the brown-haired coordinator, who immediately cooled off upon being sprayed. "Wha-what happened?" May asked. "Let's just say you lost control of yourself." Brock replied. "Well what – (Gasp) it was you Azurill, wasn't it?" May asked, picking up the small Pokémon. "Azu azu!" (That's right!) Azurill said proudly. "Well it's very good to see you again!" May exclaimed, nuzzling the little Pokémon's face with her nose. Azurill squealed with pleasure at the show of affection.

"Come on, now that you've cooled off, let's go see what happened!" Misty exclaimed. "Right." May replied. May handed Azurill back to Misty, who placed it into her arms. Then the group ran into the restaurant to see tables overturned, and a huge hole in the wall. "Whoa." Ash stated. "What a mess." Brock said. "Whoever did this sure didn't believe in subtlety." Misty added.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Roman, but our hors d'oeuvres and our soup and our main courses and even our desserts are gone! Stolen right from underneath my expertly trained eyes and nose." the executive chef said apologetically.

Roman fell to one knee in sorrow. "Oh, a travesty! How could this have happened? That food was for the gourmet enjoyment of our victorious customers!" he said. May gained some of her temper back, and pulled out a Pokéball. "You got that right! And I'm going to get our lunch back!" May exclaimed. May sent out the Pokéball with a windmill like throw, and her Munchlax emerged from it.

Upon seeing its friend, Pikachu ran up to Munchlax and gave it a cordial greeting, which Munchlax happily reciprocated. "Goodness! You have a Munchlax too?" Kylie asked. "Will you call out your Munchlax?" May requested. "Ok! Come on out my dear little Munchie!" Kylie said, calling out her Munchlax.

Kylie's Munchlax appeared next to May's, and awaited instructions. "So May, what's your plan?" Misty asked. "Just watch Misty!" May replied.

"Now Munchlax, I know you remember that delicious smell, so I want you to go and follow it!" May said. "That's a wonderful idea! Alright Munchie dear, you go along and help follow that scent too." Kylie said. The two Munchlax sniffed the air, and started running around the restaurant. "Hey, did they steal all the water too?" Ash asked.

"I'm afraid so." the executive chef said. "Why? You're thirsty Ash?" Misty asked. "No, but maybe Vaporeon could sniff it out." Ash replied. "That might've worked, except that we're near the lake and that's the only thing Vaporeon would smell." Misty said. "Oh…right." Ash mumbled. Misty giggled at Ash's expression, and gave him a quick peck to bring up his mood. It worked, as Ash regained his chipper attitude.

"Wow, instant happiness." May said teasingly. Ash and Misty barely had time to blush before May's Munchlax said that it had picked up the scent. "Cool! Munchlax has got the scent!" Ash said. "It's just like radar." Brock said in awe.

Meanwhile, Kylie's Munchlax was walking around with its head tilted to the sky. "Kylie, is something wrong with your Munchlax?" Misty asked. "It looks like its lost or something." Dawn added. "I guess May's Munchlax's sense of smell is just better." Kylie said. "Or sense of stuffing its face." Brock joked. "Beg your pardon?" May said angrily. "I know what it's like to have a Pokémon that acts like a clown." Misty said with a laugh. Just then, Psyduck popped out of its ball, and tilted its ever-hurting head dopily. "Speaking of which, get back in your ball Psyduck." Misty said exasperatedly. May's mood heightened a bit at the look on Misty's face.

Munchlax took off through the hole in the wall, and ran into the forest. "C'mon, let's follow it!" Ash exclaimed. Ash and Co., followed by Roman and Kylie, chased Munchlax into the forest. It finally stopped, and pointed into a clearing. "You found it!" May exclaimed. "Munchlax, way to go!" Ash said. "What an incredible sense of smell, I compliment you as a gym leader on how well you've raised Munchlax." Misty said.

"Thanks a lot Misty; that really means a lot!" May said gratefully. "Now let's get those lunch grabbing crooks!" Ash exclaimed. The group ran through the forest, and gasped at the sight they saw: Team Rocket, eating their lunch. "Oh no, not them!" May said. "Team Rocket!" Ash yelled angrily. "Why is it that I'm not surprised?" Misty screamed.

Team Rocket looked up and saw the angry group, and quickly downed the rest of their meal, which Ash and Co. gasped in horror at. "Thanks to you, we weren't able to truly relax and enjoy our meal." Jessie said, re-applying her lipstick. "All I can say is I hope you have antacid, twerps." James added. "You crooks never change…haven't you clowns learned anything at all? Huh?" May screamed angrily. Seeing an opportunity to give their motto, they quickly got up from their seats.

Jessie: "Is that the sound of an obsolete twerpette I hear?"

James: "Your expiration date's passed my dear."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Bringing twerp-laden chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing twerp-tinged hope, putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet!"

James: "When everything's worse, our work is complete!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the geeky do-gooders in their place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Meowth: "And we're in your face!"

"Wobbu wobbu!"

"Maybe they really have changed." May said. "This is no time to be impressed May." Dawn said. "No kidding, their motto wasn't even accurate." Misty said. "And what's that supposed to mean?" Jessie screamed angrily. "If May is obsolete, then what does that make me?" Misty asked with a smirk. Team Rocket face-faulted.

"Hey, look over there!" Brock exclaimed, pointing at a machine. "A refrigerator?" Ash asked. "Then that must be where all of our stolen gourmet food is!" May exclaimed angrily. Team Rocket got up, and leaped in front of their bounty of food. "Even thieves worry about perishable produce, duh!" Jessie said. Seviper and Carnivine growled at the group of teens.

"Why…you…crooked…creeps!" May screamed furiously. "Forgot what it's like to be starving, huh?" Ash yelled angrily. "Just wait until Gyarados gets through with you boneheads!" Misty screamed, putting down Azurill before grabbing a Pokéball. "Aah! Please, not your Gyarados!" James begged, curled into a ball on the grass. "Hold on a sec! What about OUR tag-battle?" Dawn asked. "Yeah, come on, it's our turn!" May exclaimed.

"Why not? Show them some girl-power!" Misty exclaimed, picking Azurill back up. "Just make it quick, my stomach won't last much longer!" Ash added. "It's a deal!" Dawn exclaimed. "Glaceon, on stage!" May wind-milled her arm, and threw out her newly evolved Pokémon. "Nice choice! Now it's my turn! Buneary!" Dawn called out her rabbit Pokémon, who hopped right into battle-ready stance.

"Seviper, 'Poison Tail'!" Jessie ordered. "Carnivine, 'Bullet Seed'!" James added. The two Pokémon launched their attacks, but were quickly stopped. "Ice Beam', both of you!" Dawn and May said simultaneously. The two Pokémon fired a freezing beam at Seviper and Carnivine, who were knocked back into their masters, who were now frozen in a huge chunk of ice.

"Alright Glaceon, 'Iron Tail'!" May ordered. Glaceon's tail glowed and became as hard as steel, then it bashed the frozen Team Rocket high into the air. "Buneary, use 'Bounce' let's go!" Dawn ordered. Buneary leaped up into the air, and propelled Team Rocket into the stratosphere with its attack.

"Chillin' after a good meal!" Meowth exclaimed. "I like being on the rocks!" James added. "After my Wallace Cup win, I'll rock them!" Jessie screamed.

"We're blasting off on ice!" "Wob buffet!" *Ping*

"Yeah, you guys did it!" Ash exclaimed. Buneary hopped over to Pikachu, and winked at it, which caused Pikachu to blush a bit. "Oh, you like Pikachu, Buneary?" May asked. "Buneary's a big fan." Dawn explained. "Isn't it sweet?" Misty asked. Pikachu blushed a bit harder at that.

"You two were great!" Brock said. "It's like you two have been a team forever!" Ash added. "The look on their faces when they froze was just too good!" Misty added. Azurill announced its agreement in Misty's arms. "Thanks, let's call that our own personal touch." May said. "Nobody messes with our lunch!" Dawn exclaimed. "It's great inspiration, isn't it?" May said with a laugh. "Now how are we going to get the food back to the restaurant?" Misty asked.

"Well, I guess Charizard could get it there." Ash suggested. "No worries, I've got this covered." Brock said. Brock pulled out a Pokéball, and called out his super-strong egg Pokémon. "Aww, how cute is that?" May gushed. "Thanks May, and now that Sudowoodo evolved, Happiny has a sort of big brother figure to look up to." Brock replied. "Yeah, but Happiny has this…talent." Dawn added. "What do you mean?" May asked. "Just watch." Ash replied. "Happiny, could you help us get this back to the restaurant?" Brock requested.

"Happ happiny!" (Ok Daddy!) Happiny replied happily. Happiny waddled over to the fridge, and picked it up with ease. "Alright, let's go." Brock said. The group started back to the restaurant with Brock and Happiny leading the way. "How in the world can that little thing be so strong?" May asked quietly. "When you figure it out, let me know." Misty replied.

The group reached the now cleaned up restaurant, where Happiny placed the fridge back into the kitchen. "Nice job Happiny, I'm proud of you." Brock said. "Happ happ!" (Thank you!) Happiny replied. Brock returned Happiny to its ball, and faced Roman and Kylie.

"Thank you for getting all our food back! Every one of us is truly in your debt!" Roman said. "Well, May and Dawn actually did the work." Ash said. "Don't forget the Pokémon!" Dawn said. "Yeah, that little Happiny of Brock's lifted the food all the way back here." Misty added. "I think everyone deserves the credit." May added.

"Roman and I have talked it over, and we've made a decision, in our own way of saying thanks, we'd like you to have your meal without having to battle!" Kylie exclaimed. "That's great!" May exclaimed. The three girls jumped up and down with excitement, which drew sweat-drops from Ash and Brock. "I guess Misty isn't as much of a tomboy anymore." Brock said quietly to avoid trouble.

"Aww, I don't care, I'm just glad my stomach was able to hang in there." Ash said. "Yeah, things always taste better when you wait, and boy did we wait." Brock replied. "Then I'll begin preparation immediately! It shouldn't be MUCH longer, more or less." the executive chef said.

"Aww, more time?" Ash moaned. "We're sorry, but all our cuisine must be prepared fresh." Roman said. "I guess it's a sort of 'trademark policy' kind of thing right?" Misty asked. "That's exactly it. We pride ourselves on having the freshest ingredients." Roman replied. "Then there's only one thing to do!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Let's have that tag-battle now!" May finished. "Now? You mean it?" Roman asked. "Course we do!" Dawn and May said in unison. "Well, I guess it'll keep my mind off of my stomach." Ash said. "I want to see that Blaziken of yours in action." Misty said. "Then you won't be disappointed!" May replied.

The group walked back to the battlefield, and picked up where they left off. "We'll use the same methods as before: simultaneous moves." Roman said. "Right!" Dawn and May said in unison. "We got our win in one shot!" Ash said. "But now that I think about it, it seemed too easy." Misty said. "Yeah, I'm not getting a very good read on the restaurateur's strength." Brock added. "What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Call it gym leader's intuition, but I think they have something in store for May and Dawn." Misty said. "You got the same read as me Misty, something seems weird." Brock said. "Keep your guard up guys!" Ash called out. "No need to worry Ash, it's in the bag!" Dawn exclaimed.

The referee started the battle, and they called out their moves. "Now Girafarig, use 'Bite'!" Roman ordered. "And Drifloon, you use 'Constrict'!" Kylie added. "Quick Blaziken, use 'Blaze Kick'!" May countered. "Piplup, 'Bubblebeam', let's go!" Dawn also countered.

Blaziken and Girafarig charged towards each other, while Piplup fired its attack, only to be deflected by the spinning tentacles of Drifloon. "Whoa, check that out!"Ash exclaimed. "I knew there was something fishy!" Misty added.

Piplup looked around in confusion at the flying bubbles, and was grabbed by Drifloon. "Piplup, no!" Dawn cried. Meanwhile, Blaziken launched a fiery kick at the giraffe Pokémon, who dodged in mid-air and attacked with its special tail. Its tail bit onto Blaziken's leg, which caused it to cry out in pain. "Blaziken!" May panicked. "Hurry May, you've got to react, and fast!" Brock exclaimed.

Blaziken freed itself from the attack, and slid back into battle-ready. "Those attacks really did an excellent job of showing off Girafarig and Drifloon's unique appearances alright." Brock said. "So they're using contest techniques to cover up their bad match-up! Like Dawn did with Maylene!" Misty exclaimed.

"Pretty good, wouldn't you say?" Roman said confidently. "Escaping my dear, darling Drifloon's 'Constrict' will be tricky." Kylie added. "We'll see about that! Piplup, use 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered. Still in the clutches of Drifloon, Piplup formed a huge whirlpool of water that caused Drifloon to be caught underneath the water. "My dear Drifloon!" Kylie panicked.

It didn't stop there, as the water sucked in Girafarig as well. Piplup then made the whirlpool of water dissipate in mid-air, leaving its two opponents hanging in mid-air. "That looks like something out of a contest!" Misty exclaimed. "They're really in the zone now!" Ash added. "Now Dawn, I want you to have Piplup use 'Bubblebeam' one more time, ok? I've got the perfect combination that will finish this once and for all!" May exclaimed.

"You got it! Piplup, 'Bubblebeam' go!" Dawn ordered. Piplup complied, and spun in a corkscrew fashion as it fired its attack towards the sky, suspending its opponents in the air. "Now Blaziken, jump!" May ordered. Blaziken leaped into the air and stared down on its opponents. "Fire Spin' now!" May ordered.

Out of the mouth of Blaziken came a powerful corkscrew of flame, which completely surrounded the two Pokémon in mid-air. "Check it out! The fusion of fire and water!" Ash exclaimed. "That's incredible!" Misty said in awe. "I've heard of this before, what awesome power!" Dawn exclaimed.

The attack finally completed, and when the dust settled, Girafarig and Drifloon were seen fainted on the ground from the incredible bombardment. "They did it!" Ash cheered. "Wasn't that something Azurill?" Misty asked. Azurill, who had been watching in awe the whole time while in Misty's arms, agreed completely.

"Give me a high-five!" Dawn exclaimed. The two coordinators exchanged high-fives to celebrate their decisive victory. "I'll tell ya, seeing the fusion of fire and water again was awesome!" Ash said. "I wonder if I could get Gyarados to do that, there was some incredible power in that attack." Misty said. "It takes a lot of practice to do, and obviously May's been practicing since it was even more polished than last time." Brock said.

"That was a wonderful battle." Roman said. "An intense competition we've rarely experienced!" Kylie added. Just then, the doors to the restaurant opened, and the head waiter came in, announcing that lunch was served.

The group enjoyed the incredible lunch, and spent the rest of the day doing training with each other. Later that night, the group headed to the hotel that May had made reservations at. "I just realized, where are you going to sleep Misty? I didn't get reservations for five." May said. "Oh, don't worry about that, I've got that figured out already." Misty replied with a smile.

May stared in confusion, and finally shrugged, trusting that Misty knew what she was doing. The group walked into their room, where four bunks were laid out, and a balcony was outside their window. They went outside to enjoy the view of Lake Valor, which in the night time, the moon's reflection shined brightly on the water.

"That's Lake Valor." Dawn said. "So pretty." May added. "It gives off such a romantic ambience." Misty said dreamily. Misty placed herself underneath Ash's arm, and Ash pulled her closer to him in response. After a few seconds of comfortable silence, May broke it with a question. "Hey Ash, you still have this?" she asked, holding up half of a ribbon.

"Of course, I sure do!" Ash replied, holding up the other half of the contest ribbon. "Hold on, that means you both must have competed, right?" Dawn asked. "It was way back in Terracotta Town." May explained. "Yeah, I entered the contest and ended up facing May in the final round. My Sceptile faced off against Blaziken, and their 'Solar Beam' and 'Overheat' created a huge explosion! When the dust finally settled, the result was a tie." Ash explained.

"And so you split the prize." Misty figured. "Yep, it shows that we both kicked some major butt!" Ash exclaimed. "Yeah, that's what it represents." Misty said, rolling her eyes. "You know, ever since I went out on my own, it's been my good luck charm. It reminds me how much I learned from Ash on our journey." May said.

"I see." Dawn said. "After all, when we first met May, she was starting at square one." Brock said. "Hey, I appreciate it, but you know, I wouldn't have been able to do much if Misty hadn't helped me from the start." Ash said, pulling Misty into a one-armed hug. "Well at least you're a big enough person to admit it." Misty said playfully.

"Speaking of good luck, I keep the ribbon my mother gave me as a good luck charm as well…you know…ribbons seem to be filled with experiences and memories, it always give me strength." Dawn said. "The same goes for me. This amazing ribbon has helped me all the way through the Johto Region." May said. "I always knew Ash would turn out to be an amazing trainer, it shows in the way you talk about that ribbon." Misty said.

"I guess I owe a lot to you too Misty, if you weren't there for Ash when he got started, I may not have been able to learn anything from him, or even meet him for that matter." May said. "It's funny how everything always works out for the better in the end." Misty replied.

"Just think guys, I'll be able to see all of your Pokémon performing before I know it!" May exclaimed. "And Ash, Misty, don't forget that you two are entering too." Dawn said. "Yeah, we know. It's funny; we wouldn't be entering at all if Wallace hadn't told me to join in with Buizel." Ash said. "Wallace told you himself?" May asked in shock.

"Yeah, we found Wallace and that gorgeous Milotic of his relaxing by Lake Valor. When he found out that I was a coordinator, he asked to see my moves." Dawn explained. "And since Dawn needed an opponent, Ash was the best choice since he was the one with the most contest experience besides Dawn herself. And boy, Ash put on a show!" Misty added.

"T-That means…you MET Wallace in person!" May said, still shocked. "Yep, he was actually a real nice guy." Ash said. "I'm so jealous now! Could you introduce me to him?" May asked pleadingly. "I'm not sure that'll be possible, because of his schedule. We caught him on his one day off." Brock said. May groaned in disappointment.

"Well, that explains why Ash is entering, why are you entering Misty?" May asked. "For the same reason in a sense. Except I'm entering because Wallace noted my enthusiasm towards teaching Vaporeon a new move." Misty explained. "New move huh? Can I see?" May asked. "Sure, step back everyone!" Misty said.

Ash, May, Dawn, and Brock stepped to the back of the balcony, and gave Misty as much space as they could. "Misty calls Vaporeon!" Misty called out Vaporeon, who stretched itself upon release. "Ok Vaporeon, let's try 'Aqua Ring'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon obeyed, and three rings of water surrounded Vaporeon as if it was the planet of Saturn, giving it a beautiful and mystical look. "Pretty good, huh?" Misty said proudly. "Awesome Mist! You and Vaporeon have it down pat!" Ash exclaimed. "Thanks Ash, it didn't take too long, did it Vaporeon?" Misty asked, petting Vaporeon's head. Vaporeon purred with pleasure at the show of affection.

"How did you manage to learn that move in such a short time?" May asked in awe. "Did you forget? I'm training to become a water-Pokémon master! Teaching a water-move to a water-type? It has to become routine." Misty replied. "Well you're definitely on the right track." Dawn said. "Thanks Dawn, I appreciate it." Misty replied.

"Come on guys, it's late and we have a long day ahead of us." Brock said. "Right." the younger teens said. The group left the balcony, and had a rather long wardrobe change. "Ugh, why does it take girls so long to get changed?" Ash moaned, as he waited for the bathroom door to open. "That's just one secret we may never know Ash." Brock replied.

The girls eventually finished their lengthy trip to the makeshift changing room, and emerged in their pajamas. "Sheesh, what did you do? Go the Pokémon Center and back again?" Ash asked sarcastically. "It's just a girl thing Ash; you should learn to be patient." Misty replied. Not wanting another argument to break out, Ash crossed his arms and grunted.

Misty giggled and placed her lips on her recent favorite place: his cheek. "Well Misty? Where are you going to sleep?" May asked. "Right here." Misty replied, slipping into Ash's bunk. "So Ash is going to sleep on the floor or something?" May figured. "Not exactly." Brock said with a smirk. May looked at Brock, completely bewildered.

But a huge smile appeared on her face when Ash slipped in next to Misty. "Aww, isn't that cute? I should try and get a picture!" May gushed. "You try, and your Pokédex meets my mallet." Misty warned. May sweat-dropped and placed her hands up defensively. "I just think it's sweet, that's all." May said nervously.

"Isn't it easy to tease those two?" Dawn asked with a laugh. "It's just as easy to pay for teasing those two." Brock said, remembering the lump that Misty had given him. May took the hint Brock had just given her, and hopped into her bunk without another word.

But May couldn't help but watch intently as Ash and Misty cuddled close to each other, getting into a cozy position. _"I knew they were perfect. I just wish Drew could be that sensitive towards me."_ May thought. Brock shut off the light, and silence filled the air, as the group slept peacefully in the room, where the only light was coming from the silver glow of the moon, shining upon Lake Valor.  
_

**A/N: Something I should mention, a Pokémon having five moves in the anime, is NOT uncanon, at least that's what my research shows. If I'm wrong, I'm sorry. I hope you enjoyed how I added in May, and I hope you continue to read my episode reduxes. Also, I don't know if someone would, but if anyone would like to make a comic or something about this, I'd be totally honored, and I'd also be excited to see it happening in pictures! Thanks again everyone, and watch out for updates!**


	19. Staging a Heroes' Welcome

**I like this chapter. It has a sort of guessing game involved. If anyone figures out what the two things I'm hinting at in this chapter before it happens, let me know in your review! Or if you want to be a party-pooper, just skip to near the middle and end of the chapter. And once again, in response to a previous review, MISTY AND ZOEY HAVE MET ALREADY. Look at chapter 12 to see.**

**MEL-ODiE - MEL-ODRAMATiC: Give me your DA and we'll discuss making the comic, I'm whocares4972 on there, so you'll know exactly who it is.**

**Without further ado, here's the next chapter!  
_**

Chapter 19

Misty's POV

I knew morning had come when a ray of sunlight hit my face. I tried to ignore it, but I was eventually forced to give in and open my eyes. When I did, I smiled when I saw Ash, still sleeping peacefully. As usual, I was the first one to wake up, but these days I would wish with all my heart that my mind wasn't programmed to wake up early, so that way I could stay with Ash a while longer.

_"Mmmm, just stay asleep Ash, stay asleep for another hour and hold me just like this."_ I thought dreamily. I loved the feeling of being in his arms; I felt comfort, warmth, security, and love, all from being in his slightly toned arms. So naturally I felt disappointed when I felt Ash start to stir, but I came up with a plan. If I pretended to be asleep, maybe Ash would stay still so as not to wake me. I closed my eyes and started breathing steadily, doing my best impression of being asleep.

Apparently Ash fell for my act, because I felt his grip on me tighten slightly, after he moved some strands of hair that had fallen on my face, which gave me the urge to giggle, but I knew that if I did, it would end right away, so I kept my cool and relaxed in his embrace.

Ash's POV

I woke up and saw Misty, apparently still asleep. She looked so peaceful, so beautiful, Misty invoked feelings in me that no one else ever did. Some strands of silky, red hair had fallen over her face. Her hair was one of the many things I liked about her. It was smooth and long. It flowed past her shoulders like a bright orange waterfall, and it looked perfect the way it was now.

I moved the strands of hair away from her face, and I then felt the urge to tighten my grip on Misty. I hugged her tighter, but softly so I didn't wake her. My hands brushed against her arms as I did so, her skin felt so soft, so sensitive, it was pleasing to the touch. How someone so strong-willed and determined could be bundled into such a delicate form was something I probably would never figure out.

_"I don't think I want to get up. I'd rather stay here and be close to you Mist. What took me so long for me to realize how much I love you anyway? Gosh that sounds corny, I'm sure glad no one can hear me think."_ I thought. I stared at her face a little while longer, before I heard stirring from the other side of the room. I decided I would pretend to be asleep, and hopefully avoid someone making me get up.

Brock's POV

I woke up and was surprised to see that Misty wasn't awake yet. She was usually the only one who woke up earlier than I did. I stretched and got up to check on the two. At first I thought they were both asleep, but upon closer inspection, I noticed that both Ash and Misty's eyes were fluttering. _"They're faking it."_ I thought. I decided to let them enjoy each other's company, and not bother to wake them from their fake sleep. I got changed and quietly walked down to the hotel lobby, on the way, I thought about the two fake-sleeping trainers.

Ash and Misty had liked each other since day one of our journeys, and it drove me nuts every time they would deny their love. Of course, they were ten and eleven back then, so maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on them. Or Ash at least, he was totally clueless from day one. Misty on the other hand had a good head on her shoulders, although her temper was a lot more explosive back then than it is now.

_"She talks about how much Ash has matured, I wonder if she realizes how much she's matured herself. She doesn't explode as often as she used to, and Ash impressed me last night when he gave Misty the credit for how much he's improved…which makes me chopped liver…oh well, I guess I'll see what's there for the continental breakfast." _I thought.

Normal POV

Back in the room, Dawn and May had woken up and gotten changed. "Geez, they must've been really tired." May said, looking at the sleeping couple. "Oh please, they're both obviously faking it. Misty never stays asleep this long no matter how tired she is." Dawn replied quietly. "So she wants to stay with her sweetheart, that's beyond cute!" May gushed quietly.

"Yeah, and it makes for easy teasing." Dawn joked. "Well as cute as it is, if we don't get them moving, we'll miss the Wallace Cup festival that's being held today!" May exclaimed in a hushed tone. "There's a festival? Awesome!" Dawn replied. "Now watch this, I'll get them both up in a flash." May said.

May tip-toed to their bunk. "We better hurry up, registration ends in a few minutes!" she said loudly. Ash and Misty's eyes popped open, and they leaped out of the bed and raced to the bathroom to change. Misty got there first and slammed the door in Ash's face. "Ow! My nose!" Ash yelled, holding his nose.

"Misty opened the door a crack to check on Ash, who was relieved to see that his nose wasn't bleeding from the impact. "Sorry Ash." Misty said guiltily. Ash gave her a small smile, sending her a message saying that it was alright. Misty closed the door again, and left Ash with May and Dawn, who were trying desperately not to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Ash asked. May and Dawn couldn't hold back any longer, and they started laughing hysterically. "Registration doesn't end for another three hours!" May exclaimed, still laughing. Misty stomped out of the bathroom in her regular clothes and scowled. "So why'd you say that?" Misty screamed.

"Because, there's a festival honoring the Wallace Cup, and we can't leave you behind!" May replied. "There's nothing wrong with just waking us up you know." Misty said. "How do you wake up two people who fake sleeping for the sake of cozying up with each other?" May asked teasingly. Ash and Misty looked at each other and blushed when they realized they were both pulling the same act.

"Were you…?" Misty stammered. "Yeah…were you…?" Ash replied in the same manner. Misty nodded and smiled coyly. "Ok, get moving you two! And then you can share a cookie the size of your heads!" May exclaimed excitedly. "Sounds good to me!" Ash replied. Ash ran into the bathroom and came back out in his regular clothes.

"Where'd they go?" Ash asked. May and Dawn went down already, I stayed to wait for you." Misty replied. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Ash exclaimed. Misty nodded and took Ash's arm, and they walked downstairs to join the others. "So…Ash…were you really faking being asleep?" Misty asked shyly. "Uh…yeah…I – uh…didn't want to get up today." Ash replied sheepishly.

"Me either." Misty replied in the same tone. Misty gave Ash's hand a squeeze, which he happily reciprocated. They reached the lobby, where May, Dawn, and Brock were talking. "Hey guys." Ash said. "Well, look who finally 'woke up'." Brock joked. "You told him?" Misty hissed. "Relax Misty; I knew you were faking it ever since I woke up." Brock replied.

"Oh…ok." Misty replied. "Hey, we're all friends here. Come on! I've got a craving for a huge sweet!" May exclaimed. "Sounds good to me! Is there a place to register at the festival?" Ash asked. "Yep, there should be a booth specifically for registration." May replied. "Awesome! So what are we waiting for?" Ash exclaimed.

The group walked to where the festival was taking place, and was amazed at the magnificent sight. "Wow, this place is sure busy!" Misty said. "Look at all the people! To think that most of them are coordinators from just about every region in the world!" May exclaimed. "Every…region?" Dawn asked in a nervous tone.

"Ah ha! I knew I saw it in that brochure! The cookie stand! Come on Dawn, let's go get one!" May exclaimed. "But…I…" Dawn stammered. May dragged Dawn to the stand and bought four enormous cookies. One for herself, Dawn, Piplup, and Munchlax. "You guys want one?" May asked. "I'd rather check out the crepe booth!" Brock exclaimed excitedly. Brock ran to the booth, where a beautiful, young, brown-haired woman stood. "Hi, may I help you?" she asked.

Brock took her hands into his own and replied. "Lovely lady, if only I could be wrapped up in your crepes, I'd feel so free!" he said. "And she'd probably feel free without wannabe Casanovas like you around." Misty said, yanking Brock away by the ear. "Looks like Misty's got her old job back." May said with a sweat-drop.

"Yeah, but Misty only does it part-time now." Ash said. "Huh? What do you mean?" May asked. Misty joined the rest of the group, while Brock took off towards another booth, where a woman with long, black-hair stood behind a popcorn stand. "There he goes again." May said. "I'm not doing this one." Misty said.

"Good day sir, may I help you?" the woman asked. "Yes you could. Instead of you giving me popcorn, I'd like to pop a question to you!" Brock replied passionately. Just then, Croagunk appeared and gave Brock a 'Poison Jab' in his side. "Do you…have any…aspirin?" Brock strained. Brock fell over in pain, and Croagunk dragged him away.

"So you have a little assistant now, huh Misty?" May said. "Yep, of course, I think my method is a tad less painful." Misty replied. Dawn just stared at her cookie, not saying a word throughout the whole ordeal. "What's the matter? Not hungry?" May asked. "My appetite is a little off." Dawn replied.

"Hey Misty, we gotta go register now." Ash said. "Alright, feel better Dawn, ok?" Misty said. "No need to worry, I'll be fine." Dawn reassured. Misty gave a sad smile, and walked off with Ash to the registration table. "Something wrong Mist?" Ash asked. "Dawn's appetite isn't the only thing that's off. I think she might be getting nervous again." Misty replied.

"Don't worry; we'll help her through it." Ash reassured. The couple walked over to the booth, where they proceeded to sign up. "Are you here to sign up?" the woman asked. "Yep, count us in!" Ash exclaimed.

"Very well, can you give me your name, town, and the Pokémon you'll be using please?" the woman asked. "My name is Misty – Misty Waterflower. And I'm from Cerulean City." Misty said. "And your Pokémon?" the woman asked. "Um…" Misty stammered. Ash raised an eyebrow, wondering why Misty refused to speak. "Go ahead Misty." Ash said.

"I really want it to be a surprise." Misty said. "So? Just tell – oh…you don't want me to hear." Ash figured. Misty nodded her head in response. "Fine, I'll wait over here." Ash said, walking over to a nearby bench. "Your Pokémon?" the woman asked again. Misty named her Pokémon in the woman's ear, and then waved Ash over to sign up.

"You're real determined to keep this a secret, aren't you?" Ash asked. "Trust me Ash; you'll be happy you waited." Misty replied playfully. "And your name sir?" the woman asked. "I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, and I'll be using my Buizel!" Ash exclaimed. "Thank you for entering, and good luck." the woman said.

"Alright! Now we're registered!" Ash exclaimed. "Now we can enjoy ourselves a little while." Misty added. "Hey Ash! Misty! Long time no see!" a girl said from behind. Ash and Misty turned around, and saw their other red-headed friend: Zoey. "Hey Zoey!" Ash said. "Now don't tell me you're entering the Wallace Cup too?" Zoey asked. "Yeah, we were hanging out with Wallace the other day and he told me I should enter it with Buizel." Ash explained.

"You met Wallace? Incredible!" Zoey said in awe. "That Milotic of his was incredible, I'll say that much." Misty said. "And what about you Misty? Are you entering?" Zoey asked. "As a matter of fact, Wallace said I should enter because of my enthusiasm towards teaching Vaporeon a new move." Misty replied. "New move? What new move?" Zoey asked. "Sorry, no spoilers." Misty replied.

"That seems fair enough. What about you Ash, you keeping secrets?" Zoey asked. "Nah, I'll tell you. I want to try out some new battle moves with Buizel and do it in a real contest!" Ash explained. "I see…I finally figured out I need to learn from both contests and battles in order to get to the top. I guess I've kinda been in denial, and here you've been saying that all along. Sorry." Zoey said.

"Hey, no big deal." Ash replied. "When did you become such a great teacher Ash?" Misty asked playfully. "When I graduated from 'Mallet Boot-camp' I guess." Ash replied, rubbing his head jokingly. "Zoey! Wow, you made it!" Dawn exclaimed, walking over with May and Brock. "Hey Dawn." Zoey said. "Nice to see you again." Brock said.

"I want you to meet a friend. Zoey, this is May, she's in the Wallace Cup too." Dawn said. "I've heard a lot about you. Hi there." May said, holding out her hand for Zoey to shake it. "Back at you." Zoey replied, accepting the friendly gesture.

"So Dawn, I'm assuming you registered, right?" Zoey asked. "You bet!" Dawn replied. "Way to go. I'm proud of you." Zoey said. "Thanks Zoey, that really means a lot." Dawn replied. "Hey, as long as we're all here, let's go have some fun!" Ash exclaimed. "Sounds like a plan to me!" May added. "I think I saw a Ferris wheel somewhere, will you go on it with me Ash?" Misty asked.

"Sure thing Mist! You guys wanna come too?" Ash asked. "Nah, you two go on. We'll catch up later." May replied. Misty took Ash's hand and ran in the direction of the Ferris wheel. "You do realize that you just put them on a date right?" Brock asked. "You're supposed to tease them, not help them." Dawn said with mock disapproval. "What can I say? I just couldn't help myself. It's nice to help things along for a change." May replied. "Same old meddling May." Brock said. "Excuse me?" May screamed angrily. The group walked in the other direction, and didn't even notice when a young, blonde woman signed herself up for the Wallace Cup.

The group spent the rest of the day at the festival, although most of the time Ash and Misty were by themselves. Every now and again they'd run into the gang, but it was just the two of them for the most part. When the sun began to set, and people started to leave, Ash and Misty leaned on the railing that stood before Lake Valor, where the rainbow of colors in the sky reflected on the water.

"I had a great time today Ash." Misty said. "Me too Mist. It kinda reminded me of that carnival we went to with the Exeggcute magician." Ash replied. "Yeah, except then you ditched me to go with Brock." Misty said with mock disapproval. "Yeah, what was I thinking? I almost didn't get to see you in that Goldeen outfit." Ash said.

Misty blushed at the memory of Ash seeing her in that outfit. She had been embarrassed then, but also shy at the same time. "You looked really pretty in that by the way." Ash said. Misty blushed harder and gave a small smile. "Hey you two, it's getting late. We should head back to the hotel." Brock said, walking up from behind the couple.

"Ok Brock. We'll be there in a second." Ash said. Brock nodded and turned to walk away. "Well Mist, your call. Charizard, or walk?" Ash asked. Misty took Ash's hand and squeezed it. "What do you think?" Misty asked playfully. Ash smiled and squeezed back, and they walked back to the hotel in comfortable silence.

When they got there, May, Dawn, and Zoey were standing in front of the front desk. "There you are Misty! Listen, we got us girls our own room, so we can sleep without Brock's snoring for a change." Dawn joked. "Oh…um…ok." Misty stammered. "Unless you'd rather sleep in Ash's room of course." Dawn teased. Misty blushed and replied. "N-No, that's ok. It'll be fun to hang with you guys tonight." she said, trying to invoke cheerfulness into her voice.

"Where is Brock anyway?" Ash asked. "Up in your room Ash, you'll be sharing with Brock." May replied. "That's fine. Guess I'll see you guys tomorrow then." Ash said. "Goodnight Ash." Misty said, giving Ash a quick hug. "G'night Misty." Ash replied, reciprocating the loving gesture. Misty released her boyfriend, who turned to walk up to his room. "You know I was only half-kidding. If you really would prefer to be with Ash…" Dawn was cut-off. "Don't worry about it, let's have some girl fun." Misty replied. "Awesome! I have just the thing to do!" May exclaimed. "What did you have in mind May?" Zoey asked. "Let's go to the room, and you'll see!" May said excitedly.

"You guys go on ahead, I have to make a call." Misty said. After explaining to Misty that their room was right next to Ash and Brock's, the three females walked to their room, while Misty stayed back.

Misty's POV

_"I hope they're still awake."_ I thought. I ran to the nearest videophone, and dialed home. "Hello? Like, who's there?" a voice asked. I recognized the voice as Violet this time. "Turn on the videophone Violet, it's Misty." I replied. The face of my older sister appeared on the screen. "Well well, if it isn't like, our little eloper." Violet joked.

"Honestly Violet, you're as bad as everyone else. Me and Ash are not 'eloping', we're just traveling together again." I replied. "Yeah, but he is like, your official boyfriend though." Violet said. "Yeah yeah, listen, can you do me a favor?" I asked. "Depends on the favor." Violet said. I explained to Violet what it is I wanted, and hoped she'd say yes.

"Like, why do you want that Misty?" Violet asked. "Can you just get it for me please?" I begged. "Fine, I'll be right back." Violet said. Violet disappeared, and came back with a small bag. "Like, here it is Misty. I'll send it over." Violet said. "Thanks Violet." I replied. Violet placed the bag in the larger send slot, and sent me what I needed.

"I hope it still fits after all this time." I said. "It should. You're still like, our scrawny little sister." Violet said with a smirk. "Yeah, because the rules of growing up don't apply to me." I replied sarcastically. "Exactly, glad you like, get it." Violet said. I gave Violet an icy-glare in response. "I'm kidding, ok? In all honesty as a sister, you're growing into a beautiful girl." Violet said sincerely.

Now that comment caught me by surprise. She just said something nice to me, without any persuasion. "Um…gee…thanks Violet." I said. I felt my face heat up from embarrassment. "Like, don't get a big head, you're still the runt, ok?" Violet said. I smirked at my older sister. "Sure, whatever. Say hi to Daisy and Lily for me." I said.

"I will. Oh, and about Daisy, there's like, something you should know. She's…" Violet was cut-off by Dawn. "Come on Misty! We're waiting for you!" Dawn exclaimed. "Sorry Vi, gotta go! Seeya!" I said before hanging up the phone. "What's that you got there?" Dawn asked.

Now I was in a bind, I wanted to keep my plan a secret from everyone, but that would probably be impossible now. "Ok, I'll show you in the room." I replied. I decided to just show the rest of the girls what was in the bag, and maybe even get their opinion. When we got to the room, May and Zoey were comparing contest techniques.

"What took you so long?" Zoey asked. "I had to get something, that's all." I replied. "What's in the bag?" May asked. "I guess I'll have to show you." I replied. I walked into the bathroom and pulled my secret item out of the bag. Then I put it on and was relieved when I found out that it still fit me, although it was a bit snug in certain places.

_"Alright, I sure hope they approve."_ I thought. I walked out of the bathroom, and I saw the now awed faces of Dawn, May, and Zoey. "Wow Misty, you look incredible in that. It just matches you perfectly!" Dawn exclaimed. "So what's the occasion?" Zoey asked. "The Wallace Cup." I replied. I wasn't totally surprised when my friends' jaws dropped when I said that.

"Before you say anything, let me explain." I said. I explained to them what my routine was going to be, and they seemed to grow less shocked as I continued. "Wow Misty, I can't wait to see it!" Dawn exclaimed. "And I bet Ash won't be able to wait either." May added teasingly. "Ash! I almost forgot! Look, I told you guys, but you can't tell Ash, alright?" I pleaded.

"Don't worry Misty, your secret is safe with us." May said. "In fact, we'll even help you keep it a secret!" Dawn added. "Thanks girls, I appreciate it." I replied with a relieved sigh. "I did notice one thing though, it seems a bit tight on you in certain places." Dawn said. "Well, I wore this a few years ago. I was surprised that it fit me THIS well." I replied.

"I can fix that; we'll work on it tonight!" May said. "And how do we do that?" I asked. May went to her designated drawer, and pulled out a bag of miscellaneous items. "Sewing kit anyone? I've got enough stuff here to make a whole new wardrobe! I can fix this for you in no time!" May said.

"Thanks a lot May." I said gratefully. "It's no problem. We girls have to stick together." May said. "And while May's working on your outfit, we'll give you a manicure!" Dawn exclaimed. "Um, that's alright Dawn, you don't have to." I said. "But we want to, right Zoey?" Dawn asked. "Sure, why not?" Zoey replied.

Well, now I was stuck. I didn't really WANT a full makeover; I was content with May making my outfit bigger. Nails, hair, makeup, most of the time they weren't my thing. But there were a few times where I got overcome by girlishness and made an exception, although they usually turned out bad. Such as when Team Rocket tricked me and caught me off guard after they give me a three second makeover. Boy did I pay afterwards.

And then there was that time when we went to that fighting-type dojo in the Johto League. I ended up getting wrapped up in Spinarak webbing as a facial! I think I had every right to be nervous about trying again. On the other hand, they were my friends. They wouldn't do something like that to me…would they?

"Alright Misty, we'll start off with a manicure, and then we'll work on your hair." Dawn said. "What's wrong with my hair?" I asked. "Nothing's wrong, we're just gonna make it look shinier is all." Dawn replied. "A Pokémon Contest is mostly about the Pokémon, but the coordinator has to do her best to look good too, to show that she's into it." Zoey explained.

"I guess that makes sense." I said. "Of course! Now sit back and relax, you're in good hands." Dawn said cheerfully. I closed my eyes and leaned back into a chair, and I let Dawn and Zoey have their way with me. "Hey Misty, you said you'd tell me the story." May said.

"What story May?" I asked. "You know, the story about how you're on the road again!" May replied. "Oh…well, I guess I did say I would." I said hesitantly. "That's right, so start talking!" May said, imitating a mobster.

"Before Ash came, I was still the gym leader in Cerulean. But for some reason, I got on an unbelievable losing streak, and people came in hordes to get their badges from me. Every now and then, there would be a trainer with a Pikachu with him or her, which only reminded me more about how much I missed Ash." I caught my breath before continuing.

"I kept hoping, wishing, dreaming that I could join him again. Although it seemed impossible since we were so far away from each other, which only made me more discouraged. Then one day, after I lost to a Growlithe of all things, I heard a determined voice from the entrance, demanding to see the gym leader." I continued my story. Dawn and Zoey had stopped their work to listen as well.

"I was expecting another random challenger, but I was rendered speechless when I saw that it was Ash and Pikachu there. I almost didn't believe my eyes, but I started believing when Ash threatened to have Pikachu 'Thundershock' me to prove his being real. After a…small reunion, Daisy came in and saw that Ash had come to visit. And boy was I mad when Ash challenged Daisy to a battle instead of me." The three females listened intently to my story, anxious to hear what happened next.

"I would soon learn that Ash had lost on purpose, to show Daisy the thrill of winning a battle. Afterwards, I stomped up to my room and cried, I thought that Ash had come to upstage me or something by making my sister win against him, while I couldn't even beat amateurs at the time. But what happened next was the good part." I started getting into the whole storytelling thing, and smiled when I saw their anxious expressions.

"Ash explained to me why we did what he did…" I was cut-off. "Why'd he do it?" May asked excitedly. "Um, I think it'd be best to keep that private, I don't want to tell you anything that Ash wouldn't say himself." I replied. May groaned in disappointment.

"At any rate, Ash asked me if I would travel the Sinnoh Region with him, Dawn, and Brock. I would've loved to, but I figured that Daisy couldn't do it…until she walked in and saw us…hugging." I said. "You hugged? Now I know when the whole couple thing started!" May interrupted.

"Well, Daisy told me to pack my bags, since she said she was tired of seeing me around the gym moping. But I knew that something called kindness had been awakened in my sister, and she let me go with Ash, and that's how I'm here today. And as you can see, we're living happily ever after." I concluded.

"That is the sweetest story I've ever heard!" May exclaimed. "It never gets boring no matter how many times I hear it." Dawn added. "I upheld my end of the deal. Now get to work you guys." I said, closing my eyes to relax. "Yes ma'am." the other girls said. And with that, my makeover continued, and I reminisced in my own mind the story of how I was here.

Ash's POV

"Hey Brock, looks like it's just you and me tonight." I said. "Yeah…Ash, we need to discuss something." Brock said seriously. "Um, ok." I replied simply. He motioned me to have a seat, and I complied. "Am I in trouble?" I asked. "No Ash, you're not. But if you're going to be in the Wallace Cup, you need to have something decent to wear." Brock said.

"What's wrong with my vest and hat?" I asked. "When did you ever see Dawn wearing her regular clothes in a contest? The rules apply for guys too you know." Brock replied. I guess he had a point; Dawn was always wearing something formal. "Fine…what do you suggest?" I asked. "I suggest we head down to the hotel lobby and see if there's something we can get real quick." Brock replied.

I nodded, and we headed down to the lobby, where there just happened to be a small store of formal wear. "Ash, you're lucky this hotel has a lot of formal events here. Otherwise they may not have had this here." Brock said. "Yeah Brock, I feel really lucky." I said sarcastically. Luckily we didn't have to look around for too long, as Brock had found a tuxedo for me to try on. I agreed to it for two reasons: One, I liked the fedora that came with it. And two, Brock told me that Misty would probably like it.

"Well Brock?" I asked. "Looking good big guy. The judges will be impressed." Brock replied. We bought the outfit and headed back to the room, where I immediately tried to go to sleep. But something was missing…or rather…someone. _"Not the same without Misty."_ I thought. I eventually got to sleep, but it just felt strange to not have her there.

Misty's POV

_"Not the same without Ash."_ I thought. Dawn and Zoey had finished with my "makeover" if you could call it that. All they really did was give my nails a clear-coat to give it a polished look, and they put a leave-in conditioner in my hair to make it softer and shinier. _"I have to admit, they did a great job. My hair feels great."_ I thought.

May had also finished with her renovations on my outfit. I tried it on before she went to sleep, and it fit perfectly in all aspects. Now everyone was asleep but me, mostly because I didn't have my Ash with me. I called out Azurill, who was confused as to why I called it out at such a late hour. "Azu zu azu?" (What's wrong Mommy?) "Nothing sweetie, do you want to sleep with Mommy tonight?" I asked sweetly.

Azurill smiled and cuddled up next to me, and I soon heard the soft breathing of my baby water-type. I sure was excited about tomorrow, it would be my contest debut, and the more I thought about it, the more fun it seemed to be. But I had convinced myself beforehand: _"No matter what happens, I'm still a battling girl."_

Normal POV

The next morning, the group woke up and had a REALLY fast breakfast. The Wallace Cup started early, so they had to get going quickly. "Geez, how do people get moving so early?" Ash said drowsily. "It takes practice." Misty replied.

The group walked to the stadium at Valor Lakefront, where a sea of white hats filled the stands. "Wow, this place is packed already!" Ash exclaimed. "Of course. Everybody wants to be close to the action, especially since Wallace is here himself." Zoey replied. "(Gulp) Look at all these coordinators." Dawn said nervously.

"Come on guys, we need to go get changed." May said. "We'll see you in the waiting room." Ash said. Misty, Dawn, May, and Zoey headed for the ladies changing room, leaving Ash and Brock to head for the guys room. "Hey I just realized Misty! What are you going to wear after the appeal round?" May asked. "Don't worry; I have something ready to go." Misty replied. "So how are you going to keep Ash from seeing you beforehand?" Zoey asked.

"Simple. I won't go in the waiting room. I'll just stay back until they call me, if I went first, that'd be even better." Misty said. "Um…I'll…just go change now." Dawn said hesitantly. Dawn headed off into one of the changing rooms and quickly closed the door. Misty, May, and Zoey soon followed suit.

May emerged first. She wore a pink half shirt with a yellow heart on it with yellow border on the sleeves and neck. She also wore a peach veil with a green gem on top, and a peach long skirt with a piece of pink fabric at the waist. And on her feet: Brown flip-flops with toe rings and a yellow necklace with a red heart.

Zoey came out next. She wore a white blouse with a wine-red jacket and pants. The jacket was buttoned once at the bottom, and had golden patterns on it.

And then the extremely jittery Dawn. She wore her usual pink dress, except this time she wore a yellow ribbon around her waist.

"Hey Misty, you coming out of there anytime soon?" Zoey asked. "Nope. I'm staying here until I'm called upon." Misty replied. Zoey shrugged and walked back to make some final adjustments. "Misty sure is determined to keep her act a secret." Zoey said. "But the motive behind it is sweet, don't you think?" May asked.

Zoey sweat-dropped. "Yeah…sure." she said. "At any rate, it's almost time. You ready to go Dawn?" May asked. She looked at the blue-haired girl sitting in front of the mirror, who was having extreme difficulty with her hair. "Aah! Big need to worry!" Dawn cried, as she did her best to brush her overly-stressed out hair.

"Not again." Zoey said. Upon hearing Dawn cry out, Misty walked out of the changing room to see what had happened. "Oh no, Dawn." Misty said. "Now you see what happens to my hair when I'm nervous." Dawn said. "Yeah…it's…not too good." Misty replied. "Someone help me!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Here, give me the brush." May said. "Thank you May!" Dawn said gratefully. May proceeded to brush out Dawn's long, blue hair, smoothing and calming it down. "Dawn, you were just like this at your debut." Zoey said. "You're nervous?" May asked. "I'm worried about whether I can still do a good job or not." Dawn admitted.

Piplup chirped determinedly, telling its master that it had faith in her. "That's good advice; Piplup's acting a whole lot more confident than you are." Zoey asked. "Of course, Piplup's a proud water-type, why shouldn't it be confident?" Misty said proudly. "Well that's great for Piplup, but I'm still rattled." Dawn said.

"Don't be Dawn; just remember what got you here in the first place. You're here to have fun with your Pokémon, like I am." Misty said. "That's right Dawn, there's no need to worry, and especially not when you have pretty hair." May added, finally putting Dawn's hair into a large, neat ponytail. "Thanks Misty, you too May." Dawn said, blushing at the compliment.

"Misty's exactly right by the way. Have fun with your Pokémon!" May said. "Just remember this, we're all rooting for you, so there's no need to worry. Ok?" Misty added. Dawn looked at her three friends with admiration, before finally closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Ok." she said quietly.

All the girls, excluding Misty, went to the coordinator waiting room, where they awaited their time. "Where's Misty you guys?" Ash asked. "She's…taking a bit longer than we did, that's all." May said defensively. "Oh…ok. I read the program, Misty's up first." Ash said. "Don't worry, she'll be ready." Zoey reassured.

Just then, Marian appeared on the stage, and introduced Wallace. Wallace and Milotic appeared on stage in a grand display of Milotic's beauty and grace with water. "There he is!" Ash exclaimed. "Milotic looks beautiful!" May added. "They're even more beautiful on stage!" Dawn added. "Too bad Misty's missing it." Zoey said.

Ash looked around and began to get worried when she saw that Misty still wasn't in the room with them. Although he did see a familiar blonde woman with her back turned to them. _"Where is she?"_ Ash thought worriedly.

Wallace gave his own announcements, and then proceeded to where his other three judge colleagues: Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and the now blushing Nurse Joy. "My heart's beating a little faster being here with Wallace, thank you." she had said. "What's he got that I don't?" Brock asked. "Self-control." Dawn and May replied. Brock did a face-fault.

"Alright, let's head on over to the performance stage with our first coordinator!" Marian announced. "Where's Misty?" Ash asked with concern. "Don't worry Ash, she'll be there." May reassured again.

"First up, we have Misty Waterflower, from Cerulean City!" Marian announced. When Misty didn't appear, the crowd started to mumble. "I knew something happened!" Ash yelled. "Wait Ash, look!" Brock exclaimed. Misty had appeared in a white cape that surrounded her whole body, and she looked down at the floor with her eyes closed. "That's what she's wearing?" Brock asked with confusion. "Just wait for it." May said. Misty ran onto the stage, holding a Pokeball with a capsule and a fire-seal. "Misty calls…Gyarados!" she cried, throwing out the ball. Gyarados appeared from the ball and jumped through the ring of fire that formed from the ball. Then it splashed down and breached the water.

"She's using Gyarados for the appeals round?" Ash asked. "I guess we'll see what she has in store." Brock said. "You're gonna like this Ash." May said teasingly.

"Time for a transformation! Gyarados, jump and use 'Flamethrower' on the water!" Misty ordered. Gyarados leaped into the air and fired its fire-attack into the water, causing steam to cover the whole field. "Whoa, what's going on?" Ash asked. The sound of a cloak flying off was heard on the field, and when the steam finally lifted, there stood Misty the Mermaid. The crowd cheered loudly at her transformation.

"Wow! So that's what Misty was keeping from us!" Brock exclaimed. Misty waved her hand and jumped towards the water. But before she splashed down, Gyarados caught Misty and flung her into the air with its tail. She then twirled in the air and dove into the water with almost no splash whatsoever.

"What an incredible dive! Quick, switch to the underwater camera!" Marian exclaimed. Misty was seen dancing in the water, while Gyarados swam around her in patterns that matched her movements, which showed off Gyarados' natural flexibility underwater. She snapped her fingers as she made another movement, and Gyarados responded by swimming underneath her and charging towards the surface.

It leaped high into the air with Misty standing on top of its eyebrow, and it splashed down, giving the front row crowds a large splash of water, which caused them to cheer loudly for the performers. Misty and Gyarados danced together in circles from the top of the water, and then dove back underwater.

"Misty and Gyarados look like they're having a great time." Zoey said. "She looks so graceful down there. It's like she really is a mermaid." May added. "What do you think Ash?" Brock asked. Ash didn't respond. "Ash?" Brock tried again.

Ash still refused to respond. He was hypnotized by the red-haired beauty that was dancing in the water. "I don't think Ash even hears you." May said. "Yeah, he's totally mesmerized." Zoey added. _"Misty's…beautiful."_ Ash thought, as he watched his girlfriend do her underwater ballet.

Dawn on the other hand was mesmerized for a different reason. She looked as if she was under some sort of pressure. She inadvertently increased the pressure on Piplup, who was sitting in her arms. Piplup noticed the pressure change and looked at its master with concern. _"To think this is her debut…how can I follow that?"_ Dawn thought nervously.

Misty made one last hand movement, and Gyarados once again charged underneath Misty. Except this time, Misty flew high into the air after Gyarados stopped short. It then fired a 'Hydro Pump' attack into the air, which caught her in mid-air. The crowd cheered for Misty, as she sat atop the water spout as if she were a mermaid sitting on a rock.

The spout was ceased, and Misty fell back to the water. But before she splashed down, Gyarados leaped into the air and caught her with its tail, and they floated on the water, signaling the end of their performance. The crowd cheered louder than ever, congratulating the two performers for an incredible job.

"That was awesome!" Ash finally said. "She didn't even have to give orders. Gyarados knew exactly what to do just by her hands." May said in awe. "She did say that playing with her Pokémon would be important in her routine, and now we know why." Brock said.

Back on the field, Gyarados had placed Misty back on the end of the field, and she faced the judges.

Mr. Contesta: "The way Gyarados understood exactly what to do without verbal orders was a marvel to behold, and the performance itself was very well done.

Mr. Sukizo: "And of course, remarkable."

Nurse Joy: "The beginning 'Flamethrower' sure caught me by surprise, the fact that it knows a fire-type move shows how well you've trained your Gyarados."

Wallace himself stood up, and gave his input. "The combination of both coordinator and Pokémon were perfectly expressed in this performance, you have certainly given me a treat." he said. "And there you have it folks! Wallace himself was highly impressed by this coordinator's debut!" Marian exclaimed.

"Misty must've done an incredible job to get Wallace's attention like that." Zoey said. "Yeah…" Dawn said quietly. "You're up next May, good luck." Brock said. "Thanks Brock, root for me you guys!" May called out, running down the corridor to the stage.

On the way, she ran into Misty, who had unzipped her tail and turned it into a pair of legs. "That was amazing Misty!" May exclaimed. "Thanks May, I sure hope the judges thought so." Misty replied. "Oh please, how could they NOT? And I think you captured the attention of more than just the judges." May said with a wink.

"Oh…really?" Misty asked shyly. "Ash didn't say a word the whole performance. He was totally hypnotized by you!" May exclaimed. Misty blushed at her statement. "Now go on! I bet he's waiting for you." May said. "Sure thing, good luck with your performance May." Misty said. "Thanks!" May called out, passing the red-headed girl in the mermaid costume.

Misty appeared in the waiting room, where the first thing she saw was Ash gazing at her lovingly. But the first thing she heard was the congratulations of Zoey and Brock. Although Dawn still seemed intimidated. "What did you think?" Misty asked. "Exactly what a coordinator should do. You looked you had fun!" Zoey said.

"That's because I did have fun! Gyarados and I used to play like that in the Cerulean Gym pool." Misty replied. Ash walked in front of the other two friends and faced Misty. "Hey Ash." Misty said shyly. "Misty, that was…indescribable…you were…" Ash stammered. "Just say what you're thinking Ash." Brock said.

Ash fumbled around for words, and Misty giggled at his bewildered expression. "You…you were…" Ash stammered. Misty decided to make it easy on Ash, and embraced him in a loving hug, which Ash gladly reciprocated. "Does this help?" Misty asked. "You were beautiful." Ash whispered. Misty blushed at his compliment and hugged him tighter.

She then broke away from Ash, and faced Dawn. "And how about you Dawn?" Misty asked. "You were great Misty! It was incredible!" Dawn exclaimed, feigning cheerfulness. "Thanks Dawn." Misty replied. "Hey guys, May's ready to go!" Brock said. Misty walked over and stood next to Ash to watch the performance.

"You're not going those wet clothes all day are you?" Ash asked. "Don't worry, I have another outfit set." Misty replied. The couple's attention turned back to the television screen, where Marian was ready to make her announcement.

"Let's keep it going with our next coordinator: May, from Petalburg City!" Marian announced. May ran from the entrance to the field, holding a Pokeball with a pink-bubble seal. "Now! Wartortle, on stage!" May exclaimed. Her Wartortle leaped out of its ball, surrounded by a flurry of pink bubbles, and then it landed on the ground with a handstand.

"Wartortle, cool!" Ash exclaimed. "To think that used to be May's little Squirtle." Brock said. "Wartortle, awesome!" Dawn exclaimed, pulling out her Pokedex to scan Wartortle.

"Wartortle, the turtle Pokémon, and the evolved form of Squirtle. Its furry tail is very popular as a symbol of long life." the Pokedex said.

"Looks like water-Pokémon are gonna be the theme for the day." Misty said. "Makes sense, since it is the Wallace Cup after all." Zoey said. "Misty sure set the bar high. May's got a lot of work to do." Ash said. Misty blushed a bit before turning her attention back towards the screen.

"Wartortle, 'Rapid Spin' now!" May ordered. Wartortle leaped into the air and withdrew into its shell, skipping across the water like a skipping stone, spraying the front row with a refreshing and attractive spray of water. The crowd cheered loudly for May.

"Aqua Tail'!" May ordered. Wartortle came back out of its shell, and sprayed its attack over the entire the stadium. "May and Wartortle look fantastic out there." Ash said. "They've got the timing on that 'Aqua Tail' down pat." Brock added. "And May's doing a really great job of showing off Wartortle's beautiful tail." Zoey added.

Dawn squeezed even tighter onto Piplup, who was now having difficulty breathing, but didn't say anything. Dawn was obviously feeling intimidated now. First Misty and her water-show, and now May and Wartortle were doing fantastic as well.

"Finish up!" May ordered. Wartortle, who was still using its previous attack, landed back onto the ground with a splash from its own tail, and then squirted a small spray of water, which formed a small rainbow above itself and its master. After Marian finished her color-commentary, the judges had their say.

Mr. Contesta: "Excellent work. Great technique and artistry, and I loved how Wartortle kept smiling the entire way through."

Mr. Sukizo: "Yes, remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "Along with that lovely tail and shell, it was obvious how well-trained May's Wartortle truly is."

Wallace: "Ahh, the technique of using water as an effective way to bring out the best in Wartortle is a feast for the eyes."

"Wow! These first two coordinators have certainly given Wallace a show!" Marian exclaimed. "May's gotten off to a good start, hasn't she?" Brock said. "She sure has." Misty replied. "Well neither me, Dawn, nor Zoey go on for a while, so if you're going to go change, you'd better go now." Ash said. "Right, seeya in a few minutes guys." Misty said, rushing off to the changing rooms.

After a few more battles, Jessilina got her turn to perform. But not before Misty returned in her gym leader attire: A yellow crop-top with matching shorts, with red outlines on the sleeves. "Wow, you still have that Misty?" May asked. "It's decent casual attire, so I figured I'd take it with me. And it's a good thing I did too." Misty replied.

Meanwhile, Jessilina had walked to the end of the stage. "Hello, hello, hello, hello! I'm Jessilina, the brightest star in the coordinator sky!" Jessilina said confidently, blowing kisses to the cheering crowd. "She's sure confident ever since she won in Solaceon." Brock said. "Arrogant is more like it." Misty spat.

"Pay attention Wallace. Wobbuffet, start your engines!" Jessilina twirled and threw out her Pokeball, and Wobbuffet appeared in a flurry of flowers. But then it clumsily fell over, which the crowd seemed to think was on purpose.

"When people get star-struck, they lose awareness." Misty said. "Must be. There's no way it fell over on purpose." Dawn said, seeming to relax a bit, which resulted in Piplup getting to breathe again. "And now if you will folks, feast your frenzied fan eyes!" Jessilina exclaimed.

"She doesn't really believe in subtlety does she?" May asked. The group all simultaneously shook their heads in response. "Wobbuffet, if you please." Jessilina said. Wobbuffet started glowing orange, and charged towards its master, who was charging towards it.

"The two collided, and Jessilina flew high up into the air. "Upsy daisy!" she screamed. "Guess she likes using that same flying trick." Ash said. "It loses its appeal after you see it once." Misty said with a sweat-drop.

Jessilina landed on Wobbuffet's head, and cheered for herself. "Ta da! (Giggle) You like me, you really like me!" she exclaimed, apparently oblivious to the fact that the only one cheering was herself. The judges groaned in disappointment, which Jessilina was also oblivious to.

"Is she delirious or something?" Ash asked. "No, her ego is just too big to accept the fact that no one cared." Misty replied. "Well don't worry; she'll realize it when she doesn't make it past round one." Zoey said.

"Hey, you're up next, good luck Zoey." Brock said. "Thanks Brock." Zoey replied. Zoey ran down the corridor and ran into Jesslilina. "Top that, twerpette." Jessilina said smugly. "With one hand behind my back." Zoey countered. Jessilina growled, which Zoey responded to with a chuckle.

"Ok…moving right along with our next entry: Zoey, from Snowpoint City!" Marian announced. "I finally get to see Zoey in action!" May exclaimed. "Let's see if she does as great as her fellow red-head." Ash said playfully. Misty gave him a playful nudge in response, and turned her attention towards the screen.

"Phineon, ready, go!" Zoey exclaimed. She threw out her Pokeball, and a fish popped out of it, with small embers following it to the water, where it dove under. "Wow, how cool is that?" Misty exclaimed. "Zoey must've gotten a new Pokémon!" Ash said, pulling out his Pokedex.

"Phineon, the wing-fish Pokémon. Because of its twin-tailed fins that flutter like wings when swimming, Phineon has been called the Beautifly of the sea." his Pokedex said.

"Beautifly of the sea…then it is true." Dawn said. Her comment caught the attention of Misty, May, and Brock, who looked at their stressed friend with a mixture of confusion and concern. _"She seems intimidated…this is bad." _Misty thought.

"Use 'Silver Wind'!" Zoey ordered. Phineon leaped out of the water and fired a shining stream of wind from its tails, which grazed the surface of the water. "You can all see why Phineon is called the Beautifly of the sea, with this lovely 'Silver Wind'!" Marian exclaimed.

"Now use 'Safeguard'!" Zoey ordered. Phineon landed back into the water, but not before glowing in a green aura. The fish glowed under the water, which gave it a mystical look. "What a way to show Phineon off!" Brock exclaimed. "The perfect way to show off the beauty of water-types!" Misty added. "How would a twerp know perfect?" Jessilina mumbled.

"Because I have a mallet that can make your head deformed?" Misty responded threateningly. Jessilina sweat-dropped and backed up in fear. "Thought so." Misty said with satisfaction.

"Waterfall'!" Zoey ordered. A huge pillar of water formed, and with incredible speed, Phineon climbed it by swimming in circles around it. When it finally reached the top, it splashed and shined in the sunlight. "Incredible! To think that I'd be missing out on all these techniques if I was still in Cerulean!" Misty exclaimed.

"Luckily you had someone who cared enough to get you out." May teased. "I've learned a lot in these past couple of weeks: battling styles, powerful contest techniques, all these things I couldn't possibly have learned in Cerulean." Misty said, ignoring the jab. "In…credible." Dawn mumbled, staring at the screen where Zoey and Phineon concluded their performance. The judges then had their say.

Mr. Contesta: "I really loved the way their artistic effort built on itself."

Mr. Sukizo: "Me too, it was remarkable."

Nurse Joy: "Her Phineon is as beautiful and well-trained as any I've ever seen."

Wallace: "Indeed. A truly lovely sight. Today we have been given a real gift."

"Alright, I'm up next." Ash said, handing Pikachu to Misty. "Good luck Ash." Misty said, giving Ash a kiss for good luck. Ash smiled brightly and headed for the stage. "Zoey and Phineon were just stunning!" May exclaimed. Dawn groaned and squeezed even tighter. By now Piplup couldn't take it anymore, and started chirping desperately to get Dawn to let go.

"Piplup, I'm sorry!" Dawn panicked. "Dawn, are you feeling ok?" Brock asked with concern. "Me? I'm fine! No need to worry Brock!" Dawn said, trying to hide her nervousness. Misty sighed sadly, she knew Dawn was lying when she said she was ok, but saying so would make things worse.

But Misty's spirit lifted when Marian announced the next entrant. "Next up is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town!" she announced. "That's me! Buizel, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed. Buizel appeared in a flurry of lightning bolts, which it punched away before landing on the ground. "Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered.

Buizel complied and charged through the water with incredible speed and power. "Wow, Ash looks great as well!" May exclaimed. "And I noticed that Ash is focusing more on showing off power than grace." Zoey said. "Naturally. Both me and Ash are battlers at heart after all." Misty added. "It sure didn't look like a battler that was dancing in the water though." May said, referring to Misty's performance.

"Put on the brakes!" Ash ordered. In the middle of the water, Buizel stopped on a dime using its trademark inflatable collar to slow down and stop. "But it looks like Ash hasn't totally forgotten about beauty." May said. "Showing off a Pokémon's natural ability is key in a contest." Zoey said.

"Sonic Boom'!" Ash ordered. From underneath the water, Buizel launched a 'Sonic Boom' attack that made a huge ring flow out from the water, and shot Buizel up into the air by momentum. The crowd was now cheering loudly for the two performers.

"Water Gun' go!" Ash ordered. Still in the air, Buizel fired a powerful 'Water Gun' at the pool, and it carried all the way to where the judges were sitting, and gave them a refreshing spray of water to end their performance.

Wallace: "Sensational! A performance showcasing the power of battle, and a nice dose of appeal."

"Thanks a lot! Thanks for the applause!" Ash said, basking in the glory of the screaming fans. "He heard Dawn's suggestions and put them into practice perfectly." Brock said. "The way Ash, Misty, and Dawn have trained their Pokémon so well, it's terrific!" May exclaimed. "Dawn, you're up next. You ready?" Misty asked.

The group looked over to Dawn and sweat-dropped, seeing the blue-haired girl freaking out as she looked at her reflection in a mirror. "Oh no, I can't believe it, even my hair is nervous!" Dawn cried. "What are you up to?" Zoey asked. "My final check. Do I look ok? Anything sticking out?" Dawn asked nervously.

"You're not the main attraction, your Pokémon are." Zoey said. "Please Dawn, just relax." May said. "Be confident." Brock added. "Remember that there's no pressure at all, since we're all here to root for you." Misty added. "But everyone else performed so well!" Dawn exclaimed nervously.

"So what? You'll do the same thing." Misty said. "But Misty, I'm afraid I'm going to embarrass myself. I'm starting to think that maybe it's still too early for me to get back on the contest track." Dawn said sadly. Piplup was now tired of hearing its master's self-pity, and chirped with pure rage.

"What's eating you? Don't get short with me!" Dawn screamed angrily. "Piplup's trying to get you to snap out of it." Misty said. "There's nothing to snap out of! I'm already doing the best I can and Piplup should know that!" Dawn cried.

Piplup had taken as much as it could handle, and fired a 'Bubblebeam' attack at Dawn, which caused everyone including Dawn to stare Piplup down with awe. Dawn blinked a few times before speaking. "Whoa…Piplup." she said quietly. "Pi plup!" (Wake up!) Piplup said insistently.

Dawn stood tall and slapped her face with the palms of her hands. "I needed that. Thanks Piplup." she said gratefully. "Way to go Piplup!" May exclaimed. Piplup chirped with gratitude. "Now that you've snapped out of it, who are you going with?" Misty asked. "After the Solaceon Contest, I'm going with Ambipom." Dawn replied.

"Well I'm really looking forward to the two of you going at it." May said. "Just remember to keep it natural, like Wallace said." Misty said. "Good luck Dawn." Brock added. "Thanks everyone, for everything." Dawn said, walking to the stage.

Dawn met up with Ash and stopped for a quick conversation. "You and Buizel were amazing Ash." Dawn said. "Thanks Dawn, now you have fun out there." Ash replied. "Thanks, I will." Dawn said. Ash raised his hand up in the air, and Dawn responded by giving Ash a friendly high-five.

Ash walked into the waiting room, and was greeted my Misty, May, Brock, and Zoey. "Hey guys." Ash said. "Hey big guy, you looked great out there." Brock said. "Thanks Brock." Ash replied. "Congratulations Ash." Misty said, wrapping Ash into a quick hug. "Thanks Mist, I hope I make it." Ash said.

"In my opinion, you all have a pretty good shot." Brock said. "Let's hope Dawn does too." Zoey said. The group of teens turned their attention to the screen. "And here's our next entry: Dawn, from Twinleaf Town!" Marian announced.

"Alright Ambipooo – aaah!" Dawn cried. Dawn had stumbled and almost dropped the Pokeball on the floor, which brought gasps of concern from all of her friends in the waiting room. "Are you alright?" Marian asked with a sweat-drop. Dawn regained her composure and smiled. "Yep, I'm fine." she said. The group of teens sighed with relief.

"Ambipom, now! Spoootlight!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom appeared and twirled in the flurry of hearts, before landing on the ground and making its trademark symbol with its tails. "Use 'Double Hit'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom leaped into the remainder of flying hearts, and launched an attack that was almost too fast for the naked eye.

"That's the way! Show 'em Ambipom's true nature! Keep it simple and beautiful!" Zoey exclaimed. "It's inspiring to see how Aipom's evolved and working with Dawn so well!" May added.

"Now use 'Swift'!" Dawn ordered. "Uh oh, I hope she doesn't go overboard." Misty said. "I doubt she'll make the same mistake twice." Brock reassured. Ambipom fired a flurry of stars that splashed into the water, making small spouts of water appear all over the pool. Ambipom then landed on its tails, and awaited the final command.

"Finish it with 'Focus Punch'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom delivered an ultra-powerful punch to the water, which caused two huge waves to head for the stands. Most of the fans cleared out before getting soaked again, but three onlookers, one with a red 'R' on his shirt, did not escape the water attack.

The left over waves sprayed a mist all over the field, and Ambipom and Dawn concluded their performance with a smile. "Alright! Dawn nailed it!" Ash exclaimed. "And she had fun doing it!" Misty exclaimed happily.

Mr. Contesta: "Well, the controlled power coupled with the coordinator's flawless timing was marvelous to behold."

Mr. Sukizo: "And remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "They've really shown off how adorable Ambipom truly can be."

Wallace: "Power and technique, even cuteness. Thank you for a delightful performance."

"And after this, we have one last contestant, so get ready!" Marian exclaimed. Dawn ran to the waiting room to rejoin her friends, but not before being greeted by a blonde woman with long hair. "Nice job." she said simply but sincerely. "Thanks." Dawn replied.

Dawn reached her friends, who cheered upon her arrival. "You were incredible!" Zoey exclaimed. "And best of all, you had fun!" Misty added. "Thanks for all your help guys." Dawn said gratefully. "Now there's only one more coordinator to go, and then we see the results." Brock said.

Misty decided that she was thirsty, so she headed over to the small water cooler in the room, Ash followed. But no one was prepared for what came next.

"And last but certainly not least, we have Daisy Waterflower, from Cerulean City!" Marian announced. Misty choked on her drink upon hearing that, and Ash helped her by softly hitting her back with his palm. "Daisy who?" she screamed. She looked at the TV screen and saw her sister, wearing a longer version of her usual water ballet attire.

"Alright Dewgong, like, come on out!" Daisy exclaimed. Dewgong appeared in a flurry of bubbles, and splashed into the water gracefully. "What's Daisy doing here?" Ash asked. "I don't know, but I'm sure glad she is!" Brock exclaimed, ogling at her beauty. Brock was then seen on the floor, after a furious Misty slammed his head with her mallet.

"My sister's got some nerve!" Misty screamed angrily. "That's your sister? I walked right by without even knowing." Dawn said. They watched to see what Daisy had in store.

"Alright Dewgong, like, start off with a 'Water Gun'!" Daisy ordered. Dewgong obliged and fired a 'Water Gun' all over the field and ceiling, getting everything soaked. "And now, use 'Ice Beam'!" Daisy ordered. Dewgong fired a freezing beam at all the water, causing icicles to appear all over the ceiling, it then jumped up and fired at the field itself, causing it to freeze over.

"What's she up to?" Zoey asked. "That's my big question too." Misty said, still upset, although impressed so far. "Alright Dewgong, like, let's slide!" Daisy ordered. Dewgong slid across the field on its belly, and flew into the air by going up an icy slope. "Like, finish with 'Aurora Beam'!" Daisy ordered.

Dewgong fired a rainbow-colored beam at the biggest icicle on the ceiling, which caused a rainbow light to shine across the entire stadium. "Whoa, that's pretty impressive." Misty said, apparently not upset anymore. "You did a good job training her Mist." Ash said. "I trained her for battles, not contests. I have no idea where this came from." Misty replied.

Daisy and Dewgong posed to signal their finish, and then they face the judges.

Mr. Contesta: "Dewgong looked positively stunning and graceful during its performance, a wonderful way to debut.

Mr. Sukizo: "And of course, remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "The shine from Dewgong's coat and the 'Aurora Beam' mixed together perfectly, what a beautiful Pokémon.

Wallace: "You've shown how well Dewgong's natural abilities can be showcased perfectly in this performance, thank you for a wonderful show."

"And that concludes our thrilling first round! So stay tuned for the announcements from the judges, I wouldn't want their job right now." Marian announced.

Daisy walked into the waiting room and confronted the group of teens. "Like, surprised to see me little sis?" Daisy asked. "Daisy, if you're here, then who's running the gym?" Misty screamed, running her temper back up. "Like, chill out. Lily and Violet have it handled; I took what I learned from you and your boyfriend and gave them some tips." Daisy replied with a flip of her hair.

"…Fine…as long as they're not just giving away badges again." Misty huffed. Brock kneeled in front of Daisy and took her hand. "My darling Daisy, your performance captured my heart and now you can have the rest of me too!" Brock exclaimed passionately. Just then, Croagunk appeared and 'Poison Jabbed' Brock's side.

"Unless…Croagunk…calls…dibs…first." Brock strained. The irritated frog dragged Brock away. "So like, that's not your job anymore?" Daisy asked. "We take turns. So you mind explaining what you're doing here?" Misty asked. "Well, we like, saw your blue-haired friend's performance on TV, and we loved the battle style!" Daisy exclaimed.

"Go on…" Misty said impatiently. "So we started doing battle training, while still making sure that we made the moves look as attractive as possible. That's the way it should be for a Sensational Sister." Daisy said. "That doesn't explain why you're here." Misty said.

"When we, like heard that hunk, Wallace, was holding his own contest, we decided that one of us should go represent the Sensational Sisters of Cerulean, I went because I had the most battle experience." Daisy explained. "Well I will admit, you looked great out there." Misty admitted. "So did you mer-girl." Daisy replied.

"Well, I'm glad it's all over now." Dawn said. "What's wrong Dawn? Still uneasy?" May asked. "It went ok, I think so. But the results…they scare me." Dawn said sincerely. "Have faith in yourself Dawn." Misty said. "Trust me kid, if there's one thing I know, it's style, and you've got it." Daisy added. "You really think so?" Dawn asked.

"There's no need to worry." May said. "Thanks everyone." Dawn said. The group turned their attention back to the screen when Marian appeared, saying that the judges had reached a decision. The giant screen in the stadium showed the sixteen advancing coordinators, and it revealed that Ash, Misty, Dawn, May, Zoey, and even Daisy would be moving on to the second round.

"See? You're all moving to the second stage." Brock said. "And I told you, Jessilina failed." Zoey chuckled. "Arrogance never pays." Misty said. "I saw her act, I've like, never seen such a style-challenged performance." Daisy added.

Dawn stared in awe at the screen before finally speaking up. "I made it? I really made it?" Dawn said in awe. "We're proud of you Dawn." Misty said. "Told you there was no need to worry." May added. "Thanks you guys, couldn't have done it without you." Dawn said gratefully. "Hey thanks, but you did it yourself." Ash said.

"Just remember, don't be over-confident." May said. "Right, now the real competition starts." Zoey added. "And I intend to compete to win!" Ash exclaimed. "That's tough, because I didn't come this far too lose, that ribbon is mine!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Glad to see you're finally totally back to normal." Misty said. "That's for sure. I haven't forgotten we're competitors too, you shouldn't either." Zoey said. Dawn gasped in realization. "Y-Yeah." she said.

"Well, isn't this getting interesting? Starting tomorrow, you're all rivals." Brock said. "You bet!" Ash exclaimed. "With one winner, and that's me!" Dawn exclaimed determinedly. "Don't be so sure, because I didn't come just to fail, I came to win!" Misty exclaimed. "It's getting late guys. We should head for the hotel." Zoey said.

"Daisy, are you coming?" Misty asked. "Like, you actually want me to?" Daisy asked. "That's what sisters are for. Come on." Misty replied. Daisy smiled and joined the group on their walk back to the hotel. "What a beautiful sunset." Misty said, leaning her head on Ash's shoulder as they walked. "Yeah, it's real cool." Ash replied.

"You know, I wish I had someone I could hang with like that." May whispered to Dawn. "I thought you did." Dawn said. "Drew? He…I don't know…I'm not sure if he does or not." May replied sadly. The group walked into the hotel and was greeted by the Nurse Joy who worked at the built-in Pokémon Center.

"Excuse me, Miss May? There's a phone call for you from the Johto League." Nurse Joy said. "Um…thanks." May replied. May shrugged and ran to the nearest videophone to accept the call. "I wonder who would be calling from Johto." Ash said. "I bet I know." Misty said with a smile.

"Come to think of it, I should like, call Lily and Violet." Daisy said. "I'll go with you Daisy." Misty said. Misty gave Ash a quick peck and followed her sister to the video phones. "What do you say big guy, get some dinner?" Brock asked. "Now you're talking!" Ash exclaimed.

The two boys took off, leaving Dawn and Zoey by themselves. "So what do we do?" Dawn asked. "My suggestion, get some rest. We've got a lot to do tomorrow." Zoey replied. Dawn nodded and followed Zoey to the bedroom.

With the group all doing their own thing, the Wallace Cup had only just begun, and the next day would prove to be a competition that everyone would look forward to.


	20. The Drama of the Wallace Cup

**I am truly ashamed at how long it took for me to update this story, but I hope you all think the wait was worth it for this chapter, and I hope you enjoy the twists I've added to the Wallace Cup! I own nothing except this story.  
_**

Chapter 20

Normal POV

Misty, May, and Daisy joined Dawn and Zoey in the girls' bedroom and changed into their pajamas. "We better get some sleep guys; we have a long day tomorrow." Zoey said. "We can't go to sleep now! We need to have some girl fun before we turn into rivals tomorrow!" May exclaimed. "So what do you suggest?" Dawn asked.

"Well, I just happen to have some snacks here, and we can figure it out from there!" May exclaimed, pulling out a bag of assorted sweets. "Like, a slumber party? I had those all the time when I was a little girl. And there was always like, one thing that it was never complete without." Daisy said. "Oh yeah, and what's that?" May asked.

Daisy glanced at her now nervous little sister before replying. "We talked about boys." Daisy said. "Heh, yeah, great story sis. Moving on!" Misty said, trying to dodge the subject. It wasn't like Misty had a problem with talking about Ash; it was just the fact that it would be on her sister's terms that would make it awkward. "Oh no, no slumber party is complete without a nice, long conversation about boys." Daisy said, insisting upon it. "I'm gonna get you for this." Misty hissed.

"So, let's like, start with Zoey." Daisy said. "Me?" Zoey asked. "Yeah, is there like, somebody you care about?" Daisy asked. "Not really. I figure when the time comes, I'll know who it is." Zoey replied. "Fine, how about you Dawn?" Daisy asked. "Same goes with me. I haven't really been turned on by anyone." Dawn replied. "Wow, does anyone here like anyone?" Daisy said exaggeratedly.

_"She's toying with me."_ Misty thought angrily. Daisy's attention was caught by the bouncing Buneary, who was begging to go next. "Alright then, you go next." Daisy said, acknowledging Buneary's enthusiasm.

Buneary explained her crush on Ash's Pikachu, although it was hard for Daisy to follow. "Like, what?" Daisy asked with confusion. "Buneary said that she likes Ash's Pikachu, although she's not sure whether Pikachu likes her back or not." Dawn translated. "Bun bun bun eary." (I sure hope he does.) Buneary said with her ears drooped.

"Aww, don't worry Buneary, just don't give up. You'll get through that thick head of Pikachu's soon enough." Misty encouraged. "Bun bun eary?" (You mean it?) Buneary asked. "Sure, I cracked through Ash's head, and now we're a couple. Pokémon take on the behavior of their trainers, so just keep doing what you're doing, Pikachu already seems to like you a bit." Misty replied.

"Bun eary bun!" (Thanks a lot!) Buneary squealed, hugging Misty tightly. "It sure took a while, didn't it Misty?" May said. Misty glared at May, sending her a silent message to drop the subject.

"Oh yeah, he's like, all she talked about in the gym." Daisy said. "Daisy!" Misty hissed. "Well am I wrong?" Daisy asked.

"What about you, sis? Who's on your mind?" Misty asked, trying to counter. "Well if you must now, I think that drawing friend of yours is pretty cute." Daisy said. "Drawing friend…that seems familiar." May said. "Of course it's familiar, she's talking about Tracey!" Misty said. "Oh yeah, the guy with the sketchpad?" May asked.

"That's right. And he like, never goes anywhere without his little sketchpad. I should know, he like, asked me to pose for him." Daisy said. "And of course, you agreed." Misty figured. "That's right, like, how'd you guess?" Daisy asked. "It's too obvious." Misty said with a sweat-drop.

"Well, I say we end this with May. How about it then?" Zoey asked. _"I'll have to thank Zoey for taking the heat off of me later."_ Misty thought. "Who me?" May asked. "Yeah, what did Drew say earlier?" Misty asked teasingly. "H-How'd you know it was Drew?" May asked. "A call from Johto? Who else would it be?" Misty asked knowingly. "Well…I guess I can tell you." May said.

[Flashback]

May answered the videophone and found Drew on the other end. "Hello May." Drew said coolly. "Uh, hi Drew. How's the Johto League going?" May asked, confused as to why Drew had bothered to call her. "Same old, same old. I did see you in the Wallace Cup though." Drew said. "Oh…you did?" May asked.

"Yes, I did." Drew replied. "And…what'd you think?" May asked. "Not bad. You and Wartortle were pretty impressive as far as your performances go." Drew said coolly. "Um…thanks?" May replied, unsure of how to take it. "You know Harley was watching too." Drew said seriously. "Oh really? And what did he think?" May asked in an annoyed tone.

"It's Harley. What do you think?" Drew replied. May growled inwardly. "Now listen up, you better get yourself ready for the rest of the Wallace Cup, that way when you come back to Johto, you can actually give me some sort of decent competition." Drew said. "I will Drew, thanks." May said, her face tinted a soft pink.

"Oh, and one more thing, give this to Beautifly." Drew said, sending a red rose over to May. May accepted the rose and blushed deeper. "You sure this is for Beautifly?" May asked, holding the rose to her heart. "You can have it if you want." Drew said coolly. "I do…thanks Drew." May said with a wink.

Drew had the slightest hint of blush on his face for a moment, but then regained his composure. "Make sure you don't disappoint me May." Drew said. "I won't. Thanks for the call." May replied. As soon as Drew hung up, May sniffed the rose and held it close to her heart again.

[End Flashback]

"He gives me these all the time, and I love them every time." May said, holding the rose in her hand. "Aww, how sweet." Misty said. "So what makes you think he may not like you?" Dawn asked. "He never really…says anything. He just hands me the rose, on occasion he'll say a small something, and then walks away." May explained.

"I've like, seen that situation before. That's when a boy is like; too shy to say much, so he acts all cool to throw you off." Daisy said. "Really?" May asked, blushing. "Like, really." Daisy replied. "There you go May! You have someone who cares!" Dawn squealed. May blushed as deep as her face would allow, and held the rose to her heart.

"Just don't think I'll let you win the Wallace Cup to impress him May." Zoey said. "Of course not! I'm looking forward to the challenge!" May replied. "Well you have your work cut out for you, because I intend to win!" Dawn said. "I do too! I never enter anything without making sure to give it my all!" Misty added.

"I'm going to do the same, my mom was a top coordinator, and I want to make her proud!" Dawn said. "Having a top coordinator for a mom must've gotten you on the contest track early, huh Dawn?" May said. "Yeah, I even begged her to teach me her awesome recipe for poffins." Dawn replied.

"So you wanted to be a coordinator since you were little?" May asked. "I grew up idolizing my mom and her contests!" Dawn replied. "Hey May, what about you?" Zoey asked. "Well…let's just say in the beginning I had a little trouble dealing with Pokémon at all. But after I started learning about contests and how much fun they were, I was hooked!" May explained.

"And they like, hooked me too!" Daisy added. "At least you're learning one way or another." Misty said. "That leaves you Misty. I know you're not a contest kinda gal, but how'd you get started with Pokémon?" Zoey asked. "Well, I guess I kind of always liked water-Pokémon." Misty said. "ALL water-Pokémon Misty?" Dawn asked.

Misty automatically knew what she was referring to. "Yes, all. I don't hate Psyduck; I just wish it was less dopey is all." Misty replied. "So you've been a trainer for a long time then." Zoey figured. Ever since I was old enough to talk, and I got my Staryu, my dream was to be a water-Pokémon master. How my older sisters missed out on that, I have no clue." Misty said.

"Because we like, got hooked on something else first little sis. Something girls should focus on." Daisy said, flipping back her long, blonde hair. "Let me guess, fashion?" Zoey asked knowingly. "You're catching on." Daisy replied. "And what about now? You were totally awesome in the Wallace Cup!" May exclaimed.

"Well, after seeing contests in action, I've like, decided that when I head back to Cerulean, I'm gonna open up the gym for spectators whenever I have a gym battle, then I'll like, put on a show for them!" Daisy replied.

"Whatever Daisy, just make sure you remember that your opponent is trying to attack while you're doing that." Misty said. "Don't worry about that Misty; she'll get some experience for that style of battling in round two." May said.

"So May, what are actual Johto contests like?" Dawn asked. Before May could answer, a crash was heard on the other side of the wall. The group of girls got up and ran to Ash and Brock's room, where they saw Ash and Pikachu on the floor at the foot of their bed.

Misty giggled and helped Ash to his feet. "Was it comfy down there?" she asked playfully. "Ash, you do have a bed you know." Brock said with a sweat-drop. "I know Brock; I was dreaming I was in the middle of a really tough battle." Ash said, rubbing his head.

"You like, sure that was it? Or were you dreaming about something else?" Daisy teased. "Nope, it was a battle." Ash reassured, ignoring the jab. Ash went to the bathroom and came out in his regular clothes, and then he walked out into the hallway with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Ash, where are you going?" Dawn asked. "Well, since I'm not sleeping so well, I thought I'd go for a walk." Ash replied. "Would you mind some company Ash?" Misty asked. Ash smiled and then motioned for Misty to come along.

Misty ran back into the girls' room, and quickly emerged in her familiar attire. "By the way, have you had that outfit since Kanto? I figured you'd have outgrown it by now." Ash said. "I have bigger versions Ash, this isn't the same one." Misty replied. Ash and Misty walked down the hallway and eventually disappeared from sight.

"And so, our talk about boys has like, officially ended." Daisy said, looking in the direction that the couple disappeared too.

Back with Ash and Misty, they had walked outside the hotel, and were heading for Lake Valor. "Sorry about Daisy, Ash, she just can't resist." Misty apologized. "What makes her teasing different from Dawn or May's? I don't really mind." Ash replied.

"But still, what was the point in saying that?" Misty asked in an irritated tone. "Hey, can I tell you something Mist?" Ash asked. "Sure Ash, you can tell me anything, you know that." Misty replied. "Well…uh…I may have been dreaming about a battle…but you were the only one there cheering for me." Ash said sheepishly.

"Not even Brock?" Misty asked. Ash shook his head in a "no" fashion and smiled at the red-headed girl. Misty turned pink and smiled back. They reached the lake and leaned over the metal railing, enjoying the view and each other's company. Misty placed herself underneath Ash's arm and stared back at the crystal clear water.

The breeze softly blew through her red hair, giving her an even more attractive look. "That night breeze sure feels nice." Ash said. "And the water looks incredible; it just shines in the moonlight." Misty said dreamily. "You know, I'm really glad I decided to compete. The way Buizel looks totally energized in the water like that, it's like I'm getting started on something brand new." Ash said.

"I'm having a lot of fun doing it too. Gyarados seemed happier than it had been since the last time we played together like that." Misty said. "You looked awesome out there Mist. I'm sure glad you kept it a surprise, I never expected you to make a comeback as the mermaid." Ash said. "I thought it'd be nice to put on a show again. After all, Misty the Mermaid was a huge hit in Cerulean." Misty said proudly.

"Yeah, I remember. Misty the tomboyish Mermaid was awesome." Ash said with a smirk. Misty jabbed Ash's ribs playfully and laughed at his attempt at a joke. The two then fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying each other's presence, and gazing at Lake Valor and all its majestic glory.

After a little while longer, the sound of ripples was heard in the water, which caught the attention of Ash and Misty. "What's that?" Ash wondered out loud. The lake water swirled, and a small white light appeared in the lake.

"What the?" Ash wondered. A strange see-through, shadowy, figure appeared and flew around the air. "Ash…do you see what I see?" Misty asked in awe. "Yeah…but what is it?" Ash replied. The couple stared in awe at the ghostly figure that was floating in the air. The figure disappeared back into the water, leaving Ash and Misty in shock at what they just saw.

The two stared at each other, both wondering the same thing. _"What the heck was that?"_ After a few seconds of staring, Ash broke the silence. "We gotta tell Brock!" he exclaimed. Misty nodded and followed Ash back to the hotel.

They barged through the hotel doors, catching the attention of two bellboys and an off-duty maid. They looked at the rampaging couple, thinking they were out of their minds or something, as they watched them run up the stairs to the rooms.

They finally reached Ash and Brock's room, where they quickly opened the door and found Brock bending over the desk, probably reading a book on breeding. "Brock!" Ash yelled. Brock stared at the two trainers who were now gasping to catch their breath. _"Those two look like they've seen a ghost-type."_ Brock thought.

"In Lake Valor! It was shining! And it was spinning! And all of a sudden, whoosh!" Ash stammered. Misty and Brock eyeballed the black-haired trainer and his Pikachu, sweat-dropping at Ash's pathetic description.

"I don't have a clue what you just said. Misty, you wanna give it a shot?" Brock suggested. Misty was about to give her input, when the four other girls walked in to see the totally freaked out Ash. "What's wrong?" Dawn asked.

Misty was about to try again, when Ash suddenly turned around, and started speaking incoherently again. "The thing! In Lake Valor! It was glowing! And then, whoosh! It disappeared! We have no idea what it was!" he stammered.

The group stared at Ash and sweat-dropped as he continued to freak out._ "Ok, that's it."_ Misty thought. Misty now had a choice to make. Mallet, Azurill, or maybe a more tender approach. Her heart fluttered and she smiled inwardly at the third choice that had popped into her mind, so she went with that.

Misty tilted her head and kissed Ash's cheek, which caused him to blush and quickly stop talking. "What was that for Mist?" he asked softly. "To get you to stop babbling." Misty said with a smile. Ash smiled back. "I think I should babble more often." he said sheepishly. "Alright, now that Misty's calmed your nerves AGAIN. Care to give your explanation another try?" Brock suggested.

"Let me do it." Misty said. Ash shrugged and sat down on the bed Indian-style, letting Misty have the chance to try.

"We were staring at the lake, when a certain spot in the water started to swirl, like a whirlpool. Then, a strange white light appeared in the lake, and a shadowy figure started flying around in the air. After a few minutes, it flew back into the water and disappeared without a trace." Misty explained.

"That like, seems pretty far-fetched, are you sure you weren't seeing things?" Daisy asked. "No way! We both saw it! It was like whoosh! And then it just disappeared!" Ash exclaimed, getting all hyped-up again. Piplup had grown tired of Ash's mumbling, so it fired a 'Bubblebeam' attack in his face.

"Your turn to wake up!" Dawn laughed. Ash coughed and held up his hands defensively. "Ok, ok! I'm fine, no more!" he panicked. "We'll hold you to that." May giggled. "I think I like Misty's way a lot better." Ash mumbled.

"So let me get this straight. You two saw some sort of strange light in Lake Valor, right?" Brock asked. "Yeah, it was like the light was alive or something." Ash said. "You know, the same thing happened to me." Dawn added. Ash and Misty gasped when she said that. "Tell us what happened!" Misty exclaimed. "I thought I already did to be honest." Dawn replied.

"Well, maybe you did, but I wasn't here to hear about it, so humor me." Misty said. Dawn nodded and began her story. "It happened on the first day I met Piplup, I was at Lake Verity and I saw a strange shadow." Dawn explained.

"That sounds just like what we saw." Ash said in awe. "Professor Rowan's always said that there was a legendary Pokémon living in Lake Verity…wow…you guys must've just gone through what I did." Dawn said.

"Mist, you really think it was a legendary Pokémon we saw?" Ash asked. "It wouldn't be the first time. And come to think of it, it did have a distinct shape to it." Misty replied. "Hey, your stories remind me of another story I heard while I was in Snowpoint City." May said. Upon hearing that, Zoey had her turn at gasping.

"Right around that area, there's a lake there that's called Lake Acuity. And there are all these rumors saying that a mysterious Pokémon lives there." May explained. "All these stories seem to like, have something in common." Daisy said. "You're still with us big sis?" Misty asked teasingly. "Like, give me some credit Misty, I'm not totally brainless." Daisy replied.

"She's right though. All these stories involve a lake somehow." Brock said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Well I know that what May's telling us is the truth." Zoey said. "Really? How?" May asked. "You see, I'm from Snowpoint City, and I used to hear those stories when I was younger." Zoey replied. "Wow! Zoey, that's amazing!" Dawn exclaimed.

"The legend of the mysterious Lake Acuity Pokémon is well-known around there. It speaks of a shadowy figure, emerging from the surface of the water from time to time as it patrols the lake. It's the same type of legend in both Lake Valor and Lake Verity!" Zoey said.

"You know, if they're legendary Pokémon, all of these sightings and stories just might have something to do with the Sinnoh Space-and-Time legend." Brock said. "I'm going to get in touch with Professor Rowan in the morning and ask him first thing!" Dawn exclaimed.

"This is like, really weird, I'm going to sleep while I'm still able to sleep." Daisy said, freaked out a little at the situation. Brock leaped from his seat and kneeled in front of Daisy, holding her hand. "If you're really frightened, I could stand guard for you until you're safe in your dreams, I'll hold you tightly and comfort your aching and uneasy heart!" he said passionately.

As usual, Croagunk appeared and gave him a sharp 'Poison Jab' in his side. "Someone…needs to comfort…my aching side." Brock strained. The eldest male doubled over in pain, and was then dragged and placed onto his bed by Croagunk. "It's like, tough being this attractive." Daisy said vainly. "I think it's tough on Brock too." Dawn said with a sweat-drop.

"Well, like, goodnight everyone." Daisy said, turning to leave. "Night sis." Misty said. Daisy looked back and responded with a warm smile, and then flipped her long, blonde hair before walking out.

"My sister just isn't cut out for adventure." Misty said with a sweat-drop. "How come you don't act like your sisters?" Zoey asked. "Oh…well…I was usually described as a tomboy, since I didn't really care about what my sisters care about. And I guess they had that right now that I think about it." Misty replied.

"Gimme a high-five girl, our kind have to stick together." Zoey said, holding her hand in the air. Misty high-fived her fellow tomboy's hand and smiled. "Wow, best friends in the blink of an eye." May laughed. "I'll be perfectly honest though; this whole situation is a bit scary when you really think about it." Misty said sincerely.

You could've heard a pin-drop after she said that, the room had turned grim, as each of the teenagers pondered the situation in their own mind.

"Well guys, all I can say is that we need to get some sleep. So try your best to keep your mind calm." Brock said seriously. "Right." the group replied in unison. May, Dawn, and Zoey left the room, but Misty stayed back, eyeing the floor as if it was the most interesting thing around.

Ash caught Misty's nervous expression and stared at her worriedly. "Mist, you alright?" Ash asked softly. "Yeah…I-I think so." Misty replied quietly.

Misty looked into Ash's chocolate-brown eyes and saw the concern for her evident in them.

Ash looked into Misty's deep, blue-green eyes and saw what he translated as fear in them.

"Are you sure?" Ash persisted. Misty continued to stare into his eyes, and finally looked away. "I'm just tired is all." Misty replied. "Well, if you're sure that's all." Ash said, unconvinced. Misty forced a smile. "I'm sure." she said. _"Why am I lying to him? He obviously doesn't believe me." _Misty thought.

_"Why won't you tell me what's wrong Mist? Is it because Brock's here?"_ Ash wondered. Misty turned to walk away, but she wasn't expecting Ash to follow her to the door. Misty stopped and turned around, and Ash stared her down, sending her a silent message to keep walking.

Misty caught on and walked out of the room, where Ash closed the door behind them. "Brock can't hear us now. What's wrong?" Ash asked sternly. _"Wow Ash, you sure are persistent…I guess that's your way of showing how much you care for me."_ Misty thought.

"I guess I'm just a little scared is all." she replied finally. "Of what?" Ash asked patiently. "Ash, do you really think it was just a coincidence that we just had a similar experience that Dawn did? I think something's going to happen." Misty said, looking away from Ash's gaze.

"I don't know Mist, it is really weird, but we've made it through everything that's ever been thrown at us, and I'm willing to bet that this time won't be any different." Ash replied. Misty hesitated, but she finally looked into Ash's eyes, and saw the sincerity in them. But she wanted to make sure. "You mean that Ash?" she asked.

"Yeah, I mean, when have we not come out on top?" Ash asked with a smile. Misty gave a reassured smile back. "You have a good point. Thanks Ash." she replied. Misty wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, and leaned her head onto his left shoulder. Ash placed his right arm around Misty's waist, and his left hand went to the back of her head.

Misty sighed happily, feeling Ash finger her hair. They were so wrapped in their tender moment, that they didn't even hear when Dawn had come out to see what was taking Misty so long. _"(Giggle) I gotcha this time."_ Dawn thought mischievously.

Dawn pulled out her Pokédex and snapped the photo that she had been dying to get for so long. She managed to sneak back into the room, just before Misty pulled back from Ash and kissed his nose. "Love you Ash. Good night." Misty whispered. "G'night Mist. Love ya too." Ash replied softly.

Misty reluctantly released herself from Ash's tender hug, and turned to walk into the girls' room. When she got there though, she found Dawn and May giggling at something. "What's so funny?" Misty asked. Dawn pulled out her Pokédex and showed Misty the picture that she had taken of her and Ash embracing each other.

"Oh, ha ha." Misty said dryly. "Don't worry Misty, I won't show anybody else." Dawn snickered. "That better be a promise." Misty threatened. "I'll make sure of it!" May exclaimed. "Hey, I thought you were on my side!" Dawn whined.

"I'll help you out Misty, as long as you keep my liking Drew a secret." May said with a wink. "It's a deal!" Misty replied. "Oh yeah, what's keeping me from telling?" Dawn asked. "You have no proof of it Dawn, that's what." Zoey said. Dawn groaned in defeat, and put her Pokédex back into her backpack.

"You're backing me up too?" Misty asked. "Like I said, we tomboys have to stick together." Zoey replied. Misty smiled and high-fived her fellow tomboy once more. "So does this mean you'll leave me and Ash alone finally?" Misty asked hopefully. "Of course not! Only this time is all." May replied. Misty face-faulted, which brought giggles from everyone except the sleeping Daisy. "Can we just get some sleep now?" Zoey suggested. "Fine, we'll go to bed." May pouted.

The girls slipped into their respective bunks, and the room quickly fell into silence. _"I hope that this is a sign that the teasing is going to die down soon. I know they're just playing, but it's really starting to get annoying." _Misty thought.

"Hey Brock, can I ask you something?" Ash asked, staring at the ceiling, as he laid in his bed. "Sure Ash, what's up?" Brock replied. "Why do you guys tease me and Misty so much?" Ash asked. "Ash, if you want me to stop, I have no problem with it." Brock replied.

"It's just that I think Misty is starting to get annoyed by it. What if it gets so bad that she decides I'm not worth it?" Ash asked fearfully. "You don't have to worry about that. Trust me, Misty loves you more than you can imagine." Brock reassured. "And I feel exactly the same way Brock…I don't think I would be able to handle it if she left because she was tortured." Ash said.

"You want me to talk to Dawn and May?" Brock asked. "No Brock, I just hope that Misty doesn't decide to leave or something." Ash said. "She won't Ash, just trust me." Brock replied. "But Brock! What if she decides to leave with Daisy or something?" Ash asked, growing more and more fearful.

"Stop right there. I want you to get some sleep before you lose your mind." Brock insisted. "(Sigh) I'll try Brock, but I can't help but feel nervous." Ash said. The room grew silent, Brock quickly went to sleep, but Ash was left in thought.

_"Please don't let them chase you off Mist, I need you…I love you…and I won't even be able to eat without you. Please…please…please…" _Ash's mind wandered into sleep, he had exhausted himself with worry, to the point where he couldn't stay awake any longer.

The next morning, Misty woke up from her slumber, not surprised to see that she was the only one awake once again. She grabbed her gym leader attire and walked into the bathroom to change.

_"(Sigh) Here we go…brush teeth…fix hair…hmmm…maybe some light make-up? Nah…I'm not Daisy, I don't need it."_

She came out to see that the only one awake now besides her was Zoey, but Dawn and May were stirring. "Your sister sure sleeps soundly." Zoey said. "The term for people like her is lazy." Misty whispered jokingly. "I'll get the girls up, you go wake up Ash and Brock." Zoey said.

"Good luck getting Daisy up." Misty said. "Don't worry; I have a plan for that." Zoey said with a smirk. Misty looked at her sister and snickered; she then walked out of the room to wake her beloved Ash. And Brock too of course.

She softly knocked on the door, to see if anyone was awake. Brock opened the door to let Misty in, but said nothing. "Ash is still asleep huh?" Misty said quietly. "Yeah, but Misty, I need to talk to you before he gets up." Brock said.

Noting Brock's forlorn expression, Misty's thoughts immediately concluded that something was wrong. "Something's wrong, right?" Misty asked knowingly. Brock nodded in response. "Ash told me last night that you were getting tired of all the teasing that we do about you and Ash being a couple." Brock said.

"Well I won't lie, it's getting really annoying." Misty said. "Yeah, well…you wanna know why I think Ash is so exhausted?" Brock asked. Misty nodded, growing more worried as he spoke. "I think he's worried…" Brock said. "Worried? What about?" Misty asked. Brock hesitated, but eventually gave in. "Worried that the teasing will chase you away from him." Brock said.

Misty's hand slowly made its way to her mouth, and she took a quick glance at the exhausted Pokémon Trainer she loved so dearly. "He told me last night Misty. He thinks if it continues, you'll go as far as to leave with Daisy when she heads back to Kanto." Brock said.

"B-Brock, I-I would never consider that for even a second!" Misty exclaimed quietly. "I know that Misty, but Ash was losing sleep over it last night." Brock said. "Oh…Ash…the teasing is annoying now, but Ash is more than worth it. He's the reason I can take the teasing!" Misty replied.

"Don't tell me, tell him." Brock said, pointing in Ash's direction. Misty stared at Ash, her heart hurting for the troubled boy. _"Oh Ash, that would be just like you to be scared of something like that."_ she thought. She walked past the taller male, and sat herself on the bed, next to the sleeping Pokémon Trainer.

She stroked his messy, black hair, almost mindlessly. _"Don't worry Ash; I'll never, ever leave you. Never again."_ she thought.

_"Misty will handle Ash. I think I'll go and tell Dawn what needs to be said."_ Brock thought. With that, Brock quietly left the room, leaving Misty to tend to Ash.

Misty remained silent the whole time, the only movement she made was the constant stroking of Ash's jet-black hair. Ash eventually started to stir, which brought Misty back to her senses. He fought to stay asleep, but was eventually forced into opening his eyes.

But when he did open his eyes, he smiled at the sight. "Hey Mist." he said sleepily. "Morning Ash." she replied softly. Ash lifted himself into a sitting-up position, and was about to get up to get dressed, when Misty held his hand to keep him from leaving.

"Ash, I need to talk to you." Misty said. Ash suddenly remembered what he had discussed with Brock the night before. _"Oh no, don't tell me she wants to leave!"_ he thought fearfully. Ash sat himself down on the bed next to Misty, trying to hide the despair that he was now feeling in his heart.

"Brock told me what happened last night." Misty said. "Misty, please don't let their teasing bother you! I don't want you to leave because of them! I need you Mist! Please don't go…!" Ash was cut-off by Misty's finger on his lips.

"Calm down Ash. Let me finish." Misty said calmly. Ash obliged, although it was obviously hard for him to stay quiet. "While I admit that their teasing is becoming a nuisance…" Misty paused, and she saw the pain Ash was feeling growing stronger, despair was written all over his face, as he was on the verge of tears, which seemed to hurt her as well. _"Next she'll say that she wants to leave…"_ he thought sadly.

"Nothing will EVER make me want to leave you for any reason whatsoever…I love you Ash Ketchum, and I'm staying right here with you…where I truly belong." Misty said with a loving smile. Ash's face brightened dramatically, and glowed from the enormous amount of blush that was there now.

He smiled at her. She smiled back. The two moved closer and embraced each other tightly, any closer than they already were, and they may have suffocated themselves, but even a thought like that seemed trivial to them at the moment, as they both desired to do only one thing, and that was to hug each other tighter.

They both felt a surge of warmth enter their bodies, as they held each other silently. Neither one of them wanted to break the loving atmosphere the room seemed to have taken on.

They couldn't hear the noise coming from the city that was filtering in from the balcony; they heard only each other's soft breathing.

They couldn't see the flower patterns on the walls, or any other small detail of the room, they saw only each other.

They couldn't feel the bed that they were embracing each other on, or the floor that their feet were resting on, they felt only each other's presence.

They finally pulled apart slightly, so that one could see the other's face, their noses touched each other, the embrace as strong as ever. "Do you really mean that Mist?" Ash asked, in possibly the quietest voice he had ever spoken in. Misty matched his almost non-existent decibel and replied. "More than I've ever meant anything before." she said.

Brown met with blue-green, and stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, they suddenly felt the urge to do something they had never done before.

_"Kiss me Ash…Oh how I want you to kiss me…I don't think there could be a better time than right now."_ Misty thought dreamily, as she continued to stare into Ash's dark, brown eyes.

_"Wow Mist…guess you weren't kidding when you said you loved me…I mean…I knew you did, you told me…but to this extent? It's amazing…"_ Ash thought dreamily, as he continued to stare into her radiant, cerulean-blue eyes.

If their faces blushed any deeper, someone could mistake them for tomatoes. But they didn't care, they were alone, they were together, immersed in each other's love. And slowly, but also surely, Ash tilted his head to the side, which Misty immediately recognized as what she had dreamed of since she had first fallen in love with him.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head in the opposite direction to accommodate the event that she would remember for the rest of her life. Her first kiss.

Their faces moved closer, closer, closer, until finally…their lips touched. Both felt a new surge of emotion, burning in their hearts, as their lips gently brushed against each other.

After for what seemed like an eternity, they reluctantly broke the kiss, and stared at each other with the most loving of expressions, and they both thought exactly the same thing. _"Wow."_

"I guess this means you're not going back home?" Ash asked. "I am home…right here." Misty replied with a smile. The two silently stared at each other, until one small sound quickly brought them apart.

"Pi…ka." (Oh…wow.)

Ash and Misty's faces were only beginning to cool off, and now that they realized that Pikachu had been silently watching the whole time, their faces were brought up to almost feverishly high temperatures. "H-Hey buddy." Ash said.

"Pi ka chu Pikapi…pi pi chu pika." (Don't worry Ash…my lips are sealed.) Pikachu reassured. The couple gave sighs of relief at that. "Oh my gosh, Ash we have to get moving!" Misty exclaimed suddenly, glancing at the clock.

"Oh man! How long were we…you know?" Ash asked. "About…ten minutes." Misty replied. "Really? Seemed a lot longer." Ash said. "That's what love does, now get moving, you've gotta look good for the Wallace Cup." Misty said with a wink.

Ash nodded, grabbed his tuxedo off a hanger, and ran for the bathroom to change. "So Pikachu, you're not gonna tease us?" Misty asked. "Pika pika chu Pikachupi, pi ka chu chu pika." (Of course not Misty, I'm happy for you two.) Pikachu replied.

"As long as we're on the love subject…I'm sure how you know Dawn's Buneary likes you and all…" Misty said. "Pi…pi chu ka pi." (Uh…yeah I know.) Pikachu said, slightly embarrassed. "Do you like Buneary back?" Misty asked plainly. Pikachu's pigment suddenly turned bright red, which answered Misty's question automatically.

"Don't worry Pikachu, I won't tell if you don't tell anyone what me and Ash just did." Misty said. "Pi ka chu!" (It's a deal!) Pikachu said with relief. "Just make sure you don't take too long in telling Buneary that you like her back." Misty said with a wink. "Pi chu." (I'll try.) Pikachu replied.

Ash came out of the bathroom in his brown tuxedo and fedora, then Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder. "Ready to go Mist?" Ash asked. "You bet." Misty replied. Ash took Misty's hand and gave it a squeeze, and they walked down to the hotel lobby, hand in hand all the way.

They found Dawn, Brock, May, Zoey, and a very sleepy, but awake nevertheless, Daisy. "Hey guys." Ash said. "Morning Ash, how are you?" Brock said. "Feeling great." Ash replied. Dawn walked up to the couple, looking guilty. "What's wrong Dawn?" Misty asked. "Listen, you know I'm not trying to be mean when I tease you right?" Dawn asked.

"Don't worry about it Dawn. Apology accepted." Misty said with a smile. Dawn sighed with relief, and then turned to leave. "Let's hurry it up guys; we gotta get there before it gets too crowded!" Zoey exclaimed.

LATER

The group waited patiently for the lineup cards to be announced, so they would find out who would be battling whom.

"Hey Dawn, you seem so nice and relaxed now." May pointed out. "Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good about the second stage, of course; really believing in myself and my Pokémon really helps a lot." Dawn replied. "That's just what I like to hear." Misty said.

"Guys, look!" Ash exclaimed. The group looked at the TV screen, and the cards revealed that Dawn was up first. But something else was more surprising. "I'm going up against Daisy?" Misty said. "A sibling battle, this should prove interesting." Zoey said.

"I have full confidence in your abilities as a coordinator my darling Daisy. I'm sure you'll come out on top in the end!" Brock exclaimed passionately. For the first time, Ash yanked Brock away by the wrist. "Your loyalties seem a little mixed up." Ash said angrily.

"Hey, if he like, wants to cheer for me, let him." Daisy said, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "It's ok Ash; I'll kick her can anyway." Misty said with a smirk. Daisy glared at her younger sister, but didn't reply.

The announcement was made that the first two coordinators were to take the stage. "Well, I'm up first." Dawn said. "Good luck." Brock said. "Get a win and start us off right!" Ash exclaimed. "And remember to just relax and have fun." Misty added. "Thanks everyone, seeya!" Dawn replied. Dawn ran to the stage with a full head of steam, ready to take on anything.

"Nothing like getting through the first stage to give Dawn some much needed confidence, you know?" Zoey said. "She's more fired up than when she was ready to go in Solaceon Town!" Misty added. "She's really good at getting fired up; it's staying that way that she needs to get good at." Brock said.

"Looks like she's ready to go!" Ash exclaimed, noting that Dawn had reached the stage. Misty grabbed Ash's hand and gave it a squeeze. "A little worried Mist?" Ash figured. "I just hope she makes it. She can't lose confidence again." Misty replied. Ash squeezed back to reassure her.

"Buneary, now! Spooootlight!" Dawn exclaimed. Buneary popped out of the ball in a flurry of hearts.

"Wailmer, out here for the action!" her opponent exclaimed. His Wailmer appeared in a flurry of bubbles, and splashed into the water.

"Brine'! Let's go!" the boy ordered. Wailmer fired a spout of water from its blowhole, and lifted Buneary up onto the spout. "Quick Buneary, somersault!" Dawn countered. Taking advantage of the power from the 'Brine' attack, Buneary showed off its cuteness by flipping in the air, which the crowd absolutely adored.

"Hey, no fair!" the boy complained. "Why, that's just fabulous!" Wallace exclaimed, getting up from his seat in astonishment. "Now Buneary, use 'Bounce'!" Dawn ordered. Buneary hopped off the water spout, and started bouncing on Wailmer's head like a trampoline. The boy's points started depleting rapidly, as Buneary continued to hop on Wailmer's head, and finally did a back flip to land safely on dry land.

"Quick! Use 'Surf' now!" the boy ordered. Wailmer's eyes glowed blue, and a giant wave suddenly appeared and picked up Wailmer to charge toward the small rabbit Pokémon. "Ok Buneary, now spin!" Dawn countered.

Buneary leaped toward the wave, and spun like a top in mid-air, causing the water to swirl around it in an attractive display.

"Alright! Way to go Dawn!" Ash exclaimed. "Dawn's really looking alive out there!" May exclaimed. "It looks like getting past the first round was the perfect cure for lack of confidence after all." Misty added.

"Dizzy Punch' let's go!" Dawn ordered. Buneary leaped toward the whale Pokémon, and started punching its stomach with its long ears. "Great Buneary! Now keep it up!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Use 'Hidden Power'!" the boy countered. Wailmer backed up from Buneary's attack, and fired spheres of energy that charged towards the small rabbit. "Quick Buneary! Dodge it!" Dawn countered.

Amazingly, Buneary jumped through the attack unscathed. But the attack followed it, as it was determined to hit its target. Buneary hopped onto Wailmer's head, and then leaped off before Wailmer got hit by its own attack, and fell to the water with a splash.

"Ice Beam' now!" Dawn ordered. Buneary jumped up for one final attack, ready to finish the round there and now. "Body Slam'!" the boy countered quickly. Wailmer leaped into the air and charged toward Buneary, but the 'Ice Beam' had already been launched, so Wailmer merely got turned into a giant ice chunk, and splashed back into the water.

The clock ticked down to zero, which signaled the end of the match. After looking at the point total for the two coordinators, it was revealed that Dawn had won easily, and she squealed with glee.

Mr. Contesta: "The wonderful combination of Buneary's elegant footwork and moves was powerful and effective."

Mr. Sukizo: "And don't forget remarkable either."

Nurse Joy: "It was honestly enthralling to see both Buneary and Wailmer with such great form out there."

Wallace: "That was powerful and delicate. A perfect blend. I have high hopes for the next battle too."

After hearing the judges' high praise, Dawn and Buneary embraced on the stage with sheer happiness. "Thank you so much Buneary!" Dawn exclaimed happily.

"Whoa! Dawn won it like I told her to!" Ash exclaimed. "I think her having fun had more of an impact than you did Ash." Misty said with a smirk. "Dawn's choosing Buneary made a big difference too." Buneary's fancy footwork really lifted up the audience's spirits, to say nothing of Dawn's spirits." Brock said. "Well, since Dawn was enjoying herself, the audience couldn't help it." Zoey added.

"The bar's been raised, now we have to win too!" May exclaimed. "So who's next by the way?" Ash asked. The group turned to the TV, and saw that the next ones up were Misty and Daisy. "Oh, that's who's up." Ash said.

"Well little sis, let's like, show them what Cerulean girls are made of." Daisy said. "Sure thing! Let's put on a water show that they'll remember!" Misty exclaimed excitedly. Daisy turned to walk to the stage, followed closely by Misty, but Misty was stopped by Ash grabbing her hand.

She turned around to see Ash's smiling face, and she smiled back in response. "Good luck Mist." Ash said. "Thanks Ash." she replied. And with that, Misty turned and ran to catch up with her sister. "You guys don't mind if I root for Daisy, do you?" Brock asked hopefully.

The younger teens sweat-dropped at the love-stricken Brock, and didn't bother to reply.

"Here are our next coordinators! On one side, we have Misty Waterflower, from Cerulean City! And on the other, we have Daisy Waterflower, also from Cerulean City!" Marian exclaimed.

The clock began to count down, and the two siblings threw out their Pokéballs.

"Misty calls…Staryu!"

"Alright Dewgong, like, let's go!"

Both Pokémon appeared in a flurry of bubbles. Staryu landed on the stage, while Dewgong splashed down into the water.

"Alright Dewgong, like, start with 'Aurora Beam'!" Daisy ordered. Dewgong leaped into the air and fired a rainbow-colored beam at the sea-star Pokémon. "Dodge it with 'Rapid Spin' Staryu, and then use 'Bubblebeam'!" Misty countered.

Staryu spun out of the way of the freezing beam, and then fired a beam of bubbles at Dewgong. The bubbles completely surrounded Dewgong, which made it become restless. "Like, try to calm down Dewgong!" Daisy cried. "Staryu, use 'Rapid Spin' again!" Misty ordered.

Staryu spun again and charged right through the flurry of bubbles, and connected hard with the seal-like Pokémon, and Daisy's points began declining rapidly. "Dewgong, like, try an 'Ice Beam'!" Daisy ordered. Dewgong leaped back and fired an 'Ice Beam' directly at the sea-star Pokémon.

"Dodge it Staryu!" Misty countered. Staryu jumped out of the way, just before the freezing beam made contact, but after missing its target, the 'Ice Beam' hit the field, freezing it over solid. "We'll use that! Staryu, use 'Swift' towards the field!" Misty ordered.

A flurry of stars went flying towards the icy field, and they bounced off, and went in all directions, some even hitting Dewgong in the process of bouncing around. "Come on Dewgong, like, stay with me!" Daisy cried.

The clock ticked down to one minute. More than half of Daisy's points had been depleted, while Misty still had at least three-fourths of hers left.

"Misty and Staryu are looking great out there!" Ash exclaimed. "I don't think we can say the same for her sister." Zoey said. "Well Daisy hasn't gotten much practice besides what little she's done in the gym in Cerulean, so battle experience really makes a big difference here." Brock explained.

"Staryu, let's end this! Use 'Water Gun'!" Misty ordered. Staryu fired a powerful stream of water from its top point, which easily nailed Dewgong head-on. After the barrage of attacks, time didn't even have to tick down to zero, for Dewgong had already fainted in the water.

"Oh no, Dewgong!" Daisy cried. "Dewgong is unable to battle! So that means that the winner of this round is Misty and Staryu!" Marian announced. "We did it Staryu!" Misty cheered.

Mr. Contesta: "The speed and execution of Staryu's attacks and dodges were something amazing to watch the whole way through."

Mr. Sukizo: "And of course, remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "Staryu's reaction time was absolutely incredible; it's obvious that you've trained it well."

Wallace: "We've just seen the speed and intensity of a gym battle, and it included some of the style of a contest, well done both of you."

"Misty did awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "But poor Daisy didn't make it through!" Brock groaned. "You can't have it both ways Brock." Zoey said. "Hey Ash, you're up next!" Dawn exclaimed. "I'm up against that Kyle kid." Ash noticed. "Be careful Ash, I watched him, and he's good." Zoey said. "Right, thanks Zoey. Wish me luck guys!" Ash called out, running through the corridor to the stage.

As Ash ran through the corridor, he met up with his beloved Misty. "You looked great out there Mist." Ash said. "Thanks Ash, and good luck to you." Misty replied. The two shared a quick hug, and then Ash took off for the stage.

Misty walked into the waiting room, just as Daisy was walking in from the other end. "Way to go Misty!" Dawn exclaimed. "You and Staryu were amazing out there!" May added. "As much as I like, hate to admit it, I still have a lot to learn." Daisy admitted.

"You did a lot better than I thought you would sis, just keep at it." Misty said encouragingly. "I thought you were incredible Daisy! Your beauty was the most noticeable thing during the whole match!" Brock exclaimed passionately. Croagunk appeared and jabbed Brock again. "Of course now…I only notice the pain." Brock strained.

Brock fell to the floor, and was dragged away by the irritated poison/fighting type. "So that means you and Dawn made it, now we have to get through." May said. "But Ash has his work cut out for him. That Kyle guy knows what he's doing." Zoey said. "I'm sure Ash does too. You just watch." Misty said.

_"I have faith in you Ash; show everyone what you're really made of."_ Misty thought.

The clock started ticking down from five minutes, and the two competitors called out their Pokémon.

"Ta da! Buizel, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed. Buizel appeared in the flurry of lightning bolts once more, ready for battle.

"Lanturn, you're up!" Kyle exclaimed. Kyle's Lanturn appeared from the ball with blue confetti flying everywhere. It did a mid-air somersault before finally splashing into the water.

"Uh oh, Lanturn's an electric-type." Misty moaned. "That's a Lanturn?" Dawn asked, pulling out her Pokédex.

"Lanturn, the light Pokémon, and the evolved form of Chinchou. Lanturn's antenna light is strong enough to penetrate the ocean, and can be seen from the water's surface." her Pokédex chirped.

"No doubt Lanturn's gonna be one tough opponent." Brock said sullenly. "Its being an electric-type leaves Ash and Buizel at a huge disadvantage." Zoey added. "Ash has battled disadvantages before and won, this won't be new to him." Misty said. "Don't forget this is a contest battle though, you can't just hack away like in a gym battle." Zoey replied. "Well then let's just cheer them to victory!" Dawn exclaimed. "I like your style Dawn." Misty replied.

"Now Lanturn, use 'Charge'!" Kyle ordered. Lanturn jumped out of the water, only to dive back down. It glowed with a magnificent electric aura, which brought Ash's points down immediately. "Lanturn's showing off those amazing electric powers, which really puts the pressure on Ash." Zoey said. "Yeah, using Lanturn's antenna is brilliant…this coordinator is awfully good." May added sullenly.

"I think we'll use that glowing water too! Buizel, 'Sonic Boom'!" Ash ordered. Buizel leaped into the air and fired a powerful 'Sonic Boom' straight towards the water. The resounding shock wave launched Lanturn high into the air, and depleted more than a fourth of Kyle's points.

Kyle chuckled smugly, which brought concern to Ash's face. He looked up and gasped when he saw Lanturn bearing down on Buizel in mid-air.

"Oh no, not that!" Ash yelled fearfully. "And, if you don't mind, I think we'll use your 'Sonic Boom' as well! Now 'Thunderbolt'!" Kyle ordered.

Thanks to the effects from 'Charge', Lanturn's 'Thunderbolt' was more powerful than it normally would've been, and it hit Buizel dead-on with amazing power. "Oh man, no! Buizel!" Ash cried. The attack finally ceased, and Buizel groaned in pain, but not before Ash's points were depleted almost to the point of almost half of them being gone.

"Charge' increases the power of the next electric-type move; I'm afraid Buizel's taken a serious amount of damage from that 'Thunderbolt'!" Brock explained. "If I know Ash, he'll pull through somehow!" Misty exclaimed determinedly. "He does have a knack for turning things around at the last minute." May added.

"I was hoping you'd use your Buizel again, now I can predict exactly what you're going to do!" Kyle exclaimed smugly. "Why that little…" Ash grumbled angrily. "Alright, 'Ice Beam' go!" Kyle ordered.

Lanturn leaped out of the water and fired a freezing cold beam towards the water-weasel Pokémon, and just firing it alone brought Ash's points down again.

_"I'm running out of points, I gotta think of something fast! Wait a sec, an 'Ice Beam'? That's it!"_ Ash realized.

"Ok, go for it! Use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. Buizel enveloped itself in water, and charged directly at the 'Ice Beam'. "Ash is really doing that?" Dawn exclaimed. "Doing what?" Misty asked. "If it works, you'll see in a minute!" Brock replied.

"Buizel, now spin!" Ash ordered. Buizel began spinning like it did versus Maylene in the Veilstone gym, and continued to head straight for the freezing attack. "What are those two up to?" Kyle wondered with surprise.

Buizel and the 'Ice Beam' collided, and the 'Aqua Jet' was glazed over with a thin sheet of ice. Everyone gasped in shock, even Wallace himself was extremely surprised by what had just happened. "I've never seen this before!" Kyle yelled fearfully.

"Use 'Ice Aqua Jet' and take it all the way!" Ash ordered. Buizel, now surrounded by ice, charged towards the water/electric-type fish with incredible speed. "Lanturn, use 'Thunderbolt', hurry!" Kyle countered.

Lanturn fired, but Buizel dodged the attack and dove into the water. It swam directly for Lanturn, and struck it high into the air with an uppercut-like blow. Buizel then broke out of the ice with a surge of power, depleting Kyle's points dramatically.

"Way to go Buizel!" Ash cheered. "A fusion move! He did it!" Dawn exclaimed. "Talk about surprise, Ash is really a piece of work." Zoey said. "Actually, that 'Ice Aqua Jet' was originally Dawn's idea." Brock explained.

"So I guess you could say he stole it from you then?" Misty asked with a smirk on her face. "Well I wouldn't say that exactly, after all, it took Ash's touch to get it to actually work." Dawn replied. "But still! Just coming up with it! Amazing!" May exclaimed. Dawn turned pink from embarrassment, and then turned back to the screen.

"Hydro Pump', go!" Kyle ordered. Lanturn fired an ultra-powerful stream of water in front of Buizel. The resulting shock wave knocked Buizel out of the water, causing Ash's points to deplete further. It now appeared neck-and-neck between the two opponents.

Buizel used its collar to slow itself down, and land safely on the stage. _"Buizel's collar just gave me an idea! Misty'll probably be proud of me for this one!"_ Ash thought excitedly.

"Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet' and head straight up!" Ash ordered. Buizel enveloped itself in water and charged for the ceiling. "Now what?" Kyle yelled. "Alright Buizel, inflate that collar!" Ash ordered. Buizel complied and inflated his collar, and slowly started floating down to the ground.

"Big mistake! It's an easy target now! Use 'Thunderbolt'!" Kyle ordered. Lanturn complied, and fired the powerful electric attack straight for the floating Buizel. "Now Buizel! 'Water Gun'!" Ash countered. Buizel, who by now had caught on to Ash's plan, fired the attack towards the water, and started flying around like it had a jet-pack.

Just like with the 'Ice Aqua Jet', everyone, including Wallace, gasped in awe. "Wow, check that out!" Dawn exclaimed. "You didn't come up with that Dawn?" Misty asked. "Nope, I've never seen this before!" Dawn replied. "Ash must've come up with this just now!" Brock said. "Awesome! Maybe we should call it 'Aqua Jet-pack'!" Misty added.

"Buizel, finish the job with 'Water Pulse'!" Ash ordered. Still firing its 'Water Gun' attack to keep itself airborne, Buizel fired a ball of energized water towards the frightened Lanturn. "Oh no, Lanturn!" Kyle yelled.

Lanturn was hit dead-on, causing Kyle's points to decrease once more. "There's only a few seconds left! Use 'Ice Beam' again!" Kyle countered. Instead of obeying, Lanturn struck itself with the 'Ice Beam', freezing its antenna. "Lanturn, what's wrong?" Kyle panicked.

"Now you know why 'Water Pulse' is my favorite water-type move! It might leave the opponent confused afterwards!" Misty exclaimed. "There's only a few seconds left, Ash has this one in the bag!" Dawn cheered.

The clock reached zero, and the big-screen revealed that the winner (just barely) was Ash. "Awesome job Buizel!" Ash cheered.

Mr. Contesta: "Quite simply, one impressive contest battle move after another."

Mr. Sukizo: "And of course, not to mention remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "One of the most brilliant and powerful battles I've ever seen!"

Wallace: "This battle between powerful electric-type moves, and that 'Ice Aqua Jet' and creative use of 'Water Gun', demonstrated total mastery of the contest battle!"

"After that awesome 'Ice Aqua Jet' and 'Aqua Jet-pack', how could Ash not come out on top?" Dawn said. "Those moves showed off Buizel well, especially that 'Ice Aqua Jet'." May added. "Like, I'll have to try that someday." Daisy said.

"Sure thing sis, let me know when Dewgong learns 'Aqua Jet'." Misty said with a sweat-drop. Ash appeared in the waiting room, and was greeted by the cheers of his friends. "Nice job out there big guy, that 'Ice Aqua Jet' was incredible." Brock said. "Hey, thanks Brock, but I think I owe Dawn some of the credit for coming up with it." Ash said.

"You were amazing Ash! You too Buizel." Misty said, scratching Buizel's head. "Bui." (Thanks.) it replied coolly. "And where'd that other move come from? I sure didn't think of it." Dawn asked. "Well, when Buizel used its collar to slow down by instinct, I noticed that it kind of looked like a parachute, so I thought if we gained some air, we could kind of do some Para-sailing." Ash explained.

"Well we thought it looked more like a jet-pack, so that's what we called it!" Misty said. "Huh? A jet-pack?" Ash said. "Yeah, we unanimously agreed that the move would be called 'Aqua Jet-pack'!" Misty exclaimed. "Aqua Jet-pack'…I like it! What do you think Buizel?" Ash asked excitedly. "Bui bui!" (Sounds awesome!) Buizel replied.

"Alright Zoey, you're up next." Brock said. "Right, wish me luck guys!" Zoey replied, walking down the corridor to the stage.

The battle ensued quickly, with Zoey easily defeating her opponent with her Shellos, and May did the same in her battle using her Skitty.

"Nice job all of you." Brock congratulated. "Thanks a lot Brock." Ash said, speaking for the whole group. "Now we'll see who we face next." Zoey said. The group stared at the TV screen, and saw their opponents; they were surprised when it was revealed that Ash and Misty would be facing off against each other.

"Whoa, a couple battling against each other." Dawn said. "Well Mist, looks like I'll finally get that payback for you beating me in the Whirl Cup!" Ash exclaimed determinedly. "You wish Ash! I'm not gonna show any mercy!" Misty replied, matching his tone.

"Now I don't know who to root for." Dawn said exasperatedly. "That's easy. We girls have to like, stick together." Daisy replied. "Oh yeah! Guess you're right, good luck Misty." Dawn said cheerfully. Ash face-faulted in disbelief.

"Don't worry big guy, you won't be completely without a cheering section." Brock offered. "Thanks a lot Brock." Ash moaned, still on the floor. "C'mon Ash, let's go give them something to cheer about." Misty said, extending her hand to help him off the floor.

Ash accepted her hand and was helped up by his red-headed girlfriend. They split up and ran for the opposite corridors, and finally met up at the opposite ends of the field. After the announcements were made, the clock started ticking.

"Alright Buizel, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed. For the third time that day, Buizel emerged in a shower of lightning bolts, ready for battle.

"My turn! Misty calls…Vaporeon!" Vaporeon emerged in a flurry of bubbles, and stood on the water, awaiting orders.

"Alright Buizel, let's start off with 'Sonic Boom'!" Ash ordered. Buizel leaped into the air and launched a powerful sound-wave at the bubble-jet Pokémon. "Vaporeon, counter with 'Water Pulse'!" Misty countered.

Vaporeon fired the ball of water towards the 'Sonic Boom' attack, and it exploded in a grand display, with mist falling from the sky, causing Ash's points to deplete slightly. "Alright, try a 'Water Gun'!" Ash ordered.

Buizel fired a stream of water at Vaporeon, who just stared it down. "Vaporeon, 'Aqua Ring'!" Misty countered. Rings of water surrounded Vaporeon, showing off its beauty and grace. That alone depleted Ash's points. And when the 'Water Gun' made contact, the 'Aqua Rings' that surrounded Vaporeon expanded, only making it look even more fabulous.

"Alright, that's it! Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. Buizel complied, and charged towards Vaporeon at blinding speed. "Water Pulse'!" Misty countered. Vaporeon fired the sphere of energized water at the incoming Buizel.

"We'll take that! Spin Buizel!" Ash ordered. Misty gasped and watched in horror, as Buizel began spinning, and absorbed the 'Water Pulse', adding its power to Buizel's attack, which depleted Misty's points.

The attack made contact with Vaporeon, who was sent flying backwards, not so much by the water, but by Buizel making impact with it. Thusly, Misty's points deteriorated further.

"Ash pulled off a smart move by taking that 'Water Pulse' for his own." Brock said. "Yeah, especially since Misty's countered every other move that Ash has made so far." Zoey said.

"Alright Vaporeon, use 'Blizzard'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon sent a freezing snowstorm towards the water-weasel. "Ready Buizel? Let's get ready for 'Ice Aqua Jet'!" Ash countered. Buizel spun and charged towards the ice-type attack, but Ash became concerned when he noticed that Misty was smiling.

"Take it all the way Buizel!" Ash yelled. Buizel charged into the snowstorm, but instead of glazing over like before, Buizel got lost in the freezing attack. "Use your 'Acid Armor' to dodge!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon jumped into the water and supposedly disintegrated into the water, leaving the poor, lost, water-weasel to crash into the wall painfully. "Oh no, Buizel!" Ash cried.

"Why didn't it work this time?" Dawn asked. "Probably because when it's against an 'Ice Beam', the attack hits head-on. 'Blizzard' is a wide-spread attack, so it doesn't have the same effect that an 'Ice Beam' or an 'Aurora Beam' would have." Brock explained. "And Misty knew that apparently." May said.

"Use 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon appeared from the water and fired a shadowy blob of energy at the shaken up Buizel. "Buizel, counter with 'Sonic Boom'!" Buizel shook itself to its senses, and fired a powerful sound wave right in the middle of the 'Shadow Ball', which caused it to split in two and miss its target.

Misty's points began to lower, but not enough to give Ash the lead. She still had a few spare points before Ash caught up with her.

"Not much time left! Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet' and hurry!" Ash ordered. Buizel charged towards Vaporeon and made contact before Vaporeon could have the chance to react. Misty's points depleted yet again, leaving her and Ash nearly neck-and-neck.

Ash was just about ready to send off another attack, when the clock finally ticked down to zero, with Misty having a very small amount of points more than Ash. "We did it Vaporeon!" Misty cheered. "Aww man." Ash moaned.

Mr. Contesta: "Both Vaporeon and Buizel showed off their power and agility, with one creative use of moves after another.

Mr. Sukizo: "Yes, remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "Vaporeon's shining scales looked lovely underneath the veil of 'Aqua Ring', and like all of your other Pokémon, it has obviously been trained well."

Wallace: "It is quite refreshing to see that the coordinators we've seen today understand the pressing need to have a combination of both contest and gym battling style.

"Ash sure put up a fight for a comeback." Zoey said. "I guess Misty's opening barrage was too much to overcome." Brock said. "Hey, you know? It's sad that Ash lost, but it's great that Misty won! So I say we look on the bright side!" May said, being her ever-cheerful self.

Ash and Misty left the stage, but not before the crowd gave Ash a standing ovation, for his previous match with Kyle, and his use of 'Ice Aqua Jet' and 'Aqua Jet-pack'.

The two reached the waiting room, where they were greeted by their friends for a job well done. "Nice try big guy." Brock said. "Thanks Brock. Well Misty, looks like you beat me again." Ash said, slightly bummed that he had lost.

"I had a lot of fun Ash; you sure gave me a run for my money right at the end." Misty said. "I guess me and Buizel just don't know when we're licked, huh?" Ash asked with a small smile. "Well…I wouldn't say we had you licked, I'll just say that you still can't match my skill with water-types." Misty replied cheerfully.

Ash gave a small, but sincere chuckle at Misty's attempt at humor. A purple-haired woman with glasses and a huge bow-tie appeared, asking Ash for an interview. "Uh, sure?" Ash said hesitantly. "You should come too! Come on, I need to interview both of you!" the woman exclaimed too cheerfully.

Despite her protesting, Misty was dragged along with Ash to a small stage where the interview would take place. The small make-up man gave the reporter some last minute adjustments to her face, before the cameraman started counting down. "We're on in three…two…one…"

"Hiiiii! I'm out here interviewing coordinators who have already bitten the contest dust!" the reporter exclaimed. "Uh, ok?" Ash said nervously. Ash wasn't nervous about the interview, that had already happened on more than one occasion. He had just never been interviewed by someone as overly-perky as the purple-haired reporter who was doing so now.

"Tough break, losing to your girlfriend and all, but your 'Ice Aqua Jet' and 'Aqua Jet-pack' are the talk of the contest! Even Wallace was knocked out! To be a loser while still making a good impression is really something!" the reporter exclaimed.

"Thanks, but I didn't…hey wait a second! How'd you know she was my…" Ash yelled angrily. "Isn't that something folks?" the reporter exclaimed, cutting him off. "And as for you, you and that gorgeous Vaporeon of yours wiped the floor with this magnificent loser here!" the reporter said, placing Misty on the small stage next to Ash. "Excuse me, but I wouldn't exactly call Ash…" Misty was cut-off.

"Well, isn't that special? This has been Jessidiah, your perky and provocatively cute roaming reporter, back to you!" Jessidiah exclaimed cheerfully. "Huh?" Ash and Misty gasped in unison. "And clear. Good work Miss Jessidiah." the blue-haired cameraman said. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Do I do any other kind?" Jessidiah said proudly.

"Wait a second! You call that an interview? All you did was announce to the world that me and Ash…" Misty was cut-off yet again by Jessidiah, who was now pushing her and Ash back into the waiting room. Just as they reached the room, Jessidiah took off at blinding speed, leaving the couple absolutely bewildered.

"She's a piece of work." Ash said. "Good grief, how can she call herself a reporter? At least Rhonda let you get a word in." Misty said exasperatedly. "What happened to you two?" Zoey asked. "Don't ask." Misty replied with a sweat-drop. "Where's Dawn?" Ash asked. "Like, take a look at the screen." Daisy replied.

Sure enough, Dawn and Pachirisu were already battling another girl and her Pelipper, and by the looks of the point value, Dawn was clearly winning. Ash and Misty didn't get to watch much however, as the clock had already ticked down to zero.

"Wow! We did it! Thanks Pachirisu!" Dawn exclaimed happily.

"Awesome! So Dawn made it past the second stage!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "Pachirisu was just great!" May cheered. "I wish I could've seen it, instead of being stuck with that creepy reporter." Misty added, obviously still annoyed by what had happened a few moments ago.

"At least it's going well for Dawn." Zoey said. "You're up next Zoey!" May said. "Alright, wish me luck." Zoey said coolly. Zoey disappeared down the corridor, just as Dawn appeared from the other end. "Congratulations Dawn!" May exclaimed. "Thanks May. And Misty, congrats on you making it too!" Dawn said.

"Thanks, but Ash sure didn't make it easy for me." Misty said, elbowing Ash's ribs playfully. Ash smiled sheepishly at the comment.

Zoey's battle went quickly thanks to her Misdreavus' 'Double Team', and May simply over-powered her opponent thanks to her Venusaur's size and strength.

"And that's it for today everyone! Join us tomorrow when someone will be awarded the coveted Aqua Ribbon, and be announced as the winner of the Wallace Cup! On behalf of the judges and the amazing Wallace, I'm Marian, goodnight to you all!" Marian announced.

"Well, that's it then. Let's head to the hotel and get some rest." Brock said. "Good, I like, need my beauty sleep." Daisy said wearily. "Daisy, you didn't even do anything beyond getting beat by me." Misty said. "Like, yeah I did! I stood there and watched you guys battle, which can be exhausting." Daisy replied.

Misty face-faulted and groaned at her sister's pathetic reply, which brought laughs from everyone.

Later at the hotel, the group (minus Daisy) sat on the balcony, discussing the day's events. "Sorry Ash, tough break." Brock said sullenly. "But I have to tell you Ash, you pulled off that 'Ice Aqua Jet' perfectly!" Dawn said. "And that 'Aqua Jet-pack' was genius!" May added.

"Yeah, I found it kind of hard to believe that I had won against Kyle. I guess beating Misty was too high of a mountain to climb." Ash said. Buizel groaned with disappointment. "But I will give you this Ash, you and Buizel were in perfect sync out there!" Misty said. "Hey Buizel, she's right! Just think of how well we'll do the next time we battle!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

Buizel announced its agreement by punching the air with determination. "Don't think it'll be any easier the next time around though." Misty warned. "I know Mist, but you have to admit, we rocked!" Ash said. "Yes, I guess you did." Misty said with a wink.

"Well, since I did lose, tomorrow you just leave the cheering section to me!" Ash exclaimed. "Easier said than done Ash. Remember that it'll be Dawn and May battling each other, and then Misty versus Zoey!" Brock said. "Oh yeah, you're right." Ash said with a sweat-drop. "Don't worry about me Ash; I understand that you'll probably want to cheer for Misty." Zoey said, a slightly teasing tone in her voice.

Ash seemed to reel back, and then took a quick glance at Misty, who knew exactly why Ash had jumped. She winked at him reassuringly, which seemed to bring peace to Ash's face. "It's gonna be a battle between best friends!" Ash exclaimed.

"Best friends or not, I'm getting the Aqua Ribbon!" Zoey said determinedly. "That's my line!" May said, giggling. "Uh, keyword: AQUA Ribbon. Anything water-orientated is as good as mine!" Misty said. "Friends are forever, but so is winning the Wallace Cup." Dawn added.

"Alright, head on to bed before you get too competitive." Brock said. "Alright Brock, g'night guys." Dawn said, heading back into the room. May and Zoey followed, but Misty stayed back once again. "Something on your mind Mist?" Ash asked.

"Nah, just wanted to relax for a bit." Misty replied. Ash sent down next to her and entwined his fingers into hers. "I think I'll just get to bed now. Don't stay up too late guys." Brock said. The two waved goodnight to the Pokémon Breeder in training, and enjoyed the moonlit sky together.

The next morning, the group of teens rushed to the stadium once more, and had no time to waste before Dawn and May would take each other on for their spot in the finals.

The clock immediately began ticking down from five, and the battle began.

"Okay! Piplup, spooootlight!" Piplup appeared in a flurry of bubbles, chirping excitedly.

"Alright Glaceon, take the stage!" Glaceon emerged, surrounded by red confetti. It somersaulted in mid-air, and landed on the stage for battle.

"Whoa, it's Glaceon." Dawn said, slightly intimidated. "This battle must be Glaceon's first." Ash said. "You know, Glaceon's a lot stronger now than when it evolved from Eevee. Wonder how May's gonna show it off." Brock said.

"Piplup, 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup twirled and fired a stream of bubbles that barely skimmed the surface of the water. "Dodge it, and use 'Secret Power'!" May countered. Glaceon ran right by the 'Bubblebeam attack, and glowed in a magnificent pink aura. Glaceon tackled Piplup hard, knocking it backwards, and also paralyzing it. This caused Dawn's points to wither.

"Just relax Piplup, and you'll be alright." Dawn said calmly. "Using 'Secret Power' like that to show off Glaceon was great strategy, a smart move." Zoey said. "Doesn't the effect of 'Secret Power' change depending on where you happen to be?" Ash asked.

"Right, but when you're on stage, it causes paralysis." Brock explained. "At least Dawn seems to be keeping a level head about it, the last thing she needs now is to freak out." Misty added. "As long as she can keep her composure, she should be fine." Zoey added.

"Ice Shard', go!" May ordered. Glaceon did a back-flip in mid-air, and fired sharp pieces of ice at the paralyzed penguin Pokémon, which caused Dawn's points to deteriorate further. "Quick! In the pool!" Dawn countered. Piplup rolled off the stage and splashed into the pool bottom first to avoid further damage.

"Hey, that'll work!" Misty exclaimed suddenly. "Huh?" the rest of the group said, wondering what Misty meant by that. Piplup stayed submerged, until it realized that the water had cured it of its paralysis. It quickly swam up to the surface and jumped into the air. "Now that's how you use a water battle-field." May said to herself.

"And yet another reason why water rules! Jumping in the pool caused the paralysis to wear off!" Misty exclaimed. "That was a smart move on Dawn's part." Zoey added. "Make a note of that Daisy, water equals paralysis cure." Misty said. "Like, whatever Misty. Now quiet, I'm watching the show." Daisy said dismissively. _"If I didn't love Ash as much as I do, I would go home with her just to run her ragged!"_ Misty thought darkly.

"Piplup, use 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup created an enormous whirlpool, and held the powerful attack over its head. That alone caused May's points to lower. "Nice going!" May complimented. Piplup fired the attack at the ice-type, who merely stared it down.

"But I think it's time…to grab some of that power! 'Mirror Coat'!" May countered. Glaceon became enveloped in a mirror-like glow, and sent the 'Whirlpool' back at Piplup, who took double the damage that Glaceon did.

"You ok?" Dawn asked with concern. "Piplup!" (Heck yeah!) Piplup replied determinedly. "Bubblebeam', now!" Dawn ordered. Piplup ran forward, launching a rapid-fire stream of bubbles that came too quickly for Glaceon to dodge, thusly, May lost points.

"Shadow Ball'!" May ordered. Glaceon fired the move it had learned as an Eevee, masterfully aiming it at its target. "Piplup, spin and dodge!" Dawn countered. Piplup leaped into the air and spun out if the way gracefully.

"Wow! What a beautiful dodge! But now…I'll take that water! Glaceon, 'Secret Power'!" May ordered. Glaceon ran for the small puddle of water that had washed up on stage from the 'Whirlpool' attack, and glowed in the pink aura once more. "Secret Power' again?" Dawn asked with confusion.

"So what'll it do this time?" Ash asked. "Oh no!" Misty screamed suddenly. "Dodge it quick!" Dawn countered. Piplup landed on the ground, but Glaceon's speed was too great for Piplup to avoid the mysterious attack, thusly, Dawn's points withered.

"Quick! Snap out of it!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup defiantly ignored the effects of the attack, and landed on the ground having taken zero damage, which brought gasps of shock from both May and Glaceon.

"And that's because the effects of 'Secret Power' are somewhat random!" Brock explained. "If that attack did hit, it might've caused sleep, Dawn got really lucky this time." Misty said with relief. "Luckily, if 'Secret Power' doesn't hit, it's almost as weak as an attack like 'Tackle'." Zoey added.

"Alright, try this! Glaceon, 'Shadow Ball'!" May ordered. Glaceon formed a 'Shadow Ball' and threw it up into the air, and then with a powerful somersault, it slammed it down toward Piplup, adding to its power. "Bubblebeam' go!" Dawn countered. Piplup twirled and fired the attack, causing the 'Shadow Ball' to break apart. The bubbles swirled around Glaceon, which caused Glaceon to take damage, May to gasp in shock, and her points to deteriorate.

"Piplup, use 'Peck'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup charged towards the trapped Glaceon, ready to continue its barrage. "Dodge it, then use 'Ice Shard'!" May countered. Somehow, Glaceon managed to slide back and escape both attacks, and then it leaped into the air and fired razor sharp shards of ice at the small water-type.

"Whirlpool'!" Dawn countered. Piplup created a small whirlpool to shield itself from the incoming shards of ice, which depleted May's points further.

"They look like they're neck and neck!" Ash exclaimed. "Both Dawn and May are putting up an incredible battle; both of them must really want to get to the finals." Misty added. "And there's only one minute left, these next few attacks are gonna decide it." Zoey added.

"Ride the 'Whirlpool', now!" Dawn ordered. Piplup jumped onto its attack, and stood on the water like it was a surfboard, which the crowd absolutely loved.

"That's it! Show them, May and Dawn!" Ash cheered. "Can't decide who to cheer for Ash?" Misty asked teasingly. Ash smiled sheepishly in response. "They're both my friends, I don't want either of them to lose." he said. "I hope you don't trouble deciding for the next battle." Misty said. Ash audibly gulped, as a huge sweat-drop appeared on the side of his head.

"I'm kidding Ash. Don't worry, as long as I have fun, that's all that counts." Misty said reassuringly. Ash exhaled with relief, which forced a smile to Misty's face.

"Shadow Ball'!" May ordered. Glaceon fired again, hoping that this time it would hit its target. "Dodge it!" Dawn countered. Piplup leaped off of the whirlpool it was surfing on, just before the 'Shadow Ball' caused it to evaporate away.

"Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup emerged from the steam, firing a stream of bubbles that nailed its opponent hard, and depleted May's points even further.

"Now Glaceon! 'Shadow Ball'!" May ordered. Glaceon complied, and fired once again. "Piplup, use 'Peck'!" Dawn countered. Piplup charged towards the attack with a sharp beak. But instead of disintegrating like Maylene and Lucario's 'Aura Sphere', the 'Shadow Ball' spread out, creating a veil that kept Glaceon hidden from sight.

"Glaceon, 'Ice Shard'!" May ordered. Glaceon launched the razor sharp ice-type move. It went through the ghostly veil, leaving Piplup helpless as it hit dead-on, and depleted Dawn's points once more.

"Great May, nice work." Dawn complimented. "Back at ya Dawn." May replied. _"Tiny little attacks aren't going to work against May, so in that case…"_ Dawn thought.

_"There isn't much time left, I know Dawn's coming in with a big attack!" _May predicted. Her prediction would be proven correct by Dawn's next order.

"Let's decide it now! Piplup, 'Whirlpool', go!" Dawn ordered. Piplup launched the powerful water-type move at Glaceon. "Ah hah! Use 'Mirror Coat'!" May countered. Glaceon glowed in the mirror-like coating, and hit the 'Whirlpool' attack head-on, attempting to have it return to sender.

Piplup's attack was so powerful this time around however that even the 'Mirror Coat' couldn't keep Glaceon from taking damage. But Piplup did not get away unscathed however, as Glaceon did manage to have the attack hit both itself and Piplup.

Time ran out just as the attack completely disappeared, and it appeared that May and Dawn had nearly equal points. But through the gasps of amazement being made by everyone in Sinnoh and Hoenn (including a certain green-haired boy), it was decided that Dawn won by a miniscule amount of points.

"Wow! Dawn did it! She actually beat May!" Ash exclaimed. "That was a great battle by both of them!" Brock added. "And they really made their Pokémon shine!" Zoey added. "So let's make sure we do the same, ok Zoey?" Misty said. "You got it!" Zoey replied.

"Now Glaceon, don't feel bad, you were completely wonderful. You made me proud." May comforted. _"And I hope Drew is proud of me too."_ she thought hopefully.

Dawn and May regrouped inside the waiting room, where they were cordially greeted by their friends. "Nice job Dawn!" Ash exclaimed. "Thanks Ash, I REALLY had fun this time." Dawn replied. "Hey Dawn, congratulations on making it to the finals." May said. "Thanks a lot, but it was all Piplup if you ask me." Dawn replied.

"Now get ready, because you'll have to take on either Misty or Zoey in the finals, and neither one of them intend on losing." May said. "They better get ready because I want to win this thing!" Dawn replied.

Misty and Zoey took their places on the stage, ready to call out their Pokémon.

"Now Glameow! Curtain, go!" Zoey exclaimed. Glameow appeared and somersaulted in a flurry of bright yellow lightning bolts, then landed gracefully on the stage.

"Misty calls…Gyarados!" Misty exclaimed. Gyarados appeared, and jumped through the ring of fire that appeared from the Pokéball.

The clock started ticking, signaling the battle to start. "Alright, Glameow, let's start off strong with 'Secret Power'!" Zoey ordered. The glow from the attack caused Misty's points to wither. _"Glameow knows 'Secret Power' too?"_ Misty thought.

"Alright then, Gyarados, use 'Protect'!" Misty countered. A green sphere enveloped Gyarados, which protected it from the effect of Glameow's attack, and caused Zoey's points to diminish.

"When did Gyarados learn 'Protect'?" Ash asked. "It probably knew that move from the start, we just never saw it." Brock replied. "But the glow from the 'Protect' is not only a good countermove, but it also shows off Gyarados well." May said.

"Alright Gyarados, use 'Hydro Pump'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados complied and fired an ultra-powerful stream of water at the cat-Pokémon. "Dodge it and use 'Shadow Claw'!" Zoey ordered. Glameow dodged the water-type attack, and charged ahead with a ghostly claw.

"Gyarados, dive and dodge it!" Misty countered. Gyarados dove underwater to avoid the attack, but Glameow wasn't through yet. "Now Glameow!" Zoey exclaimed. Glameow punched at the water with its 'Shadow Claw', causing a curtain of water to form on the field, and Gyarados to be revealed. This caused Misty's points to lower.

"So now they're showing themselves off using water." Brock said. "A contest battle is a whole lot more than just causing damage, which puts Misty at a slight disadvantage since she's used to fighting like a gym leader." Dawn added. "But check it out; Glameow doesn't get around too well in the water either." Ash added.

"Shock Wave'!" Zoey ordered. Still standing in the water, Glameow fired a powerful electric-type attack that climbed up the curtain of water. "Gyarados quick! Use 'Protect'!" Misty panicked. Gyarados attempted to use its shield once more, but it was too weak to keep Gyarados from taking damage.

"Zoey blocked out Misty with water so Glameow could hit it with an electric attack!" Ash exclaimed. "That could've been Zoey's plan all along." May said. "And Gyarados' 'Protect' didn't work, so it just took almost double the damage thanks to that 'Shock Wave' being fueled by that water." Brock added.

"That girl is amazing…she just owns the entire water-battlefield." Dawn said. "No way, the water is and always will be Misty's territory. You just wait and see." Ash said determinedly. _"Come on Mist; don't let Zoey beat you at your own game."_ Ash thought.

"Gyarados, are you alright?" Misty asked with concern. Gyarados shook off the pain and roared in determination. _"Zoey's tough alright, she uses the water to her advantage just like I do."_ Misty thought.

Glameow leaped out of the water, sparking from its electric-attack. "Nice Glameow!" Zoey congratulated. Glameow's body being covered in the attractive sparks of the 'Shock Wave' caused Misty's points to deteriorate even more than before.

"Misty's really in a deep hole now." Ash said. "Zoey's putting intense pressure on Misty; it's obvious who the more experienced coordinator here is." Brock added.

"Let's turn it up! 'Iron Tail'!" Zoey ordered. Glameow leapt for the mighty water-dragon with a tail of steel. "Use 'Flamethrower' towards the water!" Misty countered. Gyarados fired at the water's surface, causing a veil of steam to block Glameow's view, and Zoey's points to lower.

When Glameow emerged from the steam, Gyarados was waiting to attack again. "Now use 'Hyper Beam'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados fired the ultra-powerful beam at Glameow, who took serious damage as it slid across the stage. This caused Zoey's points to lower some more.

"Come on Glameow, stay with me!" Zoey encouraged. Glameow heard its master's plea, and slowly got up to its feet.

"What an awesome attack. Misty and Gyarados are totally in sync." Dawn said. "Misty and Gyarados have been working together for a long time, so they have no issue with working together." Brock said. "I told you Misty would come up with something." Ash said in an "I-told-you-so" tone.

"Alright Glameow, use 'Iron Tail'!" Zoey ordered. Glameow charged ahead again, hoping to hit its target. Misty smirked and waved her hand, signaling Gyarados to do something. "Uh oh." Zoey moaned. Gyarados dodged, and then fired a powerful 'Hydro Pump' at the falling Glameow, which brought Zoey's points down below Misty's level.

"Misty told Gyarados what to do with her hands again!" May exclaimed. "And since she didn't call out a verbal order, Zoey had no clue what Gyarados would do or how to counter it." Brock said. "Wow, Misty's sure come a long way in this." Dawn said in awe.

"Hurry Glameow, there's not much time left! Use 'Shadow Claw'!" Zoey ordered. Glameow charged ahead for one more attack before the clock ran out. "Flamethrower'!" Misty countered. Gyarados fired the attack at the incoming cat, and an explosion took place in the middle of the field, just before the clock ticked down to zero.

The crowd was still and quiet, you could almost hear a pin drop, as they waited to see who the victor would be. After a few seconds, the smoke cleared, and the winner of the semi-finals round was revealed to be Misty.

"We did it Gyarados! Way to go!" Misty cheered. Gyarados gave a celebratory roar, sharing its master's enthusiasm. "Don't feel bad Glameow, cheer up, hey, you were wonderful." Zoey consoled. Glameow gave a sad smile in response.

Mr. Contesta: "It was one new and beautiful appeal after the other without any let up!"

Mr. Sukizo: "Also, it was remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "I'm deeply grateful to both our coordinators for doing such a wonderful job of showing off their amazing Pokémon."

Wallace: "Thanks to the two of you for a thrilling performance! And now, it's on to the exciting final!"

"It'll be Dawn and me in the finals." Misty said to herself.

"Misty and me…in the finals." Dawn said to herself nervously.

Misty appeared in the waiting room, and was once again greeted by her friends and boyfriend, although Dawn had the familiar look of being intimidated on her face.

"You did it Mist! You're in the finals!" Ash cheered, wrapping Misty into a quick hug. "Like, who knew you could be glamorous all the way through?" Daisy said teasingly. "Once you get the feel of the contest battle, it kind of just comes to you." Misty replied. "You didn't say much during this whole time Daisy, something on your mind?" Ash asked.

"Like, no way. I just like watching the show." Daisy replied. "Well, guess we better get ready, right Dawn?" Misty said. Dawn ignored the taller girl and stared straight ahead. "Wow…I'm in the finals…up against Misty." she said nervously. Dawn increased the pressure on Piplup once again, which caused it to chirp with alarm.

"Oh, sorry Piplup." Dawn apologized. "Dawn, you're not nervous again are you?" Misty asked, putting a hand on Dawn's shoulder. "It has been a while since Dawn's won a contest, and now she's up against you, and you defeated Zoey!" Brock replied for her. "Yeah, I guess I can understand that." Ash said.

"It's true, but here we are, and right about now, we've got to believe in ourselves, right?" Dawn said. "Piplup." (Exactly) "That's the spirit!" Zoey exclaimed from behind. Dawn turned around and saw Zoey, who had changed back into her regular clothes. "Zoey, you were wonderful!" Dawn exclaimed.

"You two were totally awesome against each other!" Ash exclaimed. "Thanks Ash, although I have to say I learned a lot from Misty's performance." Zoey admitted. "What do you mean?" Misty asked. "You showed no fear when it came to showing off your Pokémon, but you did it with a fast and furious battle-style, like a gym leader." Zoey replied.

"That's always been Misty's battle-style." Brock said. "So Dawn, be careful." Zoey warned. "I don't want to lose. After all, we've come this far." Dawn replied. "Hellooo! Would you be so kind as to have an interview with little old me?" Jessidiah exclaimed, holding her microphone up to Misty's mouth.

"Will this be an actual interview, or the Jessidiah show?" Misty asked accusingly. Jessidiah ignored the jab and laughed. She took Misty over to the small stage where her previous "interview" with Ash had taken place.

"Guess who? We're lucky enough to have the lucky Misty here for a word or two!" Jessidiah exclaimed into the camera. "So, thoughts on your close battle?" she asked, holding the microphone up to Misty's mouth.

"Well, Gyarados was its usual tough self…" Misty was cut-off by Jessidiah. "Thanks, but it's time to remind our TV viewers that the finals are soon to come!" she exclaimed cheerfully. _"Yep, it's the Jessidiah show. I feel sorry for that cameraman."_ Misty thought with a sweat-drop.

"And someone has to go home with the Aqua Ribbon, oh be still my pitter-patting heart! The excitement's written all over my gorgeous face!" Jessidiah exclaimed.

"How far can we pull back?" the small make-up man asked with a sweat-drop. "Get ready everyone, the finals are almost ready to begin, so stay tuned!" Jessidiah exclaimed. "And we're clear!" the blue-haired cameraman said.

"Can I go now?" Misty asked exasperatedly. "Sure thing kiddo, see you later for a follow-up interview!" Jessidiah exclaimed. "Like, not if I can help it." Daisy said threateningly. "Well well, look who we have here, a second round loser who just can't get enough of my talented talents." Jessidiah said smugly.

"Actually, I've had like, too much of your face on camera. And like, what's up with that bow-tie?" Daisy heckled. Jessidiah's face grew red; being made fun of for her taste in fashion was not something she appreciated.

"I'll have you know that I'm the cream of the fashion crop, and I look good no matter what I wear." Jessidiah said. "What crop? The clown fashion crop?" Daisy heckled. "Why don't you go back and bother someone else who matches your fashion knowledge, because you're obviously not up to my level." Jessidiah said.

"You're right; I'm like, past it." Daisy said, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "That's it! Don't you know who I am?" Jessidiah screeched angrily. "Like, do YOU know who I am?" Daisy replied with the same tone. Daisy and Jessidiah started shooting off comments at each other, leaving Misty utterly bewildered.

Misty left the room shaking her head in disbelief. She looked around saw that the only ones left in the waiting room were Ash and Dawn. "Where are the others?" Misty asked. "They're in the stands, I stayed back for now." Ash replied. "Where's Daisy?" Dawn asked. "She's over there having a fashion battle with Jessidiah." Misty replied exasperatedly.

"Well guys, this is it. You two go out there and give it your all!" Ash exclaimed. "Right." The two girls said. Ash turned to leave the room, but not before Misty blew him a kiss affectionately. "Bribing him?" Dawn asked teasingly. "Nah, he can cheer for whoever he wants. I just like to do it." Misty replied.

"After watching that battle between you and Zoey, I'm feeling a tiny bit queasy…but Piplup and I are so ready to go." Dawn said. "And I'm ready to go too. Don't forget to have fun with your Pokémon. And whoever wins, we're still friends." Misty said. "Right." Dawn replied.

The two girls split up, and walked to their respective ends of the stage.

"And the two finalists have made their grand entrance! On this side, it's Dawn! And on this side is Misty! Misty is from Cerulean City in the Kanto region, she's the former gym leader of the Cerulean Gym, and is currently on a journey to become the greatest water-Pokémon master, and she's been highly impressive all the way through this competition!" Marian announced.

"This will be a treat for all you contest fans out there! So let's cheer these two talented coordinators on through final round, not forgetting their stunning Pokémon as well. I welcome you to my stage!" Wallace exclaimed.

"Thanks!" the two girls replied.

The clock began ticking down from five, and the match that would decide the winner of the Wallace Cup.

"Ok Piplup, spooootlight!" Dawn exclaimed. Piplup popped out of the ball in a flurry of bubbles, happily chirping before landing on the field in battle-ready stance.

"Misty calls…Vaporeon!" Misty exclaimed. Vaporeon appeared in a flurry of bubbles. Mimicking Glaceon and Glameow, Vaporeon did a mid-air somersault before standing on the water, ready for battle.

"Alright Piplup, let's start off with 'Peck'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup charged ahead to stab the Bubble-jet Pokémon with a sharp beak. Although everyone was surprised when Misty did nothing to counter, and allowed Piplup to connect with its target.

"Alright Vaporeon, use 'Aqua Ring'!" Misty ordered. Rings of water appeared around Vaporeon's body, healing what little damage it took, and lowering Dawn's points so that they were neck and neck again. "Now use 'Water Pulse'!" Misty ordered.

Vaporeon fired an energized ball of water towards Piplup. "Whirlpool'!" Dawn countered. Piplup formed a giant whirlpool and caught the 'Water Pulse' attack inside of it. "Now return to sender!" Dawn ordered. Piplup launched the 'Whirlpool' at Vaporeon, along with the 'Water Pulse' spinning inside of it.

"Vaporeon, use 'Blizzard'!" Misty countered. Vaporeon created a freezing storm that froze over the whirlpool solid. "Jump on top of that thing!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon leaped onto the spinning top made of ice, and ran on it like it was a treadmill.

"Misty's off to a great start!" Ash exclaimed. "She's showing off Vaporeon's natural beauty by using the attacks and even modifying them like that 'Whirlpool'." Zoey added.

"Alright Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup fired, but once again Misty didn't bother to counter. The attack hit, but Vaporeon seemed unfazed by the attack. "But how?" Dawn cried. Dawn's points lowered even more, as Vaporeon's special ability of 'Water Absorb' came into play.

"Vaporeon got a health refill from that 'Bubblebeam' thanks to 'Water Absorb'." Brock said. "That means any water-type attack will be useless against Vaporeon!" May exclaimed. "Not all…bigger attacks like 'Whirlpool' are too much for Vaporeon to handle." Brock explained.

"Vaporeon, use 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon complied and fired a ball of ghostly energy at the small penguin-Pokémon. "Quick! In the pool!" Dawn countered. Piplup dove into the pool to avoid the attack.

Misty waved her hand, which caused Dawn to panic. "Stay down there Piplup! Just in case!" Dawn panicked.

"Misty hasn't worked on any hand signals with Vaporeon." Ash said. "Then that means…" May paused. "She's bluffing!" Brock finished. "Vaporeon, use 'Blizzard' on the water!" Misty ordered. With Piplup still underwater, Vaporeon glazed the water over with a thin sheet of ice, trapping Piplup underwater.

"Aaah! Piplup!" Dawn cried.

"Misty's got Piplup trapped!" Ash exclaimed. "If Dawn doesn't get Piplup out of there soon, she'll lose a lot of points!" Zoey added, noting that Dawn's points were slowly deteriorating.

"Piplup, use 'Peck' to get out of there!" Dawn ordered. Piplup looked at its master in confusion. "I said use 'Peck'!" Dawn screamed louder. Piplup still couldn't hear what Dawn was trying so desperately to tell it.

_"Piplup can't hear me under there! I've gotta think of something fast! Wait a minute…I've got it!"_ Dawn thought. Dawn used her hands to imitate a sharp beak, attempting to signal Piplup to use 'Peck'. Piplup apparently understood, as it nodded and charged towards the thin blanket of ice with a sharp beak.

Piplup smashed through the ice, and then hit Vaporeon dead-on with the attack, which quickly brought Misty's points down. "Keep it up!" Dawn ordered. Piplup hit Vaporeon with multiple 'Peck' attacks, quickly getting Dawn to catch up with the red-headed gym leader.

"Dawn used Misty's method to get Piplup out of there!" Ash exclaimed. "Since Piplup couldn't hear Dawn, she had to try something else to get Piplup to understand." May added. "And now she's on the offensive!" Zoey added.

"Vaporeon, use 'Quick Attack'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon jumped back and quickly tackled Piplup with an attack of blinding speed. "Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup formed yet another whirlpool over its head, and launched it at Vaporeon.

"We'll use your moves then! Vaporeon, spin and dodge it!" Misty countered. Mimicking the dodge that it had recently seen time after time.

Thirty seconds remained, and both coordinators appeared neck and neck. "Use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup complied, but instead of hitting Vaporeon, the bubbles surrounded Vaporeon, leaving it blind.

"Hey! Like, that's what Misty pulled on me!" Daisy exclaimed suddenly.

_"Let's hope this works."_ Misty thought. "Use your 'Acid Armor'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon appeared to dissolve into the cage of bubbles, leaving Piplup confused and bewildered. "Keep your cool Piplup." Dawn warned.

"Use 'Water Pulse'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon emerged from the bubbles and fired the ball of water, which only barely missed its target.

The two Pokémon readied themselves for one last attack, but the clock had ticked down to zero. The clock stayed silent, waiting for the results of the final match. After much deliberation and waiting, it was decided that both Misty and Dawn had an identical amount of points, leaving them in a draw.

"Incredible! No Wallace Cup has ever ended in a tie!" Marian exclaimed.

Mr. Contesta: "Both Pokémon used their natural abilities in the water masterfully, and seeing non-verbal orders is always a treat."

Mr. Sukizo: "And don't forget, remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "This was one of the most exciting and unpredictable matches I've ever seen in my life!"

Wallace: "Thank you both for this wonderful treat, I'm proud to announce that you both are the winners of this competition!"

The crowd roared and whistled for the two teens, as they stood to accept their prize.

"Awesome! They both won!" Ash exclaimed. "And if you ask me, they both deserved to!" May added.

"And now, Wallace will say a few words to our big winners: Dawn and Misty!" Marian announced.

"That was wonderful; you displayed true elegance out there, a lovely end to a lovely contest. Thank you." Wallace said, "You both are truly coordinators of the highest order."

"Excuse me Wallace?" Misty asked. "Yes, what is it Misty?" Wallace replied politely. "I'm happy to have won, and I had a lot of fun doing this, but I'm proud to say that I'll forever be a battling-girl, so give the Aqua Ribbon to someone I personally think deserves it more than anyone." Misty said.

With that, Misty stepped down from the podium and raised the hand of the utterly shocked Dawn in the air. Wallace gave an understanding smile and looked at Dawn.

"In that case, Dawn, I present to you for your Wallace Cup win, the Aqua Ribbon." Wallace said. Milotic formed a small 'Aqua Ring', and held the ribbon suspended inside of it. It dissipated when it landed in Dawn's waiting hands.

"Oh Wallace….thank you." Dawn said, a soft pink spread across her cheeks, and tears of joy forming in her eyes. Dawn's Pokémon cheered loudly, celebrating their Wallace Cup victory.

"Dawn really deserved this!" Brock exclaimed. "Thanks to Misty, Dawn's totally back on her feet!" Ash added.

"Alright, now there's REALLY no need to worry! Because the Aqua Ribbon's all mine!" Dawn cheered, holding her second most prized ribbon in the light. (Her first being the one her mother gave her)

"I am truly happy to have met such a wonderful group of Pokémon, and made so many new friends. My wish now is that someday in the very near future, we'll meet here again for another exciting event!" Wallace announced. Milotic fired a 'Hydro Pump' into the air, which turned into a fountain high in the air.

Later that afternoon, the group stood at the Valor Lakefront, ready to say goodbye to May and Daisy. "You know something May, I had almost forgotten what it felt like to truly be one with my Pokémon, and these last few days really reminded me." Dawn said.

"Well you better hold onto it Dawn, because the next time we meet, I'm winning for sure! Unless Misty intends on joining again." May replied. "Nope, it was fun I'll admit, but I don't plan on becoming a coordinator anytime soon. I already have a dream." Misty said.

"I'll just take her place as the tomboyish red-head." Zoey said. "Zoey, good luck in all your contests as well!" May exclaimed. "Thanks a lot May, you too." Zoey replied. "Don't forget, you can dine all over the world, but it won't be MY cooking." Brock said. "Oh now Brock, it was great having your cooking again after so long." May giggled. "Hey May, good luck with the rest of your Johto contests." Ash said. "Thanks, and Ash, good luck on your getting into the Sinnoh League." May replied.

The group shared friendly handshakes, as May headed up the gangplank to the ship. "And you sis? Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Misty asked. "Yeah, I guess…I was just like, thinking." Daisy said. "About what?" Misty asked. "Can I like, really do this?" Daisy replied nervously. "Hey, if you keep going the way you're going, you'll be up to Misty's level in no time!" Ash exclaimed.

"Like, you really think so?" Daisy asked. "You bet. You really impressed me, and I think you'll be an awesome gym leader." Misty said sincerely. Daisy was almost overwhelmed by the kind words, and embraced her little sister in an almost sisterly-loving way. Misty awkwardly reciprocated, but eventually relaxed.

"Let me know how things go, ok?" Misty said. "Yeah…I will." Daisy replied, wiping a lone tear from her eye. Daisy walked onto the ship next to May, just before the ship departed into the sunset.

The group waved goodbye to their two old friends, May had a green-haired boy to greet back in Johto, while Daisy found even more confidence in herself as a gym leader. And especially Dawn with her newly recovered confidence, the future looked bright for every last one of the group, both old members and new.

The group walked back to their hotel, and they'd be back on the road of Sinnoh the next day.  
_

**A/N: Hey, this was the twentieth chapter and I only just now added their first kiss? What's wrong with me anyway! xD I hope you thought it was emotionally satisfying, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, keep an eye out for updates, because I'm nowhere near through! **


	21. Chimcharred

**Well, here's the next one. This one will have noticeably less fluff than the other chapters so far, mostly because it's hard to be happy with Paul around, am I right? xD I tried to put in a little bit though, so I hope I did good! Thanks for the reviews, and thanks for the support. I own nothing except the story.  
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Chapter 21

Misty's POV

After her Wallace Cup win, Dawn's spirits were riding higher than I've ever seen them before. When she asked me why I stepped down and let her take the win for herself, I had told her that my only goal was to have fun with my Pokémon, and I accomplished that goal.

And as an added bonus, Daisy went back home with even more confidence than when Ash came back to get me weeks ago, I was ecstatic that now it seemed even more likely that I wouldn't ever have to leave Ash again. And I think Ash was happy about that too.

And after we finally got back on the road, it wasn't long before we met a young boy who was trying to capture a Yanma, it seemed familiar to the boy we met in Johto and his Yanma. It almost seemed like history was repeating itself.

At any rate, we tried to help him catch it, but Team Rocket managed to get to it first, and now they have a Yanmega, since the Yanma learned 'Ancient Power' and evolved. Luckily, we did manage to help the kid catch a different Yanma, so it turned out alright in the end.

Now we had stopped by a nearby stream, where me and Ash were doing some training for his Pastoria Gym battle. Since it was a water-type gym, I could give him some tips on how to take it on. I don't think I could call myself his "coach" anymore; I'm more like his battle partner now.

Speaking of partner…our "partnership" took a big step a couple of days ago…me and Ash…we finally…shared our first kiss. It wasn't super-passionate like in the movies; it wasn't what I imagined it would be either…it was so much more than that. It was gentle, tender, loving, and sincere. _"I can't wait for the next one."_

Normal POV

"Alright! Pikachu, Turtwig, Buizel, I wanna use all three of ya at the water-type Pastoria Gym, 'kay?" Ash said determinedly. His three Pokémon acknowledged, as they faced off against Misty's Staryu, Politoed, and Vaporeon. "Alright Misty, give us all ya got!" Ash exclaimed. "You got it!" Misty replied.

"Staryu, use 'Bubblebeam'! Politoed, use 'Water Gun', and Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse'!" Misty ordered. The three attacks were launched at Ash's Pokémon, who awaited orders to counter. "Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'! Turtwig, use 'Razor Leaf', and Buizel use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash countered.

Pikachu effectively countered Politoed's 'Water Gun', just as Turtwig did to Staryu's 'Bubblebeam'. Meanwhile, Buizel charged ahead directly at the 'Water Pulse' attack from Vaporeon, and battled for superiority with the energized ball of water. Buizel fought through it, and successfully countered the attack like his two batting mates did.

"Wow, you three are training really well! Keep this up and that fourth gym badge is as good as ours!" Ash exclaimed. His three Pokémon cheered in agreement. And on the sidelines, Gligar was getting extremely excited.

"And thanks to you and your Pokémon for helping us train Misty." Ash said. "No problem Ash, we're happy to do it." Misty replied. Suddenly, the over-zealous Gligar leaped off the sidelines and hopped onto Ash's face with excitement. "Wow, Gligar's at it again." Dawn said. "I think Gligar wants to get in on the action too." Brock said. "But does it have to do it by tackling Ash?" Misty asked with a sweat-drop.

"I'm sure you know the answer to that." Brock replied. Misty exhaled in exasperation. Ash took Gligar off of his face and held it down on the rocky ground. "Sorry Gligar, but you gotta wait a little longer to be in a gym battle." Ash said. When Ash said that, the sensitive Gligar's eyes formed tears of sadness that threatened to pour out.

"First we gotta get you some more experience battling against lots of other trainers." Ash added. Gligar's spirits lifted, and it jumped out of Ash's grasp and landed back on the ground. But the force from Gligar's jump had put Ash back on his back. "You ok Ash?" Misty asked with concern. "I'm fine Mist, don't worry." Ash replied.

"I think Gligar's just showing off that battling spirit." Brock said. "Well it's that kind of spirit I like!" Ash exclaimed. "So Gligar, what do you say to a little practice battle with us?" Brock asked. "Hey, battling partner's my job." Misty said with a pout. "Uh, Mist, maybe Brock should handle this one." Ash said.

"And why is that?" Misty asked accusingly. Ash moved close to her and whispered something in her ear. "Because I don't want your water-Pokémon to knock out Gligar with one shot, at least it'd have a chance against Sudowoodo." he said.

Apparently understanding his point, Misty nodded and joined Dawn on the sidelines. "What'd you say to her Ash?" Brock asked. "I don't think you want to know." Ash said with a sweat-drop. _"I don't think you want to know about how I think Misty's a heck of a lot better at battling than you are."_ Ash thought.

"Well Sudowoodo, let's do it." Brock said. Sudowoodo saluted its master, and walked onto the open field to stare down Gligar. "Boy, this is one serious practice battle." Dawn said, noting the tense atmosphere. "I don't just battle with Ash because I want to; I battle because I think I do a better job of keeping things a bit more relaxed." Misty replied quietly.

"Ok Gligar, 'Steel Wing', go!" Ash ordered. Gligar attempted to attack, but a sudden burst of strong wind came in, causing Misty and Dawn's hair to fly wildly, and Gligar to fly the same way. "Gligar!" Ash cried. Gligar flew further and further out of sight, as the wind carried the frightened Pokémon high into the air. "Staravia! After Gligar!" Ash yelled.

Through the screaming of Dawn, Misty, and all of their Pokémon, Staravia battled the wind and flew after Gligar. The wind eventually died down, but the hysterics did not. "Come on! We've gotta go after them!" Ash yelled. Ash took off after Staravia and Gligar, with the other three teens following closely.

Meanwhile, Gligar hurtled skyward, and ironically enough, landed right on top of the Team Rocket balloon. "Hey, those claws are sharp!" Jessie exclaimed fearfully. "Off the tarp!" James yelled. "No! If Gligar lets go, we're gonna blow!" Meowth said.

Having no desire to stick around, Gligar took off and glided back down to earth, sending Team Rocket blasting off again. But being the lousy flyer it was, Gligar lost balance once more, and ended up smashing into a rock.

Gligar turned around and saw something he had hoped never to see again: The stern face of the ruthless trainer named Paul, and his Electabuzz. He pressed himself up against the rock in fear, luckily this incident did not go unnoticed by Staravia, who upon seeing its flying friend, alerted Ash and Co. of Gligar's location.

"Staravia found Gligar!" Ash exclaimed. The group of teens and their Pokémon followed the bird to Gligar's location.

"You stopped our training, get out." Paul said menacingly. Gligar's eyes filled with tears of fear, as the purple-haired trainer glared at it with cold eyes. "It's Paul!" Ash exclaimed, as he saw the ruthless trainer bearing down on Gligar.

Upon seeing its master, Gligar made a break for it and ran into Ash's waiting arms, crying. "Are you alright? We were worried!" Ash said, hugging his frightened Pokémon. "Thank goodness Gligar's alright." Dawn said.

Amidst the reunion, Chimchar looked up to see the cold-hearted Paul staring him down. Out of nervousness, Chimchar hid behind Misty's leg, while Pikachu tried to extend a friendly greeting to Electabuzz, which it seemed to reciprocate.

"So, did you have your Pastoria Gym Battle challenge yet?" Ash asked, trying to make conversation. "I can't imagine why a losing coordinator like you would have any concern about gym battles." Paul replied. "What's that supposed to mean?" Misty asked accusingly. "I saw the Wallace Cup." Paul replied simply.

"I entered the Wallace Cup because Wallace the Contest Master asked me to. He thought it would help Buizel's battle skills." Ash said. Paul chuckled smugly. "What's so funny?" Ash asked angrily. "Remember the reason I entered the tag-battle at Hearthome City?" Paul asked.

Ash hesitated, but eventually replied. "Yeah…" he said. "Well YOU gave ME a hard time because I did it to get my Pokémon into better shape for a real battle…but that's exactly what you pulled at the Wallace Cup! Get it?" Paul yelled. "What did you say?" Ash fumed.

"Misty, cool him off before a fight starts!" Dawn said fearfully. "If we're being honest, I'd only hold him back so I could give him a piece of MY mind." Misty replied. Dawn gasped and turned to Brock. "Brock, stop this before something happens!" Dawn squeaked. Brock looked straight ahead and grunted.

"When I was in that tag-battle, the only thing I was thinking about was trying to win it! The only thing you were thinking about was how you could power up your own Pokémon!" Ash yelled. "Well the fact is, I did win it, but you weren't able to win the Wallace Cup, were you? Another perfect example of just how strong you aren't." Paul replied smugly.

Ash growled furiously, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, in his mind he was holding himself back from turning Paul's face into hamburger right then and there. Misty was doing the same in her own mind, although not with the same degree of adrenaline that was coursing through Ash's veins at the moment.

"Look…both of us have the same goal of winning the Sinnoh League someday right? And of course we also want to beat the league champion Cynthia too." Ash said through gritted teeth. "Your point?" Paul replied.

"After you battled Cynthia, you told me to do whatever I want, to battle my own way, and you told me that's what you were going to do too." Ash said. "I…guess I said that." Paul replied, refusing to lower his attitude.

"Yeah, well ever since that time, I've been thinking more and more about what it really means to be strong, and that means believing in the strength of my friends and Pokémon, and that's because I trust and love them!" Ash yelled. Ash's Pokémon cheered their master on as he defended them on their behalf.

"That's why I'm working so hard to make my Pokémon as strong as they can be, the way I know how, we both have the same goals, but the way we get them couldn't be more different." Ash said. "Hmmph, you sure get worked up." Paul replied smugly.

"What?" Ash fumed. "Cool it Ash." Misty said. "Misty, just let me…" Ash was cut-off. "Don't do anything hasty." Misty said sternly. Ash growled and lowered his fist. Misty had managed to hold Ash back, but she was getting really close to doing what Ash wanted to do to Paul. _"Paul's getting real close to crossing the line, he better back off or he's gonna have a lump on his head the size of a Snorlax."_ Misty thought.

"Didn't any of the things Cynthia said mean anything to you Paul?" Brock asked. "That's not my thing." Paul replied. "Of course not. Why would you do anything half-decent?" Misty said disapprovingly. "There's that mouth again." Paul said smugly. "That's it!" Ash fumed.

Ash attempted to charge ahead, but Brock held back the snarling Pokémon Trainer by holding him firmly by his collar. "We're wasting our time. Return, now." Paul said, returning Electabuzz to its Pokeball. _"Fine, if they won't let me use my fists, I'll use my Pokémon!" _Ash thought.

"Not so fast Paul! Let's have a battle; I wanna show you how strong we've gotten!" Ash yelled. Paul ignored Ash and continued to walk away. "Ash, it's over, just relax." Brock said. "Are you nuts? I have to defend the honor of my Pokémon AND Misty! No one says that about my friends and gets away with it! Paul!" Ash yelled again.

"I'm touched by your concern, but I already told you I don't care what he says." Misty said. "Well I do!" Ash replied. Suddenly, with a surge of anger and determination, Chimchar ran towards Paul and challenged him. "Chim char!" (Let's brawl!) it screeched. Upon hearing Chimchar's cry of determination, Paul turned around and smirked.

"Fine by me. How's three-on-three sound?" Paul suggested. "You got it!" Ash replied determinedly. "Well, there's no avoiding it now, so good luck I guess." Misty said. "Thanks, and I think now is the perfect time to unleash my secret weapon." Ash replied. "What secret weapon?" Dawn asked. "Ash, you're not gonna…?" Brock asked knowingly. "Oh yes I am." Ash replied.

"Hey, thanks a lot Chimchar." Ash said. Chimchar replied with a friendly chatter. "Let's do it everyone!" Ash exclaimed. Ash's Pokémon cheered, ready to go when Ash gave the word. "Just remember Ash, don't get careless!" Misty warned. "Right, thanks Mist." Ash replied gratefully.

Ash took a deep breath to try and relax his nerves. "Dawn, we'll need a coin toss." Ash said calmly. "Alright, choose it you guys, is it gonna be heads or tails?" Dawn said, readying her watch for the coin-toss. "Your move Paul." Ash said. "I choose tails." Paul said.

Dawn flipped the virtual coin, which landed on heads in favor of Ash. "Alright! Now, who should I start with?" Ash wondered out loud. Gligar started jumping up and down with excitement, begging to be chosen. "Whoa, Gligar is psyched!" Brock exclaimed. "Gligar wins first prize for enthusiasm." Dawn added.

"Ok Gligar, I like your attitude, this'll be your first battle!" Ash said. Gligar happily took the field. "Gligar's gonna be my first choice!" Ash announced. "And foolish too. Now Gliscor, stand by for battle!" Paul exclaimed.

Paul's newly captured Gliscor popped out of its ball and gave a menacing growl at its smaller opponent. Gligar whimpered in fear, as its former leader glared at it with a threatening gaze. "That's a low blow, choosing Gligar's evolved form." Misty hissed. "That's part of his strategy. Paul's way of putting pressure on Gligar." Brock said.

"Hey Gligar, don't worry! You just do what I tell you and stay calm!" Ash exclaimed. Reassured by its master's words, Gligar went into battle-ready stance. "Gligar, 'X-Scissor', let's go!" Ash ordered. Gligar leaped into the air to slash its larger opponent. "Gliscor, 'Knock Off'." Paul countered coolly.

Gliscor bashed Gligar's head with the Dark-type attack, sending Gligar to the ground. "This is bad." Misty said. "That one's gotta hurt." Brock said sullenly. Gligar's eyes formed tears from the pain, but were cleared when Ash barked out another attack. "C'mon Gligar, 'Sand-Attack'!" he ordered.

Gligar jumped back and flung sand into the eyes of Gliscor. "Not a bad idea. Using 'Sand-Attack' to lower Gliscor's accuracy." Misty said. "But look at Gliscor! It's acting like it doesn't feel a thing!" Dawn exclaimed. "That's probably because it doesn't." Brock moaned. "That means Ash just wasted a move?" Misty figured.

"As much as I hate to admit, Ash has a serious disadvantage here." Brock said. "Use 'Guillotine'!" Paul ordered. Gliscor leaped up into the air and dive-bombed its devolved opponent. Ash was caught by surprise and gasped. "Quick, counter-attack with 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered.

Gligar leaped into the air to meet Gliscor in the air, but was immediately sent back down when Gliscor grabbed Gligar by the neck, and drilled it into the hard, rocky ground. "Oh man…Gligar." Ash moaned. "Just one hit…" Dawn said. "You see, 'Guillotine' is a move that will instantly knock out your opponent if it manages to make contact…Paul's a tough one." Brock added.

Misty stayed silent, as she watched her beloved Ash console the sad and pained Gligar. "Come on, you did your best." Ash said. Paul returned Gliscor and spoke. "I think now would be the perfect time to let your Gligar know that a loss is the trainer's fault." Paul said. Ash turned his head to Paul and growled.

"So who's fault is it when YOU lose?" Misty screamed. Paul was taken aback slightly, but maintained his smug composure. "What difference does it make since I don't lose?" Paul replied smugly. "I'll make him lose…you stay here and cheer for the rest of us, ok Gligar?" Ash said.

"Now, Ursaring, stand by for battle!" Paul called out his giant bear Pokémon, who roared upon release. "Whoa, Ursaring." Ash said. "You gonna unleash Charizard on this creep yet?" Misty whispered, making sure to keep Paul from hearing.

Ash reached for the last Pokeball on his belt. "I think I just might." Ash replied. Suddenly, Chimchar ran in front of Ash, determined to get into the battle and show its former master what it could do. "You wanna go next?" Ash asked. Chimchar chattered determinedly in response. "Well, I guess Charizard will have to wait his turn." Misty said.

"Alright Chimchar, get in there!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar charged onto the field, screeching angrily at Paul. "This is interesting." Paul said smugly. "Ok Chimchar, go for it!" Dawn cheered. "Alright, 'Flamethrower', now!" Ash ordered.

Chimchar spewed a powerful flame at Ursaring, who merely crossed its arms and took the hit head on. "All that power…" Misty said. "And it didn't even dodge!" Dawn finished. "I guess that's what confidence does." Brock said. "Confidence nothing, pure arrogance is what it is." Misty spat.

"Flamethrower's a bit more powerful now, ya think?" Ash asked confidently. "Hmmph, 'Focus Blast'!" Paul ordered. Ursaring formed a ball of focused energy in its paws, and then fired it at the small fire monkey. Instead of dodging though, Chimchar was determined to show its power, so it took the hit and withstood it almost miraculously.

"Chimchar just pulled the same move…" Dawn said in awe. "Which only goes to prove that anything Paul can do, Ash can do better." Misty boasted. "Awesome, the way you took that! Now use 'Dig'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar dug underground to try and hit Ursaring from below.

"Hammer Arm', in the ground!" Paul countered. With a mighty swing of its arms, Ursaring pounded the ground, causing the ground to rumble around the entire area, and Chimchar was sent flying into the air. Ash growled and barked out another move. "Use 'Flame Wheel'!" he ordered.

Chimchar came out of free fall and charged towards Ursaring in a flaming wheel of fire. "Catch that!" Paul countered. Ursaring caught Chimchar in mid-air, while it was still in its attack. After the attack was completed, the two Pokémon growled at each other.

"Oh yeah? Now use 'Scratch'!" Ash ordered. "Secret Power'." Paul countered. Before Chimchar could react, Ursaring glowed in a pink aura, activating the attack. After the effect was done, Ursaring mercilessly bashed Chimchar's skull with its head, leaving Chimchar lying on the ground.

"Come on Chimchar, 'Flamethrower', go get 'em!" Ash ordered. Instead of obeying, Chimchar looked on, whimpering in fear. "Hey Chimchar, what's wrong with ya?" Ash asked with concern. No one but Chimchar could see the sight in its mind: A giant Ursaring bearing down on it, waiting to obliterate it at the move of a muscle.

"What could've gotten into Chimchar?" Dawn asked. "Chimchar's flinching with fear." Brock said. "Don't tell me…that 'Secret Power' did that, right?" Misty asked knowingly. "Right. In rocky terrain like this, 'Secret Power' can cause the opponent to flinch in fear." Brock explained. "Are you sure it's the 'Secret Power' that got you so scared?" Paul asked menacingly.

"The only thing scary about you is your attitude!" Misty screamed. "Why don't we ask little Chimchar about that?" Paul chuckled. Misty growled and got her mallet at the ready, but was held back by Brock. "He's asking for it!" Misty said angrily. "Let Ash handle this." Brock said sternly. Misty glared at Paul once more, but eventually lowered her weapon.

"C'mon Chimchar, snap out of it!" Ash exclaimed. "You can do it Chimchar!" Dawn encouraged. "Show that creep what you're made of!" Misty added. The group, both humans and Pokémon alike, cheered Chimchar on, trying to encourage it to fight back.

"This is pathetic. Finish it with 'Hammer Arm'!" Paul ordered. Ursaring swung its arms, ready to pound Chimchar into the ground. "Chimchar, quick, use 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash countered. Chimchar looked at its opponent, only to see the monster in its mind attacking before blacking out. "Ash, return it quick!" Misty cried.

"Chimchar, return!" Ash yelled. Ash managed to return Chimchar to its Pokeball, just before Ursaring slammed its sledgehammer sized arms into the ground. "Take a break Chimchar." Ash said. "Running away huh? Typical strategy for non-trainers like you." Paul said smugly.

Ash growled with pure fury, as he grasped the Pokeball that held what he hoped would be a humiliating loss for Paul. "He's asking for it Ash! Show him what you've got!" Misty cheered. Despite Ash's Pokémon knowing exactly what Ash was now planning, they greatly approved of getting revenge for what Paul had done to poor Gligar and Chimchar.

"Now you're gonna get it! Charizard, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard emerged and roared with more ferocity than it had in a long time, as it shot icy-glares at the slightly intimidated Paul. "When did he get that?" Paul wondered. "Meet my old friend, Charizard!" Ash said confidently. Charizard roared with flames spewing out of its mouth.

"It's about time you chose a Pokémon who's at least half-decent." Paul said smugly. Ash growled and clenched his fists, with Charizard doing the same.

"Now we'll show you what raising a Pokémon the right way can do! Use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard fired the flaming attack at the bear Pokémon, who once again tried to cross its arms in an 'X' formation and block it off. But Charizard's flame was much more powerful than Chimchar's, so Ursaring was knocked onto its back.

"Get up right now!" Paul ordered. Ursaring stood up and glared at Charizard, who glared right back. "Use 'Hammer Arm'!" Paul ordered. Ursaring swung its arms and readied the mighty attack. "Dodge, and then use 'Steel Wing'!" Ash countered. Charizard took off into the air to avoid the attack, and then swooped down and nailed Ursaring with the powerful 'Steel Wing'.

"You do NOT want to lose to this, do you hear me?" Paul threatened. Ursaring slowly got back to its feet, but was obviously in pain. "Let's finish this up Charizard, use 'Seismic Toss'!" Ash ordered. Charizard charged ahead to lift the bear into the air. "Use 'Focus Blast'!" Paul countered. Ursaring tried to form the ball of energy, but Charizard moved too quickly, and grabbed the bear before it could react.

With three mid-air flips, Charizard lifted Ursaring over its head and threw it down as hard as it possibly could. A huge crater was left where the pained Ursaring fell. "Get up right now!" Paul ordered. Ursaring gave a valiant effort to stand, but eventually fainted from the harsh beating Charizard had given it.

"Way to go Charizard!" Ash cheered. Charizard landed and roared in celebration, as did all of the other Pokémon, who cheered for their powerful friend. "I'll deal with you later." Paul growled, as he returned Ursaring to its Pokeball. "So Paul, whose fault is it when a battle is lost again?" Misty asked smugly. "I told Ursaring what to do, it didn't move fast enough." Paul replied.

Misty growled at Paul's hypocritical reply. "How do ya like that? Not only does he have serious attitude problems, he's a hypocrite too!" Misty hissed. "Paul must think of himself as the perfect trainer." Dawn added. "Although the reality is far from it." Brock added.

"Whaddya think Paul? Charizard's the perfect example of what real training can do!" Ash exclaimed. "It's also the perfect example of your failures." Paul replied. "What do you mean?" Ash asked angrily. "I recognize your Charizard's battle-style as the same one used in the Charicific Valley in Johto, which only further proves that YOU can't train Pokémon to be strong." Paul replied.

"What did you say?" Ash fumed. Charizard roared and fired a 'Flamethrower' at the feet of the ruthless Pokémon Trainer, who didn't even flinch from the attack. "Paul didn't even jump." Dawn said in awe. "That just goes to show that Paul's arrogance keeps him from seeing danger." Misty spat. "Any Pokémon raised by you wouldn't have the nerve to actually hit me with an attack." Paul sneered.

"Paul obviously doesn't know Charizard very well." Misty snickered. As if on cue, Charizard fired the 'Flamethrower' directly at Paul, who merely crossed his arms and stepped out of the way. "Impressive. How'd you like to join a real team?" Paul suggested.

Charizard's eyes grew wide with fury, as did everyone else's. "I can't believe Paul would just come out and say something like that." Dawn said. "How can you not believe it?" Misty asked. "Ash and Charizard have been through more together than a lot of Ash's Pokémon, Charizard may have an attitude, but it's loyal." Brock added.

"Forget it Paul, he's got a real team, with real friends!" Ash yelled. Charizard roared to acknowledge. "Too bad. Charizard could've been made stronger. Now I'll have to just finish it off." Paul said smugly. "Bring it on!" Ash yelled.

"Gliscor, back out here!" Paul called out his fang-scor Pokémon, who had previously defeated Gligar in no time flat. "Let's show him what you've got Charizard!" Ash encouraged. Charizard grunted and got into battle-ready stance. "Gliscor, use 'Sand-Attack'!" Paul ordered. Gliscor shot sand into the eyes of Ash's dragon, who unlike its opponent, could not merely ignore the sand in its eyes.

"Stay with me Charizard! Use 'Dragon Breath'!" Ash ordered. Charizard shook itself out of its haze, and fired the Dragon-type attack at Gliscor. "Dodge that!" Paul countered. Gliscor leaped into the air and avoided the fiery breath attack. "Take the fight to him! Use 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered.

Charizard took off and charged toward Gliscor to hit it with its wings. "Use 'Screech'." Paul countered. Gliscor gave an ear-piercing shriek that completely distracted Charizard. "Now use 'Guillotine'!" Paul ordered. "Oh no, not again!" Ash cried.

Gliscor grabbed onto Charizard's neck and charged downward. "Quick! Use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash panicked. Charizard fired right into Gliscor's face, but despite the pain, Gliscor stayed strong and knocked Charizard out.

"…Charizard…" Ash moaned. "Charizard was Ash's strongest Pokémon." Misty said sadly. "And even it couldn't win." Dawn added. "Charizard is Ash's strongest Pokémon, but you can't expect it to beat Paul single-handedly." Brock said. "You were awesome Charizard, thanks for everything." Ash said, as he held the tired head of his dragon in his hands. Charizard gave a tired whine in response.

"Your so-called friendship with your Charizard is probably what's keeping it from reaching its full potential." Paul said, as he returned Gliscor to its Pokeball once more. Ash growled at Paul for what seemed like the tenth time that day. Paul had been preying on Ash's temper the whole day through, and he had just about had enough.

But as he looked at where it had gotten him, he had second thoughts on continuing. Gligar had gotten clobbered, Chimchar was scared out of its wits inside its Pokeball, and one of his oldest friends had been defeated by the Pokémon of the ruthless trainer. "I guess…you…" Ash was cut-off by a shrill voice. "Don't you dare give up Ash Ketchum! You started this battle, and now we're gonna cheer you on all the way through to the end!" Misty screamed.

All of Ash's Pokémon cheered to signal their trust in their master. Ash walked up to Misty and looked her in the eyes. "Thanks Mist." he said gratefully. "Just doing my job." she replied softly. Ash turned his gaze to his friends and Pokémon, who all simultaneously gave him a thumbs-up. Ash nodded and turned his gaze back to Paul.

"It's not over yet Paul! I've still got one shot!" Ash yelled. "Fine by me, I'll just knock out that wimp Chimchar and be done with it." Paul replied.

"Alright Chimchar, I need you again!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar popped out of the ball and growled at Paul. "Hmmph…Magmar, stand by for battle!" Paul exclaimed. Paul's replacement fire-type appeared and glared at Chimchar.

"Ready to go Chimchar?" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar nodded at Ash, but when it turned around, it suddenly seemed scared again. "Chimchar, what's wrong?" Ash asked with concern. "Chimchar's still scared from Ursaring's 'Secret Power'." Brock explained. "But shouldn't the effect have worn off upon recalling?" Misty asked.

"No." was the simple reply. "C'mon Chimchar, you've got a chance to win this, so don't blow it!" Ash encouraged. "You've got to try Chimchar, use 'Dig'!" Ash ordered. After some hesitation, Chimchar dug a hole to attack its opponent. "Way to go Chimchar! Face your fear!" Misty cheered. "Brace yourself!" Paul countered.

Chimchar popped out of its hole and attempted to hit Magmar, who merely stepped back and let Chimchar fall onto the ground. "C'mon Chimchar, get up!" Ash encouraged. The group of teens and Pokémon cheered again for Chimchar, who forced himself to stand up and face the monster in his mind.

"Magmar, finish it with 'Fire Punch'." Paul said coolly. Magmar charged a fire-powered punch, and swung its arm to hit Chimchar. "Dodge it Chimchar!" Ash countered. Chimchar's fear had gone into full swing again, and it stood frozen in fear as Magmar hammered it into the ground.

"Chimchar!" Ash cried. "And that's that." Paul said smugly. "C-Chimchar?" Ash said worriedly. A few seconds passed, and no movement was made underneath the rock pile Chimchar had been buried under. "It can't be…" Dawn said. "Look there!" Brock said suddenly. Magmar stepped back with fear, as the rock pile suddenly blasted open, and a flaming Chimchar jumped into the sunlight. "I don't believe it!" Misty exclaimed. "You're alright!" Ash cheered.

Chimchar landed, and screeched maniacally as flames flew out of its tail like a 'Fire Blast' attack. "Whoa, what happened?" Ash asked. "Is that what I think it is?" Dawn asked. "It's Chimchar's special ability: 'Blaze'!" Brock explained. Ash and his Pokémon, including Charizard, stood in awe at the flaming monkey as it screeched in a craze. "Wait a second Brock; I've never seen 'Blaze' react like that!" Misty said.

"So, Chimchar's finally awake." Paul said. "Awake? What's that mean?" Misty asked. "This must be what Paul was talking about!" Ash exclaimed. "Paul couldn't get that to happen even after all the special training they did!" Dawn said.

"But Chimchar wasn't being cheered on by its friends…Chimchar wants Ash to win, and Chimchar also wants to show Paul what it can do, and when you combine that with all the support of Ash's Pokémon, that would explain where all the massive power comes from!" Brock explained. "Something still seems wrong though." Misty said.

"Looks like we really got through to Chimchar! Time to show Paul what Chimchar's really made of! Full power 'Flame Wheel', go!" Ash ordered. Chimchar leaped into the air and charged ahead with a doubly-powerful 'Flame Wheel'.

"Magmar, 'Flamethrower'!" Paul countered. Magmar fired its attack to at least slow down the flaming monkey, but Chimchar ignored the attack and charged right through it. Magmar tried to dodge on its own, but Chimchar was determined to hit its target, so it slammed into Magmar's face, and Magmar hit the ground, fainted.

Chimchar screeched with rage as it continued to spew flames, even after Paul recalled Magmar to its ball. "That was the most powerful 'Flame Wheel' I've ever seen." Paul admitted. "Hey Chimchar, you won it." Ash said. "The battle's over already, please stop!" Dawn cried. "I don't think Chimchar even hears you!" Brock exclaimed. "I knew something was wrong! Chimchar's gone berserk!" Misty screamed.

"Chimchar, stop it!" Ash yelled. Chimchar turned to face Ash and charged to attack in a ball of raging fire. "Ash, look out!" Misty cried. Misty dived to knock Ash out of the way of Chimchar's flaming attack, and just barely missed getting singed herself, as she landed on top of Ash after her diving tackle.

"Chimchar's out of control!" Misty cried. Chimchar changed targets and rammed toward Paul. "Paul, look out!" Ash yelled. Knowing that Chimchar had no control over its current actions, Paul jumped out of the way to avoid getting fried right then and there.

Chimchar then leaped into the forest, putting everything it touched on fire. "Chimchar's started a forest fire!" Brock yelled. "This is my department! Politoed, use 'Water Gun'!" Misty exclaimed, throwing out a Pokeball.

Politoed emerged from its ball and quickly fired a stream of water at the blazing fire. "Let's help her out! Quick Piplup, use 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup formed a giant whirlpool and hurled it at the flames that threatened to engulf the entire forest. "Now Buizel! 'Water Gun', go!" Ash ordered. Buizel fired as well, and the combined water attacks extinguished the fire, but Chimchar was still out of control.

"Chimchar, stop!" Ash yelled, blocking Chimchar's path by spreading out his arms. Chimchar changed direction, and was stopped by Pikachu this time. Chimchar continued to try to escape, but was blocked by Piplup, Buizel, Turtwig, and Politoed. Chimchar jumped onto a rock and screeched, as if it was possessed by its 'Blaze' ability.

Ash ran up to Chimchar and held it tightly in its arms, trying to calm it down. But Ash was hurting himself as he did so, as Chimchar's flame was still as strong as ever. "Stop Chimchar, it's over, over!" Ash cried. Chimchar bit down on Ash's shoulder, and Ash gave a cry of pain. "Ash!" Misty shrieked. Misty and Dawn tried to go help him, but they were held back by Brock. "Guys, stay here!" Brock exclaimed. "Let me go! He needs help!" Misty cried. "Ash can handle it." Brock said. "I can't just stand here Brock! Ash is in pain!" Misty cried.

Brock glared at Misty with a grimly serious expression. "Ash will handle it." Brock insisted. Misty continued to resist Brock's grip, as the sound of Ash's voice rang in her ears like a cry for help. "Hold on, 'Blaze' is a special ability that's supposed to power up a Pokémon's fire-type moves when they really need it, but to totally lose control like that?" Dawn said.

"Dawn, for all we know, this could actually be Chimchar's true power." Brock said, still holding a firm grip on the girl who was desperately trying to get to Ash. "Please Brock, let me help him!" Misty cried. "What could you do?" Brock asked. Upon hearing that, Misty stopped tugging and stared at the ground, realizing that there wasn't really anything she could do.

Misty stared at Ash and Chimchar, hoping with all her heart that they would both come out ok. "Stop it Chimchar, that's enough, you won already! You won Chimchar, it's over!" Ash cried. Chimchar continued to shriek uncontrollably. Misty, Dawn, and Brock watched with concern for their friend, while Paul's only interest was to see what the outcome would be.

With one last cry of desperation, Ash yelled at the top of his lungs. "Chimchar stop!" As if someone had turned on a light in its head, Chimchar suddenly stopped screeching, and its flame burned with its normal intensity. Upon seeing that the danger had seemingly vanished, Misty ran up to Ash as quickly as her legs would allow.

"Ash, are you alright?" she asked with extreme concern. Ash turned his head and gave a warm smile to his red-headed girlfriend. "Just fine Mist. We're both fine." Ash replied. Misty sighed with relief and knelt down next to Ash, just to have the satisfaction of having him close to her. "That was pretty intense, but you're ok now." Ash said, consoling the whimpering Chimchar.

Chimchar curled up into a ball, and whimpered fearfully. "Still frightened." Dawn moaned. "After going through all that, I'm not surprised." Brock said. "Hey, Chimchar, you were great. I guess you just surprised us with all that power you've got." Ash said, softly petting Chimchar's head.

Overwhelmed by the moment, Chimchar leaped into Ash's arms and hugged him tightly. Ash's smaller Pokémon all came close and formed a group hug around the frightened Chimchar. "You're in good hands Chimchar, I guarantee it." Misty said, getting her turn at consoling the small fire-type.

Chimchar jumped out of Ash's arms, only to jump into Misty's, which brought a giggle from the red-headed trainer. Paul walked up and confronted the two kneeling trainers, who quickly stood up at Paul's presence. "You really think you'll be able to control that?" Paul asked.

Misty handed Chimchar back to Ash just before he answered. "Who knows? I sure don't yet. But if anyone can, Chimchar can, no doubt." Ash replied. "Spoken just like a fool." Paul said. Ash and Misty growled at the ruthless trainer, who obviously had no sympathy whatsoever at the emotional event that had just taken place.

"When you and Chimchar figure out how to control that flame, we'll battle again." Paul said. "Ok Paul, it's a deal." Ash replied. Paul picked up his backpack and walked away without another word. "I can't believe that after all that, Paul still doesn't care about anything." Misty hissed. "But I think one thing was shown today." Dawn said.

"Oh? And what's that?" Misty asked. "Paul wasn't able to tap into Chimchar's true power, but Ash was. That's just gotta mean something!" Dawn said. "You're right. It means that the best way to train a Pokémon is through friendship. Chimchar and even Charizard are perfect examples of that." Misty replied. Charizard grunted to acknowledge.

"It also shows that no one knows a Pokémon's potential, not even Paul. So trainers have to trust their intuition as best they can, and the way Ash learns to deal with Chimchar's power is going to have a huge effect on how his next battle with Paul turns out." Brock explained.

"I heard that Brock." Ash said. "Sorry big guy." Brock replied. "Don't worry about it Brocko, I know you're right, but we'll work hard to make sure that we'll be ready." Ash said. "And we'll be with you every step of the way." Misty said. "Thanks guys, with your help, we'll be able to win the whole Sinnoh League! Ain't that right Chimchar?" Ash said, holding his small fire-type in the air.

No longer frightened, and in the comforting presence of its friends, Chimchar chattered happily, vowing to work hard to master its power. "After all that, I think we could all use a break." Dawn said. "You bet. So long before we get to Pastoria, Brock?" Ash asked.

"It shouldn't be much longer, but I think we should find a place to set up camp, I don't know about you, but I'm planning on going to bed early tonight." Brock replied. "Yeah, I guess we're all pretty tired." Ash admitted.

"But tomorrow, we'll do some training and get ourselves another gym badge!" Ash cheered. Ash's Pokémon roared their approval, and the group continued their journey to Pastoria City, and Ash's next gym battle.


	22. Pastoria Parties and Battles

**"Yes! I managed to get this chapter out before the day ended! Why is today so significant? Because today's my birthday! And I've had an awesome day, and finishing this chapter was just the icing on the cake! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my birthday. ^^ I own nothing but the story.**

Chapter 22

Misty's POV

After that whole experience with Paul and Chimchar, I had gotten a real close-up view at how much Ash had matured trainer-wise. He had taken the situation so calmly, something he would've never have done when we were traveling in Kanto. And I also saw the hostile side of Ash that was usually only unleashed when Gary was around, but Paul was worse than Gary would ever be. I actually felt guilty for holding him back, or not chucking my mallet at Paul myself.

We had a small talk before we rolled out the sleeping-bags, and I thanked him for "defending my honor". Ash truly was my knight in shining armor, even if sometimes I didn't ask him to be. I guess then I could call Paul the fire-breathing dragon. After all, he blew a lot of smoke earlier. I'm glad Charizard was able to give him a whuppin', but I wasn't completely surprised when Paul managed to beat it eventually.

As much as I hated to admit it, despite his ruthless method, Paul had extremely powerful Pokémon who listened to what he said. But personally, if I was a Pokémon, I'd rebel against him. And after having a good night's sleep, as close as I could get to Ash of course, we walked the last leg of the journey to Pastoria City.

"When we got there, Ash immediately took off for the gym so he could challenge the gym leader. As a water-type trainer, I too was interested in seeing what the leader would be like. Which brought us to where we were now, standing in front of the Pastoria Gym.

Normal POV

"Alright! We made it guys!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "So what are you waiting for? Let's see what this gym leader is like!" Misty said. "Alright…!" Ash was cut-off suddenly when he bumped into something hard and landed on his butt. "Ow…that hurt." Ash said, rubbing his aching tailbone. "Hey, are you alright?" Dawn asked. "Feels like I ran into a brick wall." Ash said.

"Or the equivalent in muscle." Misty said, looking up at the gigantic figure bearing down on them. The group shrank back with intimidation, as they stared at the human who was more than twice Brock's size at least. "Ok…who are you?" Ash asked nervously. "I'll just tell you. I'm the Pastoria Gym Leader, Crasher Wake!" Wake exclaimed, his booming voice echoing in the ears of the four teens.

"Aaah! You ever seen a leader like that?" Dawn asked. "Better question, have you ever seen a human like that?" Misty asked. "No to both questions, but my experience has shown that there are all kinds of gym leaders in this world." Brock said. "Not in Kanto or Johto there aren't." Misty said.

Ash got up and looked at the giant gym leader with determination. "Well my name's Ash, and I've come from Pallet Town and I'm here to challenge you to a gym battle!" Ash exclaimed. "I've got some urgent business to attend to today, so I regret to tell you that I can't." Wake replied. Ash lost his fiery demeanor and groaned. "Wha? Aww man.

"Though if you like, you can all come with me, whaddya say?" Wake asked. "Err…go where?" Ash asked nervously. Wake pointed out into the distance and laughed heartily. "Up there! You'll understand soon enough." he said.

Wake suddenly took off running, when he heard an alarm bell go off. "Where's he going?" Misty asked. "Come on; just follow me to the train yard!" Wake exclaimed. The group shrugged and chased after Wake as he continued to put space between himself and them.

"We've gotta hurry or we won't make it onboard!" Wake yelled. "Let's move!" Ash exclaimed. "Step on it!" Dawn exclaimed, pushing Brock to get him to move faster. Misty suddenly lost her balance and fell to the ground; luckily no damage was made to her knees. "Aah! Misty!" Ash yelled. Ash turned back and charged right in-between Dawn and Brock, and helped Misty back to her feet.

"Hurry up! The train is leaving!" Wake boomed. Dawn and Brock managed to get on the train just before the small safety door closed, but Ash and Misty weren't so lucky. "We're leaving without them!" Dawn screamed. "Maybe I can get the conductor to stop the train." Wake said. "Just wait, they'll get here." Brock said calmly.

"Sorry Ash, if I hadn't have tripped we wouldn't have been left behind." Misty said guiltily. "Who said we're getting left behind? Just watch." Ash said. Ash waved his hand, signaling Misty to step back. Misty complied and gave Ash room to move. "Charizard, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard emerged with a roar, and the couple quickly hopped onto its back.

"We've got a train to catch!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard roared and took off after the still slowly chugging train. It didn't take long before Charizard had caught up to the train and moved up to the caboose. "Alright, now all we gotta do is hop onto the caboose." Ash said. Ash leapt off of Charizard and landed safely onto the caboose, while Misty was reluctant to do the same.

"Come on Mist, the train is speeding up!" Ash exclaimed, as Charizard was forced to fly faster and faster to avoid being left behind. "Ash, if I don't make the jump, I'm road kill!" Misty screamed fearfully. "Don't worry, I'll catch you!" Ash yelled. _"Catch me? He's got a little bit of muscle but I don't think he can pull that off!"_ Misty thought.

"Misty, trust me!" Ash yelled. Misty bit her bottom lip and thought about it, she did trust Ash, so she closed her eyes and jumped. Half-expecting to feel a sharp pain, she was welcomed by the comforting feeling of Ash's body. After breathing a sigh of relief, she opened her eyes and noticed that Ash had indeed caught her, but not the way she pictured it.

"Oof, see? I told you I'd catch you." Ash strained, as the weight of Misty's body pressed against his chest. Misty scrambled to her feet and helped Ash back to his. "That wasn't what I had in mind you know." Misty giggled. "Did you think I could catch you any other way?" Ash asked. "Nope, you're too wimpy to catch me." Misty teased. "And to think I used to call you scrawny, I should call you something the opposite now." Ash replied in the same tone.

"Rule number one of being a boyfriend; don't ever call your girlfriend anything less than pretty." Misty said teasingly. "Ok, how about…beautiful then?" Ash said sheepishly. Misty turned to meet Ash's gaze and lightly blushed. "The door's locked by the way." Ash said. "So what?" Misty replied. The two moved closer to embrace each other, but they never made contact, for a 'Flamethrower' had shot right in between them.

Ash and Misty looked to see where it came from and laughed. Charizard was trying to get their attention, since it was now flying as fast it could possibly go and was getting tired. "Sorry Charizard, thanks for your help." Ash said, returning Charizard to his Pokéball. "Now, where were we?" Misty asked timidly. They smiled at each other and hugged each other lovingly, with Misty's arms wrapped around Ash's neck, and his left arm around her waist, and his right hand fingered her bright orange hair.

"Hey, did you know that you're a great kisser?" Misty asked. "No, I didn't know that." Ash replied. "Well, the only way to get better is to practice." Misty said. "What does that…oh…I get it." Ash replied with a smirk. Misty giggled at his reply. The two moved in to share their second kiss, which both thought would be just as wonderful as the first, but they were interrupted by Dawn, Brock, and Crasher Wake, who had come to the caboose to see if they had made it. It was quite obvious that they had.

"Well, should we just leave you two alone then?" Wake boomed, laughing heartily. "N-No, that's alright, thanks for letting us in." Misty stammered. Ash and Misty walked past their watchers, and sat down next to each other on the train seat. Dawn, Brock, and Wake followed soon after. They looked out the window, staring at the glorious scenery of trees, green grass, and mountains beyond.

"Ahh, the majesty of wide open spaces…the Pastoria Great Marsh." Wake said. "You're right Wake, it's impressive." Brock said. "I wonder what kind of Pokémon live there." Ash said. "It's a marsh, that means water, and that usually means water-Pokémon. I should feel right at home here." Misty said. "You know Misty; marshes usually have a lot of bugs too." Brock joked. Misty's face turned pale, and she scooted closer to Ash for comfort.

"So, you're a fan of water-type Pokémon?" Wake asked. "Yeah, Misty used to be the gym leader in Cerulean City in Kanto, and the gym specializes in water-Pokémon." Ash answered for her. "Gym leader huh? Well it's certainly a pleasure to meet one of my fellow leaders, especially when they specialize in water-types." Wake said. "I'm more proud of my water-type expertise than my gym leader title; my goal in life is to become the world's greatest water-Pokémon master!" Misty exclaimed.

"A noble mission. Well, the best of luck to you." Wake replied. "Not that this conversation isn't fascinating, but I'd still like to know where we're going." Dawn said. "You'll find out in a minute." Wake said.

No sooner had he said that, the train stopped and they stepped out to the muddy swamp. "Alright folks, follow me!" Wake boomed. Yelling, Wake charged down the long bridge that spanned across the entire marsh. "Hey, come on Wake! Wait for us!" Ash yelled, running as hard as his legs would carry him.

The group of teens ran in vain, as Crasher Wake had disappeared from sight, leaving them completely lost in the middle of the swamp. "Now where'd he go? For a big guy, that Wake can move." Ash said. "If I didn't think a bug was going to show up at any moment, I'd say that the scenery was something to look at." Misty said, gripping tightly onto Ash's left arm.

A strange noise was heard, which Misty cringed at upon hearing it. "You're alright Mist, calm down." Ash said soothingly. "Piplup, quit making those strange noises, you're scaring Misty." Dawn scolded. "Piplup pi piplup." (That's not me.) "What? Then who is it?" Dawn wondered. "It sounds like it's coming from the tall grass." Ash said.

The group looked around with nervousness, although in Misty and Dawn's case, it was more like fear. Suddenly, several pairs of yellow, half-moon shaped eyes appeared from the bushes, which brought screams of terror from Misty and Dawn. A figure slowly emerged from the bushes. Misty hid herself behind Ash, and Dawn did likewise to Brock. The group of frightened teens braced themselves for whatever was coming, but felt slight relief when all they saw was a Croagunk.

"Hey, it's just Croagunk." Ash said. "You really scared us." Dawn said, as the Croagunk walked by without acknowledging their presence. "That's not my Croagunk." Brock said, holding the Pokéball that contained his own Croagunk.

"Then whose is it?" Ash asked. Just then, a whole bunch of Croagunk came walking out of the nearby bushes, each marching along with the same dull expression as the last. "I guess this isn't a water-type swamp after all." Misty said, still hiding behind Ash. "Yeah, it's crawling with Croagunk instead." Dawn said. "I guess they must all be wild Croagunk." Ash figured.

"I don't think so, look over there." Brock said. The group of teens turned and saw many more Croagunk appearing, except they had trainers with them. "What's going on?" Ash asked. "I was just wondering the same thing." Dawn said. "Looks like it's a Croagunk carnival or something." Misty joked, trying to calm herself. "There's only one way to find out!" Ash exclaimed.

Ash took off in the direction the other Croagunk took, leaving the still slightly frightened Misty without a hiding spot. "Hey! Wait for us Ash!" Misty cried, taking off after him. Dawn and Brock soon followed. After a few minutes of running, the group reached an unbelievable sight: A giant Croagunk statue. "Whoa, check it out." Ash said. "I haven't seen anything like that since the Wobbuffet statue in Johto." Misty said in awe. "Isn't that something Piplup?" Dawn asked. Piplup replied with an awed chirp. "I want Azurill to see this." Misty said.

Misty pulled out a Pokéball, and Azurill formed in Misty's arms. "Check that out Azurill." Misty said. "Azu." (Cool.) Azurill replied. They stared a while longer, until Wake had noticed their arrival. "Hey! What took you so long? I was getting worried." Wake said. "What took us so long is that you run too fast." Misty joked. Wake laughed heartily. "I guess I do move pretty fast for someone my size." he said. "So, what's up with the Croagunk statue?" Dawn asked.

"Well you see, here in Pastoria City, our Croagunk are honored as guardians of the Pastoria Great Marsh, and the people here treat them with massive respect." Wake explained. "Can you say, 'Déjà vu'?" Misty whispered in Ash's ear. Ash quietly laughed at Misty's joke, as Wake continued his story.

"Each and every family in our fair city is responsible for raising one Croagunk with great reverence and care, and once every year, everyone gathers together to hold the Croagunk Festival, where they choose the year's Croagunk champion! And the festival happens to be tonight!" Wake explained. "Croagunk Festival?" the group said in unison.

"Precisely! And as a conclusion, the winning Croagunk receives a crown, encrusted with a beautiful diamond and pearl." Wake said. "A crown eh?" Ash said. "Oooh, I want it!" Dawn squealed. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you need a Croagunk for that." Misty said. Dawn face-faulted and groaned, which brought laughter from everyone except Brock, who was intently listening to a distant voice.

"Hey Brock, what's wrong?" Ash asked. "Sssh! Do you hear that?" Brock asked. "I don't hear anything Brock." Misty replied. She spoke too soon, as a shrill and panicked voice was heard in the distance. "Only one beautiful voice can make those bell-like tones! Nurse Joy! Over there!" Brock yelled. Brock raced to the frightened Nurse's location, where she was defending herself from a verbal onslaught.

"You said there'd be a marriage this year and this year's here!" the young man exclaimed. "I don't remember making a promise like that!" Nurse Joy defended, waving her arms back and forth. "Stop it now!" Brock yelled angrily. Nurse Joy and the young man looked over at the chivalrous Pokémon Breeder.

"I refuse to let you force Nurse Joy into a marriage she doesn't want!" Brock yelled. "What are you talking about?" the young man asked exasperatedly. Brock lost his fire and became confused. "But…didn't you propose?" he asked. "No, no. Hamilton doesn't want to marry me; he wants my Croagunk to marry his Croagunk." Nurse Joy explained.

Ash, Misty, and Dawn had joined their friend on the stairs by now, and they simultaneously looked down at Nurse Joy's feet, where a female Croagunk wearing a large, pink bow was hiding behind her master's leg for protection.

"As usual, Brock makes a fool of himself in front of a girl." Misty joked. Ash and Dawn laughed along with Misty at the sweat-dropping Pokémon Breeder. But Brock refused to back down, as he was determined to try and salvage Nurse Joy's first impression of him. "Alright then buddy, where's your Croagunk?" he asked angrily.

"You wanna see my Croagunk?" Hamilton asked. "That's what I said!" Brock replied. Hamilton put on a cheesy grin and turned, revealing his Croagunk who was clinging onto his shirt. "He's right here! Say hello to Craig!" he exclaimed cockily. "Wow, look at that! He's got a crown on!" Dawn exclaimed, noting that Hamilton's Croagunk was wearing the championship crown.

"Craig must've won the festival last year." Brock figured. "That's cool, but why is Craig hanging on your shirt like that?" Ash asked. "Look who's talking. You've got a Pikachu on your shoulder, she's got an Azurill in her arms, and she's got a Piplup on her head." Hamilton replied. "He's got us there." Dawn moaned. "Pokémon Trainer and Pokémon always hang tight together and we're no exception." Hamilton said. Craig croaked in agreement. "Alright, admit it, wouldn't it be an honor and a privilege to marry King Craig?" Hamilton asked smugly. "Oh please." Brock snapped. "You're just jealous that you don't have a champion. Seeya later Nurse Joy, after the festival!" Hamilton snickered, as he walked away in a smug fashion.

"It's like Hamilton doesn't hear a word I say…I told him that my Krissy doesn't like his Craig, but he doesn't listen." Nurse Joy said dejectedly. "Well, I'm Brock and I'll listen." Brock said, holding Nurse Joy around her shoulders. "And here we go." Misty sighed. "Nurse Joy, don't worry your pretty head." Brock said soothingly. "Huh?" Nurse Joy asked in bewilderment.

"Once my Croagunk becomes champion, Hamilton will see the light, and then your Croagunk and mine will join together in wedded bliss, and perhaps we may follow in their footsteps as well! Arm in arm, hand in haaaaand!" Brock had been 'Poison Jabbed' right in the middle of his romantic dialogue. "I…could…use…a…nurse…anyway." Brock strained. Brock doubled over in pain, and was dragged away by the irritated frog, leaving the surprised Nurse Joy to watch as Brock was dragged off.

"We're sorry about our friend, whenever he sees a pretty girl, he can't help himself." Misty said. "That's alright, that IS quite a Croagunk he has though." Nurse Joy said, apparently impressed by Brock's Croagunk. "Of course, Brock's an awesome trainer too, along with being a Pokémon Breeder in training." Ash said. "He might be able to save my Krissy at that." Nurse Joy said.

"Well, I have to get ready for the competition, see you all later." Nurse Joy said, walking away. The three teens waved goodbye to the pink haired nurse. "Well guys, since this is a festival, let's go have some fun!" Dawn exclaimed. "Sounds good to me, how about it Ash?" Misty asked. "Sure thing Mist…but first…I wanna check out that concession stand!" Ash replied, running off to the nearest food stand. "Looks like Ash's stomach is still stronger than his heart." Dawn joked. "One day…one day." Misty said with a sweat-drop.

Meanwhile, while the group of teens were enjoying themselves at the festival, Team Rocket was trudging through the swamp, although James was cheerier than anyone else.

"Wow! All the memories!" James exclaimed cheerfully. James may have been happy, but his two partners in crime weren't exactly happy about ankle deep in mud. "Mushville." Jessie moaned. "It was right here in the gorgeous Pastoria Great Marsh that my dear Carnivine and I first met." James said.

"I was merely marching along, singing a song, when suddenly I heard a faint moaning. I looked around and saw a muddy Carnivine who was obviously in pain. Upon seeing it, I said: 'Fear not, I'll save you! Stay right there!' I ran to save the poor Pokémon, and I dragged it all the way to dry land. And it was then a dear friendship was born." James explained.

"That's the story of how Carnivine and I crossed paths, such sweet memories." James said. Wanting his friend to share the memories, James pulled out a Pokéball from his pocket. "Carnivine, feel the magic!" he exclaimed, as his old friend bit onto his head affectionately.

Jessie and Meowth sighed exasperatedly, as James yelled incoherently through Carnivine's unique display of affection. "Jess…we slathered out here in this sludge so James could get his reunion ya-yas out?" Meowth asked. Jessie laughed. "Now you don't think I'd muddy my designer boots for that, do you?" she replied.

"Ok, what gives?" Meowth asked. "The Pastoria Great Marsh is the slurpy sight of the Croagunk Festival, the winning Croagunk of which gets a magnificently jeweled crown." Jessie explained. "But we're outta Croagunk ta enter your magnificently jeweled silk." Meowth said. All of a sudden, Meowth felt very small next to Jessie, who was grinning at him maliciously. "Ahh, but we DO have a Croagunk to enter." Jessie said. Meowth moaned nervously. "So how come I'm scared to ask who it is?" he said with a sweat-drop. With that, Jessie dragged Meowth off to get into his guise.

Back at the festival, Misty and Dawn were watching as Crasher Wake was instructing the workers on what to put and where. "I get it. No wonder Wake told us there wasn't a moment to have a gym battle right now." Dawn said. "Uh, yeah, sure." Misty replied quickly, as she turned her head in all directions. "Still looking for Ash?" Dawn asked. "I haven't seen him in a while." Misty replied.

As if on cue, Ash walked up with a bag of treats in his hand. "Hey guys, isn't the festival great?" Ash said. "Where have you been anyway? I wanted to hit the midway with you." Misty said. "Oops, sorry Mist, guess my stomach got the better of me." Ash apologized. "You and your stomach… (Sigh) what am I gonna do with you?" Misty moaned.

"Hey, you should try this, it's a Croagunk Pie, they're awesome!" Ash exclaimed, offering one of his treats to Misty. She stared at it for a few seconds before sweat-dropping. "Erm…I'd rather not eat something that's looking at me." she said. "Ok, watch this." Ash said. Ash flipped the pie over, which hid the Croagunk face from view. "How about now?" Ash asked.

Misty looked again, and reluctantly gave in. She ripped off a piece of the pie, and chewed it cautiously. After a few minutes, she smiled. "Hey, they're not bad." Misty said, taking the rest of the small pie to munch on. "I told you! Here Dawn, you try one." Ash said, offering one to the younger girl. "Ew! Just ew!" Dawn squealed. Ash and Misty laughed at the panicking girl who wanted no part of the choice of snack.

"Alright Ash, I did what you wanted, now let's go have some fun!" Misty exclaimed. She grabbed his hand and dragged him off to the middle of the festival. "Here Dawn, hold these for me!" Ash yelled, tossing his bag of pies to Dawn. Dawn cringed and dodged the bag of disgusting frog pies. "I repeat: Ew!" Dawn screamed. Piplup hopped off of Dawn's head, and started eating the pies that had dropped on the floor.

"Ew! Piplup, how can you eat those things?" Dawn asked. "Piplup piplup pi piplup." (Because they actually taste good.) Piplup replied. "Let me rephrase…EW!" Dawn squealed. Piplup sweat-dropped and continued eating.

After about a half-hour of frolicking in the midway, Ash and Misty returned from their "date-night". "Thanks for winning me that Pokédoll Ash." Misty said, holding the small Croagunk plushy that Ash had won for her. "No problem, after all this time throwing Pokéballs, knocking those bottles down was easy." Ash replied proudly.

"Hey, I'm kind of hungry, how about you go and get us some cotton candy or something?" Misty suggested. "Cotton candy, coming up. Hey Pikachu, stay here and keep Misty company ok?" Ash said before walking off. "Pika Pikapi!" (Ok Ash!) Pikachu replied. As soon as Ash was out of earshot, Misty looked around and saw a little girl trying to win her own Croagunk plushy.

She walked over to the girl and offered up her own plushy. "Here you go, enjoy it." Misty said cheerfully. "Gee, thanks so much!" the girl squealed. The little girl took off running, cheerfully swinging her new toy around with glee. "Pika pika Pikachupi?" (Why'd you do that Misty?) Pikachu asked. "I appreciated Ash's effort, but somehow, a Croagunk plush toy doesn't really appeal to me." Misty replied. "Pika pika." (Good point.) Pikachu said.

Ash came back with a cotton candy, half blue, and half pink. "Where's your Pokédoll Misty?" Ash asked. "I gave it to a little girl that wanted one, she was trying so hard to win one, and I just couldn't help it." Misty said, feigning guilt. "That's alright, we'll just have to go and win another one for you." Ash said. "N-No, that's alright, let's just enjoy this cotton candy, ok?" Misty said, taking a bite of her pink half. "But Misty…" Ash was cut-off when Misty stuffed a piece of blue cotton candy into his mouth.

Ash swallowed and smiled. "Alright Mist, whatever you say." he said. The two smiled at each other, and then looked up, where the fireworks display had started, signaling the beginning of the competition. "Where have you two been?" Dawn screamed angrily, walking up from behind the couple. "Right here, why?" Ash asked. "Because I've been looking for you for at least half an hour, watching Piplup eat those disgusting Croagunk pies!" Dawn replied. "Pi piplup plup pi plup." (They're not disgusting.) Piplup said. "Oh whatever." Dawn moaned.

"Oops, sorry about that Dawn." Ash said. Dawn was about to mount another verbal assault, when Misty quickly changed the subject. "Hey look, Wake's ready to go." she said, pointing up to the stage. Sure enough, there was Crasher Wake with a microphone in his hand.

"Hey, Croagunk fans! It looks like we got us a spirited crowd for this year's Croagunk Festival, so do your M.C. a heap sized favor, let me hear you scream!" Wake boomed, screaming along with the crowd.

"All Croagunk entrants who make it past the first and second round will face off against the defending champion in a final battle for the crown. So if Hamilton would be so kind as to kindly take that coveted crown back from Craig." Wake said. Hamilton complied, and placed the crown back onto its pedestal.

"Then, as you know, the winner of this year's Pokémon battle will be crowned this year's Pastoria Great Marsh Croagunk Festival Diamond and Pearl champion!" Wake exclaimed. With that, Wake ran for the judges table and joined his two partners.

"Our judges include your own gym leader, Wake, of course, along with yours truly, Nurse Joy. And last but certainly not least, Cardy, our beloved station chief." Nurse Joy said. "Thank you, pleasure to be here." Cardy said with a southern drawl. "You know the drill, give it all you got, and your Croagunk might wear the crown." Wake said.

The crowd cheered wildly, which included Ash, Misty, and Dawn of course. "Now, our beauty contest, for the premiere round, so let's bring out our first Croagunk contestant!" Nurse Joy exclaimed. Immediately, one Croagunk walked across the stage and squatted, as it croaked with bulging orange cheeks. The crowd oohed and aahed.

Cardy: "Now there's a real looker."

Wake: "And how."

Nurse Joy: "Thank you, and now for our next contestant."

Another Croagunk walked on stage, just as the previous one walked off. It did precisely what the previous Croagunk did: squatted and croaked with bulging cheeks, and the crowd oohed and aahed some more. "Wait a sec, did I miss something?" Misty asked. "I'm…not…sure?" Ash said.

Cardy: "Dashing good looks!"

Nurse Joy: "Agreed. Handsome. And now our third Croagunk."

Yet another Croagunk appeared onstage, and did exactly the same thing, and the crowd apparently loved it. "Is that Brock's Croagunk?" Misty asked. "I can't really tell." Dawn said. "I guess we'll have to look for Brock then." Ash said.

Cardy: "Now that's one of a kind."

Wake: "Indeed."

Nurse Joy: "Wow."

"Well, the crowd seems to love it." Ash said. "I'm a little confused as to why though." Misty added. "Yeah, they all look exactly the same." Dawn added. "Hey, there's Brock! His Croagunk's gotta be next!" Ash exclaimed. "I guess I'll cheer for his sake, but I still can't see any differences." Misty said.

"I'm counting on you Croagunk." Brock said. With that, Brock's Croagunk walked on stage…and did exactly the same thing. Except this time, Wake, Cardy, and Nurse Joy gasped at the sight. "What happened? What's wrong?" Brock panicked.

Wake: "Wow, that shine and glimmer, it's…incredible! Especially those startlingly adorable eyes!"

"Nurse Joy: "Those eyes are startling!"

Cardy: "They're like nuthin…I've ever seen."

"Whoa, they sure love Brock's Croagunk, don't they?" Ash said. "I still think they all look the same." Dawn said. "Maybe to us they do, they obviously see something we don't." Misty said.

"Excellent! You're a hit Croagunk! They love you, they really love you! Yahoo!" Brock cheered. As they walked off the stage, Team Rocket appeared in disguise with Meowth in a Croagunk costume. "Those fans haven't seen anything yet." Jessie said. "Ya tink dis Croagunk costume's gonna woik?" Meowth asked exasperatedly. "Of all the Croagunk in the world you're the Croagunkiest!" James said.

Meowth moaned and did his impression of a Croagunk, squatting down just like all the other Croagunk before him. The judges and everyone in the crowd gasped in shock at the sight of Meowth in his costume.

"Who woulda thought a fake Croagunk could lay an egg?" Meowth mumbled to himself. After a while though, the crowd suddenly started cheering for what they thought was the most unique Croagunk they had ever seen.

Wake: "Those sparkling eyes, pearly whites, and a belly that looks so…soft! I've never seen a Croagunk quite like it."

Cardy: "You know, it's prettier than a Persian!"

Nurse Joy: "One of a kind!"

"Hmmph, the bozos bought it." Meowth mumbled to himself, sweat from the fear of getting caught dripping from his brow. "Now that's a Croagunk of a different color." Ash said in approval. "I guess you could put it that way." Dawn said. "Something seems oddly familiar about that Croagunk though." Misty said suspiciously. "Like what?" Ash asked. "I can't put my finger on it. But I know I've seen it somewhere before." Misty replied.

"And now folks, all the Croagunk who have made it past the first round will move on to the brick breaking competition! The Croagunk who breaks the largest number of bricks from this ten brick stack will be our winner! Alright, begin!" Wake yelled.

The first Croagunk stepped up to the stack, and managed to smash the first two bricks. "Breaking two bricks is a very good start." Nurse Joy said.

After replacing the two broken bricks, the next Croagunk came up and smashed two bricks. The next one broke four bricks, and the one after that broke seven bricks. "My hand's starting to hurt just watching them." Ash said. "I think that the skinny Croagunk won't have much luck." Misty said. "Why do you say that?" Dawn asked. "Like I said, something seems familiar about that Croagunk." Misty replied.

Finally, the time came for Brock's Croagunk to get his shot. "I know you can break all ten bricks Croagunk, so get in there!" Brock encouraged. Croagunk stepped up to the pile and leaped high into the air, smashing all ten bricks with a powerful punch. "Just like that!" Brock cheered.

Nurse Joy stood up from her seat with sheer astonishment. "Ten bricks? That was an amazing performance!" she exclaimed. The crowd cheered for Brock's Croagunk, who merely stood there as the applause continued.

"Here comes that skinny one." Hamilton said, as he sat watching from the champion throne. "The only ting dat I'll be able ta break is my neck!" Meowth said with a sweat-drop. Wake stepped up to the scratch-cat Pokémon in disguise and stared it down. "Alright, you're our last contestant, keep in mind that Brock's Croagunk broke through all ten bricks, if you don't match that, this is as far as you're going, right?" Wake said.

Meowth moaned and sweat-dropped, as he stepped up to the huge pile of ten bricks, which in Meowth's mind seemed more like a hundred bricks. He took a deep breath and slammed his fist into the pile, and then a cracking sound was heard, as Meowth failed to even put a dent into one brick. "I wonder if that hurt?" James said. Meowth turned and faced his two friends, with his right paw hanging down in pain.

"Nuthin gets past you." he moaned. And with that, Meowth face-faulted and was dragged off by Jessie and James. "I told you so." Misty said. "I could've sworn I heard that Croagunk talking." Dawn said. "Nah, must be your imagination. It doesn't matter now, Brock's Croagunk won!" Ash said.

"Now that our brick breaking competition is behind us, we know who's going on to the final round! It's the Croagunk belonging to Brock! So now it's time to decide our big winner! A face-off between Hamilton and Brock, as both their Croagunk engage in a battle for the crown!" Wake exclaimed.

"I just knew Brock's Croagunk could do it!" Ash exclaimed. "Now it's time to show that creep, Hamilton, what's he's made of!" Misty exclaimed. "I really hope they win after they've worked so hard!" Dawn added.

"Brock, good luck to you and your Croagunk!" Nurse Joy said with a wink. _"Luck is not necessary, only love. And after our victory, I vow to protect you and your Krissy from the selfish and greedy clutches of Hamilton and…"_ Brock's fantasy was cut-off when Hamilton leaped from the throne and readied for battle.

"Did Nurse Joy just wink at Brock?" Dawn asked in shock. "In very rare cases, the girl that Brock hits on will like him back somewhat." Misty replied. "Yeah, like Suzy from Kanto and Johto." Ash added. "Wow, I didn't know that Brock actually had chances with girls!" Dawn laughed. "Like I said, in RARE cases." Misty said.

"Hey Brock, I've got a little song for you." Hamilton said. Brock refused to reply, but Hamilton went ahead anyway. "Courage! Courage! Unlimited strength and skill, Brock and his Croagunk won't win this but Craig and I will!" he said, snickering after he finished. Brock clenched his fists and growled, with Croagunk by his side, ready to defend the honor of himself and his master. "Hamilton, I want you to know that I'm hoping will all my heart that Brock and his Croagunk beat you and your Craig." Nurse Joy said angrily. "Come now Nurse Joy, that's no way to treat Krissy's future husband. See you at the ring!" Hamilton said smugly.

"Don't worry Nurse Joy, we won't let you down. Let's go Croagunk!" Brock said determinedly. And with that, Brock placed Croagunk into the fighting ring with Craig. "Good luck to both of you." Nurse Joy whispered to herself.

"Alright folks, the moment you've all been waiting for! Our championship battle!" Wake yelled. "Ok Croagunk, keep it clean." Brock said. The bell went off, signaling the battle to begin. The two Croagunk faced off against each other, each keeping the other at bay with occasional punches and kicks.

"Yeah! Show 'em how Croagunk!" Ash cheered. "I still can't tell you two apart, but good luck wherever you are!" Dawn cheered.

"Alright, 'Cross Chop' Craig, let's go!" Hamilton ordered. Craig bounced off the ropes, and hit Brock's Croagunk dead on. "Croagunk!" Brock yelled. Croagunk landed on his back with a thud. "(Gasp) Is this it for Brock's Croagunk?" Nurse Joy exclaimed worriedly.

"Finish up with 'Dynamic Punch'!" Hamilton ordered. Craig readied himself to finish off Brock's Croagunk right then and there, but Croagunk managed to roll out of the way and dodge the super-powerful punch. "Now use 'Poison Jab' and keep it up!" Brock ordered.

Croagunk leaped for the now vulnerable Craig, and nailed it with three consecutive 'Poison Jabs', which sent Craig flying into the air. Craig landed back on the mat with a thud, and slowly got up to stare down Croagunk once more.

"Looks like an even match!" Ash exclaimed. "Which means now Brock's technique is the only thing that can decide the winner." Misty added. "Yeah, but who's who?" Dawn asked, still confused.

"Since they're both equal in attack and defense skills, I can't imagine either one of those two giving a single inch." Wake mumbled to himself. A strange noise was suddenly heard from the sky. Everyone in the area looked up, and saw what appeared to be a giant Croagunk robot falling from the sky.

The audience screamed in terror and ran away in hordes. "Where'd that come from?" Brock yelled. "What's that thing?" Ash yelled. "I knew that Croagunk looked familiar! It must've been Meowth in disguise!" Misty screamed. "That's gotta be it! And now they're here in that thing!" Ash yelled.

Jessie: "Excuse me twerp, this is not a thing!"

James: "The latest craze has a greater ring."

Meowth wasn't in the mood to do their motto, since his paw had been wrapped into a cast from smashing it into the brick pile. "Quit your quackin'! Blabbamouths, instead of flappin' your gums, let's chase and cop that crown! Get down!" he exclaimed angrily. Meowth pushed a button with his good paw, and the Croagunk mecha fired a sticky tongue which stole the crown right from its pedestal.

"Wow! What a tongue-lashing!" Jessie and James cheered. "If we had done dat before, I woulda been able ta save my paw." Meowth moaned. "Oh no, our crown's been stolen!" Wake shouted. "Hamilton, let's take a break and help out!" Brock yelled. "Ok, fine with me!" Hamilton replied.

"Croagunk, get that crown back, right now!"

"Ok Craig, you too!"

The two Croagunk charged the giant robot. "It's time ta get a few more licks!" Meowth exclaimed. Meowth pushed the button again, and the sticky tongue got a hold of Croagunk and Craig.

"Aah! They've got Croagunk!" Brock screamed. "And Craig too!" Hamilton added. "Quick, Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu's cheeks sparked wildly as it readied its attack. "Pikachu, stop!" Misty screamed.

Pikachu looked back with confusion. "She's right! If you launch a 'Thunderbolt', you might injure those Croagunk!" Dawn exclaimed. "So…what do we do?" Ash asked. Wake suddenly appeared in front of them. "You just leave this to old Crasher! It's my duty as the Pastoria…" Wake started searching his pockets frantically, but found nothing.

"My Pokéballs! Of all the absent-minded maneuvers, I can't believe I left my Pokéballs at the gym!" Wake yelled. Ash, Misty, and Dawn exhaled with exasperation. "Fine, then I'll take it on! Misty calls Gyarados!" Misty exclaimed.

Misty's water-dragon roared upon release, and stared up at the giant mecha with rage. "Aah! Gyarados!" James squealed, hiding himself from the water-type's gaze. "You have a Gyarados too?" Wake asked. "Yep, I sure do!" Misty replied proudly. "I don't care how big dey get, dis bad boy can still give you a lickin'!" Meowth exclaimed. The button was pushed yet again, and the tongue shot out and wrapped Gyarados up, leaving it helpless.

"Oh no, Gyarados!" Misty cried. "Alright contestant Croagunk, it looks like we have no choice but to fight!" Wake yelled. The hundreds of Croagunk attending the festival all charged their giant, mechanical counterpart, and started punching, kicking, and doing everything in their power to knock it down.

But the mecha merely shook them off, and started collecting them all in its giant mechanical belly. "I won't allow them to steal our precious Croagunk, no way! Krissy, shall we?" Nurse Joy said determinedly. Nurse Joy and Croagunk charged the giant robot to attack.

"Joy and a Croagunkette!" Jessie exclaimed. "Good runners, but useless." James said. The robot swung its arm, but Nurse Joy made an impressive jump to dodge its attack. "Use 'Vacuum Wave'!" Joy ordered. Krissy spun in mid-air, and fired a somehow heart-shaped attack at the robot. The incredible impact caused the mecha to release its captives from its tongue, and as it fell over, all the Croagunk in its belly made a break for it.

"Awesome!" Dawn cheered. "Joy and Krissy are incredible!" Brock exclaimed. "Ok Pikachu, NOW use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. "I want a piece of them too! Gyarados, 'Flamethrower'!" Misty ordered. The two attacks were launched, and the mecha blew up with a fiery explosion.

"Our charismatic, cutting-edge Croagunk's crumbled into a piece of Croa-junk." Jessie said. "And to think I used to like tongue-twisters back when I was young." James added. "Wish I'd kept up my karate lessons back when I was young…" Meowth paused.

"Then we wouldn't be blasting off again!" *Ping*

The crown that was sent flying into the air from the explosion, landed safely in the waiting palms of Crasher Wake. "Good. Our crown, beautifully safe and sound." Wake said. "Nurse Joy, Krissy was simply amazing!" Brock complimented.

"I have to say, you outdid my Craig!" Hamilton admitted. "(Giggle) We'll try not to go quite as hard as you next time." Nurse Joy said, sticking her tongue out at Hamilton. "Alright sports fans! In light of the fact that Nurse Joy's Croagunk saved all our beloved Croagunk, what say we make Krissy this year's winner?" Wake yelled. The crowd roared their approval.

"And what do you say Brock?" Wake asked. "Oh, it's more than alright with me." Brock replied. "Me too! Hey, without Krissy's help, there wouldn't be a festival!" Hamilton added. Without any further delay, Wake presented Krissy with the crown and declared her the winner.

"Nurse Joy, I'm happy to crown your Croagunk as this year's champion." Wake said. The crowd cheered loudly for the winners. "Congratulations Nurse Joy." Brock said. "Thank you Brock, and thanks for trying to help." Nurse Joy replied. "Oh, it was nothing, really." Brock said. "You know, I never got the chance to repay you, how about after we clean this place up, you join me for a festival dance?" Nurse Joy offered.

"You…want to dance…with me?" Brock asked excitedly. "It's the least I can do." Nurse Joy replied. "I…I…" Brock fainted on the spot. The thought of Nurse Joy actually wanting to dance with him willingly was too much for his bulging heart to handle.

"Are you alright?" Nurse Joy asked. Misty came up and grabbed Brock's wrist. "Don't worry; he'll be raring and ready to go soon." Misty reassured. Misty dragged the love-stricken Brock away, and rejoined Ash next to Crasher Wake.

"Misty, your Gyarados must be extremely well trained to be able to use 'Flamethrower', I'm impressed." Wake said. "Thanks a lot! It sure took me a while to get it going though." Misty replied. "Nevertheless, I'm extremely impressed by your abilities." Wake said. "Thanks." Misty replied. "And you young man, it looks like you've done such a fine job of raising your Pikachu, I'd be proud and happy to accept your gym battle challenge." Wake said. "Wow! Wake, you mean it?" Ash asked excitedly. Wake laughed heartily. "Of course Ash, but today we've still got a festival to celebrate, how about tomorrow?" he suggested.

"I'll be there!" Ash exclaimed. "And now if you'll excuse me, I've got to start the dance!" Wake said. "Seeya then Wake, I'll just party the night away!" Ash called out. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, time for our Pokémon dance!" Wake yelled from atop the drum tower.

Brock had by now come back to his senses, and was enjoying his dance with Nurse Joy, who actually seemed to be enjoying Brock's company. "Well Mist, it's not exactly Maiden's Peak, but whaddya say we go and dance?" Ash offered. "It'd be my pleasure." Misty replied. "How about you Dawn, wanna come dance too?" Ash asked. "That's alright, you two go ahead." Dawn replied.

"Try not to embarrass me Ash." Misty said teasingly. "Oh come on Mist, I'm not that…" Ash stopped talking, as he gazed at Misty in the moonlight. In his own mind, she was wearing the exact same kimono she wore at Maiden's Peak, which was one of the few times in the old days that he had acknowledged her beauty.

"Ash, you alright?" Misty asked. Ash shook himself from his fantasy and smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm alright, come on, let's dance!" Ash exclaimed. As if replaying history with switched roles, Ash grabbed Misty's hand and ran to the dance floor, where the two joined in with the rest of the crowd.

After much dancing and snacking, the group, accompanied by Nurse Joy, finally headed back to the Pokémon Center, where they proceeded to get their room for the night. "One room for four please." Brock said wearily. Nurse Joy handed Brock the key to their room, and then handed him a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Brock." she said. Brock's face now bore a huge grin, and he then fainted on the spot, grin and all.

"Oh good grief Brock." Misty face-palmed. "Hang on, I'll fix this." Ash said. Ash reached into Brock's Pokéball belt and called out Happiny. "Happiny, you mind carrying Brock to our room?" Ash asked. Happiny smiled and nodded, and then lifted Brock up the stairs to their room. "G'night Nurse Joy, thanks for everything." Dawn said. "You're very welcome." Nurse Joy replied.

The group of tired teens reached their room and took turns changing into their pajamas. "(Yawn) What time is it anyway?" Dawn asked. "Past curfew, that's for sure." Brock replied. "Feels like it's 3:00 A.M." Ash said. "(Yawn) Actually, it's 1:00 A.M. It just seems later cause we're exhausted." Misty replied.

"Get some sleep guys, Wake'll be waiting for us tomorrow." Brock said. Brock and Dawn got into their individual bunks, while Ash and Misty went and shared the bottom bunk on the other side of the room. Not even Dawn bothered to comment; Ash and Misty's closeness was growing more and more with each passing day, and she didn't want to embarrass them too badly. Besides, she was too tired to think of anything clever.

Ash and Misty cuddled together and smiled at each other. She kissed his nose and then buried her head into his chest, nuzzling it to get into a comfortable position. Ash responded by kissing the top of her head and tenderly stroking her back. It wasn't long before the soft breathing of the water-type trainer was heard. He looked at her lovingly, and placed his head onto the pillow so that his nose was only centimeters away from her fruity smelling hair.

Ash felt as if he and Misty were the only ones in the room, and in the warm atmosphere that Misty's presence created for him, he quickly fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

The next morning, Misty woke up to find that no one else was awake except for her. _"Geez, you'd think my body would let me sleep in, just this once."_ she thought. She tried to turn and see what time it was, but she quickly blushed when she found that Ash had securely grabbed her around the waist in his sleep, and showed no signs of letting go.

_"(Giggle) I love you too Ash. But if we don't get moving, you'll miss your gym battle."_ Misty thought. She tapped his shoulder to bring him to consciousness. It worked…kinda. "(Groan) Pikachu?" Ash said, mistaking Misty's touch for Pikachu. Pikachu gave a groggy squeak in response. Misty kissed his nose, which brought him to full consciousness. He smiled and released her from his grip so he could stretch. "Morning Misty." he said in mid-stretch.

"Good morning to you too sleepy-head." Misty giggled. "Man, that festival sure was something." Ash said, as he rubbed the sand out of his eyes. "C'mon Ash, wake up faster! We've gotta get some breakfast and do some last minute training!" Misty exclaimed. Ash narrowed her eyes at her. "Why are you so perky right after waking up?" Ash asked. "It's better than being a mope, that's why." Misty replied.

Ash shrugged and walked into the bathroom to change into his regular clothes, and then came back out to find that he and Misty were still the only ones awake. "What time is it anyway?" Ash asked. "It's 9:30, why?" Misty replied. "Don't you think we should get Brock and Dawn up?" Ash asked. Misty smiled and entwined her fingers into his. "I'm in no rush." she replied. Ash smiled back and squeezed her hand softly.

The now fully awake Pikachu hopped out of the bed and hopped onto Ash's shoulder to greet them. "Pika Pikapi, pika Pikachupi." (Morning Ash, morning Misty.) Pikachu said. "And good morning to you too Pikachu." Misty replied, allowing the small electric mouse to jump into her arms for a tight hug. Pikachu squealed with glee in response.

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu walked down to the Pokémon Center lobby, where Nurse Joy was busy with some paperwork. "Good morning you two." Nurse Joy said. "Morning Nurse Joy." Ash and Misty replied. "Say, where's Brock and his Croagunk?" Nurse Joy asked. "Still asleep, we're only up because I have a battle with Wake soon." Ash replied. "In that case, make sure you get a good breakfast, because Wake will be really tough to beat." Nurse Joy said. "Don't worry Nurse Joy, I'm gonna do some last minute training with Misty, so I'll be ready to battle when Wake shows up." Ash replied.

"Either way, good luck to you." Nurse Joy said. "Thanks." Ash replied. With that, the couple walked to the Pokémon Center cafeteria, where they treated themselves to a breakfast of French toast and sausages.

Afterwards, they went outside to warm up their Pokémon for the oncoming battle. "Turtwig, Buizel, come on out!" Ash yelled. The two Pokémon popped out of their balls. Turtwig greeted Ash cordially, while Buizel merely crossed its arms and looked away. "Alright Misty, who do you have for us this time?" Ash asked. "You'll see…Misty calls Gyarados!" Misty threw out her Pokéball, and Gyarados emerged with a mighty roar, which even Buizel couldn't help but flinch at. "Waah! Why Gyarados, Misty?" Ash asked nervously. "Because last night, I remember Wake asking me if I had a Gyarados too, which means that he probably has one waiting for you." Misty replied.

"In that case, Pikachu, get in there!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu confronted the large dragon with sparking cheeks. "Since I'm going to be as gym leader-like as possible, you have the honor of going first!" Misty exclaimed. "Alright Pikachu, let's start off with a 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu launched the attack, which nailed Gyarados with a direct hit.

"Alright, now use 'Iron Tail'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu charged the sparking Gyarados with a steel-hard tail. "Use 'Protect'!" Misty countered. Gyarados was suddenly enveloped by a green shield, which completely negated Pikachu's attack. "Alright, use 'Hydro Pump'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados fired an ultra-powerful stream of water at the vulnerable Pikachu, who landed back on the ground with a soaking wet splash.

"You ok Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu shook itself dry, and eyed its opponent with determination. "Alright, use 'Volt Tackle'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu charged ahead with an electric aura surrounding it, readying itself to knock out Gyarados with one hit.

"Use 'Hyper Beam'!" Misty countered. Gyarados charged the ultra-powerful attack in its mouth, and fired at the incoming lightning bolt. "Jump and spin to dodge!" Ash countered. Pikachu leaped into the air and spun to avoid being nailed by the beam.

Now with an extra twist of power in its attack, Pikachu hit Gyarados dead-on with the attack, and it fainted on the spot. "Way to go Pikachu!" Ash cheered. Turtwig cheered as well, but Buizel seemed preoccupied with something else.

"Good job Gyarados, take a break." Misty said, returning her most powerful Pokémon to its ball. "Nice job with that attack guys, it hit in mid-air!" Misty exclaimed. "Thanks, I think we'll be using that spinning move a lot more now!" Ash replied.

"And now for my next Pokémon…Misty calls Vaporeon!" Misty called out her newest Pokémon, who stood at battle-ready upon release. "Alright Buizel, you're up!" Ash exclaimed. Buizel had not heard, for he had his back turned the whole time Pikachu and Gyarados were sparring, and was warming himself up by punching the air.

By this time, Dawn and Brock had just come outside with all of their Pokémon. "What took you guys so long?" Misty asked. "Ask Brock." Dawn replied. Brock said nothing, as he had a goofy grin on his face. "Uh, Brock, you awake?" Ash asked. Brock didn't respond. "I'll snap him out of it." Misty said.

Misty called out Azurill, who formed in her arms and squealed upon release. "Azurill sweetie, would you mind bringing Uncle Brock back to reality?" she asked sweetly. Azurill gave an affectionate smile to its mother and squirted a soft 'Water Gun' at Brock's face.

Brock panicked and started swinging his arms wildly at the incoming water. "Earth to Brock, come in Brock." Ash joked. The group laughed at the all wet Pokémon Breeder. "It took me forever to tear him away from Nurse Joy." Dawn explained. "My sweet…sweet Nurse Joy." Brock said dreamily. "Brock, if you zone out on us again, it'll be Gyarados that gets you wet this time." Misty warned.

"Alright, alright. So, what's the status on the training?" Brock asked. "Pikachu and Gyarados just had a sparring match, and we were about to get going with Buizel versus Vaporeon." Ash explained. "But I think Buizel has his own training in mind." Dawn pointed out, as she watched Buizel continue to punch the air.

"Yeah, Buizel's sure training hard." Ash said. Suddenly, Buizel leapt into the air, did two mid-air kicks and then did a backwards somersault, just before landing, taking a deep breath, and then going back into its usual crossed-arms stance.

"Wow…Buizel seems different than before." Dawn said. "You're right; Buizel's got a whole new level of focus for our next gym battle." Ash said. "Yeah, since the battle against Maylene was a draw, Buizel wants to make sure it wins this time around." Misty added. "And how do you know that?" Dawn asked. "As a water-type master in training, I have to be able to read what water-types are feeling, that includes Buizel." Misty explained.

"Well, since Buizel's doing his own thing, whaddya say to another round Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu pumped his fist with determination. "Alright Vaporeon, let's do it!" Misty exclaimed.

"Pikachu, get in close with a 'Quick Attack'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu ran ahead towards Vaporeon, who stood steady as Pikachu charged it. "Use 'Blizzard'!" Misty countered. Vaporeon launched a freezing wind at Pikachu, who was stopped in its tracks.

"Don't forget about the surprise ice-type attacks!" Misty warned. "Right…Pikachu, use 'Iron Tail' and jump up!" Ash ordered. Pikachu used an 'Iron Tail' to spring high up into the air and avoid the remainder of the 'Blizzard' attack.

"Use 'Water Pulse'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon fired the energized water-ball at Pikachu, who was still in mid-air. "Use that 'Iron Tail' and break it up!" Ash countered. Pikachu swung its tail and chopped the 'Water Pulse' in half with a powerful 'Iron Tail'. "Impressive!" Misty exclaimed. "Now, 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu fired, but immediately regretted it, as the attack flew over Vaporeon's head and headed straight for Misty. "Pikachupi!" (Misty!) Pikachu cried. Misty ducked to avoid getting fried, but in the process, she had left Buizel to get nailed by the powerful electric attack.

"Are you ok Buizel?" Dawn asked. Buizel turned its head slightly, but not enough that the group could see it growling with fury. "Buizel, sorry about that, it wasn't on purpose." Ash apologized. Pikachu tried to apologize as well, Buizel wouldn't hear it.

Buizel jumped off the wall it was standing on and stared down Pikachu with an angry grimace. Sensing a fight coming on, Turtwig and Vaporeon held the angry water-weasel back from Pikachu. But a too-hard shove knocked Buizel backwards, only fueling its rage.

Buizel growled at the three Pokémon and prepared to launch a 'Sonic Boom' in vengeance. "Stop Buizel!" Ash yelled. Buizel ignored Ash's cry and launched the attack anyway. As was his custom, Ash reacted on impulse and leaped in front of Pikachu, Turtwig, and Vaporeon to protect his and Misty's Pokémon.

"Ash!" Misty cried. Ash landed on his back after the 'Sonic Boom' struck his mid-section. And Misty wasted no time kneeling down to tend to him. "Oh no." Brock said sullenly. "Ash, are you alright?" Misty asked worriedly.

Ash groaned, but then sat up and smiled at his water-weasel. "That was great Buizel; make sure you focus just like that in the gym battle!" Ash exclaimed. Buizel looked away and crossed its arms with frustration.

"Pikachu upset Buizel, and that just makes things much more difficult for the rest of the Pokémon." Dawn said. "I guess that does show how serious Buizel is about battling. But it's the teamwork between Buizel and the others that's got me worried." Brock said.

"Good morning!" Wake had come from behind the group of teens and given them a loud greeting, which badly startled them all. Wake laughed heartily at their startled reactions. "That's good, you're awake now!" he boomed.

Misty helped Ash up to his feet, and then they looked up at the gentle giant named Wake. "Morning Wake!" Ash exclaimed. "Please, don't scare me like that." Dawn said. "Well, since our party boy had such a great time last night, I thought I'd come to you!" Wake said, slapping Ash's shoulders friendlily. Ash smiled sheepishly and sweat-dropped. "So Ash, you all set?" Wake asked. "Yep, the whole team's focused and ready to go, right you guys?" Ash said.

Ash looked back at his Pokémon, and what he saw instantly brought a frown to his face. The whole team felt tense after the fight that had taken place. And Wake himself noticed the tense atmosphere between Ash's Pokémon.

"You see, Buizel got upset with Pikachu, and it ended up turning into a fight." Dawn explained. Wake pondered the situation for a few moments. "I should've just taken that hit." Misty said guiltily. "Come on Misty, nobody would've expected anyone to just take it." Brock said. "I've got an idea." he said. "Wake, I wouldn't do anything hasty." Misty said nervously.

Buizel opened one eye as Wake walked up to him, and then opened the other eye to stare up at him. "Well, I like that face! Like to battle, do you?" Wake asked. Buizel responded with a low growl, but kept his cool demeanor. "Little buddy, today you're going to battle a good friend of mine…come out…Floatzel!" Wake threw out a Pokéball, and the evolved form of Buizel emerged and actually brought intimidation to Buizel. "Floatzel, check it out!" Ash said, pulling out his Pokédex.

"Floatzel, the sea-weasel Pokémon, and the evolved form of Buizel. It's flotation sac developed as an aid in chasing aquatic prey, Floatzel can also carry people on its back." the Pokédex chirped.

Buizel growled at its evolved form, and then looked past it, shouting at Ash determinedly. "Ok Buizel, I'm right there with ya!" Ash exclaimed. "Now that's the kind of attitude I like, whaddya say we continue this party at the gym?" Wake boomed, laughing heartily and slapping Ash's back.

"You got yourself a deal!" Ash replied. The group called back their Pokémon, and made the short walk from the Pokémon Center to Wake's gym. When they entered, they gasped in awe at the sight. "Welcome to my gym!" Wake boomed.

"Amazing! That water looks so clear; it makes me want to just jump in." Misty said. "Maybe after the battle then." Wake replied with a laugh. "Ok, I'm gonna hit the field!" Ash exclaimed. "Very well, see you in a few minutes." Wake said, disappearing into the shadows of the gym corridor. "Good luck big guy." Brock said. "Same here." Dawn added.

Brock and Dawn climbed into the stands, giving Ash and Misty a moment. "Thanks for all that training Mist, I feel totally prepared now!" Ash exclaimed. "Just remember not to get too cocky, otherwise I'll have a field day with you." Misty warned teasingly. Ash chuckled and put his hand behind his head. "I'll keep that in mind." he said.

"Good luck Ash." Misty said. "Thanks." Ash replied. Misty came close and gave Ash a good luck kiss on his nose before joining Brock and Dawn in the stands. _"Alright…let's do this thing!"_ Ash thought, fully energized by Misty's presence.

Ash charged towards the gym corridor, where he awaited the referee's announcements. "Wow, this is such a beautiful water-type gym." Dawn said. "It's also tricky though. The key in any water-gym is to be able to use those islands floating on the water, if you can't; it's really hard to win." Misty replied, showing off her water expertise.

"The referee appeared and announced Ash and Wake. "In the blue corner: the challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! And in the red corner: the gym leader of Pastoria Gym, Crasher Wake!" he announced. Wake threw off his cape, revealing a mountain of muscle. "Ok, Crasher Wake is in the house!" he yelled.

The referee called out the usual gym battle rules: three Pokémon each and only Ash could substitute Pokémon.

"As the leader of the Pastoria Gym, it is my privilege and responsibility to see just what kind of power and skill you and your Pokémon have! Gyarados, on the water!" Wake called out his water-dragon, who roared menacingly upon release.

"Gyarados huh? Good thing Misty had us fight hers this morning! Pikachu, get in there!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu hopped onto the nearest platform and stood on all fours in battle-ready stance. From the stands, Buneary was wearing her cheerleader outfit, and was cheering for Pikachu with enthusiasm. Pikachu got out of battle-stance just for a moment, so he could wave back at Buneary, who was surprised by Pikachu's response and blushed ever so slightly. "Pikachu eh? Good, looks like we're ready. Now give it everything you've got!" Wake boomed.

"We never do anything less!" Ash yelled back. The referee signaled the battle to begin. "Alright Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu fired, and the attack hit Gyarados dead-on. "Bulls-eye!" Ash exclaimed. "Wow, they're looking great!" Dawn cheered. "But look again!" Misty said. Dawn did look, and after the attack finished, Gyarados roared as if nothing had happened.

"That 'Thunderbolt' didn't do a thing!" Ash exclaimed in surprise. "But…but how?" Dawn asked in shock. "Gyarados must have incredible stamina to tolerate Pikachu's 'Thunderbolt' like that." Brock said. "Not even my Gyarados can handle that much power, Wake and his Gyarados must train really hard to pull that off." Misty added.

"Your strategy to take on my water-type with an electric-type is correct. Of course my Gyarados isn't going to take that lying down! Let's go!" Wake boomed. Gyarados dove underwater and swam towards the small electric-type. "Now use 'Dragon Rage'!" Wake ordered. Gyarados emerged from the water and fired a blazing ball of energy. "Pikachu, break that move up with 'Iron Tail'!" Ash countered. Pikachu jumped up and slashed the attack in half with a powerful 'Iron Tail'. "He did that with me this morning!" Misty exclaimed.

"Use 'Bite' and don't let it get away!" Wake ordered. "Use 'Volt Tackle'!" Ash countered. Still in mid-air, Pikachu went into a diving stance and fell down toward the incoming Gyarados with a sparking, electric aura. With a huge explosion, Pikachu nailed Gyarados with a direct and powerful strike. "Alright! A great shot!" Ash cheered. "What? But that 'Volt Tackle' hit in mid-air!" Wake exclaimed in shock.

Gyarados had taken all it could handle, and amidst the ashes of the explosion, it fainted with a huge splash. "Awesome job Pikachu!" Ash cheered. Pikachu winced a bit at the recoil damage, but ultimately shared its master's enthusiasm.

"Wow! What a move!" Dawn exclaimed. "Me and Ash practiced that this morning, I knew my Gyarados would be a good warm-up." Misty said proudly.

"Gyarados, thanks. You did your best. As for you, the way you used the speed from Gyarados' fall with that 'Volt Tackle' was incredible!" Wake said. "Alright Wake, thanks a lot!" Ash replied. "Time for our next battle! Quagsire, on the water!" Wake yelled, throwing out a Pokéball.

"So his second choice is Quagsire." Dawn said, pulling out her Pokédex. "Quagsire, the water-fish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Wooper. "Known as quite dim-witted, it doesn't care when it bashes its head against rocks or the bottoms of boats." her Pokédex chirped. "Doesn't care huh?" Dawn said. "Sounds like something Brad would like." Misty joked.

"Since Quagsire is a part ground-type Pokémon, electric-type moves won't work. Pikachu, you take a break." Ash said. Pikachu complied and joined Ash on the battle platform. "Now, Turtwig, I choose you!" Ash called out his grass-type, who immediately jumped into battle-ready stance.

"Excellent strategy to come after my Quagsire with a grass-type. After you Ash." Wake said. "Turtwig, 'Energy Ball'!" Ash ordered. Turtwig fired, and on impulse, Quagsire dodged the attack. "Just barely a scratch!" Dawn exclaimed. "That thing sure is slippery!" Misty added. "Ok Quagsire, in the pool!" Wake ordered. Quagsire complied and jumped into the water.

"They're attacking from the water are they? Turtwig, keep on moving around to confuse Quagsire!" Ash countered. Turtwig complied and used its trademark speed to jump from platform to platform; it even managed to run on the wall. "Wow…would you look at that speed…but none of that will help one bit against my Quagsire." Wake said.

"Sludge Bomb' now!" Wake ordered. Quagsire listened for Turtwig's footfalls, and then fired a direct-hit at the small grass-type. "Hey Turtwig, you alright?" Ash asked. Turtwig got back to its feet and eyed its opponent.

"So how did those two know we were gonna do that?" Ash asked. "Even underwater, my Quagsire's excellent hearing allows it to know just where Turtwig is every second! I'm afraid there's no place to hide in MY gym!" Wake yelled. "Then we'll just have to rely on dodging." Ash figured. "Quagsire, 'Ice Beam'!" Wake ordered.

"Here comes that ice-attack Ash!" Misty screamed. "Right! Turtwig, get moving!" Ash countered. Turtwig jumped over the leaping Quagsire, and just barely avoided being turned into a chunk of ice. "Keep using 'Ice Beam'!" Wake ordered. Quagsire continued to fire at the leaping Turtwig, and finally managed to nail Turtwig with the freezing attack.

"A direct-hit!" Dawn cried. "With a lot of power!" Brock added. "Quagsire, 'Sludge Bomb' again!" Wake ordered. Quagsire fired while Turtwig was still stunned. "Now, Turtwig, return!" Ash yelled. Turtwig was recalled into its ball, just before the attack bombarded the platform.

"Smart. That was an excellent decision." Wake said. The onlookers sighed with relief when Ash recalled Turtwig. "That Quagsire can use 'Ice Beam'." Dawn said. "I warned Ash about that. Most water-type gym leaders teach their Pokémon an ice-type move to counter the grass-types that they come with." Misty said. "This is obviously going to put pressure on Ash." Brock added.

"In that case, I'm going with a water-type! Buizel, that's you!" Ash called out Buizel, who glared at its opponent upon release. "You can do it Buizel!" Dawn cheered. Pikachu cheered from next to Ash, but upon hearing the encouragement, Buizel looked back and shot an icy-glare at the electric-type.

Pikachu told Buizel to pay attention to the battle and not him, but Buizel refused to let Pikachu have the last say and shot back with an angry reply. "Oh no, Buizel's still mad about getting fried earlier." Misty said. "If Buizel doesn't relax, Ash doesn't stand a chance." Brock said. "Buizel, you know you're battling Quagsire, remember?" Ash said warningly.

Buizel turned around, but its anger was still there. "Ok, Buizel, 'Sonic Boom', go!" Ash ordered. Buizel fired the shock waves at Quagsire, who didn't even flinch from the impact. "What the?" Ash cried. "That's not going to do at all. Use 'Ice Beam'!" Wake ordered. "Big mistake Wake!" Misty cheered.

"I think we'll use some of that 'Ice Beam' too! Buizel, 'Aqua Jet', now!" Ash countered. Buizel charged ahead and was enveloped in the icy-attack. "Perfect!" Dawn cheered. "What's going on?" Wake asked in shock. "Get ready for an 'Ice Aqua Jet'!" Dawn exclaimed. Buizel smashed into Quagsire's mid-section, and Quagsire immediately fainted after sliding backward on its back.

"Nice job Buizel." Ash congratulated. Buizel smiled and crossed its arms confidently. "That was fantastic!" Dawn cheered. "Yeah they put together a great combination!" Brock said. "And now that Wake's down to only one Pokémon, everything's sure going Ash's way!" Dawn exclaimed. "It seems that way, but don't forget who Wake's last Pokémon is." Misty said.

"Quagsire, excellent. Time for a good rest. Nice Ash, you've really given me an enjoyable battle! Your speed and combinations are all first-rate, and that deserves respect!" Wake boomed. "Thanks Wake!" Ash replied. "And now for my final Pokémon…Floatzel, on the water!" Wake threw out a Pokéball, and his final Pokémon emerged on the platform.

Floatzel gave a battle cry, and Buizel gave a low growl in response. "I know that's Buizel's evolved form, but I'm sure it'll work out fine. You can do it Buizel!" Dawn cheered. "I don't think it can." Misty whispered to Brock. "Neither do I, but let's see what Ash does." Brock replied. "Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered.

Buziel charged its evolved form with incredible speed. "Bounce it back!" Wake countered. Floatzel's flotation sac inflated to an enormous size, which kept Buizel from causing any damage. "What's going on?" Dawn asked. "Oh no, Floatzel's defense is too tough!" Ash exclaimed worriedly. "Ha ha ha ha! I'll tell you, Floatzel's floatation sac can get big enough for a person to ride! Even a super-strong move like 'Giga-Impact' wouldn't have any effect either! Pretty powerful stuff, eh?" Wake said.

Buizel growled furiously. "Then how about this? Use 'Water Pulse'!" Ash ordered. Buizel fired the energized ball of water, but all Floatzel had to do was punch it, and the attack disintegrated. "Floatzel's so strong!" Dawn said fearfully. "It…just punched it." Misty said in shock. "Now we'll just have a turn. Use 'Razor Wind'!" Wake ordered.

Floatzel launched a sharp crescent at its devolved form, who landed in the water from the impact. "Buizel, no!" Ash cried. "That was a double-bladed 'Razor Wind'!" Dawn exclaimed. "This'll be tough. They're both water-types, and Floatzel's evolved from Buizel. Ash is at a disadvantage if Buizel stays in." Brock explained. "Ash, hurry up and get Buizel out of there!" Misty screamed. Upon hearing that, Buizel glared at Misty furiously, which made her slightly nervous.

"Cool it Buizel." Ash warned. Buizel hesitated, but eventually focused back to Floatzel. "I don't think Buizel will let Ash take it out." Dawn said. "But Ash could switch to Pikachu or Turtwig and finish it now." Misty said. "We won't give up! Use 'Water Gun'!" Ash ordered. Buizel fired, and Floatzel merely blocked it off. "Water-types moves aren't going to beat us!" Wake yelled. "Buizel's about more than just moves!" Ash yelled back.

Buizel leaped towards Floatzel to attack. "Intercept it!" Wake countered. Floatzel merely stepped out of the way and punched Buizel in the back. "Oh no, Buizel!" Dawn cried. "Come on Ash, wake up and realize you're in trouble!" Misty exclaimed. "He's battling a gym leader; he can't win on pure power!" Brock added.

"Floatzel, it's time for 'Bulk Up'!" Wake ordered. Floatzel complied and glowed in a red-aura. "What's 'Bulk Up'?" Ash asked. "It raises attack and defense stats, which means he's planning to finish it now!" Brock yelled. "Come on Ash, switch to Turtwig or Pikachu!" Misty screamed.

Floatzel dove into the water and chased after the swimming Buizel. "Buizel, 'Sonic Boom'!" Ash ordered. "Use 'Razor Wind'!" Wake countered. The two attacks fired, and a huge pillar of water shot out of the water when the attacks collided. "Buizel, think of the water as your friend and then attack!" Ash yelled. "In and out of the water, now we'll see which trainer has the better connection with their Pokémon!" Wake boomed.

On its own instincts, Buizel inflated its collar and stopped cold, leaving Floatzel to swim ahead of it. Buizel then went into an 'Aqua Jet' and rammed into Floatzel's mid-section. Buizel then followed up with a 'Water Pulse', which was fueled by the water it was submerged in.

The 'Water Pulse' shot Floatzel out of the water, and it pushed Floatzel all the way up to the ceiling. "Now THAT'S a 'Water Pulse'." Ash said. "What a move! Buizel incorporated the pool water perfectly!" Brock exclaimed. "I'm speechless! Ash seems to overcome any disadvantage thrown his way!" Misty added.

"Don't count your winnings just yet! Use 'Ice Fang'!" Wake ordered. Floatzel blasted out of the water pillar, and fell down bearing its fangs. "Sonic Boom', go'! Ash countered. Buizel fired, but Floatzel dodged and bit down on Buizel with freezing fangs. "Oh no, another ice-type move!" Misty cried. "We won't lose!" Ash yelled determinedly, "Use 'Water Pulse'!"

Buizel broke free, and fired the energized ball of water. "Bounce it back!" Wake countered. Floatzel inflated its sac, and bounced the 'Water Pulse' back at Buizel, who took the full brunt of the attack. "Hey Buizel, you ok?" Ash asked worriedly. "Buizel, get up quick!" Dawn screamed. Buizel did get up, but when it opened its eyes, they were glowing purple.

"B-Buizel's confused!" Misty cried. "What?" Dawn screamed. "Razor Wind', now!" Wake ordered. Floatzel launched the double-edged attack. "Come on Buizel; intercept it with 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash countered. In its own mind, Buizel heard Ash say to turn and take it. So it turned its back and took the full brunt of the attack, knocking Ash over in the process.

"But…how did Buizel end up confused?" Dawn asked. "Water Pulse' can confuse the foe, but I've never seen it confuse the user like that." Misty replied. "That just goes to show how much stronger Floatzel really is. Ash has been improvising this whole time." Brock added. "Buizel, how about NOW you take a break?" Ash suggested. Confused and in pain, Buizel complied.

"Alright then Turtwig…" Ash was cut-off by Misty, who screamed from the bleachers. "Ash! Floatzel can use 'Ice Fang', remember?"

"I would listen to her if I were you." Wake said. "Misty's right. Ok then Pikachu, get in there." Ash said. Pikachu nodded and leaped into battle-ready. "Buizel, let's leave the rest up to Pikachu. Pikachu, Floatzel took a lot of damage from battling Buizel, so let's finish this battle up right now!" Ash yelled.

"Don't be too sure." Wake warned. "Alright! 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu leaped and fired the electric-attack. "Use 'Whirlpool'!" Wake countered. Floatzel quickly formed an enormous 'Whirlpool' and fired it at the lightning bolt.

"Not even Piplup can make a 'Whirlpool' that big!" Dawn exclaimed. The attacks collided, and electrified drops of water went flying in all directions. One of them struck Buizel, which snapped it out of its confusion.

"Volt Tackle'!" Ash ordered. "Razor Wind'!" Wake countered. Floatzel fired in front of the charging Pikachu, and the explosion from the platform's destruction sent Pikachu flying into the air. "Pikachu, no!" Ash cried. "Use 'Ice Fang'!" Wake ordered. Floatzel launched a close range ice-type attack at the small mouse, who took the full brunt of the attack.

After much difficulty, Pikachu stood up, only to wince in pain. "Pikachu! (Gasp) What's on Pikachu's back?" Ash yelled. "It looks frozen!" Dawn exclaimed. "Poor Pikachu's got a chunk of ice on its back, like freezer burn!" Misty added. "That's a side effect of 'Ice Fang'!" Brock explained.

"You see Ash, my amazing Floatzel is no ordinary water-type Pokémon…it's the strongest water-Pokémon!" Wake boomed. "I'm willing to bet Misty could beat you in a water-type showdown!" Ash yelled. "Maybe she could, but right now you're the one battling." Wake replied. Ash growled.

Buizel began tugging on Ash's leg to get his attention. "Buizel, your confusion wore off! Pikachu's in trouble, so can you get back in the battle?" Ash asked. After a quick one-on-one discussion, Pikachu and Buizel graciously agreed to switch places. "Oh, excellent teamwork!" Wake exclaimed.

"Hey Pikachu, switch with Buizel now!" Ash yelled. Pikachu and Buizel exchanged high-fives as they switched places, and then Buizel fired a soft 'Water Gun' to break up the painful ice chunk on Pikachu's back.

"Wow, look what Buizel did!" Dawn exclaimed happily. "Finally, Buizel and Pikachu are friends again." Misty said with relief. "Thanks a lot Buizel." Ash said gratefully. "Show him what you've got Buizel!" Misty cheered. "You hear that Buizel? This battle's all in your hands!" Ash added.

"That's wonderful, seeing true friendship between Pokémon. So, Ash, bring it all on!" Wake boomed. "Ok Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. "Ha, you can't defeat Floatzel with water-type moves! 'Ice Fang', go!" Wake countered. The two attacks collided with an explosion. "Why didn't 'Ice Aqua Jet' activate?" Dawn asked. "Probably because 'Ice Fang' is a physical attack, so it's like running into something." Misty explained.

"Destroy where they stand with 'Razor Wind'!" Wake ordered. Floatzel complied and fired. "That's the same way it used that move before!" Dawn exclaimed. "Jump above Floatzel!" Wake ordered. Floatzel leaped over the smoke, ready to finish Buizel off, but was shocked to find that Buizel had disappeared.

"What the?" Wake yelled in shock. "Alright Buizel, knock Floatzel down with 'Water Pulse'!" Ash ordered. Buizel leaped out of the water and held the 'Water Pulse' against Floatzel's belly. The attack detonated and Floatzel was sent flying, and then it fainted.

"They won, they really won!" Dawn cheered. "That was amazing! All that damage and they still hung in there!" Brock added. Misty ran out of the bleachers to embrace her boyfriend in a congratulatory hug. "Congratulations Ash!" Misty exclaimed, hugging Ash tightly. "Thanks Misty, but I owe it all to you and Buizel." Ash replied.

"As always, great job Floatzel…witnessing Buizel dive underwater like that during the explosion was something to see, they're quite a team." Wake said to himself.

After the celebratory cheer, Ash and Co. joined Wake outside the gym, where Pikachu and Buizel shook hands and made up. "Friends again." Misty said with relief. "It's nice to see everyone making up." Dawn added.

"Ash, you did a masterful job combining each of your Pokémon's abilities, great effort, requiring the cooperation of Pokémon and trainer alike. I was quite moved. You should be very proud!" Wake said. "Gee thanks, but I couldn't have done it without Misty training us all this time." Ash said. "Nah, I didn't do much, you and your Pokémon did most of it." Misty replied.

"And here's the proof that you were victorious at the Pastoria Gym. The Fen Badge." Wake said. Ash graciously accepted the badge from Wake and thanked him. "Alright! We just got…the Fen Badge!" Ash cheered.

"And now where will you go?" Wake asked. "How about the Pokémon Center to see Nurse Joy?" Brock asked excitedly. Croagunk appeared and jabbed Brock to the ground. "Ahh, there's that incredible Croagunk. Come back next year for the next festival ok?" Wake said. Croagunk croaked in a laughing matter, and the rest of the group followed.

After Brock came back to his senses, the group waved goodbye to their new friend, and they walked into the sunset, on the road of Sinnoh.


	23. Hungry For the Good Life

**First chapter as a seventeen year old. I wonder if getting older has caused my skills to go down any? xD Oh well, you guys decide that in your reviews. Speaking of which, the last couple of chapters marked the 100 review milestone! Whoo hoo! Anyways, enjoy this chapter, and keep an eye out for more. I own nothing but the story.  
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Chapter 23

Misty's POV

Festivals for Croagunk, battles with giant humans, I often wondered if there was something we hadn't run into yet. Crasher Wake was the biggest guy I had ever seen in my life, but he was more like a big Teddiursa than a scary giant. And I was impressed by his technique and expertise with his water-Pokémon, he trained them hard and trained them well, and I definitely learned a few things from watching him in action.

But I also learned a thing or two from the other end of the battlefield. Such as never count Ash out of any battle for any reason. His specialty is turning bad situations around and making comebacks. And that's exactly what he did against Wake's Floatzel. And after I ran down from the bleachers to give him a congratulatory hug, he took almost no credit for the win; he credited his Pokémon…and me.

The new Ash that loved me so much was coming through more and more with each passing day, and I wouldn't have it any other way. But I was also glad that he didn't change too much. He still reacted on impulse, he was still obsessed with training hard, and so overall he was still Ash. But he now had the maturity to share credit, he didn't get as angry as he used to when he lost, and instead of moping when he did, his determination to train hard only grew. This was the new Ash, and the new Ash worked hard.

I had to make sure that I would work hard too; training Vaporeon and taking care of Azurill while making sure not to neglect my other Pokémon was no small task. But it was easier now since I didn't really have to "take care" of Ash the way I had to in Kanto through Johto. I could focus on my Pokémon and have peace of mind knowing that Ash wouldn't fall apart at the seams if I wasn't constantly keeping an eye on his mistakes. Instead, all I had to do was be there and he felt energized, which made me feel all fuzzy inside, so naturally I felt fuzzy ALL the time. I loved him, he loved me, and it was as simple as that.

And now, with Azurill tucked into my arms, me, Ash, Brock, and Dawn were now walking back to Hearthome City. Ash had explained to me that he had visited there before, and the gym leader had gone away, so he had to choose another gym, and now we were headed back to see if the leader was back, although the weather didn't seem too cheery.

Normal POV

"I can't wait for our next gym battle back in Hearthome City, and I intend to win it too!" Ash said excitedly. "Naturally, you wouldn't intend to lose it now would you?" Misty asked playfully. "Only if the leader isn't there, then I will lose it." Ash joked. "Your temper? Don't worry; Misty can rein that in easily." Dawn teased.

The group suddenly stopped in their tracks when a loud crash of thunder was heard, and lightning flashes filled the sky. "Guess that's it for nice weather for a while." Dawn said. "Looks like thunderstorms coming this way." Brock said.

A rustling was heard in the nearby bushes, and the group whipped their heads to see a baby Cleffa pop its head out from the bush. "Hey, it's a Cleffa." Ash said. Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex to scan it.

"Cleffa, the star-shape Pokémon. It has the silhouette of a star in the night sky, and some believe that Cleffa ride on shooting stars." her Pokédex chirped.

"It all sounds kind of romantic, don't you think Misty?" Dawn asked. "Does it ever." Misty replied, as she leaned her head onto Ash's shoulder. Ash smiled in response. Misty's head went upright again when Azurill hopped out of her arms to go play with the Cleffa. "Aww, how cute!" Dawn squealed.

After a few rounds of ring-around-the-rosie, a voice was heard from the forest that was calling for Cleffa. "Oh, so this is where you are." the woman said. Brock's heart went into full rev at the tall, dark-green haired woman. "I was worried about you, please don't go so far away again." the woman said as she picked up the baby Pokémon, both Cleffa and Azurill.

"Um, excuse me, but that's my Azurill." Misty said, as she walked up to the woman with Ash, Brock, and Dawn. "Oh, I'm so sorry." the woman said, as she handed Azurill back to its rightful owner. "That Cleffa is so cute! Is it your Pokémon?" Dawn asked. "Oh no, this Cleffa actually belongs to the master of the house." the woman giggled.

"Master of what house?" Ash asked. "I mean the owner of that mansion: Mr. Backlot. (Giggle) I'm Monica, Mr. Backlot's housekeeper." Monica said.

"I'm Ash, and I'm from Pallet Town."

"My name's Misty, and I'm from Cerulean City."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Dawn, and I'm actually from Twinleaf Town."

And the Pokémon Breeder who had hearts in his eyes the whole time leaped in front of the other teens and knelt down to Monica. "And my given name is Brock, and I hail from Pewter City! Dear Monica, I swear I would never even think of going far away from you, so promise you'll stay by my side!" Brock exclaimed passionately.

As usual, Croagunk made his usual appearance and slammed his poisonous hand into Brock's side and snickered. "Maybe that'll teach you to stick with one girl at a time." Misty joked. "Oh, are you his girlfriend?" Monica asked. "Me with Brock? No way. Ash has the honor of calling me his GF though." Misty replied.

Ash flung his hand behind his head and gave a sheepish chuckle. Suddenly, after a crash of thunder and a flash of lightning, rain started pouring down on the heads of the group. "Oh no, it's coming down in sheets!" Dawn squealed, as she shielded her head from the rain. "You're welcome to come back to the mansion, it's right this way." Monica said.

Ash, Misty, and Dawn chased followed the housekeeper on foot, while Brock slowly got dragged along by Croagunk. After reaching the mansion, they took a break to catch their breath under the protective awning. Another blast of thunder and lightning filled the sky, causing Misty to allow a soft whimper of fear to escape her lips. She leaned onto Ash for protection, who immediately wrapped her into a one-armed hug when he realized her fear. "It's just thunder, don't worry." he said soothingly. "I know…but…I remember the storm at the Orange Islands…" Misty whispered, shaking in Ash's embrace as she reluctantly recalled that horrible thunderstorm.

Although not necessarily for the same reasons and motives, Ash had protected her from that storm as well. Nevertheless, it was giving her fright, and the baby Pokémon in her arms was feeding off of that fright. "Hey, I've gotcha; you've got nothing to worry about." Ash said soothingly, as he wrapped his other arm around her.

Now in a full embrace, Misty made sure not to squash Azurill, who was in between the couple. Misty slowly ceased her trembling, and relaxed in the safe embrace of Ash's arms. Azurill was soothed at the same time its mother's fear was put to rest.

"It finally happened." Misty whispered. "What did?" Ash asked. "You're just a little bit taller than me." she replied. Ash broke the embrace and straightened his spine as he faced her. His eyes widened when we realized that his eyes had just barely passed her cerulean-blue eyes, confirming the height differential.

"Well hi there shorty." Ash teased. "Don't start that talk, I can hit your head so hard that you'll shrink and I'll tower over you again." Misty teased back. "Hmm, guess you're right." Ash said. "And don't you forget it." Misty giggled. The two hugged again, being careful not to squash Azurill.

"Misty's afraid of thunder?" Dawn asked quietly. "Not really, just the memories involved. Misty's been on more adventures with Ash than I have, and they went through quite a few dangerous storms in the Orange Islands, at least that's what Ash told me." Brock explained, as they watched the laughing couple enjoy themselves.

"Ahh, here's my key, finally!" Monica said, as she unlocked the door after a long while of rummaging through her many pockets. Monica unlocked the door, and the wet group of teens were greeted by an old, gray-haired, and rather fat man. But he greeted them cordially and with a friendly demeanor.

"Well, well, well, well, well, well, it's truly a pleasure to welcome all of you into my home, relax and stay as long as you like." he said. "Thanks, that's really nice of you sir." Ash said gratefully. "You have such a beautiful home, Mr. Backlot." Dawn added.

As the group of teens continued to show their host their gratitude, Monica came out with a huge cart with poffins on it. "Ok, you all must be starving by now!" she shouted. As her call rung throughout the mansion, various baby Pokémon started appearing from all directions. They included two Igglybuff, a trio of Pichu, and even an Azurill came bouncing down the stairway.

"Look Azurill, maybe you can go play with them later." Misty said. "Azu!" (Yay!) it squealed. As the baby Pokémon charged towards Monica with glee, she placed the bowls of poffins onto the ground for them to eat. "Sorry it took so long, now go ahead and eat as much as you want." she said cheerfully.

Suddenly, Misty's Azurill hopped out of her arms and started eating along with the other baby Pokémon. "Azurill, don't eat their food!" Misty scolded. "Oh no, it's no trouble at all, we always have plenty of food for everyone." Mr. Backlot reassured. Misty looked back at the eating Pokémon with a frown, but a smile slowly formed on her face at the sight of the other baby Azurill willingly sharing its bowl with her Azurill.

"Cute right? I think so too. They're my pride and joy." Mr. Backlot said. "So that means that all these Pokémon are yours, right?" Misty asked. "Correct. I've gathered quite a few Pokémon from here and there; they love to play in my trophy garden." Mr. Backlot explained.

"You have a garden?" Dawn asked. "That's where I ran into all of you when it started to rain." Monica said. "Quite beautiful isn't it? Don't you wish you could have one?" Mr. Backlot laughed. His laugh consisted of warmth and friendship; despite the fact his comment seemed boastful.

"Mr. Backlot's opened his property to all kind of Pokémon Trainers, watchers and breeders alike. And when the weather's nice, they all play outside. Mr. Backlot is a very generous man." Monica explained.

"And it's obvious, what a great way for people and Pokémon to be close." Brock said. "I feel so embarrassed that my Azurill did that sir." Misty said. "Think nothing of it; in fact, why not bring out your other Pokémon for a nice meal?" Mr. Backlot suggested.

Piplup began tugging on Dawn's pink boot, whining with hunger. "Thanks Mr. Backlot, Piplup's kinda hungry too." Dawn said. "In that case, snack time for everyone, I'll bring a fresh batch of poffins right away!" Monica said, as she ran for the kitchen.

The group called out all their Pokémon, with the exception of the two giants: Gyarados and Charizard. With cries of happiness, the Pokémon proceeded to chow down on the poffins that Monica had just brought back from the kitchen.

"There are plenty of poffins to go around, so no need to worry." Dawn said. She would prove to be wrong however, as a Swinub came bounding in with a speed unseen from its kind before. Carelessly knocking over all of the baby Pokémon, including Misty's Azurill who was now crying, it quickly finished off the leftover poffins and charged towards the next bowl.

"Hey, have some manners!" Misty said, as she comforted her crying Pokémon. Swinub ran for the bowls of Dawn's Pokémon next, and proceeded to eat their poffins as well. "Monica quick, please do something!" Mr. Backlot exclaimed. Monica did. She ran back to the kitchen.

Reacting quickly, Ash, Misty, and Brock picked up the remaining bowls of poffins and held it up out of Swinub's reach. "Boy, Swinub can sure put it away." Ash said, wide-eyed and in shock. "But with such a small body where does it all go?" Brock wondered. "Who knows? It could probably give a Snorlax a run for its money." Misty added.

Flushing with pure glee, Swinub finished off the poffins that were for Dawn's Pokémon and eagerly looked around for more. However, Dawn's enraged Pokémon were ready to carry out their revenge on Swinub, as they charged their most powerful attacks to hit simultaneously. The only thing that stopped them was Pikachu and Vaporeon jumping in front of them, telling them that what they were thinking wasn't worth it.

Just then, Monica came back from the kitchen with an absolutely enormous bowl of poffins made especially for Swinub. "There you go, this should keep you happy." she said, as she placed it down onto the floor. Swinub jumped for joy and pigged out on the seemingly endless bowl of poffins.

With a sigh of relief, the group put what few poffins they had left back onto the ground to allow their Pokémon to finish their meal. "That hungry Swinub lives in the forest near here, lately we've been getting more and more visits." Mr. Backlot said.

"So it's not your Pokémon, Mr. Backlot?" Brock asked. "No. My lovely garden's quite a draw for Swinub, and the poffins don't hurt either." Mr. Backlot replied with a chuckle. Swinub finished off the bowl, gave a tired stretch, and fell asleep right there on the carpet with crumbs all over its face.

"(Giggle) Nothing like a good nap after a meal." Dawn said, as she bent over the sleeping pig-Pokémon. "Take a look at that belly, kinda looks like Ash after stuffing himself." Misty teased. Ash chuckled. "Yeah, I guess I do kinda doze off after a big meal." he said admittedly.

"We're sorry about this; I'll have some fresh poffins ready for you all in no time." Monica said. "And now, why don't you all join us for a lovely dinner this evening? You can sleep here tonight, and then enjoy the gardens tomorrow." Mr. Backlot said.

"Oh, we couldn't. You've already done so much for us." Misty said. "Oh, but I insist. I love having guests over, with such a big house, I could use some company, so I think staying is a great idea." Mr. Backlot said with a friendly laugh.

With eyes that debated the idea in silence, the group looked at each other and made their decision. "Thanks so much, Mr. Backlot, we'd love to!" Ash said. "Is dinner going to be a formal event?" Dawn asked. "Of course not, I couldn't ask my guests to be uncomfortable." Mr. Backlot replied.

"Go and wash up everyone, dinner will be ready in just a few minutes." Monica said. Seeing that Croagunk was preoccupied with the meal, Brock took the opportunity to get close to Monica.

"Monica, I wish to offer my services in the kitchen, perhaps I could protect your hands from labor, and maybe protect your lips from any haaaarm!" Brock's face turned pale, as Croagunk 'Poison Jabbed' his side with one hand, and held a poffin in the other. "Or…maybe…I'll just…stay right here…(groan)" Brock doubled over in pain and got dragged away as Croagunk finished the poffin in its hand.

"Oh dear, is he alright?" Mr. Backlot asked. "Don't worry, if we had a nickel for every time he's done something like this, we'd be able to afford a house bigger than yours." Misty said. The group laughed similarly to how Mr. Backlot did, which brought laughter from Mr. Backlot himself. "Very well, in that case, I will see you in the dining room." Mr. Backlot said.

After Mr. Backlot walked away, Monica pointed the group of teens to the restroom where they could wash their hands. "I'll take it from here Croagunk, go on and hang with the other Pokémon." Ash said. Croagunk released its master and did just that.

In the girls' bathroom, Misty and Dawn made a quick clean-up. "Monica must make awesome poffins if the Pokémon like them so much." Dawn said. "Hey, didn't you say your mom had a recipe for those things?" Misty asked. "Hey yeah! Maybe I could make some." Dawn replied. "Maybe after dinner you can ask Monica if you can use her kitchen." Misty said. "I'm gonna do just that." Dawn replied.

In the guys' bathroom, Ash was splashing water in Brock's face to snap him out of his haze. "(Splutter) Ok Ash, that's enough." Brock said, as he got up off the floor. "Dude, you weren't satisfied with Nurse Joy liking you?" Ash asked. "No way, I won't be satisfied until I have someone I can call mine and mine alone!" Brock exclaimed.

"If you say so." Ash said, as he proceeded to wash his hands. "Speaking of girls, nice job with Misty earlier." Brock said approvingly. "What do you mean?" Ash asked. "Misty was really bothered by the storm, you calmed her." Brock said. "Oh…well…thanks?" Ash said nervously. "Heh heh, don't worry big guy, I'm not teasing you." Brock reassured. "Hey Brock, how come you helped me, but you can't help yourself?" Ash asked.

"I can't answer that question. Mostly because I don't know the answer." Brock said. "Oh, well let me know when you figure it out ok?" Ash said. "Sure Ash, whatever." Brock said, giving Ash a friendly slap on the back.

The group finally met back in the main hall, where Monica led them to the dining room. Ash and Misty sat together of course.

"Ah, welcome my friends, to my dining room." Mr. Backlot said. The group of teens thanked him simultaneously. Monica came in with a cart of food, with covered dishes of many kinds of food. "Awesome! Thanks a lot Monica!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

Monica had placed in front of Ash a plate, which contained a generous portion of chicken breast fillet fried to a golden brown and topped with a thick gravy sauce. The plate also contained a hearty helping of freshly made mashed potatoes, green beans with small chunks of bacon, corn in a light butter sauce, and sweet baby carrots. And to finish it off: a tasty piece of cornbread.

Monica placed the same in front of Dawn and Brock, who eyed their meal hungrily. Misty on the other hand, was not quite so eager. "Something wrong Mist?" Ash asked. "N-Nothing big, j-just…the carrots on the plate." Misty whimpered.

"Oh, right. Just ask Monica to get rid of the carrots." Ash suggested. "Ash, that'd be rude! I can't say that!" Misty hissed. "Is there some sort of problem?" Monica asked, as she placed glasses of freshly-squeezed lemonade in front of everyone. "N-No! No problem here!" Misty said quickly.

After Monica went back to the kitchen to get her own plate, Misty eyed her meal warily. The carrots were taunting her silently, torturing her, her morals to be polite and her natural fears of the orange vegetable were battling each other in her mind.

"Mist, just close your eyes and try one, they're really sweet." Ash said, as he placed a carrot into his mouth.

With great reluctance, Misty pierced one carrot with her fork, and with trembling hands, placed the carrot into her mouth and chewed it. Now Dawn and Brock were watching as well, as Misty chewed the carrot almost impossibly slowly.

With her eyes closed, she hadn't noticed that Monica had come back by now, and all eyes were on her as her teeth broke down one of her mortal enemies of the culinary world. After a swallow that could be heard all the way across the table, Misty opened her eyes and flushed red when she realized that everyone was watching her.

"Well?" Brock asked. "You know something? These actually aren't too bad." Misty said finally with a smile. Everyone at the table smiled along with her, although Monica was a bit confused. "What's wrong with carrots?" she asked.

Monica thought it was an innocent question; the almost impossibly red and embarrassed face of Misty made her regret asking. "W-Well, you see – well it's – I kinda…" Misty stammered. "Misty's afraid of carrots." Dawn said simply. "Yeah, that's it." Misty mumbled, wishing in her own mind that she could just crawl out of her skin like an Ekans shedding its skin.

Monica responded with a warm smile. "Ahh, but you hadn't tasted MY carrots before." she said proudly. "And let me tell ya, they're awesome!" Ash exclaimed, as he shoveled more food into his already full maw.

With Misty's fear overcome for the time being, the meal continued with friendly conversation and laughter. When the meal was over, Ash, Dawn, and Brock's plate seemed to be licked clean, Misty's plate however still had a substantial amount of carrots on it. She had eaten a few, but no more than that.

"Still not over it?" Ash asked. "Overcoming a fear is a long road." Misty replied simply. "Mr. Backlot, that was an incredible meal!" Dawn exclaimed. "Yes, Monica's quite a wonderful chef, isn't she? I'm very lucky to have her on staff." Mr. Backlot said.

"Yeah, you sure are." Dawn agreed whole-heartedly. "I feel like I'm pretty lucky too." Brock said, in an almost love-sick tone. "I would imagine you'd like to eat this way every day, wouldn't you?" Mr. Backlot said, laughing heartily.

As he laughed, Monica came with small tea cups for everyone. "Ahh, thank you Monica." Mr. Backlot said. Monica placed the cups in front of Ash, Misty, and Brock, and then finally Dawn. "Would YOU care for a cup of tea?" she asked.

"Thanks, I'd love one." Dawn replied. As Monica poured, Misty jerked her head to give Dawn a signal. "Um, I have a favor to ask you Monica, may I have the use of your kitchen later on?" Dawn asked. "Of course. But what for?" Monica asked.

"You'll find out." Dawn replied. Monica's answer would come soon, after the clean-up; Monica escorted the teens to the kitchen where Dawn and Brock proceeded to make some start-up poffin batter.

"Oh, I see, you're all making poffins to give your Pokémon." Monica said. "Now that I've got the right recipe, I can't make enough for Piplup and the whole gang." Dawn said. "I see…hold on a second." Monica said.

Monica walked away for a moment, only to come back with a basket full of assorted berries. "They're berries from our garden, I think you'll discover that if you add a few of these into your poffin mixture, your Pokémon will thank you." she said.

"That's so awesome! Thank you!" Dawn exclaimed, hands clasped in happiness. "When it comes to tasty and healthy treats, anything Monica puts her seal of approval on has gotta be great!" Brock exclaimed. "For once, I'm inclined to agree with you." Misty said. "…You are?" Brock asked in shock. "Yeah, I mean, how many chefs can get me to eat even one carrot?" Misty replied with a giggle.

"Get ready you guys; because these poffins are gonna make history!" Ash exclaimed determinedly. "Yeah, they'll be the worst poffins in history." Misty teased. "Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Ash replied.

Ash and Misty grabbed some berries from the basket and started smashing them up with haste, which brought sweat-drops from Dawn, Brock, and Monica. "At least their competitiveness doesn't get too hostile anymore." Brock said.

"Alright everyone, if you're done adding ingredients, it's time to put the mixture on the stove-top." Monica said. The teens ceased their mixing and allowed Monica to add each of their batters to a pot.

"Make sure you keep stirring." Brock said. "So everyone, I was wondering, what brings you all the way out here anyway?" Monica asked. "We're heading on up to Hearthome City so I can challenge the gym there!" Ash said. "The Hearthome Gym?" Monica asked. "Right, and as soon as I get all the badges I need, I'm gonna enter the Sinnoh League!" Ash exclaimed.

"Ash just won an amazing victory at the Pastoria Gym!" Dawn exclaimed. "Is that so? I'm impressed." Monica said. "Well, I probably couldn't have done it without a lot of training time with Misty and her Pokémon." Ash said. "Pastoria is a water-type gym if I'm not mistaken." Monica said.

"Right. And that's why Ash trained with me so much, because MY goal in life is to become the world's greatest water-Pokémon master." Misty explained. "Really? That's great." Monica said. "I've really learned a lot about battling from Ash and Misty, but what I really want is to become a top coordinator someday." Dawn said.

"Really? Where was your last contest?" Monica asked. "I actually competed in the Wallace Cup, and believe it or not, I ended up in a tie with Misty." Dawn explained. "I guess I just got lucky. I'm a battling girl through and through." Misty added.

Suddenly, an alarm went off from somewhere. "What's that?" Monica asked. "My Pokétch timer went off. The poffin batter should be perfectly done." Dawn said. "Now we just have to pour it into the molds and let it cool." Brock said.

"Um, Ash, you're mixture…" Misty said. "What?" Ash asked. He looked at his pot and saw that the mixture had turned into a blackish color instead of the usual pink. "Maybe the berries I put in?" Ash wondered. "Or maybe you burned them." Misty teased. "I'm sure they'll taste great, right Pikachu?" Ash said. Pikachu frowned and sweat-dropped, which gave Ash his answer.

"Oh yeah? What about Misty's?" Ash asked. Pikachu scanned it and gave a smile, a rather nervous one though. "Thanks Pika-pal!" Misty exclaimed. Pikachu squealed with glee at the affection, but if Misty knew his smile was forced, he'd be in a bit of trouble.

After about ten minutes, all the poffins were poured out onto plates. Ash's had retained the blackish color, Misty's looked good but smelled different, while Dawn and Brock's poffins came out picture perfect.

Piplup chirped with excitement when Dawn called it to try her poffins. "Look at that! Piplup sure looks excited." Monica said. "They really love them, but they're still no match for Brock's poffins." Dawn said. "Brock's a chef as well?" Monica asked. "Oh yeah, as long as Brock's got food in his backpack, he can make an awesome meal out of it." Misty said.

Unbeknownst to them, Swinub had woken up from its gluttony produced nap, and was on the hunt for more. It leaped onto the kitchen counter and started eating every single poffin on the plate. "No, not Swinub!" they all said in unison. Piplup groaned, and almost fainted with sheer disappointment and disbelief.

"Bad Swinub! These poffins are supposed to be for all the other Pokémon!" Dawn scolded. "Remember, you just ate a bunch." Monica added. Swinub whined and nuzzled Dawn's arm, trying to soften her up. "Oh come on." Dawn moaned.

"I take back what I said earlier, that thing could out eat a Snorlax with ease." Misty said. "Yeah, I don't think a bunch was quite enough." Brock said. "Here Swinub, try mine." Misty said, placing her plate of poffins onto the counter.

Swinub looked and approved of the pink pigment, but after smelling them, it looked away dismissively. "Hey! They look fine, what's wrong with them?" Misty whined. Swinub shook its head. "Oh please, I bet they're great." Misty took a poffin for her to taste, and then spit it out immediately into the sink.

"On the other hand, maybe they're not so great." Misty said, as she wiped her tongue of the disgusting taste. Ash laughed at her failure, but became nervous when Misty glared at him. "Swinub, have some of the ones I made." Ash said.

Swinub gave Ash's poffins a sniff, and actually cringed and shed a tear at how nasty they looked and smelled. "It thinks they're worse than mine." Misty laughed. "Hey, I know they might not be the prettiest poffins, but trust me, they taste just fine." Ash said.

Ash confidently placed one of his black poffins into his mouth and ate it. "Ugh. Kind of!" Ash moaned. Ash's face turned purple and he fell over after allowing the disgusting taste to reach his taste buds. "I think he needs mouth-to-mouth." Dawn said teasingly. "So why are you looking at me?" Misty asked sarcastically.

"Aww, come on Mist, that would've made this worthwhile." Ash whined. "You expect me to put my lips on yours after you ate one of those disgusting poffins? No way." Misty said, sticking her tongue out at Ash playfully.

"If I had to guess, I'd say Swinub prefers Dawn's poffins. Wow." Monica said, impressed. "Hey Dawn, I think your poffin recipe's earned you a real fan." Brock said. "Really? You like mine the best Swinub?" Dawn asked.

"Swinub!" (Yes!) Swinub replied desperately. "In that case, eat up!" Dawn said, as she placed the poffins back onto the counter for Swinub to eat. And that's precisely what Swinub did. "It sure does a chef's heart good to see that…there's only one thing a good cook can do, and that's to make a whole lot more!" Dawn exclaimed.

"If that's the case, you'll be up all night making these things." Misty said. "A chef's gotta do what a chef's gotta do." Dawn replied. Piplup began chirping angrily, half of the reason was because Dawn allowed Swinub to eat its poffins, and the other half was because she was going to make more for Swinub.

"Don't worry; I'll make a bunch more for you too." Dawn reassured. Piplup's chirps of anger became chirps of glee immediately after Dawn said that.

"(Yawn) Well, I'm feeling kinda sleepy after that awesome dinner, so I think I'll head on up to bed." Ash said. "Alright then, I'll escort you to your room." Monica said. "G'night Ash." the other teens said in unison.

"You look kinda tired yourself Misty, why don't you go with them?" Dawn asked. "Because I wanna wait for you guys." Misty replied. "I get the feeling Dawn won't be going for a while, I think you should head on up to bed." Brock suggested. Dawn nodded to confirm, just before starting up another batch of poffins.

"Yeah, I guess you have a point. G'night guys." Misty said. Dawn and Brock bid Misty goodnight, and then continued their cooking.

After Misty caught up with Ash and Monica, her body seemed to go into slow-motion, as the fatigue of the day began to show in her eyes. "Here's your room, completely made up with four beds and two bathrooms." Monica said.

"Thanks a lot Monica, for everything." Ash said. "Think nothing of it, sleep well." Monica said. "G'night." Ash and Misty said in unison. Ash took off his shoes and jumped onto the bed, bouncing on his back like it was a trampoline.

"Aww yeah! This bed feels awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "I'll be the judge of that. We girls have a better grip on what true comfort is." Misty said with an astute grin. She laid herself onto the bed as well, and rubbed her hand against the mattress. "So, what's the verdict?" Ash asked jokingly. "I proclaim this bed officially comfy." she replied.

"I'm so glad you approve." Ash said sarcastically. "I'm glad you're glad." she replied with a giggle. "Heh, you're not gonna…" Ash was cut-off. "Let you get the last word? Uh, no. That's a girl's right." Misty said playfully. Ash chuckled and entered the bathroom to change into his pajamas, when he came out; he found that Misty had disappeared.

"Guess she went to change." Ash thought out-loud. He stretched and yawned as he made himself comfortable under the covers.

"Hiya!" Misty exclaimed, jumping out from underneath the covers. The now completely bewildered Ash gave a yelp of shock and fell onto the floor. "Boy, you must really like the floor if you keep ending up down there." Misty teased.

"Very funny. How did I not see you under there?" Ash said with a hint of irritation. "You're too tired to notice. But that's alright, it's easier to getcha." Misty giggled. Ash smirked and placed himself back under the covers of his bed.

"Alright, I've had my fun, I'm gonna go change and get some sleep myself." Misty said. "Alright, g'night Mist." Ash said with a yawn. "G'night Ash." she replied. Once Misty closed the door to her bathroom, Ash sat up in his bed wearing an almost Gengar-like grin. _"Revenge!"_

Ash set up his pillows so that it looked like it was him under the covers, and then placed the coversheet over them. He then jumped into Misty's bed and laid as flat as possible, he even held his breath when he heard Misty come back out so that he could stay as still as physically possible.

"With a yawn and a stretch, Misty looked at the two beds that paralleled each other and quickly made a choice in her mind._ "No contest. I'd rather sleep with Ash."_ Misty ignored her bed and crawled under the covers of Ash's, and giggled when he realized that it wasn't really him under the covers, but a pile of pillows. _"I love you Ash, but you're still not sneakier than me."_ she thought.

Meanwhile, Ash's face had now turned blue from lack of breath, and red from the heat under the covers, so when he broke free of the atmosphere lacking covers and gasped for breath. He whipped his head around and saw Misty comfortably lying in HIS bed.

"What're you doing there?" he exclaimed, still short of breath. "Why would I sleep alone when I can have some company?" Misty asked, knowing that she had ruined Ash's petty revenge plot. "Fine. But it makes for lousy pranks." Ash said disappointedly. "That's the idea, isn't it?" Misty said with a smirk. Ash gave a small frown as he fluffed up his pillows and laid himself back into the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Aww, come on Ash, don't be mad, you know I love you anyway." Misty said, as she cuddled up to him. Ash fought his now rapidly beating heart and tried to remain stone-faced. "Fine, PAUL, be that way." she said teasingly. "Hey, I'm NOTHING like him!" Ash snapped suddenly, fury dripping from his voice.

Misty was taken aback by Ash's sudden outburst and felt a pain in her heart after Ash gave her an icy-glare that could only be rivaled by one of her own. _"I've never seen Ash get that mad that fast…not even with Gary."_ she thought.

After much uncomfortable silence, Misty finally broke it. "Ash, I-I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to compare you with him; I know that you're ten times better than he could ever be." Misty said timidly. Despite his anger, Ash glanced at his red-headed girlfriend, and his expression immediately softened at what he saw: Misty's face showed pure sorrow, it was obvious that she had regretted what she said. This was the timid Misty that despite how well they got along now that they were a couple, it rarely made an appearance.

This was the soft side of her that only came out when she was feeling scared or sad, and every so often when they had a tender moment, but never had he seen it so bad than right now, she was on the verge of tears as they looked at each other without a word spoken between them.

Ash finally broke the silence, wearing a compassionate smile. "C'mere Mist." he said softly. Misty wiped her eyes and smiled, and scooted as close to Ash as she physically could. He wrapped her arms around her and nuzzled his cheek against hers. "I'm sorry Ash." she said again, still in her timid mode. "S'ok Mist, I know you didn't mean it, it's just that I can't stand that guy!" Ash said.

"I know, I hate him too." Misty said. "One day Misty, I'll beat him. I'll show him what true friendship between Pokémon can do." Ash said determinedly. "And I can't wait to see his face when you do." Misty replied, slowly coming back to normal.

But just as she was turning back into her normal self, a kiss on her forehead sent her back into timidity. "Mmm, I love you Ash." she said softly. "Love you too Mist." Ash replied, just as softly. The two stayed in a warm silence for a while longer, until Croagunk opened the door.

Blushing, Ash and Misty released each other from their embrace. "Hey Croagunk, where's Brock?" Ash asked. No sooner had he said that, that Croagunk grabbed Brock by the bottom of his pant leg and dragged the groaning Pokémon Breeder into the room.

"Can't…even…kiss her hand." he moaned, as Croagunk dragged him into the bathroom. "Same old Brock." Misty said with a laugh. Misty turned to face Ash once more and gave him a quick pop-kiss on his lips before snuggling back into the covers.

Ash felt the spot where Misty's lips had touched his and blushed, he loved the feeling it brought. So he brought his lips down to her cheek and softly pressed. Misty smiled with her eyes closed and wrapped her arms around his lower-body. Ash wrapped his arms around her shoulders and closed his eyes, sniffing her hair and occasionally stroking it tenderly.

The two eventually fell asleep, but not before they had one last laugh after hearing Dawn screaming downstairs. "Swinub! Save some for the others!"

The next morning, the group woke up to an amazing breakfast made by Monica: Two eggs cooked sunny side up, a hearty portion of hashbrown casserole, a slice of ham, a small bowl of fried apples smothered in a cinnamon sauce, and freshly baked buttermilk biscuits. And to drink: freshly squeezed orange juice.

"Man oh man, if I keep eating like this, I'll need Charizard to carry me around soon!" Ash had joked. "Or you could just ask Happiny." Misty had joked.

Later on, Ash, Misty, Brock, and all of their Pokémon, including Dawn's, met up with Mr. Backlot and his Pokémon in his trophy garden. "Ahh, welcome my friends. Please, make yourselves at home." Mr. Backlot said.

And that's just what they did. Ash and Misty cuddled next to each other, lying down on the green grass. Brock and Mr. Backlot discussed their Pokémon raising techniques.

Turtwig, Psyduck, Ambipom, and Cleffa knocked an apple out of a nearby tree, which accidently dropped its fruit onto Psyduck's already aching head. Pikachu, Pachirisu, and the Pichu triplets played tag. Buizel and Staryu shot 'Water Guns' into the air, suspending the two laughing Igglybuff in mid-air while Chimchar, Gligar, Piplup, and Buneary watched for safety purposes.

Vaporeon, Sudowoodo, and Happiny took a nap on the grass. Staravia gave Misty and Mr. Backlot's Azurill an air-ride on its back. Charizard and Gyarados had a few friendly sparring matches with each other. While the remaining baby Pokémon watched and whispered as Politoed tried to get its fellow frog, Croagunk, to do something beyond stare at its reflection in the water and croak.

"Mmm, it feels so nice out here." Misty said. "Yeah, and all of the Pokémon are having a real ball, that's great." Ash added. "But I think Politoed's getting fed up with Croagunk." Brock said with a sweat-drop. Indeed, Politoed had given up on Croagunk and plopped itself on the ground with an exasperated sigh.

"What can I say? Croagunk just likes to be laid back." Brock said with a chuckle. "At least everyone is having a good time." Misty said. "You know, it's special moments like these when I almost wish I could be a Pokémon." Mr. Backlot said with a laugh.

"Hello!" a voice called. The group looked toward the garden gate and saw Dawn walking over with a huge picnic basket. "It's snack time!" Dawn exclaimed. Upon hearing that, all of the Pokémon dropped what they were doing and ran for Dawn and her poffins.

"Here you go, your favorite, fresh as they can be, so dig right in and eat all you want." Dawn said. "And make sure you chew carefully before you swallow." Brock said, practicing his breeder expertise. Before any of the Pokémon could get a bite, Swinub came out of nowhere and leaped onto the bowl of poffins.

Pachirisu and Buneary desperately begged Swinub not to eat them all, but it would seem worthless as Swinub opened its mouth wide to eat them all in one gulp…until…

"Swinub, hold on!" Dawn exclaimed. Swinub closed its mouth with disappointment, but quickly became excited again when it saw what Dawn was carrying. "No need to worry, as you can see I've made LOTS of poffins for you too." Dawn said, placing the enormous bowl of poffins onto the ground.

Swinub immediately began chomping them down gulps at a time. "They good Swinub?" Dawn asked. "Swi nub nub!" (They're awesome!) Swinub replied. "Great. You do a chef proud." Dawn said.

"Guess it was worth burning the midnight oil, right Dawn?" Brock said. "Yeah, I guess so." Dawn replied. "What time did you finally go to bed last night?" Misty asked. "To tell you the truth, I never did. And now I'm so sleepy, my oil's all burned out." Dawn said.

Dawn gave a tired yawn, but just as she finished, the ground began trembling, and a hole suddenly appeared, sucking up all of the smaller Pokémon, leaving only Charizard and Gyarados remaining. "What's going on?" Ash yelled. "Aah! My darling little Pokémon! How could something like this have happened in my very own garden?" Mr. Backlot cried despairingly.

As if on cue, a yellow hover-ship appeared from the ground, with two very familiar laughing sounds ringing from it. "I'd know that laugh anywhere!" Misty screamed.

Jessie: "Our pit-trap digging skills skillfully remain intact."

James: "But adapting to modern technology today is a necessary fact."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "The stars!"

Meowth: "Dig it Jack!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace."

James: "Dashing hope, putting fear in its place."

Jessie: "A trap dug any other way's just as sweet."

James: When earth is moved, our work is complete."

Jeesie: "It's Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place."

James: "Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Wobbuffet!" "Mime mime mime mime!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash yelled. "There's nothing like calling a collection of cuties to cure a case of the blahs." Jessie said. "No ya don't!" Ash yelled.

"Charizard/Gyarados! Let's do it!" Ash and Misty exclaimed. Just before the two dragon-like Pokémon could get ready to for battle; Monica came running from the mansion. "Mr. Backlot! This is terrible! Every last bit of our food, it's all mysteriously disappeared!" she cried.

"Who could've done such a thing?" Mr. Backlot asked. "Maybe striking a famous dance pose will give you a clue." James said. "I tink if you twoips realize dat by eatin' your grub we're just stayin' alive, you'll understand and cut us a break." Meowth exclaimed.

"Give everything back before Gyarados has a field day with your creepy machine!" Misty threatened. "This creepy machine happens to be the very latest in twerp repelling technology so your two monsters don't stand a chance!" James yelled with surprising confidence.

"Quit talking that gibberish and give us back those Pokémon!" Dawn screamed. "One pot of gibberish deserves another." Jessie said saucily. "Dis marks the end of our broadcast day, but not before we poach two more Pokémon to keep you at bay!" Meowth exclaimed. Meowth pushed a button and two mechanical arms grabbed Charizard and Gyarados and stuffed them into the machine with the rest of the Pokémon.

"No! You won't escape!" Ash yelled furiously. "I tink you're mistaken! Away!" Meowth yelled back. Meowth pushed another button, and the hovercraft began gaining altitude, with the Pokémon crying out to their masters for help.

Ash and Dawn leaped with all their might to just barely grab hold of the edge of the hovercraft. "Be careful you guys!" Misty screamed. Ash and Dawn attempted to pull themselves up, but a rumble by the ship shook Ash off and sent him hurtling for the ground. "Ash!" Misty and Dawn cried.

Ash landed with on the ground with a painful thud, and Misty wasted no time coming to his aid. "Be careful Dawn!" Misty screamed. "Just leave it to me!" Dawn replied. She pulled herself up and got her footing, then carefully walked up to the dome containing the Pokémon. "Piplup, Swinub, everyone I'm here! Is everyone ok?" Dawn asked with concern.

The dome suddenly began to descend, taking all of the Pokémon and Dawn out of sight. "No! Dawn!" Ash yelled. "Yes twerp!" Team Rocket exclaimed through their intercom. The machine spewed a white smokescreen, leaving the coughing Ash and Misty to watch as their Pokémon and friends flew away right before their eyes.

"Ash! You alright?" Brock yelled. "Yeah, I'm ok, but we gotta save them somehow!" Ash exclaimed. "I'll get Mr. Backlot's personal mini-van!" Monica exclaimed. "Good idea! Please hurry Monica!" Mr. Backlot begged. "I hope Dawn's alright." Misty said. "Don't worry; I'm sure she'll be alright." Brock reassured. "We've still gotta get to her as fast as we can!" Ash exclaimed.

Dawn's POV

I watched as the dome containing the Pokémon suddenly split into three individual domes, one containing Ash's Charizard, while the other held Misty's Gyarados. I saw them launch attacks to try and break out, but all that happened was Charizard got splashed by water spigots, and Gyarados got electrocuted, obviously Team Rocket had prepared for the two powerhouses.

"Charizard, Gyarados, just relax! I'll get you out of there!" I cried. They seemed to respond to my cry and they ceased their struggling. "No need to worry, I'll get you all back to Mr. Backlot's garden!" I exclaimed, trying to calm the smaller Pokémon.

I looked around and saw a lever that was practically begging to be pulled. So what was I to do? I walked over and pulled it. Sure enough, the three domes disappeared, freeing all of the Pokémon, including the two giants who roared upon release.

"You're free!" I exclaimed. I laughed as all of the smaller Pokémon huddled around me in thanks. Suddenly, Swinub took off and literally ran through the wall. "Swinub, where are you going? You can't go off by yourself! Come back!" I exclaimed.

I got up and chased after the gluttonous pig who had left a hole in the wall, leaving Charizard and Gyarados to act as bodyguard for the other Pokémon. When I crawled through the small hole, I found Swinub eating Team Rocket's supply of stolen food.

"Wow, I guess some things NEVER change." I said to myself. All of a sudden, a hole appeared right from under my feet, and I screamed as I fell like a rock. I grabbed Swinub who had also seemingly been rejected by Team Rocket, and held it close to protect it from harm. Luckily, I ended up landing in a soft bush.

"Look, we had to cut our losses." Jessie said. "I mean how do you stomach a permanently hungry Pokémon with a teensy yet hollow leg?" James added. That was a low blow, making fun of Swinub's unique characteristic. I watched in horror as the hovercraft flew further and further away. I didn't have Charizard with me, so I couldn't chase them, but I did have…

"We have to go too! Can you follow Team Rocket's scent Swinub?" I asked hopefully. Swinub seemed to acknowledge, and I put it down to track down Team Rocket.

Normal POV

"I saw them flying in this very direction, so I certainly hope we can catch them!" Mr. Backlot exclaimed. "We will, hold on tight!" Monica exclaimed. The house-keeper slammed her foot on the gas-pedal, and the group sped up their pursuit on the hovercraft. "Maybe Charizard and Gyarados can do some damage and slow them down." Ash said.

"They better not! If they do, the hovercraft may crash altogether!" Misty exclaimed. "All we can do is hope that they're alright." Brock said. "We'll find out soon, get ready everyone, I'm giving this baby all she's got!" Monica exclaimed.

Dawn's POV

I had been following the bouncing Swinub for a while now; I was feeling pretty proud of myself for getting Swinub to do what I asked. It made me feel like that I could handle being by myself and not have to worry about trouble. Swinub suddenly jumped toward an old tree, and my hopes went down just as suddenly.

"Swinub! Come on, we're not looking for berries now!" I exclaimed. Swinub nodded and sniffed the air. It then leaped into the bushes, and my hopes lifted again. "So Swinub did understand what I was saying after all!" I cheered to myself.

I followed Swinub through the forest, getting myself pricked with a few thorns on the way. Swinub suddenly used 'Take Down' on another tree, and two apples fell out of it, which Swinub immediately chomped down. Now I had nothing left, no motivation, no drive, nothing.

"No! Not fruit! (Groan) I give up."

I was feeling pretty down, but I was slightly touched by Swinub's consideration by it giving me one of its apples. I thanked it after a while, but when I looked at the round apple, I saw Piplup's happily chirping face. I felt a painful twinge in my heart, and I dropped the apple as if it was on fire.

"I'm so sorry…if I had been a little stronger, this wouldn't have happened." I whispered, although no one listened. I was feeling so horrible, so weak. Why couldn't I be like Ash or Misty? They were strong battlers; all I could do was cry and wallow in self-pity.

I felt worthless…worthless! What would someone like Paul or Kenny say if they saw me like this? They'd torment me, that's what they'd do. Well, maybe not Kenny, he wasn't so bad, but still…why did I always have to let my friends down? Why couldn't I ever succeed the first time? Why?

*Snort* *Snort* "Swinub!" (Come on!) "S-Swinub?" I wiped my eyes and saw the most determined looking Swinub I'd ever seen. "Y-You're telling me to follow you…aren't you?" I asked. Swinub nodded to confirm, and ran off. Maybe…I wasn't so worthless after all!

Swinub led me to a valley, where my hopes lifted even more. There was no way there was food in a desolate canyon, so the only other alternative had to be Team Rocket, and sure enough, that's what we found. "You found Team Rocket…'s food. Well, at least you found them." I said with a sweat-drop.

Normal POV

"The young twerpette!" James cried. "Thanks for your help Swinub. Team Rocket, give the Pokémon back!" Dawn screamed. "Hmmph, with that pile of paltry persuasion you'll get nothing but air." Jessie snapped back.

"Now Carnivine, take a 'Bite' out of crime!" James ordered. Carnivine did just that, as it bit onto James' head. "They're the criminals this time, not me!" James yelled. "Yanmega, 'Steel Wing' STAT!" Jessie ordered.

Now ready for battle, Yanmega and Carnivine dive-bombed the pig-Pokémon. "Look out Swinub!" Dawn screamed. Swinub was certainly not going to stand there and be beaten on; it fired an 'Ice Shard' in self-defense and froze its two antagonists.

"Awesome! You used 'Ice Shard'! I'm impressed!" Dawn exclaimed. "Swinub nub!" (Thanks!) it replied. When the dust from the impact settled, Team Rocket was seen on the ground. Bruised, battered, but certainly not defeated…not yet.

"Now Swinub, we've gotta save all those Pokémon!" Dawn screamed. Swinub acknowledged and charged ahead like a locomotive, smashing down the hovercraft's exterior with a 'Take Down' attack. The hole was made, and all the small Pokémon ran out as quickly as possible. "Where are Charizard and Gyarados?" Dawn asked.

Her answer came without a verbal reply, as Charizard and Gyarados rammed out of the machine with menacing roars, leaving two more enormous holes.

"Whoa, there they are." Dawn said in awe. Out of instinct and vengeance, Charizard and Gyarados launched their most powerful 'Flamethrower' and 'Hyper Beam' attacks respectively, blowing up Team Rocket's diabolical machine.

"Hey! We spent all night building that thing you beastly beasts!" James yelled furiously. "It was quite a feat!" Meowth added. Just as they were ready to battle one more time, Mr. Backlot's mini-van drove up with the entire group huddled inside.

"Thank goodness you're all alright!" Misty exclaimed, grabbing all of her Pokémon into a hug, with the exception of Gyarados of course. Ash and Mr. Backlot did likewise with their Pokémon. "My darling little Pokémon! I missed you so much!" Mr. Backlot exclaimed with joyful tears. "They're ok Mr. Backlot." Monica said, somewhat relieved.

"I'm so happy…so truly happy." Mr. Backlot said. "Hands to yourselves Mr. Moneybags!" Team Rocket exclaimed furiously, as their bounty of Pokémon had been commandeered from them. "It's back to the garden empty-handed for you! Carnivine, use 'Bullet Seed'!" James ordered.

Carnivine followed through and launched its attack. "Yanmega, 'Sonic Boom', let's go!" Jessie ordered. Following up Carnivine's attack, the dragonfly-Pokémon swung its tail and fired a powerful sound wave.

"Swinub!" Dawn screamed. Swinub had jumped into the air to meet the attacks with another 'Ice Shard', and lo and behold, Swinub's attack countered it perfectly.

Looking at their respective masters, the restless giants signaled their will to battle, as revenge towards Team Rocket for holding them captive and helpless. They were going to pay for humiliating them. "I think we know who wants to finish this battle!" Brock exclaimed.

"Then let's do it! Gyarados, use 'Hydro Pump'!"

"Charizard, use 'Flamethrower'!"

"Piplup, let's help them out with 'Bubblebeam'!"

The three attacks fired and swirled together, as the fusion of fire and water came into play perfectly, forming one ultra-powerful attack. With an explosion of calamitous proportions, Team Rocket was sent…

"We're blasting off again!" *Ping*

After the battle was officially over, Dawn ran up to Swinub and held it tight. "Thank you Swinub! Everyone's safe because of you!" she exclaimed. Swinub responded sheepishly, and then hopped out of her arms to continue its previously interrupted meal.

"Man, that Swinub can STILL put it away, don't you think? Heh, amazing." Ash said. "I've NEVER seen a Pokémon who could eat indefinitely, not even a Munchlax or a Snorlax." Misty added.

Dawn smiled and knelt down behind the eating Swinub. "So, tastes good huh?" Dawn asked. Swinub turned to face her and acknowledged. "Swinub…I was wondering…if maybe you'd like to come along with us on our journey?" Dawn asked hopefully.

Swinub stopped to ponder exactly what it had just been asked for a moment. Normally, everyone wanted it to leave, and here this thirteen year old girl who made awesome poffins was asking it to come along with her and her friends.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Dawn said cheerfully. Swinub blushed and happily accepted her offer. "Wow, that's great, thanks!" Dawn exclaimed happily. She pulled a Pokéball from her pocket, touched Swinub with it, and made the capture official.

She then turned to face her friends and their Pokémon, holding the Pokéball out to them. "I'd like you to meet my new Swinub." she said. The Pokémon cheered at their being able to call yet another Pokémon their friend.

Later, back at the mansion, Ash and Co. had packed up their things and were ready to head back onto the road. Mr. Backlot and Monica had seen them to the gate to send the off.

"I hear there's going to be a Pokémon Contest coming up in Celestic Town. I think it would be great if you entered it." Monica said. "Yeah Dawn! Keep the winning streak going!" Misty exclaimed. "Why not? After all, Celestic Town's a little past Hearthome City." Brock said.

"Perfect! That'll be my next contest! Thanks for letting me know about it Monica!" Dawn exclaimed. "Think nothing of it." Monica replied. "We had such a great time with you all, but I think it's time we get a move on." Ash said. "Swinub, don't you think you should say bye too?" Dawn said. Swinub, who was on Dawn's shoulder at the time, did just that.

"I must say Swinub; things will be a bit less exciting around here with you, so you take care now." Mr. Backlot said. Swinub acknowledged. "Now Dawn, you make sure it gets plenty of poffins." Monica said. "Don't worry, a chef never lets her customers down." Dawn replied.

And with that, the group of teens bid farewell to their new friends, with a new friend riding on Dawn's shoulder…but not for long. "Swinub, where are you going?" Dawn asked. Her question was answered when Swinub smashed into a tree and knocked some apples down for a snack. "I think we have a new version of Ash's Heracross." Misty joked.

So after Swinub finished its snack, they would head back onto the road of Sinnoh, and Ash's next gym battle in Hearthome City.  
_

**A/N: If you wanna know where I got the detailed descriptions of their meals, thank the Cracker Barrel restaurant! Who doesn't love southern meals? xD Anyways, hope you enjoyed this one, and keep an eye out for more. (Did I say that already?) xD**


	24. Fighting Fear With Fear

**Geez, being sick sucks. Curse you older immune system. xD Luckily, I had enough strength to launch another chapter to you guys. I hope you guys like what I did with this chapter, I really like it anyway. Thanks for reading and please review! I own nothing except the story.****  
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Chapter 24

Misty's POV

With a new friend added to our already large group of Pokémon, we continued down the road to Hearthome City for Ash's next gym battle. I appreciated that he still considered me his best opponent in overall strength, but I couldn't shake this feeling that I wouldn't be quite as useful this time around as a coach since the gym was not based on water-types like Wake.

But as I thought about it a while longer, I realized that the young boy whose hand I was currently holding as we walked, no longer needed a coach per say, more like someone to support him and help him keep his cool when his temper was unleashed. When it came to training his Pokémon, Ash pretty much had it down to a science.

As for me, my Pokémon were getting really strong since I got back on the road about a month or two ago. The relationship we had together seemed so natural now that I had forgotten when I even came back. It felt as if I never left. But like the romantic I was, I simply could not get over the fact that Ash and I had grown into such a close couple. I sometimes wonder where he had learned to be so romantic.

He had totally freaked out when the two Nidoran evolved after their kiss, and now it seemed he like he knew exactly what to do right from the start. I guess I'd have to ask him later. Brock had suggested that we stop for lunch in the nearby clearing. Seeing the small lake I immediately agreed to it. It'd give my Pokémon a chance to rehydrate in their own element. Brock sent me and Ash on a hunt for firewood while he and Dawn set up the tables and such. I guessed that now would be as good a time as any to ask him.

Normal POV

"Hey Ash?" Misty asked. "Yeah Mist?" Ash replied, as he bent over to pick up a small, dry twig. "I was wondering…where'd you learn to…you know…I mean…how did you know what to do?" she stammered.

With an expression that conveyed pure confusion, Ash merely stared blankly at her. "Wha?" he replied simply.

Ash had apparently still not lost that denseness that clung to him so tightly. It simply refused to leave his personality no matter how much he matured, the proof of that showing in the fact that he hadn't picked up on what she was trying to say.

She began to grow irritated that Ash couldn't figure out her implication. "Like how did you know when to…hold hands…and stuff like that?" she asked again, her voice sinking back from irritation to timidity once more.

Ash reeled back a bit, like he had just been lightly jabbed in the gut. This was something he had never pondered before. When he went to go get Misty back, all he had in mind was his plan. How DID he know when to hug her? When to hold her hand? When to do anything for that matter?

"Ash!" she screamed. Ash woke up from his daydream and saw his red-headed girlfriend's face as red as her hair. This change of pigment however, he was able to pick up that it wasn't blush, it was fury. Something that he hadn't seen in a long time.

"What? What did I do?" he asked quickly. "You didn't answer my question." she said simply. "I dunno Mist…I guess I just went with instincts. It felt…you know…really good to hug you." he said, somewhat hesitantly. "I see. So you reacted on impulse, like you always do." Misty said with irritation. "Yeah, good thing too." Ash said.

"What do you mean 'good thing'?" Misty screamed. "If I didn't, you might not be here right now." Ash said proudly. Misty's furious frown slowly turned into a playful smirk. "Yeah, I guess I wouldn't be. Since you couldn't handle being romantic if my life depended on it." she said teasingly.

"YOUR life? What about MY life?" Ash asked playfully. "Who cares about your life?" she replied just as playfully. "You do, otherwise you wouldn't be here." he said. "Oh yeah? How do you know I'm not here because I want to be here?" Misty said. "Well I – err…I got nothing." Ash admitted with a chuckle. "Just the way it should be." Misty giggled.

After much chuckling and giggling from the two "lovers", they finally returned to the campsite with a plethora of firewood. "Took you guys long enough, I already have everything set up and Brock hasn't even been able to start cooking yet." Dawn whined.

"Sorry, but there's not a whole lot out there." Ash said defensively. "Not a lot of wood? In a forest? Really Ash?" Brock said suspiciously. Ash stammered a bit before Brock and Dawn just rolled their eyes. "Brock, what say we make sure Ash and Misty don't go together without someone to keep their eyes on the prize from now on?" Dawn suggested. "Good idea, from now on Pikachu or one of the other Pokémon need to be behind them to watch them." Brock said.

"Hey, we're not babies! We don't need chaperones!" Misty screamed angrily. "Who said anything about a chaperone? I couldn't care less what you two do in private; all I want is for someone to keep you two moving quickly so we don't starve to death." Dawn said simply.

Instead of retaliating, Misty shrank back and blushed at the notion of her and Ash doing something while they were alone in the woods. "Alright, alright. Relax all of you. I'll get the soup ready, why don't you get your bathing suits on and go play with the Pokémon." Brock suggested.

"Sounds good to me! I haven't had a good swim with my friends in a while!" Ash exclaimed. "And I have to remember to follow Wallace's advice and play with my Pokémon." Dawn added. "It's settled then." Misty said with satisfaction.

The three teens settled into their swimming attire and called out their Pokémon for some much-needed, watery fun.

And while the Pokémon splashed each other, the humans had a little down-time, relaxing in the cool water. Except for Misty who swam a few laps back and forth before settling down. "How do you do that Misty? The swimming without getting tired I mean." Dawn asked. "Like I've said before, I've swam all my life, and it's a great way to keep in shape. Who knows? I may even gain back that extra inch Ash has on me now." Misty joked. "Swimming can make you grow? I should try it sometime, I feel so short next to all of you." Dawn said with a laugh. "You're dreaming Misty, I like being taller than you." Ash quipped back.

"You're the one dreaming! Here, I'll prove it!" Misty exclaimed. Misty splashed Ash with a freezing spray of lake water in his face, laughing the whole time. "Hey!" Ash yelled. Not to be out done, Ash splashed back, and pretty soon a water war had begun.

"Hey! Watch where you're splashing!" Dawn screamed, as she dodged the wide reach of the makeshift waves. After getting splashed by waves from both sides simultaneously, Dawn growled, but then grinned mischievously as a plan popped into her brain.

"Piplup, come here a minute!" Dawn called. Looking back from its other Pokémon friends, Piplup swam over to its soggy master. Dawn whispered her request into its ear, and Piplup got the same grin that was resting on Dawn's face.

Glowing brightly, Piplup formed a 'Whirlpool' and placed it underneath the now screaming couple. "Lift them up!" Dawn ordered. Piplup obliged, and the whirlpool rose in the air with Ash and Misty still inside. "Dawn, let us down!" Ash yelled, shielding his face from the whirlpool's water. "You heard him Piplup, go ahead." Dawn said.

Piplup crossed its arms and the whirlpool vanished. Blinking nervously, Ash and Misty looked at each other for no more than two seconds before dropping down to the water with two yelps and large splashes. After surfacing, Ash and Misty glared at the girl who was laughing hysterically at them.

"You two should've seen your faces!" Dawn gasped between laughing breaths. Face red with fury, Misty waded over to Dawn and stared her down, which immediately made Dawn stop laughing and feel very small next to the water-Pokémon trainer.

"N-Now Misty, i-it was a j-joke, I didn't mean anything." Dawn stammered, fear showing in her dark-blue eyes. Misty did not reply, and she waded over to the water's edge and walked out. "Come on Misty, don't be mad." Dawn said, feeling a little relieved that she had been given some space.

Misty glared at Dawn again, but then grinned mischievously when she reached into her backpack and pulled out a Pokéball. "Misty…you're not gonna…" Brock didn't even bother finish his question; he knew what the answer would be.

Dawn once again felt very small as she realized what Misty was about to do. "C-Come on Misty, let's let bygones be bygones." Dawn squeaked. "Oh don't worry Dawn, I'm not mad, and this won't hurt a bit." Misty reassured, still wearing the familiar grin.

Dawn gulped audibly, which brought a snicker from Ash who was floating a safe distance away. Misty threw out the Pokéball and Gyarados emerged with a roar, which sent Dawn past the point of nervous, and she was now screaming as she tried to swim away as fast as she could.

"Gyarados, you know what to do!" Misty exclaimed. She gave her water-dragon a hand-signal, and Gyarados nodded in understanding. Dawn continued to swim as fast as her arms and legs would allow her, but she was obviously no match for Gyarados, who had now swum beneath her.

Noting Gyarados' absence, and her own fatigue, Dawn stopped and looked around nervously. "M-Misty, please?" Dawn begged. Misty merely gave Dawn a "bye-bye" wave, making Dawn's eyes grow wider than they had ever gotten before.

Dawn felt a disturbance in the water beneath her, and before she knew it, she was screaming at the top of her lungs, floundering like a Magikarp as Gyarados' 'Hydro Pump' held her suspended in mid-air.

"Let me down! Please!" Dawn screamed. Ash joined Misty at the water's edge, wiping away tears of laughter. "Y-You heard her Mist, g-go ahead." Ash said between laughing gasps. Misty gave a simple nod and Gyarados ceased its attack.

Blinking nervously, Dawn dropped like a brick into the water. When she surfaced, she spluttered and spit out the water that had gotten into her mouth from having her mouth open for screaming. "So…are we even?" Dawn asked. "Hmm…not yet." Misty said in a sing-song voice.

Gyarados loomed its mouth over Dawn, who reluctantly looked up and squeaked with fear. "Gyarados, 'Hydro Pump'." Misty said calmly. Gyarados fired right over Dawn's head, drenching the poor girl like she was standing under a waterfall.

After Gyarados finished, Dawn face-faulted and groaned. "Now we're even!" Misty exclaimed, laughing hysterically. Ash and Brock joined in on the laughing fest, as Gyarados gently deposited Dawn to the water's edge. "I think I've had enough water for one day." Dawn moaned.

"Good, because the soup's ready anyway; go dry off guys." Brock said. Ash and Misty helped the soaked coordinator to her feet and went their separate ways to change back into their regular clothes. "(Sigh) Am I the only mature one here?" Brock moaned. "I heard that!" Misty exclaimed from the distance.

Brock averted his gaze back to his cooking pot without another word. Afterwards, the group of teens got food for their Pokémon. "Ok gang, chow time!" Ash exclaimed. The Pokémon responded to Ash's call, and splashed out of the water to enjoy their meals.

"That's some of my special Pokémon food, and I made plenty so eat all you want." Brock said. "How about Charizard and Gyarados?" Ash asked. "Glad you brought them up." Brock replied. Brock reached into his backpack, and pulled out two large plastic containers full of Pokémon food.

"I mixed this special Pokémon food for the bigger Pokémon. It's got extra protein for strength and energy, and iron and calcium for bones. Plus, it'll keep them full without eating excessively." Brock explained. "That's our Brock, maybe you should be a Pokémon Nutritionist instead." Misty said.

"Understanding Pokémon nutrition is just something a breeder needs to know. Along with the many different anatomies of all kinds of Pokémon, their normal eating and sleeping habits, and other things like that." Brock explained. "Well then it seems to me that your job's a lot tougher than being a coordinator." Dawn said. "Not really, I'd probably say the same thing about your thing. We all have something we're inclined to. You're a coordinator, Ash and Misty are battlers, and I'm a breeder." Brock said.

While the discussion involving occupations continued, the eternally hungry Swinub had its eyes set on Piplup's bowl of food. Piplup pulled it away from the pig-Pokémon, and pushed Swinub back before it could get the chance to swallow everything but the bowl itself.

"Uh oh, Swinub's getting greedy again." Misty said. Sensing a fight coming on, Ash's Turtwig stepped in between the two Pokémon and broke up the potential fracas. "That's Turtwig for you." Dawn said. "All of Ash's grass-types seem to be the peacemaker somehow. Remember Bulbasaur?" Misty said. "Yeah, but my Sceptile was nowhere near what Bulbasaur and Turtwig are like." Ash said.

"Yeah, that Sceptile of yours could give Charizard a run for its money in the smugness department." Brock joked. A weak 'Flamethrower' flying over his head quickly caused Brock to rephrase. "N-No offense intended big guy." Brock said nervously. Charizard looked away dismissively, but his face did bear a small smirk.

"Hey wait a second, where'd Gligar go?" Ash asked, looking around. "I haven't seen him since we started playing in the water." Misty said. "I'll find him." Ash said, somewhat hesitantly. Ash got up from his chair and took a deep breath.

"Hey Gligar! C'mere!" Ash yelled. Immediately responding to Ash's call, Gligar seemingly fell out of the sky and followed its routine of landing on top of Ash. "I knew that would work." Ash groaned from underneath the flying/ground-type.

"Ash is like a Gligar magnet." Brock laughed. "So Gligar, where've you been?" Ash asked. Gligar responded by making mini 'X-Scissors' towards the ground. "Whoa, that's 'X-Scissor', does that mean you wanna do some battle training?" Ash asked.

The excited Gligar acknowledged and nodded its head. "That makes sense to me. Especially after Gligar had that frustrating battle with Paul's Gliscor." Brock said. Upon hearing that, Gligar began crying.

"Careful, you're going to get Gligar really depressed." Dawn said. "Uhh…sorry Gligar." Brock said. "So, training huh? So you wanna get stronger right?" Ash asked excitedly. Gligar came out of its state of depression and nodded.

"Awesome! We'll get down to it right after lunch!" Ash exclaimed. "In the meantime, go on and have something to eat." Brock said. Gligar nodded and went over to its bowl, but then began crying. "What's wrong? You don't like the food?" Brock asked.

Gligar held up its bowl and showed the group of teens that someone had eaten all of its food. "Who would do that?" Misty asked accusingly. Her answer was answered when all of the Pokémon's eyes fell on Swinub, who was now sweat-dropping nervously.

"Swinub! Why didn't you just ask for more?" Dawn screamed. Swinub moaned sadly, and then went to apologize to Gligar. After thinking about it for a moment, Gligar accepted the apology.

"That's better." Dawn said satisfactorily. "Here you go Gligar, eat up." Brock said, handing the emotional Pokémon a fresh batch of food. Gligar savagely devoured the small bowl of food.

After lunch, the group cleaned up and went to a nearby clearing for Gligar's special training. "Alright, so who wants to help Gligar train?" Ash asked. "Ash, can I use Buizel against Gligar?" Misty asked hopefully. "Heh, sure thing Mist, just don't think we'll take it easy on you." Ash said.

Gligar and Buizel faced off against each other with determination on their faces. "Ok Gligar, you're in the thick of it! Use your eyes and show that winning glare!" Ash exclaimed. Gligar stepped forward and stared down the water-weasel.

Unfortunately, Buizel's glare intimidated Gligar far too much, as it fell to its knees and cried, begging Buizel to spare it. "Well that's not gonna work. Gligar, you can't give up before you start." Ash said, rubbing the back of his head.

"You're only battling a friend Gligar; you don't have to be scared." Misty reassured. "Exactly, no need to worry!" Dawn added. Gligar ceased its crying and stood tall.

"Alright, use 'X-Scissor' and keep it going!" Ash ordered. Gligar charged ahead and started trying to slash the water-weasel with its claws, but Buizel moved too quickly and was able to dodge with little to no effort.

"Ready Buizel? Use 'Aqua Jet'!" Misty ordered. Following its first orders coming from the water-trainer, Buizel charged ahead at Gligar with incredible speed.

Gligar stopped in its tracks, and stared into the eyes of the oncoming Buizel. The sheer determination that coursed through Buizel's eyes intimidated Gligar and caused it to jump onto Ash's face for protection.

"Aah! Buizel stop!" Misty screamed. It was too late. Buizel's 'Aqua Jet' made contact with both Gligar and Ash, and they both wound up lying on the floor, soaking wet.

"Gligar, what's wrong with you?" Ash yelled angrily. Ash's scolding only made Gligar want to cry even more. "Ash, wait. Getting mad like that will only depress Gligar even more." Dawn said. "Well…yeah, but still…" Ash didn't get to finish defending himself; Dawn had knelt down in front of Gligar to console it.

"Cheer up Gligar, no need to worry, you'll just try a little harder next time and you'll be wonderful." Dawn said, rubbing its head friendlily. Gligar smiled and hugged the blue-haired coordinator in thanks.

"Man, I don't want Gligar to get spoiled." Ash said. "On the other hand, treating Gligar harshly isn't going to get you very far either." Brock said. "I guess you're right." Ash said submissively. "Remember what got you where you are now, stay calm and do what you do best." Misty said, placing a hand on the frustrated trainer's shoulder.

Ash took a deep breath and smiled at his red-headed girlfriend in thanks. "Maybe Buizel's too rough; try someone with a gentler reputation." Misty suggested. Ash nodded and pulled out a Pokéball.

"Turtwig, come on out and give me a hand!" Ash exclaimed. Turtwig emerged from its ball with a happy cry. "You don't mind handling a grass-type, do you Misty?" Ash asked. "A sweetie like Turtwig? No problem." Misty replied. "Tur twig." (Aww thanks.) Turtwig said bashfully.

"Ok, let's see that 'Energy Ball'!" Misty ordered. Turtwig readied its attack, but Gligar had already dropped down to its knees once more. Ash forced himself to stay calm, but frustration was beginning to well up inside of him. "Gligar, if you don't pay attention, you won't be able to dodge!" Ash said, suppressing anger.

Turtwig fired, and Gligar leaped into the air to dodge, but not because Ash wanted it to, only so it could avoid getting fried. Ash took advantage of the situation to bark out an order. "Now, use 'Steel Wing' right from where you are!"

Gligar hesitated, but eventually dive-bombed the small grass-type. But once again, Turtwig's determined face sent Gligar into a panic. It stopped its attack before making contact, swooped back up into the air and headed for Ash once again.

"Oh no…Ash look out!" Misty screamed. Ash sweat-dropped and took off in the opposite direction. "Come on Gligar, not over here!" Ash yelled nervously. "Of course, NOW Gligar can fly straight as an arrow." Dawn moaned. "And if I know Ash, he'll be pretty mad when he gets nailed." Misty said.

"Then we'll have to get you to him before he tears Gligar apart." Brock said. The remaining trio chased after Ash and Gligar. By now, Ash had run out of gas and couldn't run any longer. "Come on Gligar, your opponent's back over there!" he yelled.

It would do no good. Gligar landed onto Ash's face once again, and by now Ash had as much as he could take. "What're you thinking? You're gonna have to stop crying and start toughening up!" he yelled furiously.

Gligar flew off crying, it just couldn't handle its master's scolding. "Gligar, come back!" Ash yelled, suddenly feeling guilty for losing his temper. Misty, Dawn, and Brock came running up only to see Gligar flying off with tears streaming from its eyes.

"Ash, what did you do?" Misty screamed furiously. "I-I…I just acted like Paul." Ash said in disbelief. Misty was about to start another verbal onslaught, but Ash's sorrowful expression softened her. "I've just gotta find Gligar!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

"Ash, wait up!" Misty shouted. Misty, Dawn, and Brock followed the trainer through the forest, where Ash proceeded to search for his emotional friend.

"Staravia, Charizard, come out and help us find Gligar!" Ash exclaimed. The two flying Pokémon emerged from their balls and immediately took to the skies, although Charizard's liftoff resulted in Ash landing on his butt from the wind Charizard created.

"This is just great…I can't believe I lost my cool like that, now Gligar's out there somewhere." Ash said regretfully. "Don't be so hard on yourself, you just made a mistake, that's all." Brock said consolingly. "That mistake made me lose one of my friends. I can't afford to make mistakes like that." Ash said.

Ash's self-incrimination seemed to justify itself because of the situation, but as usual, Misty would not hear it.

"Ash, you've trained a great bunch of Pokémon, you can't beat yourself up because of one slip-up." Misty said comfortingly. "What are you talking about Mist? You were ready to beat me up yourself a few minutes ago." Ash said. "Well I…I was wrong. And I shouldn't have gotten so angry myself." Misty said apologetically.

"Hey! Here comes Staravia!" Dawn exclaimed. "Staravia, did you find Gligar?" Ash asked hopefully. Staravia acknowledged and motioned for the group to follow. "Charizard, we found Gligar!" Ash yelled out. A roar in the distance assured Ash that he was heard.

"See? Everything's alright now." Misty said happily. "Thanks Mist, I owe you." Ash said gratefully. "I'll add it to your tab." Misty joked. After Charizard appeared and Ash recalled it, the group of teens followed the bird through the forest, and couldn't believe what they saw.

"It can't be." Misty said in awe. "It's the poetry guy's grandson!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash, Misty, and Brock face-faulted at Dawn's comment. "It'd be a lot easier if you used my name." the teen said with a chuckle.

"Hey Gary, what're you doing way out here?" Ash asked. "I was just on my way to Lake Valor to check out that legendary Pokémon you told my grandpa about." Gary replied.

"How can we forget about that?" Misty said. "And who's your foxy friend Ashy boy? Or better question, why's she hanging with you?" Gary asked. Ash quietly growled at Gary's comment. "It's nice to see you again Gary." Misty said calmly.

"Wait a second, do I know you from somewhere?" Gary asked. "Your hair." Dawn said simply. Misty nodded and held her hair in her hand so that it looked like her ponytail was back up. "Well well, if it isn't Ashy boy's girlfriend." Gary said teasingly.

Gary expected denials, but was taken aback when none came. "What? No denials this time?" he asked. "Actually Gary, you hit it right on the head, she IS my girlfriend." Ash said proudly. "So, you finally grew up then eh? It's about time." Gary said teasingly. "I thought the same thing when he came to get me from Cerulean." Misty admitted.

"HE went to get YOU? Wow, that's serious business." Gary snickered. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked somewhat accusingly. "Chill dude, I didn't mean anything. Say, what's up with this Gligar?" Gary asked.

"It's mine. We were just doing some special training." Ash said. "Let me guess, in the middle of your training, Gligar took off." Gary said knowingly. "Gary…how'd you know that?" Ash asked in shock. "Just call it a lucky guess…your training technique leaves a little bit to be desired Ashy boy." Gary said teasingly.

"What was that?" Ash asked angrily. "I must beg to differ; Ash has impressed me with how well he's improved since I left so long ago." Misty said calmly. "You were ranked pretty high among Kanto gym leaders, I COULD take your word for it, but that wouldn't be as much fun." Gary snickered.

"Same old Gary." Misty sneered. "Hey, I'm just offering my help." Gary said surprisingly politely. "Really? That's oddly nice of you." Misty said. "Thanks, but no thanks, come on Gligar, let's try it once more." Ash said.

Instead of obeying, Gligar hid behind Gary's leg in fear. "Sounds like a 'no thank you' to me." Gary said. "Come on Gligar!" Ash yelled, tugging on Gligar's claws. "Maybe you should take Gary's offer to help." Dawn suggested.

"But why?" Ash asked. "Ash, Gary might be able to help you help Gligar, isn't it worth swallowing a little pride?" Misty said. "Just do it for Gligar, it might be best for everybody." Brock added. "Well, I dunno." Ash said hesitantly. "Come on Ash, what have you got to lose?" Gary asked. Ash growled a bit, but eventually gave in to Gary's offer.

The group walked to another clearing, where Gary called out his faithful Umbreon to the battlefield. "It's Gligar versus Umbreon; we'll be able to show you a thing or two." Gary said. "We won't go easy on ya! Now, Gligar, 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered.

After a bit of flapping, Gligar jumped into the air and dive-bombed the dark-type. "Umbreon, 'Shadow Ball'!" Gary countered. Umbreon fired, and the attack made a clean miss, nevertheless, Gligar freaked out and turned back to Ash for the fourth time that day.

"And that's the way it turns out every time." Misty groaned, as she helped Ash back to his feet. "I think I know why! Gligar freaks out easily when facing an opponent." Gary said. "Come on Gligar, don't you wanna get strong?" Ash asked. Gligar nodded, but its face showed sadness.

"Even though Gligar wants to get strong, as soon as any battling begins a huge wave of uncontrollable fear takes over." Brock said. "Kind of like when Misty sees a bug-Pokémon." Dawn added. "Yes…thank you…" Misty hissed. Dawn sweat-dropped and apologized.

"Alright, so the first thing we have to work on is getting over that fear." Gary said. "And how do you do that?" Dawn asked. "You focus in and concentrate!" Ash exclaimed, sure that his answer was correct.

"Ash, I guess you'll never change. The most important thing about working with 'Steel Wing' is to jump as high as you can, so if we can master that, no doubt Gligar will have LOTS more confidence in battle." Gary explained.

"That's great! Gary sure gives instructions a lot better than Ash." Dawn said, impressed by Gary's intuition and knowledge. "I heard that!" Ash yelled angrily. A wink from Misty calmed his nerves. "Guess you weren't kidding after all." Gary said. "We wouldn't lie about something so personal." Misty said cheerfully.

"Anyway, the way to get Gligar some extra height is for it to use its tail like a spring before it takes off." Gary explained. "Hey, we already kinda know how to do that with Pikachu's 'Iron Tail'!" Ash exclaimed. "Good, then there should be no problem." Gary said.

"Ok Gligar, use the end of your tail like a spring when you jump!" Ash exclaimed determinedly. With newfound confidence, Gligar nodded. "Ready when you are Ash." Gary said. "Gligar, 'Steel Wing', go!" Ash ordered.

Gligar followed through with its instructions and leaped really high into the air. "What a jump!" Ash said in awe. Gligar seemed ok for a moment, but then freaked out when it realized how high up it really was. Gligar fell back to earth and landed on the only spot physically possible: Ash's face.

"Oh come on." Misty groaned. "Now Gligar has to deal with the fear of heights." Brock said. "We've got a problem alright." Gary said. "Thanks for that, now tell us something we don't know." Misty said. "Still fiery as ever I see." Gary said teasingly. Misty merely crossed her arms and turned away.

"Anyway, how much battling has Gligar done?" Gary asked. "Not much…Gligar got beaten really badly battling a Gliscor…maybe that's why Gligar's so scared now." Dawn suggested. "Yeah…makes sense…getting beaten by an evolved form can be scary." Gary said.

"So what do we do now?" Ash asked. "Hey! I know! We'll evolve Gligar!" Gary exclaimed, pulling an object out of his pocket. "What's that?" Dawn asked. "It's a Razor Fang." Brock replied. "You mean you could turn Gligar into a Gliscor like it was a stone?" Misty asked. "Exactly! With this, all of Gligar's skills will improve and we can put the brakes on all of that fear." Gary said, placing the fang into Ash's palm.

"Gee, thanks Gary." Ash said sincerely. Gligar loved the idea of evolving and desperately reached for the small object. "Calm down Gligar, evolving is no substitute for some honest, hard work. You can evolve AFTER you conquer your fear." Ash said, holding the small item out of reach. Ash held out his arm in a 'stop' fashion, telling Gligar to stop jumping up and down. Gligar acknowledged, but sadly.

"That's yet another mistake on your part." A voice said. The group turned around and saw Paul standing there with his hands in his pockets. "So, this another friend of yours?" Gary asked. "Not exactly." Misty hissed. "What are you doing here Paul?" Ash asked.

"I was looking for a water-type worth catching. But then I wound up finding you here, failing as usual at training your Pokémon." Paul said. "What did you say?" Ash yelled furiously. "Wow, Ash never even got that mad with ME." Gary said in awe. "Paul's been breathing down Ash's neck for a while; you'd understand why he makes Ash so mad if you knew how Paul treats his Pokémon." Dawn explained.

"So, you must be Ashy boy's new rival then. The name's Gary, Ash's former rival." Gary said. "I can't consider anyone as weak as him to be my rival, and I don't want to have anything to do with someone who ever even considered him a rival." Paul said smugly.

"I see. Fine by me then." Gary said dismissively. "As for you, I can't imagine why you won't evolve your Gligar right now." Paul said. "Because evolving is a shortcut, I don't take shortcuts anymore." Ash said. "Spoken just like a fool, you still don't understand what it means to have strong Pokémon." Paul said.

"That did it! I've had just about enough of you and your attitude! You think you're so great? Then how about you and me have a battle right now?" Misty screamed furiously, clenching Gyarados' Pokéball in her hand. Gary gently pushed the fuming girl back and stared Paul down.

"You know, as Ash's former rival, I can't help but feel that I should battle you to see if you can efficiently give him some trouble like I did." Gary said. "Gee…thanks Gary." Ash mumbled. "So whaddya say Paul? How about you and me have a battle?" Gary offered.

"I don't have time to deal with the likes of you; I have other things to worry about." Paul said, as he turned to leave. Before Paul could get far, Ash whispered something into Gary's ear.

"Hey Paul!" Gary yelled. "What now?" Paul asked. "Before you reject my challenge, why don't you see what you'll be fighting against?" Gary replied. Gary threw out a Pokéball, and his Electivire emerged soon after.

"So…you still don't want to battle?" Gary asked. "I think I'll enjoy showing you how a trained Pokémon battles." Paul said smugly.

"Fine then, two-on-two sound good?" Gary asked. "Fine by me…Gliscor, stand by for battle!" Paul threw out a Pokéball, and his Gliscor emerged and glared at the frightened Gligar, who hid behind Ash's leg in fear. "Why…that creep! Paul chose Gliscor just to give Gligar another panic attack!" Misty hissed.

"Let's not jump to conclusions; after all, if Gary goes with Electivire, then Gliscor does have the type advantage." Brock said. "So, it wasn't just any Gliscor, Ash's Gligar fought YOUR Gliscor." Gary said. "What's your point?" Paul asked.

"Well it was a smart move to come after me with a ground-type, thing is…I'm not using Electivire right away so you might want to reconsider your choice." Gary said. "We'll see." Paul replied.

Gary recalled Electivire and pulled out another Pokéball. "Ok Blastoise, let's do it!" Gary's faithful starter Pokémon emerged with a loud battle cry. "Gliscor, return." Paul said.

"An unusually smart move by Paul, Blastoise would've had a serious advantage against Gliscor." Misty said. "Alright, Torterra, stand by for battle!" Paul threw out another Pokéball, and this time his starter Pokémon emerged and roared.

"So, a grass-type eh? You do realize that Torterra is also a ground-type, and water-type attacks will be able to damage it." Gary said. "Skip the lesson and battle." Paul replied smugly. "Have it your way." Gary said dismissively, "You go first."

"Torterra, use 'Frenzy Plant'!" Paul ordered. Torterra acknowledged and vines began shooting out of the ground and smacking Blastoise all around.

"That 'Frenzy Plant' had a lot of power! Gary can't lose already!" Dawn exclaimed worriedly. "Don't count Gary out just yet." Ash said. "That Blastoise of his is really something." Misty added.

Torterra ran out of energy and was forced to rest in order to catch its breath. "Nice job withstanding that, Blastoise." Gary praised. Blastoise turned and gave a thumbs-up to its master. "Now use 'Hydro Pump'!" Gary ordered.

Blastoise fired a powerful spray of water from its shell cannons, and the helpless Torterra took the hit dead-on. "Awesome! A direct hit!" Dawn cheered. Dawn's cheering would be unjustified however, as Torterra merely shook it off.

"How'd it pull that off?" Gary yelled in shock. "Use 'Leaf Storm'!" Paul ordered. The rested Torterra shook the huge tree on its back and launched a flurry of leaves at the giant turtle. "Use 'Withdraw'!" Gary countered.

Merely a few seconds before the leaves made contact, Blastoise withdrew into its shell to protect its body from maximum damage. "Now use 'Hyper Beam'!" Paul ordered. Torterra opened its mouth and fired a large beam at the withdrawn turtle.

"Blastoise, use 'Hydro Cannon'!" Gary countered. Blastoise quickly emerged from its shell and fired its most powerful attack to try and match the 'Hyper Beam'.

The attacks battled for superiority before an explosion took place in the middle of the field. Now the two Pokémon had to rest after launching such powerful attacks.

"Paul has the advantage over Blastoise because of the attacks Torterra can use, but on the other hand, almost all of Torterra's moves have a side effect that hinders the next move." Brock explained. "So it all depends on strategy then." Misty said. "But from personal experience, I know that Paul prefers to overpower his opponents, so Gary might have a little help from that." Ash added.

"Torterra, use 'Leaf Storm'!" Paul ordered. Torterra launched the leaves again, and they flew towards Blastoise at a noticeably slower speed than last time. "Use 'Withdraw'!" Gary countered. Blastoise hid in its shell once more, and the leaves bounced off with little to no damage being done.

"Every time Paul has Torterra use 'Leaf Storm', Torterra's special attack stat lowers dramatically, so soon even moves like 'Frenzy Plant' won't do much damage at all." Brock explained.

"Alright Blastoise, use 'Ice Beam'!" Gary ordered. Blastoise acknowledged and fired two freezing beams at the continent-Pokémon, who growled in pain when the attack made contact. "Awesome Gary! You taught Blastoise how to use 'Ice Beam'!" Ash exclaimed. "Of course! Just because I'm not training for leagues anymore doesn't mean I sit around doing nothing." Gary replied.

"You're just like him!" Paul yelled. "Him who?" Misty wondered. "Dunno, he wasn't looking at me." Ash replied. "Torterra, use…huh?" Paul stopped when he realized that Torterra had been frozen solid by Blastoise's 'Ice Beam'.

"T-Torterra…" Paul said, struggling to maintain his cool demeanor. The teens on the sidelines stared in awe. "I've never seen Paul hesitate like that." Ash said in awe. "Could that mean that Paul actually cares about Torterra?" Misty whispered.

"Torterra, return." Paul said. The red beam sent the frozen grass/ground-type back into its ball. Instead of scolding it however, Paul merely stared at it for a moment before placing it back onto his belt. "Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" Paul threw out another Pokéball and his electric-type emerged and growled.

"Your move." Gary said. "Electabuzz, use 'Thunder'!" Paul ordered. Electabuzz fired, and the sheer speed that the attack had caught Gary by surprise, as Blastoise took full damage from the lightning bolt. "Aah! Blastoise!" Gary yelled. Blastoise stood for a moment, but eventually fainted from the force of the attack.

"Blastoise is unable to battle, the winner is Electabuzz." Brock announced. Gary recalled his old friend and smiled. "Nice job pal, take a break." Gary said, "Well Paul, looks like you earned the chance to battle Electivire."

Gary reached for his Electivire's Pokéball, but before he could throw it out onto the field, a rumbling was heard and felt. "What the?" Gary exclaimed suddenly.

Jessie: "A clueless twerp is certainly nothing new."

James: "You're all pros at not having a clue!"

Jessie: "Face the facts."

James: "For a change."

Meowth: "Stinks to be you!"

Jessie: "We're bringing chaos at a breakneck pace."

James: "We'll dash all hope and put fear in its place."

Jessie: "A small reunion for the twerps I see."

James: "But without us you're short by three."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And James!"

Meowth: "Meowth makes it triple, you see?"

Jessie: "Putting you do-gooders in your place."

James: "We're Team Rocket."

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"As if we didn't already have an unwelcome visitor!" Misty screamed. "Don't you guys EVER get tired of being lame?" Gary asked. "Shut up and check out our Gliscor-bot!" Meowth yelled.

Team Rocket indeed did have a new weapon. A robotic contraption that resembled a Gliscor in all aspects of the word. "Pathetic. Electabuzz, use 'Thunder'." Paul ordered calmly. Electabuzz fired, but Meowth had a backup plan.

He used his remote control to make the robot wedge its tail into the ground, so the electricity did nothing at all. "Ha ha ha! Now dat we've shown our new bot's battle power, we'll take dat Gligar of yours!" Meowth exclaimed.

The machine screeched out a scratchy "Gliscor" as it fired its specially designed tail to grab a hold of the small Gligar. Gligar screeched for help as it was dragged away like a fish caught on a hook. "Now that's a tail with some real torque." James said. "Stop it right now!" Ash yelled. "No chance dork!" Meowth exclaimed back.

"And since we need some power of our own, we'll take some of your Pokémon before we leave you alone!" Jessie exclaimed. Jessie threw out a Pokéball and Yanmega emerged and swooped down on the group of teens.

While everyone swatted at the dragonfly-Pokémon, Misty merely curled up into a ball, squealing at the bug/flying-type that was harassing her. Before they knew it, Yanmega had stolen Gyarados, Blastoise, and even Paul's Torterra.

"Hey, give them back!" Misty and Gary shouted. "If you don't give back Torterra right now, you won't live to see another day!" Paul threatened. Paul's threat fell on deaf ears as the member of Team Rocket merely laughed and began gaining altitude.

"What do you care cruel twerp?" James asked. "Just go and catch another one. That's what you always do." Jessie added. "Too da loo!" Team Rocket exclaimed. They gained even more altitude, but Ash just barely managed to grab onto the Gliscor bot's tail.

"No ya don't! Gligar, Gyarados, Blastoise, and Torterra are coming back with me!" Ash yelled. "We don't need the extra ballast." James said. "Drat, he's dragging us down." Jessie added. "I'll fix you! Staravia, Charizard, stop Team Rocket!" Ash yelled.

The two flying-types charged the robot with incredible speed, but Team Rocket was not about to give up their haul without a fight. "Seviper, use 'Haze'! And Yanmega, use 'Silver Wind'!" Jessie ordered. Seviper joined Yanmega in the battle, and launched the attacks at the two incoming Pokémon.

Staravia was completely overwhelmed by the combined attacks and crashed onto the ground in front of the other teens with a bang. When the smoke cleared, Staravia had fainted; however, Charizard had survived the attack and was determined to stay on course.

"Drat, that monstrous monster won't go down!" Jessie exclaimed. "Den we'll just hafta force it down!" Meowth exclaimed. Meowth pushed a button on his control pad, and one of the Gliscor bot's claws fired like a torpedo towards the fire/flying-type. Charizard fought to stay in the air, but the rocket firing from the other end of the claw was pushing hard, and Charizard had already been weakened by the other attack.

In the end, Charizard gave in and landed almost exactly in the same place Staravia did. It didn't faint, but it was well wedged into the ground. Another 'Haze' attack from Seviper finished the job, as Team Rocket seemingly disappeared.

"They're gone!" Brock exclaimed. "And they have Ash with them!" Misty exclaimed worriedly. "Don't worry, we'll find them!" Gary exclaimed determinedly. After having Happiny break Charizard free of its prison, Charizard growled into the sky, determined to find its master at all costs.

"Sorry big guy, but we'll need you since Team Rocket stole our strongest Pokémon." Brock said. Charizard grunted, but eventually gave in to the wishes of the eldest teen. "Paul, are you coming?" Brock asked. After a bit of hesitation, Paul opened his eyes and responded. "Fine, but only because I didn't get the chance to have Electabuzz fight that punk's Electivire."

"Fair enough, follow me you guys!" Gary exclaimed. The group barely ran for five seconds before Brock tripped on something. "It's Ash's Pokéballs." Misty said worriedly. "That means Ash doesn't have ANY help?" Dawn asked nervously. "Ash has Gligar, and that'll have to do." Gary said.

"Now you see why you should evolve Pokémon as soon as possible." Paul said. "Don't…start…or you'll wind up being carried instead of walking with us." Misty threatened menacingly. Paul was unfazed by Misty's face of stone, but said nothing more.

Ash's POV

Team Rocket had placed me and Gligar in a cage, a rather cramped one at that. It was times like these that made me wish I hadn't grown so tall, the cage would've been less claustrophobic. After the sun began to set, Team Rocket landed in a canyon, assured that the gang wouldn't find us. Gligar as usual was nervous and frightened, and I was getting irritated again, but then I remembered what got me in this situation in the first place. Acting harsh like Paul would get me nowhere; it was time to do what I did best.

"Calm down Gligar, the way they're eating, they'll fall asleep soon and we can escape! Take it from someone who knows: There's nothing like a nap after a meal."

It was true, Team Rocket was snarfing down cans of food almost three at a time, even I couldn't eat that fast. Gligar snickered at my joke and seemingly calmed down, I could only wonder however how Misty was holding up, I was really worried myself.

Normal POV

The sun was going down as the group followed the Pokémon Researcher through the forest. "We haven't found Ash and Gligar yet, and the sun's going down." Dawn said worriedly. "I know this terrain like the back of my hand, there just aren't that many places around here that Team Rocket's balloon could have touched down." Gary said.

"We've just gotta find them, I'm really worried about Ash." Misty said. "Why are you so concerned?" Gary asked. Misty dropped her jaw in disbelief. "What part of 'Ash and Misty are boyfriend and girlfriend' don't you understand?" Misty asked.

"Oh please, like I'm gonna believe that Ashy boy actually grew up and got an official girl." Gary snickered. "But earlier you said…" Misty stammered.

"Just a stunt to prove me wrong, that's something Ash would do after all." Gary said. "It's true!" Misty exclaimed. "This is a waste of time. Let's just find them so I can battle that Electivire." Paul said. "You arrogant creep! Don't you care about anything at all?" Misty screamed.

"I thought I made that clear already." Paul said. Misty had had enough. Misty yanked out her mallet and charged the purple-haired boy to give him a concussion he couldn't forget even if he caught amnesia.

Brock attempted to grab her and stop her, but he reacted too late. Unfazed by Misty's charging, Paul stood tall. "You wouldn't dare." Paul said smugly.

She'd dare. With a loud bang, Paul was knocked unconscious by the power of Misty's mallet. "I've been wanting to do that forever!" Misty exclaimed. "Great Misty, except he'll be really mad when he wakes up." Brock moaned. "I'll take that chance." Misty said simply.

Charizard picked Paul off of the ground and slung him over its shoulder until whenever he would wake up. "Now…what's it gonna take for you to believe it Gary?" Misty asked, mallet still in hand. "Put that mallet away first, you're making me nervous." Gary said. Misty swung her mallet just to give Gary a little jumpstart, and then she put it back to wherever she got it from.

"That's better…so, you wanna prove it eh Red?" Gary said. "That's what I said." Misty replied. "Alright then, here's what I want: When we find Ashy boy, I want you to run up to him and give him a kiss, ON THE LIPS, and if he kisses you back, I'll be convinced." Gary said, sure that Misty would refuse.

"Yeah, I wanna see that too!" Dawn exclaimed. "Need I state the obvious?" Brock added. "Guys!" Misty whined. "So Red, is it a deal?" Gary asked. "It's a deal." Misty said, much to Gary's surprise. "Boy, the things you do to make a joke." Gary said. "Well Gary, let's hurry it up so you can get your proof." Misty said determinedly.

"Fine then, let's go this way." Gary said. "We're right behind you Gary." Dawn said. And so the group of teens followed Gary into a canyon, and it wasn't long before the moon was shining in the sky.

Ash's POV

As I had predicted, Team Rocket fell asleep after the huge meal, although their grotesque sleeping habits made me a bit queasy. I thought to myself if I looked that way after a meal, I sure hoped not, Misty wouldn't appreciate it much. If there was ever a time to escape, the time was now. But I had dropped my Pokéballs before getting captured, so I didn't have any help, except for Gligar. If Gligar didn't step up now, I'd be in serious trouble.

"Great, now we can get out of here. Quick, face the bars and then use 'X-Scissor'." I said quietly, so as not to wake them up. Gligar acknowledged and slashed at the bars of the cage, but they didn't even budge. "One more time!" I said. Gligar tried again, but failed just as before.

I was about to order Gligar to try again, but the tears in its eyes stopped me. Gligar held up its claws for me to see, and showed me that they were turning red from slamming them against the bars. I smiled and reassured Gligar that I wasn't mad.

"Here, let me give it a try." I said. I slammed my shoulder into the bars of the cage as hard as I could, and boy did it hurt. When I looked at Gligar's face, it showed that it was awe-stricken. "One more time!" I slammed my shoulder into the cage again, and my hat actually fell off from the impact.

I didn't really think I could bust down the bars, but maybe I could encourage Gligar to fight the pain and try again. My training technique meant being one with Pokémon, that included trying what they try. But my shoulder was really hurting now.

I placed my hat back on my head and slammed into the cage one more time. This time I actually fell backwards from the pain of ramming into the bars. By now my shoulder felt numb, but I had to keep going. Just then, Gligar asked to try again, my plan had worked.

"Alright, 'X-Scissor' one more time!" I ordered. Gligar complied and slashed the bars of the cage, but it got no farther than I did. Gligar winced at the stinging pain, but showed no signs of giving up. With another slash, Gligar managed to loosen one of the bars, the first good sign of our attempt to escape.

"Just a little more, let's do it together! One, two, three!" On three we rammed at the bars together, and we finally regained our freedom as the bars collapsed. "Yeah Gligar, way to go!" I praised. Gligar happily accepted the praise, feeling more confident than it ever had before.

I sneaked around the camp, looking for the three Pokéballs that Team Rocket had stolen. Luckily, they had carelessly left them lying on the floor next to them, taking them back would be a cinch. I grabbed Gyarados and Blastoise, and then I reached for Torterra, but then I thought of something.

_"Why should I have to take care of Paul's Pokémon? Leaving Torterra here with Team Rocket would give Paul his just-desserts."_

But then I thought of something else. I remembered the look of concern that had snuck its way onto Paul's face for a second when Blastoise froze it solid.

_"I can't do it. It just wouldn't be right. Even if he doesn't care about his other Pokémon, Paul must have a soft spot somewhere for Torterra."_

I made up my mind and stuffed Torterra's Pokéball into my pocket, and then I tiptoed away to where Gligar was waiting for me. "I've got 'em! Let's move!" I exclaimed quietly.

Once we were out of ear-shot of Team Rocket, we ran as fast as we could. It wasn't long before we encountered…

"A hanging bridge. And a rickety one at that." I said. Gligar looked on with fear. The bridge looked like it could fall any second, there were holes where some of the wooden planks had fallen, and the ropes suspending the bridge looked old and weak. But it was the only way across, now I really wished I had Charizard with me.

"C'mon, let's go." I said. Gligar looked at me like I was crazy, but eventually gave in and clutched tightly to my leg. A sudden gust of wind almost knocked me and Gligar over, but I managed to hold on until the wind died down. If I fell now, my life would end, because there was nothing down below except the hard ground, and it was a LONG way down.

I carefully made my way across the bridge, but my heart stopped when the rope I was holding suddenly snapped. My entire life flashed before my eyes as the entire bridge collapsed while we fell. But I quickly grabbed onto a piece of rope that hadn't snapped yet and held on tight.

And just my luck, when I crashed into the canyon wall, I had slammed my already badly bruised shoulder, now it wasn't just numb, I thought my shoulder didn't exist anymore.

"Ok Gligar, you've gotta hang on tight!" I exclaimed. It was a good thing that all the training I did kept me in shape; not only did I have to hold my weight, but Gligar's as well. The only thing that got me to climb up the rope was the will to live and see another day.

After I reached the top, I dropped to my hands and knees, breathing heavily with both relief and fatigue. I clutched my badly hurt shoulder, which I thought couldn't possibly hurt anymore than it did at the moment.

Gligar made a nervous squeak, which I responded to gently. "I'm telling ya Gligar, you've got to stop worrying. Now the first thing we have to do is find another way to cross." I said.

I looked around and saw exactly what would do the trick. "I've got it…that'll work! Ok Gligar, use 'Steel Wing' to knock down that tree!" I ordered. Using Gary's spring trick, Gligar leaped into the air and hovered over the tree.

"That's it! Now give it all you got!" I cheered. I could tell that Gligar was nervous, but I couldn't have been prouder when Gligar sucked in its fear and slammed into the tree in an attempt to knock it down. Unfortunately, Gligar didn't get enough power into it and ended up being knocked back.

I saw that Gligar's claws were badly hurt now, but much to my surprise, Gligar got up and stared down the tree with a determination I had never seen it have before. "Use 'Steel Wing'!" I ordered. Gligar fearlessly leaped into the air once more.

"All you have to do is keep believing in yourself!" I cheered. Gligar apparently believed, because it knocked over the tree so fast that I couldn't believe it myself. "You did it Gligar! You did it!" I cheered.

Me and Gligar did a playful little dance to celebrate, and I pulled the Razor Fang out of my pocket. "I'm proud of you Gligar, you know what that means? You can use the Razor Fang and evolve if you want." I said. My emotional friend hugged me in sheer glee, its dreams were about to come true. Or so we thought.

"Alright jail-breakers, we'll take it from here." James said. "Back in the twerp box for you." Jessie added. "Can't you guys just give it a rest?" I yelled. "What? And miss out on playing with toys and messing with you?" Meowth replied.

"One Gligar please." James said. "Ta go!" Meowth exclaimed. The Gliscor-bot's tail fired again to grab Gligar, but I wouldn't let that happen again. I grabbed Gligar and took the hit for it, and ended up being suspended in mid-air.

There was only one thing to do. "Quick Gligar, you've gotta get moving!" I said. I dropped Gligar down the canyon, sure that it would know what to do.

"The twerp flipped!" Jessie screamed. "Bad twerp!" James yelled. "No you don't!" I yelled back. I tried to climb out of the clutches of their machine, but my shoulder just couldn't handle anymore. I slipped and fell down the canyon, and the first thing that came to my mind was that I'd never see Misty or any of my friends again.

But when I ended up passing Gligar in freefall, my hopes lifted. "Gligar, heads up! The Razor Fang, grab it!" I yelled. Gligar did, and when the white evolution light dissipated, Gligar was now a Gliscor.

I didn't have much time to be happy about it though, the ground was coming up fast. Luckily though, Gliscor swooped down and caught me in its claws, just in the nick of time. "Thanks Gliscor, what a catch!" I said. We weren't out of trouble yet though, Team Rocket had followed us down the canyon.

"Hey, Gligar's evolved into Gliscor." Meowth said. "Good, the spitting image of our Gliscor-bot." Jessie added. "That means OUR Gliscor will have someone to look up to." James added.

"Gliscor's MINE! Right Gliscor?" I exclaimed. Gliscor responded without even looking at me, it saw only its target: Team Rocket.

"Launching robo-tail!" Meowth exclaimed. Meowth pushed another button and the tail made a beeline for Gliscor. "X-Scissor', go!" I ordered. With new and incredible power, Gliscor easily deflected the tail with its attack. "Right on target!" I cheered.

I heard voices calling my name, and when I turned around I saw Misty and the others running towards me.

Normal POV

Upon seeing her beloved boyfriend, Misty ran ahead of the others to greet Ash with what she promised. She pressed her lips against his as she embraced the surprised trainer in a tight hug. And as surprised as Ash was, he had no trouble adjusting and kissed her back.

"I don't believe it!" Gary exclaimed in disbelief. "Well, you got your proof now." Dawn said as she gushed at the couple.

Misty broke the kiss and stared into Ash's chocolate-brown eyes. "I was so worried." she said. "I'm alright, hey, what happened to Paul?" Ash asked, noting that Charizard still had Paul hanging over his shoulder.

"Well…let's just say that he had a run in with something hard." Misty said, pulling out her mallet. Ash laughed and handed Misty and Gary back their Pokéballs. "Ash, is that who I think it is?" Brock asked. "You bet, my Gligar evolved into Gliscor." Ash replied.

"Awesome! And I can't get over how much stronger Gliscor's looking now." Dawn said. "Too bad Paul's not awake; he should see what real training can do." Misty said. "I still have to give him back Torterra too." Ash said.

"Not that this little reunion isn't interesting, but we do have a schedule to keep." Jessie said. "Get a load of an 'X-Scissor' with some REAL zizz!" Meowth exclaimed. The two claws of the Gliscor-bot fired.

"Gliscor, intercept with 'X-Scissor', now!" Ash ordered. Gliscor complied and launched its own attack to counter Team Rocket's, except this time it was knocked back slightly from the resulting explosion. "Gliscor, quick! Use your tail!" Ash yelled.

Gliscor grabbed onto a nearby branch with its tail, and started swinging on it to gain some momentum. "Alright, fly straight up!" Ash ordered. Gliscor acknowledged and met up with the Gliscor-bot in mid-air.

"Now, 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered. Gliscor charged the robot with breathtaking power, but Team Rocket seemed unfazed. "I think now would be a good time to show that our Gliscor-bot is more than just a pretty face." James said. "Heavy metal's never been so cool." Jessie added. "Our Gliscor-bot's steel wings rule!" Meowth yelled.

Team Rocket and their machine charged to face Gliscor in a duel of power. "Ok, get in there!" Ash yelled. The impact was made, and for a moment it seemed that Gliscor hadn't even scratched it. But a few seconds later, the robot split in half, leaving Team Rocket in an awkward position.

"Check it out!" Ash cheered. "No thank you!" Team Rocket exclaimed. "Wow, Gliscor sure looks strong." Gary said. "Yeah, and in total sync with Ash." Dawn added. Unnoticed by the gang, Paul was coming around.

The robot crashed onto the ground with a loud clatter, and Gliscor crashed into Ash affectionately. "Oh brother." Misty moaned. "Guess old habits die hard." Dawn said with a sweat-drop.

"Dat Gliscor's so big; one wrong move and da bosses' melon would be mush!" Meowth yelled. "Will you quit digressing?" James yelled. "Shut your mush-melon Meowth and help!" Jessie screamed.

"Ok Pikachu, use…huh?" Ash stopped when Paul charged ahead holding a Pokéball. "Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" he yelled.

Electabuzz emerged and launched a 'Thunder' attack at Team Rocket, who was sent blasting off when the robot exploded. "We're blasting off again!" *Ping*

As the group watched Team Rocket disappear from sight, the sun rose over the horizon in a grand display. "Hey, thanks Paul." Ash said. Paul walked by Ash without responding.

"Hey Paul, here's Torterra back!" Ash yelled. Ash tossed Torterra's Pokéball to Paul who caught it and stared at it for a few moments before turning to walk away. "Hey Paul, don't you wanna battle Electivire?" Gary asked. "I've wasted enough time here. I'm gone." Paul said without turning around.

The group watched the seemingly heartless trainer walk away, sure that they had seen a side of Paul that they most likely would never see again.

Afterwards, the group walked back to the forest to say goodbye to Gary. Ash's shoulder had been wrapped in a bandage to heal on the way. "Thanks Gary, you really helped us a lot." Ash said sincerely. "I didn't do anything." Gary said. "What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Ash, truth is YOU were the one who got us through all the rough spots." Gary said. Ash put his good hand behind his head and chuckled sheepishly. "Well if you say so, thanks." he said. "It's too bad you're off the market Red, I always thought you were kinda cute. You're my type after all." Gary said.

"Maybe…but Ash is more MY type." Misty replied, playfully sticking her tongue out at Gary. "Ashy boy, you make sure you treat her right." Gary said. "I wouldn't do anything less." Ash said.

"I hope you get a chance to see that legendary Pokémon." Brock said. "Thanks. I usually catch a break when I'm at the lake." Gary said.

Suddenly, Dawn gasped in realization. "Dawn, what's wrong?" Ash asked. "Gary just said: 'I usually catch a break when I'm at the lake'. That's a poem if I ever heard one! But what do you expect from the grandson of a poet?" Dawn said cheerfully.

Ash, Misty, and Brock sweat-dropped at that. Gary just chuckled sheepishly. "Ok then, here's another one Dawn. Stay healthy and strong and you'll NEVER go wrong." Gary said.

"Good one Gary." Ash said. "Words to live by!" Dawn exclaimed with shining eyes of admiration. "Well guys, it was nice seeing you again, later." Gary said. "Take care Gary." Ash said.

Gary turned to leave, and as soon as he was out of sight, Ash snuck a peek at Misty. "So, he thought you were cute huh?" Ash said. "At least he obviously has good taste." Misty joked. "And Gliscor, when it comes to serious training, we're just warming up." Ash said. Gliscor responded with a determined grunt.

The group turned to leave themselves, as they continued down the road of Sinnoh.  
_

**A/N: Ha! I bet you weren't expecting Paul to show up! And due to popular demand, Misty finally gave Paul his much-needed lump. xD Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and please review.**


	25. The Psyduck Stops Here

**I couldn't help but laugh as I wrote this chapter, this episode was one of my favorites even without Misty, so now it's just plain epic. xD I'm ashamed that it's taking so long for me to update, but I guess time makes quality, right? I would really like some more reviews, I acccept anonymous reviews, so please, if you take the time to read this, tell me what you think, it fuels me! At any rate, enjoy this chapter! I own nothing but the story.  
_**

Chapter 25

Misty's POV

Of all the people to meet up with in the middle of nowhere…we met up with Gary Oak? The coincidence was almost too much to handle. On the other hand, I was kind of glad we ran into him, he gave Paul a bit of a reality check. Speaking of Paul, I now thought that I might've been wrong about Paul being TOTALLY heartless towards Pokémon. His Torterra seemed to have a place somewhere in that angry soul of his. But that didn't mean I didn't have fun bashing his head in with my mallet, it had soooo much satisfaction involved.

And to top it all off, Ash's Gligar evolved into Gliscor and conquered its fear, and all it cost was…Ash's shoulder. I couldn't believe he didn't tell me about the pain he was in right away, I would've backed off instead of snaring him into a kiss…or would I have?

At any rate, we eventually bandaged him up so he could recover. Later on, we wound up in Hearthome City and Ash ran right for the gym to challenge the gym leader. And wouldn't you know? Ash did lose it when the leader still wasn't back. I tried to cool him off calmly, lovingly, eventually sternly, but he was really steamed. So I did something I was really wishing I would only have to save for Paul. I whacked him.

He calmed down really quickly then. Then, Dawn found someone she saw out of a magazine: Paris, the Pokémon Stylist. She had a gorgeous Lopunny with her, and when she saw Dawn's Buneary, she suggested that Dawn enter the Pokémon Collection. This was basically a Pokémon Fashion Show.

Ash was all for it, but I opted to stay out of it. I didn't want to be anymore like my sisters than I had become already. And there was this one really mean girl named Cocoa. She laughed at Buneary and practically called it ugly! Buneary felt just awful after that. But I managed to coax Pikachu into going to comfort her.

After a bit of friendly encouragement from Pikachu, Buneary felt on top of the world again and gave the coy electric-type a hug, which Pikachu very, VERY, slowly reciprocated. I guessed that Pikachu would eventually turn from Ash's old personality into Ash's newer, mature one. No one was more surprised than Buneary when Pikachu actually reciprocated the gesture.

Pikachu might've crawled out of his own skin if Dawn didn't go get Buneary so that they could design their outfits. Brock ended up designing Ash's outfit, and Dawn did her own thing. The next day the competition started, and believe it or not, Dawn won! And all she and Buneary wore was a simple yet beautiful white dress.

She used her coordinator skills to make the perfect design that would show off her Pokémon's natural abilities and appearances; I thought Pikachu's eyes were gonna pop out of his head as he watched Buneary skate across the ice of her own 'Ice Beam'.

Speaking of Pikachu, I had myself one heck of a long laugh when Ash and Pikachu came out on stage in their outfits, and the rest of the audience did too. Ash practically had no clothes on! Just enough to cover the important parts, but Ash seemed to have no shame; he marched along the stage with Pikachu, having the time of his life, but I made sure to give him a good-natured heckling afterwards.

But this event did not go without its bad turning points. Team Rocket appeared AGAIN to try and take Pokémon AGAIN, and we sent them packing AGAIN. Same old, same old.

Oh, and I did I mention that Cocoa ran away crying when she lost? Maybe it was wrong that I was happy about that, but hey, she deserved it. After everything ended, we said goodbye to our new friend, and headed to Celestic Town for Dawn's next contest, which we were doing right now, as we walked through a narrow ravine.

Normal POV

"How much further Brock? My feet are killing me." Misty groaned. "According to the map, Celestic Town is right past this ravine." Brock replied. "I can't wait to get there, we'll be able to chill out and relax until Dawn's contest." Ash said. "You better rest that shoulder of yours Ash." Misty warned. "Oh yeah? What if I don't?" Ash asked. "I'll put you in traction if you don't." Misty replied.

"Love you too Mist." Ash said as he rolled his eyes at his fiery girlfriend. "Rolling your eyes can be a dangerous thing to do with a girlfriend." Misty warned playfully. "Uh, hey guys, what's up there?" Dawn asked.

Sure enough, there was something up ahead. The group trudged forward and saw a trio of Psyduck, holding their heads in their hands from the constant headache they always had. "Great, one Psyduck isn't enough, now here's three more." Misty said, annoyed.

"Psyduck, the duck Pokémon. When a Psyduck's headache gets severe, it starts emitting odd powers." Dawn's Pokédex said.

"It takes a lot to do that, believe me." Misty groaned. "Well, they're in our way, and we have to get through here!" Dawn exclaimed. "We could always ask them." Brock suggested. Ash did just that.

"Hi, mind if we get through?" Ash asked. The Psyduck suddenly growled, and their eyes began to glow an eerie purple color. "I don't think I like this!" Brock exclaimed nervously. Before the teens knew it, they were being held in mid-air by the Psyduck's 'Confusion' attack. They were sent thrown back, and poor Ash grasped his pained shoulder that had been healing well up until now.

"Hey! What do they think they're doing?" Dawn screamed. "We were only trying to pass by!" Brock added. "Brock, come over here and help me re-bandage Ash's shoulder." Misty said, resentment for the Psyduck growing stronger in her voice.

Ash quickly let go of his shoulder and stood up. "Forget it Misty, I'm fine!" Ash insisted. "But Ash, you've got to heal!" Misty exclaimed. "Worry about me later, but if those Psyduck want to play rough, I'll play rough!" Ash yelled determinedly.

Ash and Pikachu both charged the Psyduck in hopes that they would back down, but instead the Psyduck fired a 'Hidden Power' attack that knocked them right back where they came from. "Ash! If you keep this up, your shoulder will end up broken instead of bruised!" Misty screamed.

With MUCH reluctance, Ash kneeled onto the ground and let Misty tend to him, but his gaze never averted from the Psyduck. "What's up with them anyway?" Ash asked angrily. "It looks like the Psyduck have put up some kind of roadblock." Brock said.

"Or maybe they're just being pains like they're supposed to be." Misty spat. "I thought you liked ALL water-types Misty?" Dawn asked. "Not when they purposely hurt my friends." Misty replied. "We could always try another way." Brock suggested.

"What is the fastest alternate route?" Dawn asked. "Let's see…if we can't get through here…we'll have to retrace our steps and go all the way around." Brock said, as he scanned the map for another way.

"What? But that'll take days and days! We'll miss the contest!" Dawn exclaimed. "Don't worry, we're getting through here or else!" Ash yelled angrily. With a newly bandaged arm, Ash stomped up to the Psyduck trio with clenched fists. "If you're gonna be like that, then I'm gonna be like this!" Ash said menacingly.

"Ok! Turtwig, I choose you!" With his good shoulder, Ash tossed out his grass-type's Pokéball and got himself pumped for the battle. Turtwig appeared and did the same.

"Turtwig, use 'Razor Leaf'!" Ash ordered. Turtwig complied and launched a flurry of leaves at the three water-types. But the three Psyduck easily countered with their 'Hidden Power', and Ash did not appreciate that at all.

"Turtwig, now use 'Bite'!" Ash ordered. Turtwig charged the three Pokémon and managed to bite onto one of their heads, but the remaining two Psyduck used 'Confusion' to remove Turtwig and throw him back towards his master.

"Turtwig! You alright?" Ash asked with concern. Turtwig nodded in response. "Good. Turtwig, return." Ash said, as he returned his grass-type to its ball. "I think I'll give it a shot next!" Misty exclaimed as she clutched a Pokéball in her hand.

But out of the blue, Piplup began chirping in an attempt to communicate. "You want us to leave this up to you?" Dawn asked. Piplup nodded, and walked up to the three Psyduck and began chirping away.

"Piplup's up to something." Ash said. "It almost sounds like Piplup's negotiating." Dawn said. "Piplup? Negotiate?" Ash asked in shock. "We tried negotiation already; we got thrown out as a result." Misty hissed. "Maybe they'll listen to another Pokémon then?" Brock said hopefully.

Their hopes were shot down when the three Psyduck launched another 'Hidden Power' attack at the small penguin-Pokémon. Piplup was knocked to the ground, but it quickly got up in a rage; Dawn, ironically enough, had the same rage because her Pokémon had been maliciously attacked.

"You can't do that to my Piplup! 'Bubblebeam', let's go!" Dawn ordered. Piplup fired, but the attack was merely sent back to hit Piplup thanks to the Psyduck's 'Confusion' attack. "Piplup, use 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered.

Piplup launched its most powerful attack at the three duck-Pokémon, sure that this one could not be so easily stopped. They were half right. It wasn't easy, but the three Psyduck were able to divert the whirlpool away from themselves, and then send Piplup flying as well.

When Dawn went to check on Piplup, she found that it had fainted. "Those Psyduck." she hissed angrily, "Take a long rest."

"That did it! I'm fighting water with water! Misty calls Staryu!" With a strong softball-like throw, Misty's sea-star Pokémon emerged with a battle-shout.

"Use 'Water Gun'!" Misty ordered. Staryu launched a high-powered stream of water at the duck-Pokémon, but they merely countered with their own attack of 'Hidden Power'.

"Alright, use 'Swift'!" Misty ordered. Staryu spun and launched a flurry of stars at the three Psyduck. But once again it was countered, by yet another 'Hidden Power' attack. "(Growl) Alright, ram them down with 'Rapid Spin'!" Misty ordered.

Staryu attempted to charge them, but it turned into a failure as the Psyduck used 'Confusion' to take Staryu off course and slam it into the side of the ravine. Staryu's red light began a weak flashing, signaling its defeat. "These Psyduck are nothing like mine." Misty hissed.

"Croagunk, come on out!" Brock called out his poison/fighting-type and readied himself for battle. "Use 'Poison Sting'!" Brock ordered. Croagunk fired sharp needles of poison at the trio of Psyduck, but again the attack was diverted back at them by 'Confusion'.

"Quick Croagunk, use 'Poison Jab'!" Brock ordered. Croagunk charged ahead to try and punch the Psyduck with a poisonous hand, but their 'Hidden Power' kept Croagunk away. The they used 'Confusion' once more and smashed Croagunk into the wall, leaving it fainted.

"Croagunk's had it!" Brock yelled. "These Psyduck haven't launched a single water-type move at us. Maybe we can use some fire-power!" Misty exclaimed.

"In that case, Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash threw out another Pokéball, and this time his small fire-type emerged to face the Psyduck. "Use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered.

Chimchar spewed a powerful flame at the three Psyduck, but they easily countered with the one move they hadn't used yet: 'Water Gun'. Chimchar was knocked back by the combined water jets and rolled backwards before finally stopping.

"They're just too strong!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash returned Chimchar to its Pokéball, and then an evil ring of laughter was heard from the top of the ravine.

"Team Rocket!" the group yelled.

"We've been monitoring your twerpish mayhem!" Jessie exclaimed. "That trio of troublemakers seems to have you sad sacks stymied!" James added. "You're more yellow den dey are!" Meowth added.

"Oh yeah? And I suppose YOU could do better than US?" Ash yelled angrily. "As a matter of fact, our knowledgeable knowhow will get us past them lickety split!" James said smugly. "Oh please, you don't have the brains to pull something like that off!" Misty screamed.

"Well twerpette, I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas. But since we're grownups the word 'can't' is not part of our vocabulary!" Jessie exclaimed. "Really? Bet 'loser's' part of it!" Dawn jeered. Team Rocket face-faulted and groaned. "Good one Dawn!" Misty cheered.

Misty high-fived the younger girl on a heckle well done. "Quit stealin' da punch line and watch this!" Meowth yelled. Team Rocket leaped down into the chasm, rather impressively in fact, and approached the Psyduck with a strangely high amount of confidence.

"Alrighty then Meowth, your move." Jessie said. "It's time to find your negotiation groove!" James added. "Just watch me sweet talk these three wacky worry warts!" Meowth exclaimed. With that, Meowth began talking to the Psyduck, trying to find some way to reason with them.

"Are they negotiating too?" Ash asked. "Your guess is as good as mine." Brock replied. "Do you think it'll work?" Dawn asked. "Same with your guess as well." Brock replied. "All I know is that if it does work, I'll need someone to use 'Water Gun' on my face." Misty said. "Why's that Misty?" Dawn asked. "To prove I'm not dreaming." Misty replied.

After a bit more mumbling from Meowth, the Psyduck had had enough. They used 'Confusion' once more and held Team Rocket in mid-air. After slamming Team Rocket's heads together in the air, the Psyduck sent them packing.

"What kind of negotiation was that?" James yelled. "Da wrong kind!" Meowth replied. "Not on THEIR part!" Jessie added.

"We're blasting off again!" *Ping*

"They need to get a hobby or something." Ash said with a sweat-drop. "I'm actually kind of glad they failed." Misty said. "Why's that Misty?" Dawn asked. "Now I know for sure that I'm not dreaming." Misty replied. The group face-faulted at that.

"Well, obviously those Psyduck won't respond to the gentle approach, and they're too strong to fight." Dawn said. "Maybe if we had a mixture of both." Brock suggested. "What do you mean Brock?" Misty asked. Brock called out his Happiny who gave a happy squeal upon release.

"Maybe they won't fight back against a baby Pokémon." Brock suggested. "Oh no, you're not getting Azurill anywhere near those three!" Misty screamed defensively, holding Azurill's Pokéball far out of reach. "Come on Misty, we've gotta try!" Ash exclaimed. "We just can't go all the way around!" Dawn exclaimed pleadingly.

Misty gave a sad sigh and released Azurill, who emerged in her arms. "You listen to Uncle Brock, ok?" Misty said. Azurill nodded and nuzzled Misty's cheek affectionately before joining Happiny to face the Psyduck on the dusty trail.

"Happiny, Azurill, think you could get those Psyduck out of the way?" Brock asked. Happiny and Azurill nodded. "Ok, then let's get to it!" Brock exclaimed. Happiny and Azurill charged the trio of Psyduck.

But despite the fact that they were baby Pokémon, the Psyduck attacked anyway, although with noticeably less power than their previous 'Hidden Power's'. Both Happiny and Azurill were knocked into a nearby rock, and they landed on the ground with a thud. Azurill began crying, but Happiny was now steamed.

"Azurill!" Misty cried. She ran to pick up her baby water-type and console it, but not before giving Brock the iciest glare she had ever given in her life. "Sorry, but we had to try." Brock said nervously. Misty merely glared again before going back to softly cooing in the sniffling baby's ear.

Suddenly, Happiny got up and picked up an enormous boulder, practically daring the Psyduck to stop the next attack. "Whoa, look!" Dawn exclaimed. The group watched in awe as Happiny held the huge boulder, but became nervous when Happiny began to falter.

"H-Happiny! Put down the rock please!" Brock cried. That, unfortunately, was not an option. The group ran around frantically to avoid being crushed by the enormous boulder. Happiny eventually tripped up, and the boulder was smashed to pieces upon impact with the ravine walls.

"Happiny, are you ok?" Brock asked worriedly. Happiny opened its eyes to its master, but eventually fainted just from pure exhaustion.

"I've got an idea!" Dawn exclaimed suddenly. "It better not involve Azurill." Misty warned, hugging Azurill to her chest. "Don't worry; this is a one Pokémon plan." Dawn reassured. "Then knock yourself out." Misty said.

"Swinub, it's your turn! Take a shot!" Dawn called out her newest Pokémon, who readied itself to take its first official orders from its new master.

"Dig', let's go!" Dawn ordered. Swinub did just that. It dug a hole to avoid its attack being countered by the three Psyduck. "I'm sure it'll work if Swinub launches an underground attack!" Dawn exclaimed. "Great idea!" Ash exclaimed. "A much better plan than what SOMEONE came up with." Misty sneered; still upset that Brock's plan had caused Azurill pain.

Just when the group thought they had figured out an effective strategy, the trio of Psyduck used 'Confusion' once more, lifting Swinub up and out of the hole, and then they let go, sending Swinub plummeting down to earth.

"Swinub! Are you alright?" Dawn asked worriedly. Swinub gave a pained moan before Dawn returned the pig-Pokémon to its Pokéball. "So much for that idea." Misty moaned. "Now what're we gonna do?" Ash asked. "There's just got to be some explanation as to why those three are acting in such an angry and forceful way." Brock said.

"I've got it! Misty, don't you have a Psyduck too?" Dawn asked. "Hey yeah! Maybe Psyduck can find out why those Psyduck are acting the way they are!" Ash exclaimed. "You guys do remember who you're talking about right? My Psyduck can't even walk straight." Misty groaned.

"Come on Mist, what've you got to lose?" Ash asked. "My dignity for one thing…fine…I'll call out Psyduck." Misty said reluctantly. She grabbed Psyduck's Pokéball and almost tossed it, but Psyduck popped out while the ball was still in her hand, giving Misty a slight shock.

"Why can't you just wait until I call you?" Misty moaned, already regretting the whole idea. "Psy." (Sorry.) Psyduck replied. "Psyduck, go and talk to those other Psyduck and find out why they won't let us by." Misty said.

Apparently understanding, Psyduck turned and walked up to its wild counterparts. But for quite a few moments, the Psyduck merely stared at each other, observing the other. "At least the Psyduck aren't attacking this time." Ash said. "But it doesn't look like we're getting anywhere with this." Brock added.

After a few more moments of staring, Misty's Psyduck finally did what it was told. It asked the three Psyduck why they were making the roadblock. For the first time all day, one of the Psyduck actually spoke up and explained their situation. Apparently the Psyduck had an extremely valid reason, because upon the explanation ending, Psyduck's eyes grew in shock before it turned to walk away.

"Awesome job Psyduck! So what'd they say?" Misty asked, beaming with pride at her normally dopey Pokémon. Misty's pride vanished almost immediately and was replaced with rage. Psyduck had purposely pushed the return button on his Pokéball and disappeared from sight.

"Psyduck! Get back out here!" Misty screamed angrily. Psyduck was forced back out of its ball, and it looked up at its master with confusion. "Psyduck, what…did…they…say?" Misty asked through clenched teeth. Psyduck merely shook its aching head. "Whaddya mean NO?" Misty screamed furiously. Psyduck ignored its master's rage, and withdrew back into its ball.

Misty growled and picked up Psyduck's Pokéball off the ground, swinging her arms frantically with pure rage. "The one time I ask you to do something and you refuse to do it? You just stay in there you…you…dope." Misty threw down Psyduck's Pokéball and huffed, crossing her arms in frustration.

The trio of Psyduck freaked out upon seeing their fellow Psyduck being abused by the red-headed girl and used 'Confusion' on Misty to get her to stop. "Aah! Ash, help!" Misty cried. Ash tried to help. He ran underneath Misty wherever the Psyduck held her.

"Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt' and get those Psyduck to let her down!" Ash ordered. Pikachu charged the Psyduck with sparking red cheeks, and unleashed a furious 'Thunderbolt' on the three Psyduck. Forced to stop their attack and counter, the Psyduck dropped Misty onto the waiting cushion that was Ash's body and countered Pikachu's 'Thunderbolt' with a blast of 'Hidden Power'.

"Oof, you alright Misty?" Ash strained. "I feel a little dizzy…but otherwise I'm ok." Misty said woozily. She slowly got up to her feet and steadied herself, while Ash took in a deep breath and stared down the three Psyduck with rage.

"No one does that to my friends! It's time for the heavy artillery! Charizard, I choose you!" Ash called out his most powerful Pokémon to teach the Psyduck a lesson they'd never forget. "Alright, get them out of the way with 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered.

Charizard charged ahead with glowing wings of steel, but the Psyduck were not just going to stand there and be hit. They teamed up for 'Water Gun' and tried to hold Charizard back. And although Charizard was substantially slowed down by the damage the water was doing, it eventually broke free of the attack and sent one of the Psyduck flying.

"Yeah Charizard! One down, two to go!" Ash cheered. But his cheer was premature, as one Psyduck fired 'Water Gun' at the large fire-type to keep it at bay, and the other used 'Confusion' to bring back the one that Charizard had seemingly gotten rid of.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Misty screamed. "Alright Charizard, show them your 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard spewed a flame that almost doubled in power in comparison to Chimchar's 'Flamethrower', but the three Psyduck were just barely able to hold it back with the combined 'Water Gun' attacks.

"That does it! Use 'Seismic Toss' on all of them!" Ash ordered. Charizard charged ahead once more to grab the trio of Psyduck and knock them out simultaneously, but the three Psyduck's 'Confusion' attack slowed Charizard down.

With its master's encouragement ringing in its ears, Charizard broke free of the psychic-attack and grabbed the three Psyduck, did three mid-air flips, and then slammed the Psyduck trio into the ground, leaving Charizard exhausted, but nevertheless, victorious.

"You did it Charizard!" The group cheered for the powerful dragon who had exhausted himself from attacking and withstanding attacks. But just when they thought they'd actually get through, they couldn't believe what they saw coming from the other side of the ravine.

"Please tell me I'm seeing things!" Dawn cried. "I wish I could, but here come some more Psyduck!" Brock replied. Sure enough, a new trio of Psyduck now stood in their way, allowing the defeated Psyduck to walk away with no further damage. Charizard's jaw dropped in disbelief. All that work only to find out that…

"They work in shifts!" Misty cried. Indeed they did. And the battle had carried over to their shift, so the new Psyduck combined their attacks for one strong 'Water Gun', and Charizard could take no more. It fainted.

"Thanks for your help Charizard…return." Ash sadly recalled his powerful friend, and looked at his human friends with an expression of utter exasperation. "Now what?" he asked.

The group sat in a circle on the ground, as if in a huddle trying to pick out their next strategy. "How's your head?" Ash asked. "Ironically, now it hurts like one of those Psyduck's. Getting hit with a psychic-attack is no fun." Misty replied, holding her head like a Psyduck.

Ash placed the red-headed trainer's head on his good shoulder, allowing Misty to relax and try to ease the pain of her mild migraine. "How's your shoulder?" she asked. "Ahh, it's a little sore, but I think I'm alright." Ash replied.

"Here Misty, take this for your headache." Brock said, handing Misty two pills and a water bottle. "What are these?" Misty asked, as she swallowed Brock's prescription. "Calcium and Magnesium. It'll take care of that headache in no time. Until then, try to relax." Brock said.

Misty gingerly nodded her aching head and leaned back onto Ash's waiting shoulder. "Now let's think about this, what could be so important that the Psyduck have to fight to keep us away?" Brock asked. "Maybe the Psyduck are trying to warn us about trouble ahead." Dawn suggested. "But that's not worth keeping a secret. If there was trouble, why did Psyduck refuse to tell us what they said?" Misty asked.

"I don't know, maybe it's just your Psyduck being loopy?" Dawn asked. "Psyduck, believe it or not, has gotten me out of jams before." Misty said. "Yeah, I remember when Team Rocket captured you and Psyduck found us and told us where you were." Ash said.

"Then Psyduck should have a valid reason for not telling us." Brock said. "Well we've got to find out one way or another, any ideas?" Misty asked. After a bit of looking around, Ash spotted a ledge where the answer to their question would be found.

"Maybe I can get up there to see past the Psyduck, I'll just fly over them!" Ash said. "But Ash, Charizard's had enough, I don't think he can fly you over them." Misty said. "Besides, Charizard would be too easily spotted by those Psyduck." Brock added.

"No sweat, I'll just use Gliscor and hang onto his legs." Ash added. "Ash, are you sure?" Dawn asked nervously. "No need to worry, everything will be fine." Ash reassured. "One question big guy, you intend to climb up there with YOUR shoulder?" Brock asked. "Hmm…that might be a problem." Ash said, clutching his aching shoulder.

"I can get him up there. If Charizard can be a plane, then Gyarados can be an elevator." Misty said. "Thanks Mist. Alright, we have a plan!" Ash exclaimed. The group stood up to give Misty some space. Brock gave noticeably more than everyone else.

With a light toss, Misty called out her water-dragon who gave an intimidating roar upon release. The three Psyduck cringed and tensed, but slowly relaxed when Gyarados made no hostile movements against them. "Gyarados, get us up to that ledge please." Misty said. Gyarados nodded and lowered its head for Ash and Misty to climb on.

It then slowly raised its head up to the ledge, and safely deposited Ash and Misty onto the ledge. "Thanks Gyarados." Misty said. Gyarados nodded before returning to its ball. "You sure you don't want to think about this Ash? I mean…Gliscor?" Misty asked. "Don't worry Mist, Gliscor can do it." Ash reassured.

Misty gave Ash a look that said she didn't believe that statement. "Ok fine, he can try at least. Besides, like you said, Charizard's exhausted." Ash said. "I'm starting to regret pointing that out." Misty said. Ash gave a small chuckle and pulled out a Pokéball.

"Ok, Gliscor, I choose you!" Ash called out the fang-scor Pokémon, who had apparently learned its lesson and decided to land on the ground and not Ash's face. "Ok, here's the deal. We need to fly there." Ash said, pointing off into the distance.

Gliscor looked into the distance nervously, which was quickly picked up by his trainer. "Oh, I get it. You're worried that there's not enough wind." Ash said in understanding. "Remember when you came to get me Ash? You used Staravia for wind." Misty said. "Hey yeah! Ok, Staravia, I need your help too!" Ash threw out another Pokéball, and Staravia emerged with a shrill cry.

"Alright, when I say go, I want you to flap up some wind!" Ash exclaimed. "Ash, remember to be careful!" Dawn exclaimed. All of a sudden, Brock returned, wearing a Mexican outfit and a sombrero, holding six Pokéball maracas. "What…are those? And why are you dressed up like that?" Dawn asked in shock.

"I thought if we could distract the Psyduck, they wouldn't notice Ash while he's in the air with Gliscor. Now come on, let's hurry!" Brock exclaimed.

Despite Dawn's cries of protest, Brock grabbed the bewildered coordinator by the wrist and handed her two maracas, while Ash and Misty laughed at the scene from the ledge. Brock was now dancing in front of the Psyduck, keeping them occupied. "For the girls, yeah! Mmmm!"

Dawn watched awkwardly as Brock continued to dance. "Dawn, you too!" Brock exclaimed quietly. "Come on, you're not serious, are you?" Dawn asked. "I'm afraid he is!" Misty exclaimed with a laugh. "Misty, I've got some for you too!" Brock exclaimed. "Err, no thanks, I have to stay here and watch for Ash." Misty replied.

"Suit yourself; we'll just have some fun down here!" Brock exclaimed. Brock continued to dance and chant, and reluctantly the blue-haired coordinator danced along. _"I look like an idiot doing this!"_ she thought bitterly.

"Poor Dawn, I feel sorry for her." Misty said, as she quietly snickered at the coordinator's misfortune. "Well, this is it. Wish me luck Mist." Ash said. With a quick peck on his cheek, Misty did just that. "Good luck Ash, and be careful."

"Alright, Staravia, let's flap up some wind!" Ash ordered. Staravia complied and flapped its wings, creating a powerful gust. "Alright, Gliscor, get going!" Ash yelled. Jumping into the gust of wind at its back, Gliscor flapped frantically and plummeted to earth, but eventually regained its composure and swooped back into the air.

On Gliscor's next pass, Ash grabbed onto its legs and held on, leaving Misty to watch and wait for his return. _"He's toast."_ Misty thought. She tried to keep her mind off of Ash by watching the amusing show which consisted of Brock making a fool of himself and Dawn being humiliated to even know the wacky breeder.

Ash's POV

"Yeah, Gliscor you're doing really great!" I tried to encourage my newly evolved Pokémon to fly in a straight pattern, but I couldn't stop myself from thinking that I would prefer to ride Charizard any day. But as long as Gliscor was flying straight, I wouldn't complain.

"Alright Gliscor, keep it going! Now we're getting somewhere!" I noted that we had now passed the three Psyduck sentries, and we were soon to finding out exactly what was going on. But I felt my heart skip a beat when Gliscor's flight pattern began to falter.

"Gliscor, we're not there yet! Ok, Staravia, more wind!" Barking out that order would prove to be a mistake. With the extra wind backing it, Gliscor began to fly wild, and we headed straight for the canyon wall.

"Gliscor, change direction!" I yelled, "Change direction! CHANGE DIRECTION!" *Bang* We smashed into the side of the cliff.

"I told you to get away from the cliff!" *Bang* We crashed again.

"Fly straight! PLEASE fly straight!" After that, Gliscor did fly straight. Straight into the cliff. After crashing into the cliff, we tumbled back to the ground with a painful thud. Miraculously, my shoulder didn't get any worse, although my head was throbbing a bit.

"Well…guess we're gonna have to work on your flying some more." After I said that, Gliscor's eyes watered up again. I guessed Dawn was right. Old habits die hard; at least he didn't smash my face as often.

"Hey, it's ok! One step at a time!" I said encouragingly, "Gliscor, return."

After returning my emotional Pokémon, me, Pikachu, and Staravia headed through the canyon. "I betcha we're gonna find out why the Psyduck are trying so hard to stop us real soon." I said.

My Pokémon got on guard, ready for whatever we would find on our investigation. We ran through the nearby forest that happened to be on the other side of the ravine, and what we saw when we got there was a complete surprise. "Whoa, more Psyduck…but what're they all doing?"

I walked around the body of water, trying to stay out of sight of the Psyduck that surrounded it. And who would've guessed what we saw: the trio of Psyduck that Charizard had previously defeated and of all the things they were holding…

"They've all got Psyduck eggs! So that means they're taking turns protecting those eggs!"

Now that we had the information we needed, we snuck away from the lake and headed back to the canyon. I climbed up to another ledge and called out Gliscor once more. I hoped with every fiber of my being that Gliscor could fly right this time.

Normal POV

Back at the Psyduck roadblock, Brock was still chanting and dancing; Dawn had given up dancing a long time ago, and Misty was still keeping a watchful eye out for Ash.

"For the girls, yeah! Mmmm! La la la la la la, I kinda like this song, la la la la la la!" Brock was apparently enjoying music that came from his own mind, and he showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. "Would you shut up already Brock? You're making my headache come back!" Misty screamed from above. She rolled her eyes when Brock ignored her completely.

"How much longer are you going to do this? I don't think the Psyduck are even watching anymore!" Dawn exclaimed. Apparently the tired and sweaty breeder had heard her, and had also worn his Mexican outfit for too long, as he answered back with a loud and despaired: "Qué?"

Meanwhile, Misty had spotted something in the distance. "Here comes Ash!" she shouted. Indeed he was coming, and he was shouting something desperately.

"Please Gliscor, you gotta pull up! Please, please pull up! Pull up now!" Ash yelled. Gliscor simply could not comply. He continued to inadvertently descend; they got so low that eventually Ash's foot whacked one of the Psyduck in the back of the head. The Psyduck trio looked around in bewilderment, and their sight finally locked onto the wacky Gliscor.

"Straighten out! No, left! No, no, left! LEFT!" Ash yelled desperately. All cries of protest were quickly put to a halt. Ash and Gliscor crashed into the side of the canyon, which brought sweat-drops from Misty, Dawn, and Brock.

Ash and Gliscor hit the ground with a thud, and his friends wasted no time tending to him. "You ok?" they asked simultaneously. "Yeah, I'm fine." Ash replied. Perhaps Ash was fine, but Gliscor moaned a bit. "Thanks for your help Gliscor. Return." Ash said.

Gliscor happily returned to its Pokéball for a well-deserved rest. "How's your shoulder?" Misty asked. "Believe it or not, it doesn't feel any different. But wait until I tell you what I found!" Ash replied. The teens got back into their huddled circle to listen Ash's scouting report.

"So all the Psyduck had eggs?" Dawn asked. "Yep, all of them! They were all just hanging out, keeping them warm." Ash replied. "Now I know why Psyduck wouldn't tell. It was too personal." Misty said.

"And at such a personal and important time like this, it makes sense that they don't want people coming anywhere near them." Brock added.

"You know, if we could just let them know that we mean them no harm, I'm sure they'd let us through!" Ash exclaimed. "But every time we try to get near them they attack." Misty said. "Oh yeah, good point." Ash said.

Suddenly, an explosion was heard nearby and the despaired quacking of the three Psyduck was heard soon after. "What now?" Ash yelled.

Jessie: "It's not a matter of what, but rather who!"

James: "Though asking why is strictly taboo!"

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "I see you!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "Rocking your twerpish world in a snap!"

James: "Making everything worse while fitting the flap!"

Jessie: "It's Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"

Jessie: "When you're a team, you're a team all the way!"

James: "And that means Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "Here to stay!"

"Yeah, like a bad dream!" Dawn screamed. "They're worse than that, bad dreams go away; they're more like warts. You can't get rid of them!" Misty added.

"Funny, taking that trio will be easy when they forget to DUCK." Jessie said, ignoring the insults thrown at her and her two male teammates. With a push of a button, three suction cups descended from the balloon, ready to snag the Psyduck trio.

"Stop it! Those Psyduck are only trying to protect their friends!" Ash yelled. "You have no right to take them, ESPECIALLY at such an important time!" Misty added. Team Rocket ignored them completely. The suction cups grabbed onto the heads of the now panicking Psyduck.

"They're asking for it now!" Misty screamed. "You've got that right, let's teach them a lesson!" Dawn added.

"Alright Staravia, use 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash ordered. Staravia popped out of her Pokéball with a shrill cry, and wasted no time going into the attack. "Knock 'Aerial Ace' on its face!" James countered. With a push of a button, a mechanical arm came out from the bottom of the balloon and nailed Staravia with a punch. The stunned bird fell to the ground, leaving Ash stunned as well.

"My turn! Misty calls Gyarados!" With a powerful and threatening roar, Gyarados emerged and stared down the holder of the remote control. James almost literally melted with fear at how close Gyarados was to him, and he dropped the remote before going into a fetal position. Jessie and Meowth sweat-dropped at that.

"Use your teeth and pop that balloon!" Misty ordered. Gyarados backed up to build up speed, and then leaped towards the balloon with gleaming fangs. "Time to break a few teeth!" Jessie exclaimed, taking over on the remote control. The arm charged towards the water-dragon to knock it back. But Gyarados' power was too much to handle.

Gyarados ripped through the metal of their arm and obliterated the balloon with one powerful chomp. After a loud shriek from Team Rocket, the balloon quickly crashed, leaving the trio of Psyduck on the floor. "Hey you Psyduck, are you alright?" Ash exclaimed, as he and his friends ran to check up on the ducks.

Team Rocket was stunned for a moment, but they quickly got back up, ready for a battle.

"Quick Yanmega, move it!"

"You join the party too Carnivine!"

After Carnivine took a detour to bite onto James' head, the two Pokémon got into battle-ready stance. "Alright Yanmega, use 'Sonic Boom'!" Jessie ordered. With one powerful swing of its wings, Yanmega sent a shock wave of sound towards the group.

"Quick, Buneary, 'Ice Beam'!" Dawn threw out a Pokéball and joined the battle, sending out her rabbit Pokémon to counter Yanmega's 'Sonic Boom' with a powerful ice-type attack. The attacks collided with a bang, and the battle continued with neither side taking damage.

"Carnivine, go! Bash them with 'Bullet Seed'!" James ordered. Carnivine complied, and small energized seeds started raining down on the group.

"Chimchar, come out and use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash's smaller fire-type came out and spewed a flame to counter the grass-attack. Although the flame was slightly weaker thanks to Chimchar's brief battle with the Psyduck, it was more than sufficient to counter Carnivine's 'Bullet Seed'.

"Your turn Politoed! Use 'Double Slap'!" Misty threw out another Pokéball, and this time her frog Pokémon emerged and slapped Carnivine with multiple strikes.

"Let's finish the job! Chimchar, 'Flame Wheel', let's go!" Ash ordered. Chimchar complied and enveloped itself in fire; it then charged the two Team Rocket Pokémon to send them flying.

And with a little help from the Psyduck's combined 'Water Gun', Yanmega and Carnivine were knocked back hard, and the explosion from the finished attacks sent Team Rocket into the air.

"This is ridiculous!" Jessie cried. "An insult!" Meowth added. "For the second time…" James paused so that they could say:

"We're blasting off again!" *Ping*

After that, Ash and Co. recalled their Pokémon and cautiously made their way up to the trio of Psyduck. "Hey you Psyduck, thanks for saving us." Ash said. The Psyduck turned and stared, but showed no signs of hostility.

"Now that you know we mean you no harm, can we please go by?" Misty asked. Suddenly, Misty's Psyduck popped out of its ball, for seemingly no reason. "Now what do you want Psyduck?" Misty asked with annoyance.

Before a response could be uttered, yet another Psyduck came running from the other direction, calling the Psyduck bodyguards to the lake. The three Psyduck ran after the messenger, and Misty's Psyduck chased after them in a rather zig-zag manner.

"Psyduck, come back here!" Misty exclaimed. "Come on; let's find out what's going on!" Ash exclaimed. The group ran after the Psyduck through the ravine, and they eventually wound up where Ash had found the lake.

They gasped in awe at what they saw. "A little Psyduck!" Ash exclaimed. "What a cutie!" Dawn gushed. When one of the adult Psyduck started chasing after the curious baby Psyduck, Misty looked around for her Psyduck.

"Psyduck, where are you?" she called. Misty searched the lake for what should've been the clumsiest Psyduck, that would obviously be hers, but she didn't have much time to look however. "Misty, come here! The eggs are hatching!" Ash called.

Misty ran back to the group to see the sight of the glowing eggs. "The miracle of life." Misty swooned. The group watched in awe as three more baby Psyduck hatched from the eggs right before their eyes.

"Now they've got three little Psyduck!" Dawn squealed. "And to think they hold their heads right from birth." Misty added. "That's one of their unique characteristics." Brock said.

"I just wanna go and give one a big hug!" Dawn squealed. "Well go ahead, I'm sure they trust us by now." Misty replied. The group walked closer to the newly hatched Psyduck, but the familiar trio stepped in front with their arms spread, telling them to back off.

"Oops, then again, maybe we're not totally trusted yet." Misty said. "No, I don't think you understand, we're your friends!" Ash said defensively. "Too bad Misty's Psyduck isn't here; it could explain it to them." Dawn said. "Somehow, I don't think Psyduck would be able to help anyway." Misty said.

"There's got to be a way to get them to trust us." Ash said. "Maybe if we gave them a sort of peace offering." Misty suggested. "That's it Misty! I can whip up some special food for the little ones!" Brock exclaimed.

"Perfect! I bet once they get a taste of your food they'll trust us completely!" Dawn exclaimed. "I'll get right on it, Dawn I could use your help." Brock said. "Why can't I help Brock?" Misty whined. "Because Dawn is better with food than you are." Brock replied simply.

Misty crossed her arms and huffed, while Brock and Dawn went to prepare the special food. "Look at it this way Mist; you're definitely better at battling." Ash said. "What does that have to do with anything?" Misty asked. "Well, I guess…we can't be best at everything?" Ash said nervously.

Misty glared at the nervous trainer, but her frown slowly turned into a mischievous smirk. "You're right, I am better at battling, I'm better than you too." Misty said a little too cheerfully. "Hey, I've beaten you almost every time we've battled recently." Ash said. "I was taking it easy on you because I didn't want to bruise your frail ego." Misty said.

"You were not."

"Were to."

"Were not!"

"Were to!"

To ensure that she got the last word, Misty quickly snared Ash into a kiss, and Ash seemed to forget what had happened as he kissed back. When they broke it, Ash looked at her dreamily. "What were we talking about?" he asked, still in a daze.

"Oh, nothing." Misty said sweetly. Ash almost wrapped her into a hug, but stopped when he noticed something. Misty seemed hurt by Ash's sudden negative reaction towards her affection, as she looked at him with confused eyes. "What's wrong Ash?" she asked.

When Ash pointed behind her, she turned and blushed when she saw why Ash had stopped. They had gained an audience of Psyduck that were watching them enjoy their tender moment. Ash cleared his throat and put his hands behind his head, while Misty rocked back and forth from her toes to her heels.

"Let's uh…go check on Brock and Dawn." Ash suggested. Misty nodded and followed without a word. After the awkwardness wore off, Ash and Co. took a bowl of food to the Psyduck, who stared at the food with a thoughtful expression.

"Go on, try it." Ash encouraged. "When it comes to making the best Pokémon food around, Brock's number one." Dawn said. With some reluctance, the Psyduck took a piece and sampled it. After a bit of chewing, it concluded that the food was indeed delicious.

"We told you it was good! Now why don't you go and give some to the little ones?" Ash suggested. They did just that. They brought three of the baby Psyduck to try the special food. The baby Psyduck took a bite of Brock's food, and squealed with glee before eating the rest of it.

"Good job Chef Brock, they love it." Misty said. "And they must be hungry after all that time they spent hatching and stuff." Ash added. "You know something? I think we owe those Psyduck that Charizard beat an apology." Brock said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Ash said, suddenly regretting using Charizard on them. Brock made another bowl of food and found the three Psyduck that had been beaten by Charizard. "Hey, sorry about the whole Charizard thing, if I knew you were protecting your eggs, I never would've done it." Ash said.

The three Psyduck looked at Ash with expressions that said they accepted his apology. "You know what? We should probably start calling the little Psyduck: Psyducklings." Dawn joked. "Hey, that's pretty clever!" Misty said.

After they finished their meal, the Psyducklings and the adults splashed into the lake, and soon the sound of despaired quacking was heard. "Misty, I think we found your Psyduck." Dawn said. Indeed, there was only one Psyduck in the whole lake that was floundering desperately.

Misty grabbed the non-swimming Psyduck by the waist and saved it from its version of danger. "I know you wanna play with them Psyduck, but try to stay out of the water, ok?" Misty said. Psyduck sighed sadly, and them Misty put it down.

As she straightened up, Misty suddenly looked at the lake full of Psyduck and stared. "What's wrong Misty?" Ash asked. "Just look at that lake." Misty replied. "What am I looking at?" Ash asked, as he scanned the lake.

"Doesn't something seem weird about it?" Misty said. "Come to think of it, yeah." Brock said. "You see what she means Brock?" Dawn asked. "Yeah, this lake is awfully tiny for all these Psyduck to make their home here." Brock explained.

Ash and Dawn scanned the lake and gasped as they realized what Misty and Brock meant. "You guys are right, it's like a pond." Dawn said. "According to this map, Lake Psyduck is a totally different body of water." Brock said.

"So the big question: Why are they here?" Misty asked. "Maybe something bad happened to Lake Psyduck." Dawn said. The Psyduck exclaimed in despair at the mention of their home, confirming the group's suspicions.

"So something DID happen." Brock said. "These Psyduck need our help, we've gotta see if we can help!" Misty exclaimed. "Right, let's go check it out." Ash said. The Psyduck bodyguards motioned for the group to follow them; they knew the way to the lake.

"I think the Psyduck want us to follow them." Misty said. "Then let's do it!" Ash exclaimed. The group followed the Psyduck to a much bigger body of water, surrounded by trees filled with berries. "Now this is the kind of place the Psyduck should be living in." Misty said. "It's definitely big enough for all of them." Brock added. "And there's plenty of food too." Ash added.

"This lake is perfect for them!" Dawn exclaimed. "So why did they move to that other lake?" Ash wondered out loud. "Maybe there's something wrong with the water." Misty suggested. "How do we find that out?" Dawn asked.

"I know. Vaporeon can give it a sniff and find out." Misty said. Misty softly tossed a Pokéball, and Vaporeon soon emerged with a small stretch. "Vaporeon, smell the water please." Misty said. Vaporeon walked up to the water's edge and gave it a sniff.

Vaporeon's face soon turned into a disgusted sneer, its eyes squinted as if something smelled horrible. "Va po va!" (Disgusting!) it squealed. "That takes care of that. Something is wrong with the water." Brock said. "But what? It doesn't look bad." Dawn said. "Uh, guys, I see something in the water." Misty said.

Sure enough, three shadows were slowly moving towards them. "I'll get a closer look." Ash said. "Be careful Ash." Misty said pleadingly. Ash gave a quick thumbs-up before creeping to the water's edge. As he got closer, the water began to show signs of disturbance and soon after, three Muk appeared and roared menacingly. "Whoa! Look at the Muk!" Ash exclaimed in shock, jumping back from the surprise attack.

"Muk, huh?" Dawn exclaimed, as she pulled out her pink Pokédex. "Muk, the sludge Pokémon, and the evolved form of Grimer. A horrible toxic liquid seeps out of its body." her Pokédex said. Without hesitation, one of the Muk launched a disgusting slime at Ash, who quickly jumped back to avoid being smothered.

"That's 'Sludge Bomb'!" Brock exclaimed. "No wonder the Psyduck had to move! These guys polluted the water by just being here!" Misty exclaimed. "That means the Muk must have FORCED the Psyduck out of Lake Psyduck!" Ash added.

Hoping to avoid an unnecessary battle, Pikachu tried a peaceful approach and tried to reason with the Muk. Unfortunately, the Muk were unwilling to give up what they had taken and blasted at the electric-type. "Looks like democracy won't work here!" Misty exclaimed.

"Then it's time for a battle! Buizel, I need your help!" Ash threw out a Pokéball, and his rough and tough water-weasel emerged with crossed arms. "Ambipom, you too!" Dawn also threw out a Pokéball, and the two-tailed monkey appeared.

The enraged Muk fired another 'Sludge Bomb'. But Buizel, Vaporeon, and Ambipom easily dodged. "Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. Buizel charged ahead to slam into the toxic body of the Muk, and the power of the attack stunned the Muk.

But as one Muk was getting stunned, another was readying another attack. "Here comes 'Focus Punch'!" Brock yelled. "Quick, Ambipom, 'Double Team'!" Dawn countered. Ambipom seemingly split into over five individuals, and easily dodged the powerful punch. "Now, use 'Double Hit'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom's tails glowed purple, and they slammed into the Muk's body with lightning speed.

The third and final Muk fired another 'Sludge Bomb'. "Vaporeon, dodge and use 'Water Pulse'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon complied and leaped out of the way toxic attack, then fired an energized ball of water at the sludge-Pokémon.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Ash exclaimed. The three Muk suddenly regrouped, and teamed up for one ultra-powerful 'Sludge Bomb'. "Dodge it!" the three trainers ordered. Buizel, Vaporeon, and Ambipom quickly dodged the nasty slime, and readied for another attack.

"Buizel, use 'Sonic Boom'!"

"Vaporeon, 'Water Pulse' again!"

Ambipom, use 'Swift'!"

The three attacks were fired, and the trio of Muk were now helpless against the powerful assault. "We've got them now! Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu's cheeks sparked wildly, and the furious electric-attack sent the three Muk blasting off.

Luckily for the three Muk, they landed in an already polluted lake, coincidently, there were three female Muk in the lake, and they quickly fell in love.

Back at Lake Psyduck, Vaporeon gave the water another sniff test, and this time it checked out perfectly. "The water gets Vaporeon's seal of approval gang!" Misty exclaimed. "Once the Muk were gone, the water stopped being polluted." Brock added.

As if on cue, the Psyduck and Psyducklings appeared, happily reuniting at their home. "Those Muk are all gone now." Ash said. "Now you can all live here in peace." Dawn added. And the Psyduck wasted no time doing just that. They happily splashed into the water and played together.

"Of course, all their road blocking days are over." Brock said. "Which means we'll make it to Celestic Town for Dawn's contest with time to spare." Misty added. "Aww, the contest can wait, I wanna play with the Psyducklings!" Dawn squealed.

Suddenly, Psyduck popped out of his Pokéball once more, and ran to go join the other Psyduck in the water. Unfortunately, it had apparently forgotten one important detail. "Psyduck! You know you can't swim!" Misty cried, as she yanked her drowning Pokémon out of the water for the second time that day.

"On the other hand, maybe we should go before Psyduck commits accidental suicide." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "I think that's a good idea." Misty replied. The group turned to leave, and all the Psyduck waved goodbye in thanks. "You all remember to be real nice to each other!" Dawn exclaimed, sad to be leaving the cute little Psyduck so soon.

The group walked back into the forest, where they would reach the ravine and complete the short walk to Celestic Town. "Those little Psyducklings were so cute!" Dawn squealed. "I guess they were, but I still think that ONE Psyduck is enough." Misty replied.

"Well Dawn, as soon as we get through this forest, it's about a two day walk to Celestic Town." Brock said. "That'll give me plenty of time to spare to train for the contest!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly. "Do you have any idea what you'll be doing?" Misty asked. "As a matter of fact I…" Dawn paused, as she noticed what seemed to be a floating apple.

"Do you guys see that?" Dawn exclaimed. Ash, Misty, and Brock turned to see what Dawn was looking at, but saw nothing. "See what?" Ash asked. "How can you not see…where'd it go?" Dawn said, looking around frantically.

"I…I-I could've sworn I saw a floating apple!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash, Misty, and Brock sweat-dropped as Dawn continued to search. "I think the excitement's getting to you. Look, the ravine's right over there, let's go huh?" Misty said, leading the confused coordinator by the wrist. _"Am I seeing things?"_ Dawn thought.

Whether she was seeing things or not, the group had reached the ravine, and now they were back on their way to Celestic Town for Dawn's next contest.  
_

**A/N: lol, Anyone know what it was Dawn saw...? No? Good! That means I did my job! xD Feel free to take guesses, but I'm willing to bet that you'll never figure it out. Anyways, if you took the time to read this chapter, please review and fuel my ambition! Also, on a side note, this chapter gets me past the 200,000 word mark. w00T! Like I said, I own nothing but the story.**


	26. Pokemon Summer Academy: Part 1

**I just had to make this in two parts. It would've been RIDICULOUSLY long otherwise. Anyways, now it's time for Pokemon Summer Academy! Ironic since it is Summer Vacation. xD Get ready for some fluffiness, and not just between Ash and Misty if you catch my drift. (No, not Ash and Angie, blech!) I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 26

Misty's POV

Psyduck here, Psyduck there, Psyduck everywhere! One of these days, I'll have to make sure I train Psyduck to not be so dopey. Evolving him into Golduck would be awesome! Then again, I don't think even I have the work ethic to go through what would be required to get that clumsy Pokémon to turn into a powerful Golduck.

But I have to admit; those "Psyducklings" as Dawn cleverly called them, were absolutely precious. It was a shame we couldn't stay longer, but my Psyduck might've drowned himself if we had. Strangely though, Dawn said that she saw a floating apple. And she insisted that she wasn't seeing things as we continued walking.

I just couldn't bring myself to believe her. She was the only one who had seen it, and according to her, it vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Excitement can make you imagine things. I've experienced it at times myself. So I tried to convince her that that was all it was.

After a bit more walking, we found a Pokémon Center on the route we were walking on, and decided to stay there for the night. I decided I would call my sisters, just to see how Daisy was holding up. They may have become more responsible, but I was still worried about them on their own.

Normal POV

"So, how are things going at the gym Daisy?" Misty asked. "Like, not bad…but I need to talk to you." Daisy replied. Misty suddenly felt her heart start to beat faster. Daisy didn't want Misty to come back did she? After all this time?

"W-What's up Daisy?" Misty asked nervously. "It's like, about your Corsola." Daisy replied. Misty exhaled with extreme relief, which did not go unnoticed by her older sister. "What? You thought I like, wanted you to come home so you could like, mope some more? Please." Daisy joked.

"That's good. I really don't think I'd go home now anyway, since I finally kissed Ash." Misty said proudly. "Oh my gosh Misty! You finally like, kissed him?" Daisy squealed. "Isn't that what I said?" Misty replied giddily.

"Like, I've gotta tell Lily and Violet!" Daisy squealed, suddenly getting up from her seat. "Daisy, come back!" Misty exclaimed through the video phone. Daisy apparently heard her; she came back and sat herself down. "Sorry, I like, got way excited." Daisy said with a sweat-drop. "I'm the one who kissed him, why are you excited?" Misty asked, somewhat suspiciously.

"My little sister has like, finally become an official adult!" Daisy exclaimed. "Very funny Daisy. You know that doesn't happen 'till I'm eighteen. That's a long way off." Misty replied, rolling her eyes. "I said officially, not legally." Daisy countered. "Whatever, you mentioned Corsola. Why?" Misty asked.

"Oh yeah. Like, I think your Corsola really misses you." Daisy said. "What makes you say that?" Misty asked. "Because lately she's been like, disobeying me, refusing to perform in our shows, and being all sassy." Daisy replied. "That sounds like Corsola being Corsola, what's the problem?" Misty asked, slightly amused at the aspect.

"Does Corsola usually like, attack me for no reason?" Daisy asked. That caught Misty by surprise. "Daisy, do you want me to take Corsola?" Misty replied. "I thought you like, already had six Pokémon with you." Daisy said. "I do, apparently Sinnoh has a slightly different rule set. I can have up to eight." Misty replied.

"In that case, yes, I do want you to like, take Corsola. I've been like, taking spikes out of my butt for weeks." Daisy replied, rubbing her sore rear end. Misty giggled at that. "Alright Daisy, I'll take her off your hands." she said.

Daisy nodded and sent Misty a specialized Lure Ball, which contained her water/rock-type. "Alright Daisy, is that all?" Misty asked. "Yep, now if you'll excuse me, I have to go squeal to Lily and Violet." Daisy replied teasingly. "Daisy wait!" Misty cried. It was too late. Daisy hung up, leaving Misty semi-alone.

"What was that all about?" Ash asked, walking up behind his red-headed girlfriend. "My sister's being a pain, what else?" Misty replied. "Hey, you know being an only child can be lonely." Ash said. "Somehow, I think I could handle lonely." Misty replied, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, isn't that your old Lure Ball?" Ash asked. "Yep, apparently Corsola's been giving Daisy some trouble lately." Misty giggled. "I see…say…Mist…how'd you like to get some dinner?" Ash asked sheepishly. "Why the awkwardness Ash? Of course I'll go with you." Misty replied.

"Because…I wanted it to be just you and me…maybe we could…head to our room and order room service…maybe watch a movie?" Ash suggested. "Ash Ketchum, I just realized that we've had a first kiss, but you've never asked me out on an official first date." Misty said, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Y-Yeah, go figure." Ash said, shrugging. "So, is this your way of asking?" Misty asked playfully. "No! I mean yes! I mean…maybe…" Ash stammered. Misty shook her head and giggled before snaring him into a loving embrace. "I take it that means yes?" Ash asked hopefully.

"No, it means I'm breaking up with you." Misty replied sarcastically. Ash chuckled and shook his head as well, which brought a small giggle from Misty. The two headed to their room, hand in hand all the way. "Why do they get to order room service?" Dawn asked, as she and Brock quietly spied on the couple from the Pokémon Center chairs.

"Because they're together. Everyone knows that a cafeteria is no place for a date." Brock replied. "If that's the case, I need a date." Dawn said. "You could always call Conway." Brock replied with a smirk. Dawn paled slightly before standing up. "So, who wants a cafeteria sandwich?" she asked hastily. Brock got a good laugh at the blue-haired coordinator before joining her. On the way there, she could've sworn that she saw something strange. Like a piece of fruit that was a different color than the rest.

"Brock, check out that apple, it's purple." Dawn said. Brock turned to see, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "I don't see anything." he said. "But it's right…not again." Dawn moaned, as she noticed that whatever she saw had vanished. "Dawn, are you feeling alright?" Brock asked. "Right now, I'm not so sure." Dawn replied.

Dawn walked past Brock and picked up a tray, making sure not to look at anything else to avoid seeing something else strange, and bring further suspicions from her friends. _"That's twice now…am I cracking up or something?"_

Back with Ash and Misty, the couple had just finished ordering room service. Ironically enough, all they ordered was a small pizza. After picking out a Pokémon movie on TV, the two sat themselves down on the loveseat for two. It was a tight squeeze to say the least; their bodies were so close to each other that one couldn't even breathe without the other feeling it. But that was certainly not a problem for Ash and Misty.

"I remember my mom used to have a chair like this. I'd sit on her lap when I was little and she'd tell me the story of Lance the Dragon Trainer taming his Dragonite." Ash said, reminiscing on old times. "You're lucky Ash. I didn't have anyone to tell me stories when I was little." Misty said.

"Yeah, I guess your sisters weren't all that great at storytelling." Ash said. "Nope, but I did have a great time listening to the stories that Brock would tell us around the campfire. It was kinda like making up for the childhood I lost." Misty said.

"Yeah, sometimes I miss it. But when I think about what I've gained, new friends, new Pokémon, growing up seems worth it." Ash said. "You forgot something Ash." Misty said playfully. "Really? What'd I forget?" Ash asked.

"Something you lost a long time ago but then got it back?" Misty hinted. Ash now knew what she meant and a mischievous smirk appeared on his lips. "Charizard?" he replied. Misty flicked him in the back of the head. "Wrong answer Ketchum." she said. "Hmm…my confidence?" Ash replied. Misty flicked him again. "Strike two. One more miss and I'll have to use my mallet instead of my finger." Misty said.

"But I'm not wrong." Ash said. "What do you mean?" Misty asked. Ash wrapped his arm around Misty's shoulder; a small smile upturned on her lips as she leaned into his embrace. "My confidence came back when you came back." he said softly.

"Guess you were right. Now I have to make up for hitting you." Misty said softly. "How do you intend to do that?" Ash asked. Misty's smile grew larger as she brought her face close to Ash's. Her heart pounded in her chest at how close they were. No matter how used to it she got, the thrill of being so close to Ash never wore off for her.

"You guess." she said, her eyes half-closed. Ash didn't have to guess, he knew. Misty tilted her head to one side and softly pressed her lips against Ash's. She could feel the familiar flame of love burning stronger in her heart as she held the kiss locked in. Ash also felt the flame, but he still needed some practice with controlling it.

Having his face heat up hotter than after Charizard fried him was something he had still not grown accustomed to. But the taste of Misty's luscious lips had always overcome any fear or discomfort. That showed just how much Ash really cared for her.

It was these times alone with her that he was the most vulnerable, but they were also the ones he enjoyed and cherished most of all. The only time either could let down their guard completely was when they were alone. Although they had had tender moments publicly many times before, they had always kept some of their guard and restraint up, even around Dawn and Brock.

Not now. It was just the two of them. Ash and Misty. Lips locked together, with the only key being when one or the other ran out of breath. Which unfortunately for the couple, was right now.

Ash broke the kiss, gasping for breath; his face flushed a deep red. "Yep, that oughta do it." he said breathlessly. Misty, just as red in the face, giggled at him. Her heart felt warm, and so full of love. And of course she didn't want to lose that feeling, so she snuggled her head into his neck, nuzzling her nose against it.

"I love you so much." she whispered. Ash nuzzled back, but said nothing. He didn't have to. At this point in time, both knew exactly how much the other cared. The movie was barely noticeable now; all they could hear were each other's beating hearts. That is until…

"AAAHHH!" a loud shriek was heard from the other side of the door, which gave Ash and Misty quite a jumpstart. Before they knew it, Dawn barged in, fuming mad. Ash and Misty tried desperately to slow their hearts and bring their color back to a more normal level.

"S-Something wrong Dawn?" Misty asked. "Whoever said: 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away' was way beyond wrong!" she screamed. She stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her, leaving Ash and Misty totally confused.

Just then, Brock came in as well. "What happened Brock?" Ash asked. "I dunno, all I know is that Dawn swears she saw something." Brock replied. "Let me guess…an apple?" Misty said. "I guess." Brock replied.

"Well…I can't get myself to believe it. She just suddenly starts seeing things?" Ash said. "Well, what if we…" Misty was cut-off by a ringing phone. Dawn came out of the bathroom to answer it.

"Hello?" she said. Dawn was caught by surprise when she found that it was Professor Rowan calling of all people. "Hello Dawn, how are you?" he said cordially. "I'm fine Professor! I'm about to enter another contest in Celestic Town." Dawn replied.

"Ahh yes, actually, there's something I wanted to discuss with you." Prof. Rowan said. "Discuss? What is it?" Dawn asked.

"You see, I would like to invite you and your friends to the Rowan Research Facility for a week for the Pokémon Summer Academy." Prof. Rowan explained. "Really? Awesome!" Dawn exclaimed. "Good, so I'll be expecting you at Mt. Coronet early tomorrow." Prof. Rowan said.

"T-Tomorrow?" When exactly?" Dawn asked. "Since it's the first day, it starts at 9:00 A.M. Try not to be late." Prof. Rowan said. "(Gulp) Yes sir, we'll try." Dawn said. "Excellent. See you tomorrow." Prof. Rowan then hung up.

Dawn slowly got up and made her way to where her friends should've been. But the only ones she saw were Ash and Misty cuddled up on the loveseat. Brock was nowhere to be found. "Guys, we just enrolled into school." Dawn said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked. "It means that that phone call was from Professor Rowan, and he's invited us to attend a sort of week long summer school at his research facility on Mt. Coronet." Dawn explained.

"Sounds interesting, I guess I'll finally get to meet this Professor you keep mentioning." Misty said. "There's just…one thing." Dawn said. "What?" Ash and Misty asked. "We have to be there by 9:00 tomorrow." Dawn replied.

Ash and Misty fell off the chair and face-faulted. "Seriously?" Ash asked. "Yes Ash, seriously." Dawn replied. "Oh great…how am I supposed to wake up in time?" Ash wondered out loud. "Don't worry Ash; I'll be your alarm clock." Misty reassured.

"Not a good idea." Brock said, walking out of the bathroom in his pajamas, his spiky hair dripping water. "Had a good shower Brocko?" Ash joked. "Yeah Ash, anyway, knowing you two, you'll probably forget to get up and actually move." Brock said.

"Oh come on, we sleep late just once and suddenly we need manual alarm clocks." Misty groaned. "Come on Brock, I promise we'll get up on time." Ash said. Brock pondered this for a moment and was about to say no, but the puppy-dog looks on Ash and Misty's faces made him reconsider.

"Ugh, fine. But if you don't wake up on time, I'm leaving without you." Brock said. Ash and Misty high-fived victoriously before Misty went to take her own shower. "You know Ash; I never thought you'd stoop so low as to use the puppy-dog look on me." Brock said. "Hey, it wasn't my idea." Ash defended.

"Oh, so it was Misty's idea. I'll have to talk to that girl." Brock said. "She's right through that door if you want." Ash said. "You open that door and you'll both be unconscious until Christmas!" Misty threatened. Ash and Brock sweat-dropped before slowly backing away from the bathroom door.

"Men, they're all the same." Dawn said through the door. "Ain't that the truth?" Misty replied. After everyone was showered and in their pajamas, the group snacked on the small pepperoni pizza that room service had FINALLY brought up.

"What took so long anyway?" Ash had asked the delivery guy. "Hey, with better ingredients, comes better pizza, and time makes quality." the man had replied. Ash shrugged and paid the man the fee.

And it turned out he was right, the pizza was one of the best they had ever tasted. "We've gotta see if they have more of these places around Sinnoh, this is one epic pizza!" Ash exclaimed. "Just be careful that the pepperoni doesn't give you nightmares." Misty said.

"I'm not gonna get nightmares, I've got the belly of a steel-type!" Ash exclaimed, pounding his fist against his abdomen. Misty wasn't really all that worried of Ash having a nightmare; she was more worried about what would happen if he ate too much. "Do me a favor Ash, when you go to sleep, make sure your butt faces in the OPPOSITE direction of me." Misty said.

Ash rolled his eyes and chuckled before downing his third slice. "There are some advantages to being single. This is one of them." Dawn laughed. "I'd be willing to share tonight." Misty offered. "Ew, no way! He's ALL YOURS." Dawn said.

Misty sweat-dropped and gave a nervous smile. "Greeeat." she said. Dawn and Brock laughed at the red-headed trainer's predicament, but eventually let the joke die. Afterwards, the group turned on a short sports movie; Misty did sit with Ash again, but she couldn't help but be nervous that Ash would let loose after all that pepperoni.

_"If he farts, I'm gonna KILL HIM." _she thought menacingly. Luckily for the water-trainer, Ash's claim of having an iron-belly seemed to be true, he did not let even one go.

Afterwards, the teens slipped into their beds with barely a goodnight being uttered. They had a lot to do the following morning, and Misty had the toughest job of all: Making sure Ash woke up early, AND making sure that SHE woke up early. Ever since she started sleeping next to Ash, she found that it was becoming easier to sleep in.

"Remember Mist, you promised to wake me up." Ash said. "I know, I know. Don't worry Ash, I've got it covered." she reassured again. The two did their nightly routine of cuddling up to each other, sharing each other's warmth and comfort. With two whispered goodnights, Ash and Misty quickly fell into a deep slumber.

**DAY 1**

The following morning, Misty woke up to find that Dawn had disappeared, but seeing that Brock was only beginning to stir convinced her that she was alright time-wise. She turned to face her boyfriend and begin the grueling job of bringing him to consciousness. _"Let's start from the top."_ she thought.

Misty softly nuzzled her nose against his face, occasionally kissing him. "Ash, time to get up." she said softly. Ash smiled and seemed to fall into a deeper sleep thanks to Misty's melodic voice. _Well that backfired."_ she thought.

She thought of a rougher approach, but looking at his peaceful face, she couldn't help but think twice. She tenderly stroked his messy black-hair before planting another kiss on his sleeping form. _"I'll let him sleep a while longer; he'll be up soon enough."_ Misty thought.

Misty went to check up on Dawn, who was currently in the bathroom working on a ferocious case of bed head. "What happened to you Dawn?" Misty asked in shock. "I don't know!" Dawn replied despairingly, "All I know is that I woke up to this!"

"Has this ever happened before?" Misty asked, as she took the brush from Dawn's hand and started brushing her out of control hair. "Not that I can remember. I've had bed head before, but NEVER this badly!" Dawn squealed.

"Oh wow, this is really bad." Misty said, as she battled with a tangle of blue hair. "Ow!" Dawn screeched. "Sorry, but you've got a lot of knots here." Misty said. "I've been at this for an hour now; it was actually a lot worse before." Dawn explained. "I'd hate to see what it looked like." Misty said. "Did you wake up – ow – Ash?" Dawn asked. "Umm…actually…h-he's too heavy a sleeper." Misty replied.

"In other words, you didn't have the heart to wake him." Dawn said. "Hey, you want me to leave and go try again? Or stay and help with your hair?" Misty said. "Touché Miss Waterflower." Dawn replied. So Misty and Dawn stayed cooped up in the bathroom, trying to fix the extreme mess that was Dawn's hair.

Ash's POV

I was about to wake up, when I felt something nuzzling my cheek. When I felt the kiss hit my face, I knew exactly who it was. In my half-asleep state, her voice was even more melodic than normal. How did I know this? I wasn't really sure. Probably had something to do with how much I cared for her. I suddenly felt a new wave of relaxation wash over me. And I quickly fell back into a slumber.

Later, I had a much ruder awakening from Pikachu. A 'Thundershock' to the feet was not how I would like to be woken up. "Aww, Pikachu, what'd you do that for?"

"Pika pika pikachu!" (Look at the time!) Pikachu exclaimed. I checked the clock and found that it read 8:30. "Oh man! I overslept! Why didn't Misty wake me?" I leaped out of bed and got dressed faster than I ever had in my life. Even faster than when I tried to rush to Professor Oak's laboratory to get my starter Pokémon. I packed up my things and slung my backpack over my shoulder.

I charged for the bathroom to give myself a quick splash of cold water, but when I tried to barge through the door, I wound up on my butt from the impact with the locked door. "Who's there?" Misty asked. "It's me, I need to wash my face, and fast!" I replied.

I heard the sound of the lock clicking, and I cautiously opened the door to make sure I didn't hurt myself again. When I opened the door, I found Dawn sitting on a chair with Misty standing behind her, brushing Dawn's hair. I was stunned for a moment when I saw Dawn's hair. "And just what is so interesting Ash?" Dawn asked accusingly. I snapped back to reality and splashed the water on my face and quickly made a break for it.

Normal POV

"Why's he in such a hurry?" Dawn asked. Misty shrugged and went back to brushing. But when she saw the clock in the mirror, she dropped the brush like a hot potato and ran for her backpack to get her clothes.

"Dawn, we gotta go NOW!" Misty exclaimed, as she stripped herself of her pajamas and replaced them with her normal outfit. Dawn quickly gave her hair a few more brushstrokes before placing her white hat on her head.

"We have everything?" Dawn exclaimed, as she grabbed her things and stuffed them into her backpack. "Yeah, we're done here! Let's go!" Misty replied. The two girls rushed out of the door to find Ash and Brock waiting by the door, although Ash seemed a bit out of breath.

"Took you long enough." Brock said. "Sorry, but my hair was just…ugh!" Dawn exclaimed. "Never mind that, we don't have much time!" Misty exclaimed. The group rushed out the door of the Pokémon Center, running as fast as their legs would carry them. They had maybe fifteen minutes to get to the Research Facility, and no one wanted to face the wrath of an angry Professor Rowan.

After much more running, and a couple more strange sightings by Dawn, the group finally got into range of the research facility, but they literally had seconds to get there. "We're gonna be late guys, I know we are!" Ash exclaimed.

"If you hadn't overslept we wouldn't have this problem!" Dawn exclaimed accusingly. "Hey, don't talk to Ash like that!" Misty exclaimed. "Thanks Mist." Ash said. "That's my job! Ash, why didn't you wake up earlier?" Misty exclaimed angrily. Ash would've face-faulted, but he was too busy running.

"Oh yeah? Well if you weren't so busy trying to fix Dawn's dumb bed head we wouldn't have this problem!" Ash countered. "It wasn't my fault my hair got so bad! It NEVER gets as bad as it did!" Dawn exclaimed. "It doesn't matter whose fault it is, hurry!" Brock exclaimed.

Just as the bell went off, Ash and Co. charged through the gates of the facility, panting with fatigue. "Looks like we made it after all." Ash said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "If you think getting in while the bell is ringing means you're on time, put a helmet on!" a voice yelled.

"I know that voice…" Dawn said. The group turned around, and gasped at what they saw. "Brad!" they exclaimed. "Well, lucky for you it was only me. If it was Professor Rowan, you would've been in trouble." Brad said, "Oh hi Professor."

"Very funny Brad." Ash said. "You're late!" a voice boomed. Ash and his friends' spines went straight, and they turned around again to see Professor Rowan standing behind them. "H-Hi Professor." Dawn squeaked.

"Sorry Professor, we were kinda running behind this morning." Ash apologized. "Behind who? Me? I'm not moving…no, because I'm waiting for you!" Brad exclaimed. "You have a skit for everything, don't you Brad?" Misty said, shaking her head. "Some of my best stuff I made right here." Brad replied.

"Now that Brad has given you his idea of a greeting, I would like to welcome you to the Rowan Research Facility on Mt. Coronet. And for all intensive purposes, your school." Prof. Rowan said. "This is incredible; I can't wait to see what you have in store for us!" Brock exclaimed, always willing to learn more.

"Just so you know, that bell was so everyone would prepare. So pull yourselves together and come over to that platform in five minutes." Prof. Rowan said. "Ok Professor, and thanks again for inviting us." Dawn said. With that, the Professor turned to leave.

"So, what are you doing here Brad?" Ash asked. "I work here as a janitor. I used to come here every year I was able. Once I got too old, I come here every year as a volunteer. This is where I met up with Torkoal actually." Brad explained.

"Really?" Misty asked. "Yep, it's an interesting story, I'll tell you later. Right now though, I'm interested in finding out why you were running late." Brad said, a sly smirk spread on his face. "Well you see, Dawn had an interesting predicament with her hair, so we had to run like crazy to get here." Misty explained.

"So you were RUNNING late. Hey, if you were running, you shoulda made it!" Brad yelled. Misty face-palmed. "D'oh, I walked right into that!" she said. "Hee hee hee, you should get ready, because you're gonna be hearing a lot of my jokes this week." Brad snickered.

"Say, you weren't serious about waiting for us, were you?" Ash asked. "Actually, yes. When Rowan told me that you were coming, I waited here by the gate, and I knew you'd be late." Brad said. "Sheesh, if I knew you were gonna be here, I might've moved quicker to avoid heckling." Misty said.

"From me? Not on your life. The summer academy is where I'm at my best." Brad said. "So, can you tell us where to go?" Brock asked. "Don't worry, I know when to stop joking and get down to business. I'll take care of you guys." Brad reassured.

"Gee, thanks Brad, we appreciate it." Ash said. "No problem, now get moving, they're about to announce the teams." Brad said. "Teams? What do you mean?" Dawn asked. "You'll see in a minute! Just go!" Brad exclaimed, pushing the group towards the bulletin board. After shoving the teens in the right direction, he went to hang with his two new janitor partners.

One of the instructors stood on the stage, waving his arms to get the attention of the variously aged children and teenagers. "Alright people, gather around to find out what class team you're on!" he announced.

"I'm on the red team!" Ash exclaimed. "Hey, me too!" Dawn exclaimed. "And me!" Brock added. "We're all on the red team!" Misty cheered. "But wait…doesn't that seem a bit too coincidental?" Brock asked. "I pulled some strings for you guys, in case you were interested." Brad said, walking by with his broom. "At this rate, we'll owe him so much that we won't be able to repay him." Misty said.

"Heh heh heh, looks like I'm on the blue team." A voice snickered. The teens turned around and saw Conway of all people standing behind them. "Oh no, you're here too?" Ash exclaimed. "It's Conway." Dawn moaned.

"Heh heh, somehow I just knew you'd all be coming." Conway snickered. "Don't forget me! The name's Jessilinda, and I'm on the green team, I'm also the school's resident cutie pie!" the overly perky woman exclaimed, putting her fingers in a 'peace' sign.

"Another perky creep. Anyway, you know this guy?" Misty asked. "Let's just say that we had a tag-battle and leave it at that." Dawn explained. "You know, I haven't stopped keeping tabs on you Dawn." Conway said. "You keep tabs…on girls?" Misty asked with a sweat-drop. "Why yes, but after seeing you I think I may have chosen the wrong girl to keep tabs on." Conway said with a snicker.

Ash walked up behind Conway and loomed over him. "Unless you want broken glasses and a black eye, you'll back off." Ash said menacingly. Conway turned around and sweat-dropped. He may have been confident on the outside, but inside he was scared of Ash's obviously physically superior form.

"No no, go on Conway, continue." Misty said encouragingly. Ash's jaw-dropped suddenly, and a gleam appeared in Conway's eye. "I know everything there is to know about Pokémon, and I need a girl of YOUR caliber by my side to help me become the best researcher ever." Conway said.

"Oh really? So you have brains then huh?" Misty asked. "That's right. You like what you see, don't you?" Conway asked knowingly. Before Conway knew it, he had been drilled into the ground by a mallet. "NOW I like what I see." Misty said with a snicker.

She went to give her real boyfriend a hug, which Ash more than gladly reciprocated. "Oh, you're attached already. Oh well, guess I'll go back to Dawn." Conway said coolly. "Great." Dawn moaned. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like some help getting out of here." Conway said. "Ok fine, Brad, could you clean up this mess for us?" Misty called. "Sure thing!" Brad replied.

Ash and Co. walked away laughing, as Conway struggled to get out of the ground. Brad walked up to Conway and stared him down. "You know how you always say 'put a helmet on'?" Conway asked. "Yeah, what about it?" Brad replied. "I think I should do just that." Conway moaned.

"Or maybe you should start treating girls like girls and not subjects." Brad said. "Just get me out of here." Conway said, irritation growing in his voice. "Don't you think you should say please to the guy who's helping you?" Brad replied. Conway suddenly became nervous that Brad would leave him. "Sorry." he said.

"Luckily for you, I'm not offended by people like you. But not everyone's like me, so you should probably be careful what you say." Brad suggested. Brad yanked Conway out of the ground with ease. "Say, you have anything I can clean myself up with?" Conway asked, brushing the dust and dirt off of his clothes.

"Oh sure." Brad said. Brad pulled a tissue out of his pocket and spit in it, then offered it to Conway, who looked at it with disgust. "Gross! Don't you have an antibacterial wipe or something?" Conway asked. "Oh please, you know what I had when I was growing up? Mom used to spit in a tissue and wipe my face! That was my antibacterial wipe, and look how I turned out!" Brad yelled. Conway sweat-dropped and ran away without another word. "I'm gonna have fun this year." Brad snickered.

Back with Ash and Co., Prof. Rowan had stepped up to the platform to begin a speech. "Just as there are various kinds of Pokémon in various parts of our world, you young trainers are no different. Today you young people of different ages and birthplaces have gathered together for a week of fun and excitement. Destiny has brought you all together, as you meet and work together with your fellow students and their Pokémon in your classes, so get to know one another this next week, and while you're at it, have some fun." Prof. Rowan said.

"I think this would be the perfect time for the Pokémon to introduce themselves, and the best way to do that is…" the instructor paused to allow Prof. Rowan to finish the sentence. "A Pokémon battle!"

Everyone cheered at the notion of a battle, and Ash wasted no time grabbing one of his Pokéballs. "Hold on, hold on, each and everyone will use THESE Pokéballs, and only one Pokéball per student." the instructor said, as he placed the box of Pokéballs onto the ground.

"I see, so the Pokémon we all end up getting matched up with is…" Brock paused. "From the luck of the draw!" Dawn finished. "Wait a sec, what if I wind up with a bug-type?" Misty asked worriedly. "This could be good for you Misty, a chance to overcome your fear!" Brock exclaimed. Misty gulped audibly in response.

"Come on guys; let's hurry before they take all the good ones!" Ash exclaimed. The teens ran towards the box and grabbed their Pokéballs. But as Ash reached for his, another hand had grabbed onto it as well, at exactly the same time.

Ash looked up and saw what seemed like a twelve year old clutching the Pokéball tightly. "Let go! I got it first!" the kid shouted. Ash certainly didn't want to give up his choice, so he yanked back. "You mean I got it first!" Ash yelled back.

After a few shouts of "It's mine", the kid had had enough. "There's nothing ruder than a guy who ignores the 'ladies first' rule!" the kid screamed. Upon hearing that, Ash dropped the Pokéball like it was on fire and stepped back as if he had gotten jab-punched in the gut. "You mean to tell me you're a girl?" Ash asked.

"Ok, now you're really getting me mad. The name's Angie, and I challenge you to a battle!" Angie screamed. "Hey, you've got yourself a deal! By the way, my name's Ash!" Ash grabbed another Pokéball from the box and stared down the pre-teen with determined eyes. "I feel like I'm watching a replay of history." Brock said, as he watched Ash and Angie face off against each other.

"We weren't that bad…were we?" Misty asked. Brock glanced over to Misty without a word, which quickly answered the water-type trainer's question. As the stare down continued to grow more intense, Prof. Rowan appeared to break it up. "Good, that's the spirit, but TOMORROW'S when the real battle starts, your only business today is to meet the Pokémon you chose." Prof. Rowan said.

"Alright, then come on out!" Angie screamed. She tossed out the Pokéball and a Monferno emerged from it. "Whoa, a Monferno." Ash said, pulling out his red Pokédex.

"Monferno, the Playful Pokémon and the evolved form of Chimchar. Monferno launches aerial attacks off of ceilings and walls, and its fiery tail is used as one of its weapons." the Pokédex explained.

"Angie's the name, nice to meet you!" Angie said cheerfully. Apparently, Monferno had a serious attitude problem. It turned its head away from Angie angrily. Ash snickered at that. "Looks like you rub Pokémon the wrong way too." he said.

"Hey guys." Brad said, walking up to the group. "Hey Brad, what's up?" Ash asked. "Something you should know, Rowan rewards points according to how well you interact with the Pokémon and their handlers. He's a lot less tolerant than I am, so I would suggest keeping the fighting to a minimum." Brad said. "Right, thanks." Ash said gratefully.

Ash threw out his choice, and a Raichu emerged from the ball and looked around. "Hey, a Raichu, great! Hi, my name's Ash, nice to meet you!" Ash said cheerfully. Raichu was frightened by Ash's presence, and dug a hole to hide in. "Ha ha ha! Ash, I think Raichu's scared of you!" Angie laughed.

"You know, you should probably cool Ash off before he gets in trouble." Brock said. "Not even I can cool off his ego Brock, you know that. Besides, if Ash needs to unload his competitive spirit on someone, I'd rather it be that Angie girl instead of me anyway." Misty replied. "Suit yourself." Brock said.

"Ok, come on out!" Misty exclaimed. Misty threw the Pokéball, and a Surskit emerged. "Wow, a Surskit!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Surskit, the Pond Skater Pokémon. Surskit inhabits ponds, rivers, and similar wetlands. They move about as though skating the water surface." Dawn's Pokédex said.

"Awesome, a water-type!" Misty cheered. "Misty, you do know that Surskit is also a bug-type, right?" Brock said. Misty suddenly turned pale, and stared down at the small Pokémon who was smiling at her. "Oh boy, now what?" Misty moaned. "It's the best of both worlds Mist; this'll help you get over your fear of bug-types." Ash said, taking a moment away from Raichu to comfort his frightened girlfriend.

"Get over it? Never. But…maybe I can cope with it since it's a water-type too." Misty said nervously. "That's it! Just keep reminding yourself that it's a water-type too! I'm sure you'll be friends with Surskit in no time!" Dawn exclaimed.

Misty glanced back down at Surskit and forced a smile. "H-Hi there." Misty said. The Surskit smiled and happily climbed onto Misty's head, which caused to her whimper. "It's a water-type, it's a water-type, it's a water-type!"

"My turn! Ok, come on out!" Dawn threw her Pokéball, and a Grimer emerged from it. The kids around Dawn and Grimer now looked on with disgust, which hurt the feelings of the poison-type. "H-Hey, you're pretty cute, you know?" Dawn said.

Grimer's expression brightened dramatically, and it affectionately hugged the coordinator in thanks. "Uh oh." Dawn said. Dawn had noticed a change in weight on her head, which could only mean one thing. "Where's Piplup?" Dawn asked. When Grimer stretched back down, Dawn freaked out when she saw Piplup stuck headfirst inside Grimer's body, desperately chirping for help.

"I'm next! Let's go!" Brock threw out his Pokéball, and a Magnemite emerged and started hovering around Brock's head like the moon around the earth.

Now that all the Pokémon had been released, the group proceeded to interact with their Pokémon. While Dawn and Brock got along with their Pokémon well, Ash, Misty, and Angie were having issues. Raichu refused to come out of its hiding place despite Ash's encouragement, Misty's instincts were battling for superiority inside of her. Whether to love Surskit's water-type affinity, or to be scared of its bug-type affinity.

Angie was the worst however. Monferno blatantly disobeyed her, and ran off to pick a fight with another trainer's Croconaw. "Uh oh, Pikachu, better try and stop that fight!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu obeyed and stepped in-between the two angry Pokémon.

However, Monferno was unfazed and fired an 'Ember' attack that wound up hitting Pikachu instead. "Pikachu, are you alright?" Ash exclaimed. "Pika pika." (That hurt.) Pikachu replied. "Angie, I think you and Monferno owe me and Pikachu an apology!" Ash exclaimed angrily.

"No way! Pikachu shouldn't have been in the way anyway!" Angie countered. "Pikachu was only trying to prevent a fight that Monferno was about to start!" Ash yelled. "Why is it any of your business what Monferno does?" Angie screamed. "Because I'm trying to help this team, that's why!" Ash yelled back.

Angie backed down slightly, but her furious expression remained. "Never mind what me and Monferno do, go worry about your wimpy Raichu!" Angie screamed. Angie picked up the fussing Monferno and stomped away.

"Geez, what's with her?" Ash said angrily. "Look at it this way Ash; if you learned how to not fight with ME, I think you can handle that Angie girl." Misty said. "Good point. She's just like you when we first started travelling together." Ash said. "And the new, mature Ash won't have any trouble with her, right?" Misty asked expectantly. "Sure Mist. I promise." Ash said.

Misty planted a kiss on his forehead just as the bell that signaled the first hour was up sounded. "And so ends your first hour at the Pokémon Summer Academy." Brad said, walking up to and interrupting the couple. "Brad, can't you go clean somewhere else?" Misty begged.

"Ash, take this bit of advice from a married man." Brad said, ready to start a joke, "Once you get married, she'll be ungrateful for you. Why? Because you'll always be doing something she can't handle. Something that bothers her and she'll always be talking about it, yelling about it, just plain driving her crazy, here's an example: 'Put the seat down'!"

"Hey, that's pretty funny Brad, but I didn't know you were married." Ash said with a snicker. Misty gave a small giggle, but she was slightly embarrassed by the joke.

"Oh yeah, you just didn't meet the Mrs. But that's number one: 'Put the seat down'! That's what you'll hear all your life, you won't even hear 'I love you' as much as 'put the seat down'!" Brad yelled jokingly, using his usual strategy of body language and voice changing.

"And you know something? I never knew why it was such a big deal – Misty, what's the big deal about putting the seat down?" Brad asked. Misty gulped and thought about her inevitable response. If she lived through the embarrassment, she'd make sure to flatten Brad's head.

"W-Well, it's…more attractive?" Misty asked cautiously, trying to avoid further embarrassment. It didn't work.

"It's more attractive?" Brad said sarcastically, "Lemme tell you something Misty, I don't care how many stinkin' doilies you put on it, I don't care how many scented candles you light, I don't care what kind of rug you put around it. Listen up, it's still a toilet!"

By now Ash was laughing hysterically, but Misty wasn't nearly as amused.

"It's never gonna get so attractive that we're gonna say: 'You know we oughta take that out of the bathroom and put it in the living room don't you think…? It's just being lost there in the bathroom'." Brad said jokingly.

"Brad, please stop." Misty begged, her face flushed with sheer humiliation. When Ash stopped laughing long enough to examine his girlfriend's face, he felt guilty for enjoying it so much. "Ahh, I'm sorry Misty. I admit that I can be a bit over the top at times." Brad said sympathetically.

"(Sigh) You're funny most of the time, but try to bring it down a notch, ok?" Misty asked. "Sure, by the way, the next hour starts in a few minutes, so grab your Pokémon and head to that classroom over there." Brad said, pointing them in the right direction.

"Thanks Brad, and uh, thanks for the laugh." Ash said. "Heh heh, sure thing. But all kidding aside, you have to try and keep out of trouble or fights. I'll do my best, but I won't be able to save you from EVERY single jam you get your team into, although I will have some fun joking about it when you DO get in trouble." Brad joked.

This time Misty got to laugh while Ash got embarrassed. "So, we even now Misty?" Brad asked. "Sure thing Brad, thanks for helping us out." Misty said. With that, Brad turned around to head to his next designated job: making sure the two new janitors didn't mess something up.

"Brad sure is something, isn't he?" Misty said. "Yeah, he sure is…something…but what exactly?" Ash replied jokingly. The couple recalled their Pokémon, and joined the other students in the classroom, where the assistant instructor was trying to get everyone's attention.

"Now, as we move on to our second hour, I want you all to work on getting closer to your Pokémon, understand?" the instructor said. The entire class replied with a unified "yes sir".

The students, which included Ash and Co., spent the next hour getting to know their Pokémon's likes and dislikes.

"Grimer, I made some delicious poffins for you so why don't you go ahead and try one?" Dawn suggested. Grimer happily agreed and downed one of Dawn's poffins. "Wow, you've got poffins that are homemade!" Angie said, impressed.

In the seat next to Dawn, was Brock and Magnemite. "Ok Magnemite, how about a little static electricity snack?" Brock asked enticingly. Magnemite absorbed the static Brock had accumulated by rubbing a board with carpet against his body. "Followed by…a brisk, speedy, polish rubdown! Ta da!" Brock had given Magnemite a polished shine, which impressed the entire class. And needless to say, Magnemite loved being the center of attention.

Meanwhile, Misty and Surskit were still having some social issues. "S-So, what do you like to do…Surskit?" Misty asked, still somewhat nervous. Surskit got on one leg and twirled around in a circle, saying that it enjoyed skating on water.

"You like skating? Hmm…wait here Surskit." Misty said. She got up to go to Dawn's table first. "Hey Dawn, can I borrow a couple of poffins?" Misty asked. "Sure thing Misty, how are you and Surskit doing?" Dawn asked, as she handed Misty four poffins. "I think I may have found something to keep my mind off of it being part bug-type." Misty replied.

"Awesome! Good luck to you!" Dawn exclaimed cheerfully. Misty walked up to the instructor next. "Excuse me sir, but I need to go outside a moment so I can get something for Surskit." she said. "Very well young lady, you have five minutes." the instructor replied. Misty nodded and headed for the door.

"Where you going Mist?" Ash asked. "I'm just getting something, I'll be right back." Misty replied. Ash shrugged and went back to handling Raichu, while Misty ran out the door and into the corridor. Unfortunately, she wound up running onto a wet floor; her foot slipped on the water and she slid all the way into the nearest wall. After colliding, Misty crumpled onto the floor in pain. "Ow." she moaned quietly.

Of all people, Brad came running to see what all the commotion was about. "For crying out loud, I know you wanna be friends with your Pokémon but maybe you should leave the pond-skating to Surskit, huh?" Brad said as he helped the poor trainer to her feet.

"I think a wet floor is the only thing water-related that I DON'T like." Misty replied. "What are you doing out of your class anyway?" Brad asked. "I'm looking for something Surskit can skate in. Don't worry, I have permission." Misty replied.

"Oh, is that all? I have something you can use." Brad said. "Really? Thanks." Misty replied gratefully. Brad ran off for a moment to dig through his janitor's closet, and he returned with a small inflatable pool, just big enough for Surskit to skate in, but small enough to stay out of the way of the other students.

"This oughta take care of your problems." Brad said. "This is perfect! Thanks Brad!" Misty exclaimed happily. "No problem, now you better hurry, you have about a minute and a half before you're due." Brad said. "Wait, how did you know? And come to think of it, why do you have an inflatable pool in your closet?" Misty asked. "That's the standard time distribution, and a lot of students come to me for all sorts of crazy stuff. Now get going!" Brad replied. Misty nodded and took off in the opposite direction, being careful not to slip on the wet floor again.

While Misty was with Brad, Ash, Dawn, and Brock were busy still. But poor Angie was having trouble controlling the temperamental Monferno. "Hey, stop! What are you two doing?" she screamed, as she broke up another stare down between Monferno and Croconaw.

While that was going on, Ash had pulled out his Pokédex to examine Raichu. "Alright Raichu, let's just see what moves you can use." Ash said.

His Pokédex made a few beeping noises, signaling the completion of its scan. "This Raichu can use 'Focus Punch', 'Dig', 'Thunderbolt', and 'Double Team'." the Pokédex chirped.

"Wow Raichu, you can use 'Double Team' too? I can't wait for out battle to start!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. Raichu flinched a bit at Ash's excitement, but willed itself to stay in one place.

Dawn had done the same with her Pokédex: She scanned Grimer. "Grimer, the sludge-Pokémon. It was born when sludge in a dirty stream was exposed to x-rays from the moon." her Pokédex explained.

"Cool, now let's see what moves you've got." Dawn said. After a few more beeping noises, Dawn's Pokédex chirped: "Poison Gas', 'Mud Slap', 'Sludge', and 'Gunk Shot'.

"Wow! No need to worry, I just know you're going to shine Grimer!" Dawn exclaimed encouragingly. She had apparently encouraged Grimer too much; it gave her a big, slimy hug. "Gee whiz, tell me how you REALLY fell." Dawn said, her face flushed red with embarrassment.

By this time, Misty had returned with a pool of water for Surskit. "Ok Surskit, show me what you've got." Misty said. Surskit did just that. It put on a show as it skated on the water like a graceful ice-skater; doing twirls and spins as if it was a professional dancer. As it took a bow to signal its conclusion, Misty applauded the bug/water-type.

"Wow Surskit! That was awesome! I bet my sisters would've loved to add you to their water shows." Misty said. Surskit blushed and crawled up Misty's arm with a smile on its face. Misty cringed a bit, but then she smelled something.

"Mmm, what's that smell?" Misty wondered, as she took in the pleasing scent. Surskit responded with a squeak. "Surskit, is that you?" Misty asked. Surskit nodded. "Thanks. That scent really relaxes me. Here, have one of Dawn's poffins." Misty said. Surskit happily took the poffin from her hand and munched it down.

"I wonder what moves you can use. Hey Ash, can I borrow your Pokédex?" Misty asked. "Sure thing Mist." Ash replied, as she handed the water-trainer his Pokédex. Misty scanned it immediately.

"This Surskit can use 'Bubblebeam', 'Quick Attack', 'Ice Beam', and 'Sweet Scent'." the Pokédex chirped. "Oh, so that's why you smell so nice. You used 'Sweet Scent' right?" Misty asked knowingly. Surskit nodded, and grabbed another poffin from Misty's hand.

"You know what Surskit, I don't care if you are part bug-type, you're a really cute water-type!" Misty exclaimed happily, as she gave the surprised though pleased Surskit a hug. "Good to see you've gotten past your fear Misty." Brock said. "Surskit is actually really cute once you get past the whole bug-type thing; I think we'll be great friends!" Misty exclaimed happily.

The happiness that filled the air suddenly changed into panic. Dawn's attempt to give Grimer an oil rubdown failed; her hand got stuck inside of its body. Raichu panicked and blasted Ash with a 'Thunderbolt' when the brush that Ash was using got stuck in its fur. And Monferno had shot Angie with an 'Ember' attack for no actual reason.

It then started jumping all over the classroom, with Angie chasing after it. Ironically, when Angie dodged another 'Ember' attack, it had nailed Ash, Pikachu, and Raichu instead. "Why me?" Ash yelled furiously. "Because you weren't paying attention, duh." Angie replied dismissively.

"I was minding my own business, I shouldn't have to 'pay attention' to other Pokémon attacking me!" Ash yelled. Angie didn't have a comeback for that, but she didn't need one. The instructor had broken them up with a blow of his whistle, and sent the two quarrelers outside to run laps.

"But that's not fair, Ash didn't do anything wrong!" Misty exclaimed. "Would you like to go and keep him company?" the instructor asked. Misty immediately backed down and turned her attention back to Surskit. "You know Surskit, I get the feeling this'll be a really interesting week." Misty said.

Outside, Angie and a very frustrated Ash were running laps around the building. "I don't understand why I have to run laps." Ash said. "Because you started that fight, dummy." Angie replied. "How could I have started it if I was minding my own business?"Ash asked.

"Because you just did." Was the rather immature response. _"I wonder if me and Misty were this bad when we were her age." _Ash thought. Before they knew it, the two punished students' stomachs were growling ferociously.

"Man, I sure could use something to eat." Ash said. "Why don't you eat something, and I'LL go ahead of you." Angie replied. Ash and Angie soon picked up the pace, not wanting to miss their chance at lunch.

Meanwhile, Misty, Brock and Dawn were enjoying a delicious curry mix made by the two newly hired janitors. "Is Ash still running laps?" Misty asked. "Yeah, the instructor gave him and Angie a pretty rough punishment." Brock replied.

"Why don't you go and save something for them? Knowing Ash, he'll be starving." Dawn said, silently laughing at what she said. Misty nodded and did just that; she got ONE big bowl of curry. "Ahem, Misty." Brock said sternly, tapping his foot disapprovingly. "Oh come on, it's Angie's fault that he's running laps!" Misty cried.

Brock's expression only grew sterner, until Misty finally gave in. "FINE, I'll get some for her too." she spat. Although her feelings were telling her no, her conscious told her yes, so she got some for Angie as well.

Just as she sat back down, Ash and Angie barged in, panting and gasping for breath. "I'm starving and exhausted." Angie said weakly. "Did you save us some?" Ash asked hopefully. Dawn smirked and said: "Sorry, no more."

Ash and Angie crumpled onto the floor in disbelief. "Say it isn't so." they said. "Ok, it isn't so." Misty said, handing Ash his bowl with a smile. "Thanks Mist." Ash replied gratefully. Angie watched Ash pig out on his meal and clutched her aching stomach. "Don't worry; we saved some for you too." Dawn said.

Angie snatched the bowl from Dawn's hands and ravenously ate the curry. "You're welcome." Misty hissed. Angie picked up on Misty's disgust and shot back a glare. "Misty, relax." Brock said firmly. Misty sat herself back down and finished her meal without another word.

"Well guys, how do you like your lunch?" Brad asked, as he came in to clean up after the students. "This is awesome Brad!" Ash exclaimed, his mouth still full of food. "For once, we agree!" Angie added. "Good, that means that those new guys did a good job." Brad said.

"You know you two; I heard that most world-class sprinters are narcoleptics." Brad said with a sly grin. "A narco-wha?" Ash asked, confused. "Basically, someone who has issues with sleep." Brock explained.

"That's right. It's like they go to an Olympic track meet, on your mark, get set, go!" Brad head-desked as if he had fallen asleep, which brought giggles from the group of teens. "That's one of your better jokes." Misty said approvingly. "Naturally. I came up with it right here at the academy. I got sent on a few trips around the building myself when I was a student." Brad said with a sweat-drop.

"You must've been quite the unique student." Brock said. "That's an understatement Brock. Well, I gotta get back to work. Hope you two sprinters don't fall asleep in your next class." Brad snickered as he walked away. "Why do I get the feeling that that was a bad omen?" Misty whispered to Brock.

"Better keep a water-type at the ready, just in case you need to wake them up." Brock whispered back. Just then, the bell rang for recess and the group ran outside with excitement pent up inside them. "Alright everyone, the goal here is to work together with your Pokémon to win in this simple game of tug-of-war!" the instructor explained.

"Alright! Time to see what these guns of mine are made of!" Ash exclaimed excitedly, flexing his arm with pride. "Yeah, squirt guns maybe." Angie joked. "(Giggle) She's got you this time Ash." Misty added. Ash flushed red with embarrassment and grasped at the rope along with the rest of the red team.

Meanwhile, Jessilinda was leading the green team against them. "If there's one thing I wanna see, it's that creepy Jessilinda taking an unwanted mud bath." Misty said mischievously. "Then let's make sure we win this thing!" Dawn exclaimed.

The instructor blew his whistle, and the two teams yanked on the rope with all their might. At first the teams seemed equal, but little by little the green team began gaining ground. "Come on you guys, give it all you got!" Misty screamed. As the red team battled to stay alive in the game, Misty's Surskit began sweating, and an unusual odor filled the air and blew towards the green team.

"Mmm, what a heavenly delight! The smell of maple syrup on pancakes." Jessilinda said suddenly, as she dropped the rope to enjoy the scent. "Miss Jessilinda, help!" one of the boys exclaimed. The green team quickly began losing ground, as the red team pulled with a surge of power. In a matter of seconds, the green team, with the exception of Jessilinda, was now stuck in the mud, leaving red victorious.

"Alright Surskit! We won because of you!" Misty cheered, twirling around with Surskit held high in her hands. When Jessilinda realized her team had lost, she snapped. "I demand a rematch! That stupid bug made us lose!" she screamed furiously. Just then, Brad walked up with towels for the green team victims.

"Oh for crying out loud, just take responsibility for your own actions, I hate those people who feel that they have to blame someone else for whatever happens to them. Oh, if you shoot somebody, not your fault, let's blame the gun industry, they invented guns!" Brad exclaimed sarcastically, "Or if you get fat, not your fault, let's sue fast food restaurants! Now here's what you sound like: 'I smelled Surskit's sweat and now my team lost!' So let me ask this: Who dropped the rope to begin with?"

"How dare you insult the great Jessilinda?" Jessilinda screamed, only growing more furious as Brad continued. "The way I see it, the truly great people are the ones who take responsibility for their own actions and mistakes. Are you gonna do that?" Brad asked. Jessilinda's ears spewed steam, and she stomped away with her new Smoochum under her arm.

"You sure got her good!" Angie exclaimed. "I was disappointed when she didn't get the mud bath, but you more than made up for it!" Misty added. "Why thank you, now get moving, the next class begins in a few minutes." Brad said.

"Aww man, can't we have a break first? I'm exhausted." Ash said. "Come to think of it, I am too." Angie added. "Come on guys, I'll race you to the class, you ready?" Brad asked with the familiar sneaky grin. "Not really, but whatever." Ash said.

"Ok, on your mark, get set, go!" Brad yelled. Brad didn't take one step, he stayed behind to watch Ash and Angie fall on their face and fall asleep. "Brad, what did you do?" Misty screamed, as she, Dawn, and Brock walked back.

"I didn't do anything. They've been running late, running behind, and running out of time, they've been running all day long, so they're exhausted, and that's why right now they're FAST asleep!" Brad laughed. Misty, Dawn, and Brock couldn't help but laugh at their friend's joke. "Ok, I know how to wake them up." Misty said.

"Misty calls Corsola!" Misty called out her recently reacquired Corsola, who leaped into Misty's arms with glee. "(Giggle) I missed you too Corsola." Misty said as she hugged Corsola tightly.

"Wow, a Corsola!" Dawn exclaimed. "Corsola, the Coral Pokémon. A combination of both Water and Rock-types, it sheds and re-grows the horns on its head numerous times." Dawn's Pokédex said.

"When did you get Corsola back Misty?" Brock asked. "Last night. Daisy said that Corsola was giving her some trouble." Misty replied. "Corsola? Cor sola sola cor corsola!" (Trouble? All I did was defend myself!) Corsola exclaimed angrily.

"Defend yourself? What do you mean?" Misty asked. "Corsola sola corsola cor cor corsola!" (They tried to use my coral for jewelry!) Corsola replied angrily. "They did what? Oooh, I'm gonna kill them!" Misty screamed furiously.

"Uh, Misty, did you forget about Ash and Angie?" Dawn asked. Misty quickly cooled off as she remembered her reason for calling Corsola in the first place. "Oh, right. Corsola, use 'Bubblebeam' on Ash and Angie. Softly please." Misty requested.

Corsola complied and fired a soft spray of bubbles in the faces of the two sleepers. "Wah! Ok ok, I'm awake!" Ash panicked. "Good, because the next class starts in about…a minute and a half." Brad said. "Oh no, we gotta go now! Return Corsola!" Misty exclaimed, quickly recalling Corsola into its Pokéball.

The teens waved to Brad and ran for the classroom, just barely making it before the bell rang. "Glad you could join us, students." the instructor said somewhat accusingly. "Sorry, we were run – err…falling behind." Brock said, remembering Brad's previous joke.

"Very well, please open your textbooks class." the instructor said. "Mist, I'm falling asleep again." Ash whispered wearily. "What do you want me to do about it?" Misty asked. "I dunno, have something to keep me awake?" Ash asked. "Hmm…Surskit, if you see Ash dozing off, spray him with 'Bubblebeam', and do it quietly." Misty said. Surskit nodded and watched Ash like a hawk.

Surskit fired about five times during that whole hour, but the mission was completed as Ash managed to stay awake. Angie on the other hand got caught sleeping; luckily for her the instructor did not send her outside to run laps, although she did get a firm talk from the instructor before class was dismissed.

The rest of the day was spent just interacting with the Pokémon and gaining their confidence. Although both Ash and Angie took a nap before dinner just to keep themselves from falling asleep in their food.

After dinner, Ash and Misty took some time to themselves to enjoy the sunset, and to discuss things. "Misty, today was weird." Ash said. "Weird how?" Misty asked. "I mean…I feel like I relived history today. Angie picked fights the way you and I did when we were younger." Ash said. Misty shook her head with amusement.

"She's just a kid Ash. And…now that you mention it, after seeing the way she acted, I kinda realized how dumb we looked whenever we fought, no wonder Brock kept begging us to stop." Misty said. "Yeah, we were bad weren't we?" Ash said with a chuckle.

"Worse, if what I saw today was really what we looked like. But I must say, Pikachu really impressed me today." Misty said. "Pikachu impressed you? I'm the one she fought with!" Ash exclaimed. "But you already matured, Pikachu's still adapting to your new attitude." Misty replied. "Ok, what was so impressive?" Ash asked.

"Well for one thing, when Monferno hit Pikachu with that 'Ember' attack, the old Pikachu probably would've fought back with a 'Thunderbolt' out of revenge. But instead it waited for you to come and help it. That's maturity." Misty said. "Huh, guess I never noticed." Ash replied.

"There are very few things you notice." Misty teased. "Oh yeah? Says who?" Ash asked playfully. "Says me." Misty replied. "At least I notice you." Ash said. "(Giggle) I'm glad you notice that much." Misty replied coyly.

She placed herself under Ash's arm and nuzzled her head into his chest. The two sat in comfortable silence for a while, watching the sun set into the slowly darkening sky. Until it was sadly interrupted. "Sorry guys, but you need to head to bed now." Brad said.

"Already? It only got dark just now." Ash said. "I'm just giving you a warning. The instructors are gathering up all the other students now, and I figured Ash here didn't want to get to know that one instructor any better." Brad joked. Ash sweat-dropped nervously, which brought a giggle from Misty.

"Alright Brad, thanks for your help today." Ash said. "Hey, no worries, by the way, Dawn, Brock, and Angie are already in your room." Brad replied. "Wait, we all get the same room?" Misty asked. "Pretty much. Oh, and Dawn told me to tell you that…" Brad was cut-off. "Don't tell me…the room is one bed short and Ash and I will have to share." Misty guessed. "Actually she wanted me to tell you that she claimed the top-bunk, but now that you mention it, I think the green team needs an extra bed, I'll move yours." Brad snickered.

Misty flushed red almost immediately. "Well, we'll see you tomorrow Brad." Ash said. "Sounds good, have a good night you two." Brad said. "Whaddya mean by that?" Misty asked hastily. "Chill Misty, I was just saying goodnight." Brad replied. All fired up, Misty quickly walked to the dorms without another word.

"You noticed that she did the famous run-walk that businessmen do when they're late? You know, the one where they keep their knees stiff?" Brad asked. Ash barked out a laugh, but his concern for Misty made it less funny. "Brad, you're an awesome comedian, but I think Misty's had enough for a while. Could you lay off for a bit?" he asked.

"Yeah…I'll try to be less comedian, more friend. How's that sound?" Brad said. "I think that'll do it." Ash replied with satisfaction. "But hey, I still gotta be me, don't think you've escaped my sophisticated wit." Brad warned. "Heh heh, I won't." Ash replied. "Well, goodnight Ash, and tell Misty I'm sorry for hurting her feelings." Brad said.

"Sure thing Brad, I'm sure she knew you didn't mean to hurt her though. G'night." Ash said. Brad watched Ash run to find Misty, and found his way to his own sleeping quarters, where he wound up sharing with Jessilinda, and his two new partners.

"Listen, is that the sound of success I hear?" Jessilinda asked in her sleep. "It's speaking to me loud and clear." the tall janitor replied, also in his sleep. "Yeah, in your ear." the short one added.

_"I've heard that before, and I know who said it."_ Brad thought. Brad tip-toed to the short janitor's bed and slowly removed the blanket. And he wasn't completely surprised when he saw the janitor totally naked. But that wasn't a problem since it was just a Meowth.

_"Oh for crying out loud. Jessilinda? What a stretch, I can't believe I didn't recognize those three earlier. Maybe _I_ should put a helmet on."_ Brad thought, _"Well, James and that Meowth did a good job with lunch, and I still need help around here…I think I'll let them stay for a while, as long as none of the Pokémon disappear that is."_

Brad decided to leave the three Team Rocket members be for the time being, and got himself ready for bed.

With Ash and Co., the teachers had caught Ash and Misty and sent them to their dorm rooms. By the time they had their pajamas on and were settled into bed, the teachers had rounded up all the stragglers. "Ok everybody, lights out!" the male instructor yelled. "We've got a busy day tomorrow, so let's hit the hay!" the female one added. After the footfalls of the instructors vanished, the group of teens, plus the pre-teen Angie, got active once more.

Ash and Misty were huddled together on the bottom bunk, Angie was right above them, on the other side of the room was Brock, and on top of him was Dawn. Needless to say, none of them were ready to fall asleep. Especially Ash and Angie who had been energized by their afternoon nap.

"I can't believe they make us go to bed so early." Brock said. "I know right? I'm not even tired; we usually don't go to sleep for another two hours." Misty added. "We have some time to kill then. Any ideas?" Ash asked. "You know, I've got a deck of cards that May gave me from her huge travel bag." Dawn said enticingly.

"Then what are we waiting for? Come on guys, let's play!" Angie exclaimed excitedly. Dawn and Angie were just about to climb down from their top bunks, when shrieks of shock echoed through the air from the mouths of Misty, Dawn, and Angie. The reason for said shrieks being Conway, who had barged in with a nightgown and night hat.

"What do you want you creep?" Misty shrieked furiously, the urge to drill Conway into the floor again itching in her mind. "Nothing at all, but I'd be more than flattered to be Dawn's partner in a game of cards." Conway said coolly. "Get out! This isn't even your room!" Dawn shrieked, chucking her pillow at the glasses wearing boy.

Conway ducked and avoided the assault. "Very well, perhaps Misty would enjoy having a smart partner for a change?" Conway suggested. "Not on my watch!" Ash yelled angrily. Ash charged Conway with a raised fist. Conway panicked and shut the door to avoid Ash's wrath.

When Ash's fist slammed into the wooden door, he gave a cry of anguish and held his now aching hand, flexing it occasionally to check its condition. "That was pretty stupid of you." Angie said. "…Brock, you got anything I can do about this?" Ash asked, ignoring Angie's jab.

"I have some arnica cream here. It'll keep it from turning into a bruise, but it'll still hurt for a while." Brock replied. Brock applied the cream to Ash's hand and then wrapped it up in a bandage. "You really shouldn't let jealousy get the better of you." Brock said in a hushed tone. "That Conway…he's got some nerve making a move on Misty." Ash hissed.

"Stay calm Ash. You know who Misty really cares about." Brock said. "Right…I'll try." Ash replied. Ash turned from Brock to find all three females looking at him. "Hey, I'm alright, let's play!" Ash exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood.

Dawn and Angie gave him a smile, but Misty still had that familiar look of concern for his well-being on her face. "Can you move it?" she asked. "We can find out with a game of cards! Come on, let's just have some fun." Ash replied. Though unconvinced, Misty nodded and sat herself down.

"So what do we play?" Dawn asked as she pulled the card deck from her backpack. "Might I suggest Old Maid? I did it all the time when I was bored in Cerulean. Of course it wasn't easy getting my sisters to say yes." Misty said. "Sounds good to me, let's do it!" Angie exclaimed. "You all know the rules, right?" Misty asked. The group responded with a nod. "Ok Dawn, cards please." Misty said.

Dawn shuffled the cards and handed them out evenly amongst the players. After they sorted out their matches, the rotation began, and so did some conversation. "So…Angie, have you started on your journey yet?" Ash asked, trying to break the ice and avoid hostility.

"No, I've been working in a Pokémon Daycare Center." Angie replied, as she took a card from Ash's hand, "It's so busy that I barely have a free moment."

"I can see that it would be hard to find time for a journey." Brock said, taking a card from Angie's hand. "I always felt so unique, and here there are so many people who are blocked by work or something similar." Misty said. "I don't follow." Angie said.

"See, I used to be the Gym Leader in Cerulean City, but now that Ash finally got my sisters off their lazy bums, I've been able to travel again. And needless to say, running the gym was torture." Misty explained. "Oh, well it's not like I WANT to leave. The center is actually lots of fun, and I'm learning a whole bunch! I wouldn't trade it, you see, someday I'm planning to take over the business!" Angie replied. "Awesome, good luck to you then." Ash said. "Thanks, so what about you guys?" Angie asked.

"Me? I'm gonna become a Pokémon Master!" Ash exclaimed, the familiar glimmer of determination sparkling in his eyes. "A Master? You? Oh please." Angie heckled. Ash growled with frustration, but was cooled off by Misty's hand on his. "I think he's quite capable of the feat, as long as I keep him in check that is." Misty joked. "Very funny Mist." Ash said with a roll of his eyes.

"You have the same dream he does?" Angie asked. "Sort of, but to a more specific extent. You see, my goal in life is to become the world's greatest water-Pokémon trainer." Misty explained. "And you guys?" Angie asked.

"I'm going to become top coordinator!" Dawn exclaimed. "And I'm going to be a top Pokémon Breeder." Brock added. "I'll say one thing, you all dream REALLY big!" Angie said in awe. "I think that any dream can be achieved, as long as you're willing to put in the work with your Pokémon." Ash said.

Angie stopped for a moment to ponder Ash's statement; on the inside, she was impressed with Ash's determination and willpower, but her competitive nature kept her from realizing it.

The game was quickly stopped when the door to their room was swiftly opened. "Busted!" Brad exclaimed. The group leaped into their beds in shock, until they realized that it was only Brad, although the sight of Brad in his pajamas was pretty scary, to them at least.

"Geez Brad, you scared the snot out of us." Dawn said, panting for breath. "If you're getting scared because you got caught, you should be! Imagine if it had been a teacher instead of me. Luckily, I had a feeling you guys wouldn't head straight to bed, so I came to check." Brad said.

"Thanks Brad, we owe you." Ash said. "I'm not counting…yet." Brad snickered. "Goodnight everybody." The group said, as they shut off the light. Brad closed the door and left the group in the dark. "Hey Misty?" Ash said. "Yeah Ash?" Misty replied. "Brad told me to tell you he's sorry." Ash said.

"I know he doesn't mean to hurt people, but jokes like that…never mind, the point is, I accept his apology." Misty replied. "I'm sure he'll be glad to hear that." Ash said. Misty snuggled close and leaned into his embrace. She was just starting to relax when suddenly…

"AAAAHH!" another shriek. The lights quickly turned on, and all eyes fell on the source of the disturbance. "What is it Dawn?"Brock asked. "I saw something…outside that window…I don't know what though, but it was like…looking at me." Dawn said, all shaken up.

"If it's Conway again I'll…" Misty was cut-off. "It wasn't human! I don't know what it was, but it definitely wasn't human!" Dawn exclaimed. "Let's check it out Brock." Ash said. Ash and Brock climbed out of their bunks, Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder, ready to strike; Brock holding Croagunk's Pokéball tightly in his hand.

Brock opened the window and scanned the area with a keen eye, but did not see anything out of the ordinary. "I don't see anything, do you?" Brock asked. "Nothing. Do you sense anything Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Pika pika." (Nothing.) Pikachu replied.

Ash and Brock closed the window and looked back up at the trembling Dawn. "Whatever you saw isn't here anymore, you can relax." Brock said. "A-Are you s-sure?" Dawn asked nervously. "Tell you what, Pikachu; can you stand guard for Dawn tonight?" Ash asked. "Pika chu pi pi pika." (No problem, I'm on it.) Pikachu replied.

Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and onto Dawn's bunk, keeping a watchful eye for any danger. "See? Pikachu's gonna make sure you're alright." Ash reassured. "O-Ok, I…guess that'll be good. I feel a little better already knowing that Pikachu's standing guard." Dawn said, still nervous but not quite as frightened.

When a white light shone, the group jumped back, but quickly relaxed when all they saw was Buneary. "What is it Buneary?" Dawn asked. Buneary hopped onto Dawn's bunk and sat herself down next to Pikachu. "Bun bun eary bun eary." (I'll take turns keeping watch.) Buneary said. "Oh, so you're going to be the changing of the guard so Pikachu can get some sleep too?" Dawn guessed.

Buneary nodded to confirm. "Aww, isn't that sweet of Buneary, Pikachu?" Misty asked, knowing she had put the electric mouse on the spot. "P-Pika…chu." (Y-Yeah…thanks.) Pikachu replied sheepishly. Buneary blushed slightly and made herself comfortable, allowing Pikachu to take the first watch.

By the time everybody was asleep, Pikachu was still keeping watch, although he was having a little trouble focusing. The sleeping form of Buneary had unconsciously cuddled up to him, leaving Pikachu a little nervous. But Pikachu was not without instincts. Like his master, he was slowly gaining knowledge in things involving the opposite sex.

He glanced over at his beloved Pikapi and Pikachupi, who were comfortably snoozing, cuddled up under the covers. He then glanced over at the rabbit-Pokémon sleeping next to him; he thought about what he should do. He finally decided to just place his tail over Buneary to act as a sort of electric blanket. When Buneary grabbed onto it, his first instinct was to use 'Thundershock' and make the holder release his tail, but he suddenly thought twice and permitted Buneary to softly hug his yellow tail.

Pikachu actually felt good by allowing Buneary to affectionately hold his tail; the feeling of her paws was pleasant to him, and Buneary learned that she had mastered the fake sleep technique.

**DAY 2**

Early the next morning, Ash, Misty, and Angie woke up early to privately train their Pokémon. Misty had already conquered her main problem, but Ash and Angie still had their unique problems as bad as ever. Ash went down near the stream under Misty's suggestion that the serene atmosphere would calm Raichu a bit. While Misty and Angie stayed on slightly higher ground, and watched the trainer do his thing.

"Raichu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Raichu complied and fired at a nearby rock, but the attack was rather weak in power due to Raichu's extreme timidity and nervousness. Ash knelt down next to Raichu after the attack. "Hey what's wrong? Your 'Thunderbolt' has gotta be stronger than that, come on." Ash said encouragingly. Raichu panicked at how close Ash was to it, and it dug a hole for protection. "Hey, don't go hiding again, please! Come on out and try again." Ash said encouragingly. Ash attempted to pull Raichu out of the hole, but a 'Thunderbolt' fried him instead.

"Ha! Now Mr. Pokémon Master will lose his temper." Angie laughed. "That's where you're wrong, watch this." Misty replied. Misty and Angie watched closely as Ash sat up and confronted Raichu.

"Now check this out!" Ash exclaimed, his hair even messier than before thanks to Raichu's electricity, "You've gotta be strong to do this, the only thing you need more of is confidence!"

Raichu reluctantly crawled out of the hole and faced the rock again. "Ok, now use 'Focus Punch' and be confident!" Ash ordered. With a loud battle-cry, Raichu recklessly charged for the huge rock, and even it was surprised when its 'Focus Punch' managed to completely obliterate the rock to smithereens. It blinked a few times to assure itself that it wasn't dreaming, and was eventually convinced when the sound of Ash and Pikachu cheering behind it finally registered in its ears.

"What'd I tell you?" Misty said. "Using his own bad luck to make good luck?" Angie asked. "(Giggle) It seems that way doesn't it? Ash has always given 100% in his training, but it wasn't too long ago that he'd get mad if something like that happened. I've watched him grow from beginner to almost an expert, and now I'm proud to say that any new trainer can look up to him and learn something." Misty said with admiration.

Although she didn't verbally admit it, Angie herself had just learned something from Ash's approach to training. "Well, I'm gonna go and train Surskit now. Good luck with your training!" Misty exclaimed as she ran off. Angie waved and stood in place for a moment. "It's my turn." she said to herself.

"Monferno, come on out!" Angie threw out a Pokéball, and Monferno emerged soon after. "Monferno, I want you to face me and use 'Ember'!" Angie ordered. Monferno glanced at Angie, confusion all over its face by what she had just ordered.

"Hey I mean it! I want you to hit me with your best shot!" Angie repeated. Monferno was still confused, but it certainly didn't want to pass up an opportunity to fry Angie, so it did what it was told. As the burning embers flew towards her, Angie easily stepped out of harm's way and avoided the attack.

"Come on, you're calling that your best shot? Try putting something behind it!" Angie heckled. Monferno became enraged, and launched multiple 'Ember' attacks at the twelve year old girl. Angie easily dodged each one, which brought Monferno's temper to its breaking point.

With one ultra-powerful blast, Monferno fired its fastest and strongest 'Ember' attack of the whole day. Instead of dodging, Angie crossed her arms in an 'X' formation and took the hit. "That's more like it!" she said as she got showered with fire.

"Great move! That's showing me some real heat!" Angie exclaimed. Monferno scratched its head with pure bewilderment. It still couldn't figure out why Angie was purposely allowing it to attack her. "Now take a whack at 'Mach Punch', and face me like before!" Angie ordered.

Monferno happily obliged, and swung its fists at the girl. However, just as before, Angie dodged each one, which got Monferno all fired up again. "Ha! Too slow. Speed it up and focus!" Angie exclaimed. Monferno did just that, and eventually managed to nail Angie in the gut. "Oof, nice punch." Angie said.

Monferno finally stopped its assault. "You fight like that in the battle today and we're sure to beat Ash and his Raichu!" Angie exclaimed. Monferno liked the idea of winning, so it decided on a truce with its trainer.

"She means business doesn't she?" Ash said, as he and Misty watched Angie train from the stream. "Looks like it. You know she took a page from your book." Misty replied. "How do you mean?" Ash asked. "Well just look, she's recklessly using herself as a target for her Pokémon's attacks. Sound like anybody we know?" Misty said teasingly, playing with a lock of Ash's electrified hair.

"Heh, I guess I kinda have a tendency to do stuff like that." Ash replied sheepishly. "It's almost time for the battle, you ready?" Misty asked. "We're set. How about you and Surskit? I didn't see you do any training." Ash replied. "Oh, we trained earlier this morning. Me and Surskit had a nice swim while the sun rose." Misty said.

"That early? I didn't even know you had left." Ash said. "You weren't supposed to; I tried hard not to wake you. We ALL know how grumpy you get when you wake up too early." Misty joked. "Fair enough. Let's head on back then, I have to do something with my hair." Ash said.

"Good luck with that." Misty said teasingly. The two trainers walked back to the academy, hand-in-hand. Just before they reached the academy, they saw Angie jogging up with Monferno. "Ash, pretend you don't know anything." Misty said quickly. "But why…" Ash was cut-off. "Just do it!" Misty hissed.

"Hey guys!" Angie said. "Err, no offense, but you look kinda beat up." Ash said. "Well news flash, so do you." Angie countered. "So, how did your training with Monferno go?" Misty asked politely. "We really had it out and cleared the air, so we're friends now!" Angie said, putting Monferno in a playful headlock.

"And what about you and Surskit?" Angie asked. "We'll be ready, don't worry." Misty replied. "Oh ok, how about you and Raichu, Ash?" Angie asked. "You see, the problem was that Raichu had no confidence at all, but all our hard work will pay off in today's battle, you'll see." Ash said.

"If you're gonna beat someone, it won't be us!" Angie exclaimed determinedly. "Heh, we'll see. Seeya later!" Ash jogged into the academy with Misty close behind. Leaving Angie by herself. But her competitive spirit was still not satisfied, so she decided to start a little race with him around the building.

"You three are as slow as molasses!" she said provocatively. "Oh yeah, watch this!" Ash yelled determinedly. Ash broke into a sprint and quickly passed up the twelve year old girl. "No you don't Ash!" Angie screamed. Angie broke into a sprint as well, but had issues keeping with her taller and stronger opponent.

Misty watched Ash and Angie race around the building and rolled her eyes. She spotted Dawn and Brock sitting by an open window, and joined them. "That girl is way too competitive. Ash is leaving her in the dust." Misty said.

"Maybe, but now we have to make sure those two don't beat us at the Pokémon battle." Brock said. "Good point. I watched Angie train today; she just might be able to give Ash a run for his money." Misty said. "The only thing I'M thinking about is making Grimer shine like a star!" Dawn exclaimed. "Shine' being a relative term of course." Misty joked.

"Of course, I know Grimer won't LITERALLY shine, but I want Grimer to be the best it can be." Dawn said. "Good! That's the spirit!" a voice said. The three teens turned around to find…

"Professor Rowan." Dawn said. "What did you mean sir? If you don't mind my asking." Misty asked. "Those two are perfect examples of trainers who don't get along that well at first, but in the end they wind up as formidable rivals…and that's what I love so much about this school." Prof. Rowan explained.

Their attention went back to the two sprinters; Angie had just given up chasing Ash, who had already gone ahead of her by twenty yards. "Looks like the race is over." Misty laughed.

"The race may be over but the battle is about to begin. Prepare your Pokémon; we will be starting in a few minutes." Prof. Rowan said. The group followed Prof. Rowan outside, where they found Ash and Angie panting and gasping for breath.

"Did you have fun?" Misty asked teasingly. "Yes, I did." Ash countered. Misty giggled and kissed Ash's cheek, but quickly regretted it. "Ew, you're all sweaty and salty." Misty said, spitting onto the ground. "Hey, men sweat." Ash said with a shrug. "You're not a man; you're a sad excuse for an adolescent." Misty teased. "Well you're a scrawny teenage girl." Ash countered.

The banter continued for a few moments before Professor Rowan ascended to the stage and got everyone's attention. "Alright, our Pokémon battles are about to begin! I want you to keep in mind that your goal is to battle in such a way as to bring out the best in your Pokémon!" Prof. Rowan announced. All of the students replied with a loud: "yes sir"

The students and their Pokémon circled the battlefield, where Brock and Jessilinda started their battle.

Now Magnemite, 'Thunder', let's go!" Brock ordered. Magnemite complied and fired a furious electric attack. "Smoochum dear, won't you please show us 'Sweet Kiss'?" Jessilinda ordered somewhat calmly. Smoochum complied and showered a spray of hearts towards the magnet-Pokémon.

However, the affection-stricken Jessilinda lost track of where she was and wound up being zapped by the 'Thunder' attack. "Are you alright?" the instructor asked. "To be totally honest…I'm not." Jessilinda replied weakly.

Smoochum walked up to comfort its temporary master, and Jessilinda quickly got up to glomp Smoochum. "My problem is with your terminal cuteness your Jessilinda can't bring herself to battle a bit!" she squealed.

"Err…in that case we'll call your battle with Brock and Magnemite a forfeit." the instructor said with a sweat-drop. "Next up is Misty of the red team!" Prof. Rowan announced. Misty took her place and looked around for her opponent.

"Who am I going up against anyway?" Misty asked. "He's coming, don't worry." the female instructor replied. Indeed he was. He was short, blonde, and wearing a janitor outfit. "I'm battling Brad?" Misty asked. "Yep, whenever we have an odd number of students, I'm used as a substitute." Brad explained.

"If Misty loses this battle, the points of the win will be split evenly between the green and blue teams." Prof. Rowan announced. "Ok then Misty, ready for a rematch?" Brad asked determinedly. "You bet, Misty calls Surskit!" Misty threw out the Pokéball, and the bug/water-type emerged.

"Ready Torkoal? Let's do it!" Brad threw out his own Pokéball, and Torkoal emerged with smoke spraying from its nostrils. "Battle begin!" the instructor announced.

"Ok Torkoal, use 'Flamethrower'!" Brad ordered. Torkoal complied, and launched a burning flame at the small bug/water-Pokémon. "Use 'Bubblebeam' to counter!" Misty countered. Surskit leaped into the air and extinguished the flames with a powerful stream of bubbles. "Awesome job Surskit!" Misty cheered.

"Not bad, but try this on for size! Use 'Stone Edge'!" Brad ordered. Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Angie gasped in shock, but Misty's face contained a smirk, as the small, sharp rocks charged towards Surskit. "Ready Surskit, just like we practiced!" Misty exclaimed. Surskit fired a 'Bubblebeam' towards the ground, making water spread all over the ground. Then Surskit skated out of the way as the rocks wedged themselves into the ground after the miss.

"Awesome! Misty used Surskit's natural ability to give it an extra speed advantage!" Brock exclaimed. "Use 'Quick Attack'!" Misty ordered. Surskit's speed increased as it skated towards the turtle for a swift tackle. "Iron Defense'." Brad countered.

Torkoal withdrew into its shell and blocked Surskit's speedy attack. "Brad's defense is as strong as ever." Dawn said. "C'mon Misty, show him what you're made of!" Ash cheered. "Surskit, use 'Sweet Scent'!" Misty ordered.

Surskit emitted a pleasing aroma that eventually hovered over to Torkoal. "Awesome! Misty's using 'Sweet Scent' to distract Torkoal!" Ash exclaimed. "Now use 'Bubblebeam'!" Misty ordered. Surskit fired, expecting the attack to hit dead-on. "Use 'Flamethrower'!" Brad countered. Torkoal complied and countered the attack, bringing gasps of shock from everyone.

"Did you forget that my Pokémon don't pay attention to distracting attacks like that?" Brad said, "Use 'Solarbeam'!"

Torkoal began absorbing energy, and Misty took that as her chance to attack. "Quick! Use 'Bubblebeam' while Torkoal's charging its attack!" Misty ordered. Surskit swiftly and gracefully skated across the wet ground, and at point-blank range, fired the stream of bubbles into Torkoal's face.

Torkoal stepped back and winced at the water-attack. "Fire 'Solarbeam'!" Brad ordered. Torkoal's mouth opened and a huge, blinding white light was fired at the pond skater Pokémon. "Spin and dodge it!" Misty countered.

Like a graceful ice-dancer, Surskit jumped and twirled in the air, avoided the attack, and softly landed back onto the wet ground. "Whoa, what was that?" Angie exclaimed in awe. "I made up that move for contests! And it's turned out to be an effective battling strategy too!" Dawn replied.

"Use 'Flamethrower' at the ground!" Brad ordered. Torkoal fired at the ground, causing steam to rise wherever Surskit had made a puddle. With the water now gone, Surskit began to panic. "Stay calm Surskit, we can still win this!" Misty exclaimed.

Surskit's connection with Misty had grown strong, her encouraging words convinced it that Misty knew what she was doing, so it calmed itself and readied for battle. "Why doesn't Misty have Surskit just wet the field again?" Angie asked. "Because if she did, Torkoal could evaporate the water all over again. Misty'll have to come up with a new strategy." Brock explained.

"Use 'Flamethrower'!" Brad ordered. Torkoal fired, and Surskit flinched a bit when it saw the attack coming its way. "Surskit, use 'Quick Attack' and hurry!" Misty countered. Surskit gained some extra speed from the 'Quick Attack' and managed to dodge the flame, and smacked Torkoal before it could withdraw into its shell. "Now, use 'Ice Beam' from right there!" Misty ordered.

From almost point blank range, Surskit fired a freezing beam that froze Torkoal in solid ice. "Awesome job Misty!" Ash cheered. "Hold on a sec Ash, look." Brock said. Ash looked back at Torkoal, and noticed that the heat from its body was slowly defrosting it from the ice.

"Get ready Surskit." Misty said. Surskit braced itself for whatever Misty was about to tell it. Torkoal's head finally defrosted, and Brad wasted no time getting back into the battle. "Torkoal, use 'Flamethrower'!"

Torkoal managed to fire despite it still being half-frozen, but the attack missed. "Now! Use 'Bubblebeam' and give it all you got!" Misty ordered. Surskit leaped into the air and fired the stream of bubbles at Torkoal's head.

After the barrage of bubbles, Torkoal had finally had enough. It fainted. "The battle is over! The winner is Misty on the red team!" the instructor announced. Misty ran towards Surskit and embraced it in her arms, laughing with joy. "You did it Surskit, you were awesome!" she cheered.

"What do you think Torkoal?" Brad asked it. Torkoal nodded in response. "Yep, I think so too." Brad said. Torkoal was returned to its Pokéball, and Brad went to congratulate Misty. "Nice job with that battle. You learned how to counter my defense." Brad said.

"It was all Surskit, believe me." Misty replied. "Unfortunately, this is where you and Surskit part ways. You have to give it back at some point." Brad said. Misty's expression grew sad, and Surskit's followed suit. The two had become really good friends in the past two days, and to think that it all started with Misty being scared of it because it was part bug-type.

Now Misty saw it as a cute water-type that just happened to be bug as well, and they unfortunately had to say their goodbye right there. "Well Surskit, it was nice meeting you." Misty said sadly. Surskit seemed on the verge of tears at having to leave the water-trainer, which brought Misty's cerulean-blue eyes to tears as well.

Sadly and with much reluctance, Misty recalled Surskit back into its Pokéball, and handed it back to the instructor. Without a word, Misty turned to walk away and rejoin her team, where they greeted her with sympathetic expressions. "I'm sorry Misty." Brock said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Surskit is a one-of-a-kind. One of the few bug-types I'm not afraid of, and the only one who understood my love of water." Misty said sadly, fighting back hot tears. Brad walked up to the girl and offered his condolences, then turned to leave. Before he left however, he exchanged glances with Prof. Rowan.

"Well…we have to keep these battles going, so if Dawn of the red team and Conway of the blue team will please take their places on the field." the instructor said. Dawn gave Misty a quick hug before charging onto the field to face off against Conway.

"You'll be ok Mist, you're tough." Ash said comfortingly. Misty took a deep breath, and miraculously managed to hold back the tears that were trying so hard to pour out of her eyes. And after a few minutes of watching the trainers prepare their Pokémon, Misty actually managed to give a small smile.

Conway released his Venonat without so much as a word, but the determination was there nonetheless.

"Now Grimer, spoooootlight!" Dawn had placed Grimer's Pokéball inside of a contest seal, so when Grimer emerged, hearts flew out in all directions. "Heh, you know Dawn, this ISN'T a contest." Conway said smugly. "So what? We're just getting ourselves pumped up!" Dawn replied.

"You show that creep, Dawn!" Misty exclaimed. Misty had gotten herself fired up to hide the pain she was currently feeling in her heart, but it wasn't exactly hard to do so since she REALLY wanted to see Conway get beaten. The instructor started the battle, and Dawn got off the first attack.

"Alright Grimer, use 'Sludge', let's go!" Dawn ordered. Grimer fired small globs of slime at the bug-type. "Venonat, 'Psychic'!" Conway countered. Venonat's eyes glowed in an eerie blue color, and the globs of slime were redirected back to where it came from. Grimer braced itself and took the hit.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Conway's really good. He's in total sync with that Venonat." Brock said. "So what you're saying is that Dawn can't win in a power battle." Misty guessed. "Maybe, but she's faced worse." Brock replied.

"Ok Grimer, use 'Sludge' once more!" Dawn ordered. Again, globs of slime were fired towards Venonat. "Using the same attack? Then we'll use 'Psychic'!" Conway countered. Just like before, Venonat redirected the attack with 'Psychic'.

"Now Grimer, use 'Poison Gas' to surround that sludge!" Dawn ordered. Grimer opened its mouth, and a putrid, foul-smelling cloud of gas came out, surrounding the sludge holding it trapped. The cloud then spread over to Venonat, who got immersed in the cloud and wound up taking the hit from the 'Sludge' attack anyway.

"Alright Grimer! It's 'V' for victory!" Dawn cheered. Dawn posed and put her fingers in a 'V' shape, and Grimer followed suit. "Wow, Dawn was just great!" Angie exclaimed. "Yeah? You just wait!" Ash replied. "More combinations on the way!" Misty added.

"Ha ha ha, it's getting exciting. Alright, Venonat, 'Stun Spore'!" Conway ordered. Venonat fired rings of paralyzing spores at the sludge-Pokémon. "Spin and use 'Poison Gas'!" Dawn countered. Grimer twirled in the air as it spewed its gas cloud, and it resulted in a perfect block.

"Hey, that was really cool." Ash said in awe. "That was quite nice, but Conway never gives up!" Conway yelled determinedly. "That makes two of us!" Dawn replied with the same determination.

"Use 'Supersonic'!" Conway ordered. Venonat sent out sound-waves at Grimer, who could merely brace itself for the imminent impact. "Now Grimer, use 'Sludge' and do it quickly!" Dawn countered. Grimer fired before Venonat could counter with 'Psychic', so it hit dead-on.

"One minute!" the instructor announced. A few more attacks were fired from both sides, but in the end, it turned out to be a tie. Dawn and Conway shook hands, congratulating each other for a job well done, although Dawn did sweat-drop when she had to literally yank her hand out of Conway's.

Before Dawn could return Grimer, a crowd surrounded them, all wanting to get close to the sludge-Pokémon, and needless to say, Grimer absolutely loved the attention. But eventually Dawn did have to give Grimer back, so she said her goodbye and returned to its Pokéball, and then returned that to the instructor.

"Next battle!" the instructor exclaimed.

Battles between the teams were notably less exciting than gyms or contests, but there were a few trainers that Misty, who had still retained some gym leader instinct, made note that he/she could go far. Finally the moment that Ash and Angie had been waiting for arrived. It was now their turn to battle each other.

"It's time. We're finally up! Just be confident and give it all you got Raichu!" Ash exclaimed. Raichu nodded determinedly, something that it very rarely did. "Monferno, give it 100% all the way." Angie said from the other end of the field.

The instructor began the battle, and Angie made the first move. "Monferno, 'Mach Punch', let's go!" she ordered. Monferno charged ahead for a light-speed punch. "Ok Raichu, use 'Focus Punch'!" Ash countered. The two punches met in mid-air, and eventually both jumped back when neither one budged.

"Flame Wheel' now!" Angie ordered. Monferno charged ahead in a wheel of flame. "Raichu, use 'Dig'!" Ash countered. Raichu quickly dug a hole to avoid being hit by the powerful flame. "Use 'Ember' toward the hole!" Angie ordered.

Monferno turned around and fired the red-hot embers at the hole Raichu had hidden in. "Quick Raichu, dodge it now!" Ash countered. Raichu quickly leaped out of the hole and just barely missed being singed by the attack.

"Angie has Ash playing defense!" Dawn exclaimed. "Angie's using a whole bunch of attack moves, which means Ash has to keep making Raichu dodge and counter, he'll have to do something soon or Raichu won't have any energy left to go on offense." Brock explained.

"Monferno, use 'Fury Swipes'!" Angie ordered. "Raichu, 'Double Team'!" Ash countered. Raichu glowed white for a split second, and then seemingly disappeared. But then over six different Raichu's seemed to appear, leaving Monferno confused as to where to attack. "Now, 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. The real Raichu launched a powerful electric-attack at the monkey.

Monferno landed on the ground and nearly passed out from the fatigue it had from all the attacking. "Hey, don't quit! 'Flame Wheel'!" Angie ordered. Monferno quickly stood back up and charged ahead at the now vulnerable Raichu. The attack hit dead-on and Raichu hit the ground with a thud.

"C'mon Raichu, are you ok?" Ash asked. Raichu quickly got up and faced its opponent once more, something that Misty noted in her mind that Monferno was not going to do unless Angie had barked out another attack.

"You two are pretty good." Angie said. "So are you two." Ash replied. "Boy, Ash and Angie are sure getting heated up." Dawn said. "Eh, I've seen hotter." Brock replied. "Hotter? What do you mean?" Dawn asked. "You forget that I watched two hot-heads grow up together for two years, this is nothing." Brock replied. "How'd you like a mallet to the face Brock?" Misty asked threateningly.

"See? I rest my case." Brock said smugly. Misty lowered her weapon and face-faulted, which brought laughter from Dawn and Brock.

"Ember'!" Angie ordered. Wanting to try and get in another attack, Ash ordered 'Double Team' once more. Raichu split into more than ten different Raichu, once again confusing the fire/fighting-type. "Attack every one of them!" Angie ordered.

Monferno charged up and fired an 'Ember' that went in all directions. Just when Ash thought the attack would miss, one lone 'Ember' managed to knock Raichu out of the sky. "Yeah, nice work! Now 'Fury Swipes'!" Angie ordered.

With quick feet, Monferno's nails extended into claws, and it ran forward to slash where Raichu would land. "Raichu, use 'Focus Punch', full blast!" Ash countered. Raichu went out of free fall and used its momentum to deliver an extra hard punch to Monferno's cheek, just as Monferno slashed Raichu against the face with 'Fury Swipes'.

"Now Raichu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Angie countered by barking out 'Ember'. The two attacks collided with an explosion, and the instructor called time soon after. Raichu fell over onto its butt and relaxed, letting the fatigue roll over it. "Wow Raichu, you fought hard." Ash said. Raichu sighed out a tired reply.

Angie was busy putting Monferno in a playful headlock. "I knew you could do it!" she cheered. Monferno replied rather sheepishly, which was rare for its attitude. Ash and Angie exchanged fist-pounds with each other and then returned their temporary Pokémon to the instructor just as the sun began to set.

Prof. Rowan gathered everyone's attention and stood on the platform to make his announcements. "You've all done very well working and battling with your new Pokémon, and so from this moment on I would like all of you to make it a point of making friends with the rest of the Pokémon in attendance." he said.

"And now, it's time to announce the student who most developed his or her relationship with their Pokémon…and the winner is…Misty from the red team!" Prof. Rowan announced. Applause rang out from all directions, cheering for Misty. "Wow, me?" Misty asked in shock, blushing with embarrassment. "Of course! You started out scared of Surskit, but in the end turned out to be great friends!" Brock explained.

"And now I would like to ask Misty to come up to the stage and accept this special prize we have for her." Prof. Rowan said. Misty slowly made her way up to the stage, and faced the professor. "You've worked hard making friends with your Pokémon, and so I would like to present you with this." Prof. Rowan said.

Prof. Rowan handed Misty a Pokéball, and Misty's free hand went to her mouth in shock. "I-Is this…?" Misty asked. Prof. Rowan nodded to acknowledge. Misty softly tossed the Pokéball, and Surskit happily emerged and climbed onto Misty's head. "Surskit is yours. The Pokéball is registered in your name." Prof. Rowan said. Overwhelmed by the moment, Misty hugged the professor tightly, thanking him over and over.

She eventually released the somewhat bewildered Professor, who straightened his tie once Misty left the stage. She walked back to her friends with Surskit happily perched on her head, and they congratulated her gleefully. "So does this mean you're not afraid of bug-types anymore?" Ash asked. "Oh please, of course I'm afraid of bug-types, but like I said, Surskit is literally, one-of-a-kind." Misty replied.

Just then, Brad walked up with Torkoal by his side. "And now you know the story of how I met Torkoal." he said. "You mean…you got Torkoal here at the academy?" Dawn asked. "Yep. Torkoal used to be extremely sensitive, and being perfectly honest, I owe that sensitivity a lot. Torkoal refused to leave me, so Professor Rowan ended up giving me Torkoal as my own Pokémon, and ironically enough, it was my last year as a student." Brad explained.

"But how did the Professor know?" Misty asked. "Well, let's just say that I pulled some strings for you." Brad replied. "You? You convinced the Professor to let me keep Surskit?" Misty asked. "Not really convinced; Rowan was already thinking about it, I just reinforced it." Brad explained.

Misty embraced the short, blonde man in thanks, and Brad reciprocated the gesture. "You're welcome." Brad said with a smile. Brad turned to head to the kitchen, where he would help finish making dinner for the students.

"Attention everyone, we've tallied up the points from the past two days, and we've found that the team with the highest accumulative score is the blue team!" Prof. Rowan announced. The blue team cheered, while their "leader" Conway just snickered knowingly.

"And despite the quarreling and unexpected daytime nap; thanks to the valiant battling, second place belongs to the red team." Prof. Rowan announced. "Heh, guess we got lucky." Angie said with a sweat-drop.

"And coming in dead last is the green team." Prof. Rowan said with considerable disgust. "How dare you? My Smoochumkins was the best out of any of these Pokémon!" Jessilinda screamed. "Let's put it this way, maybe you would've gotten somewhere if you didn't get distracted every stinkin' time you saw that thing!" Brad yelled.

Everyone in the area laughed, even the green team itself. The only one not amused was Jessilinda, who stomped away furiously.

Just then, James and Meowth, who Brad had discovered were disguising themselves as janitors, called the students into the mess hall for dinner. "Chow time!" James yelled. "Time ta strap on the ol' feedbag!" Meowth added.

"Well I'm sure after today; you've all worked up quite the appetite, so everyone is dismissed for today." Prof. Rowan announced. "C'mon everyone, last one there has to use chopsticks!" Brad took off towards the mess hall with all the students close behind.

And after dinner, the group headed to their dorm room and enjoyed a good night's rest, of course the night did not go without incident. "You saw something AGAIN Dawn?" Ash asked in disbelief. "I must be going crazy or something, why is it always me?" Dawn shrieked.

"Well I still don't see anything out there; your imagination must be out of control." Brock said. "I-I don't suppose Pikachu would be willing to stand guard with Buneary again, would he?" Dawn asked. "No way! Pikachu needs to get some sleep too you know!" Ash yelled. A quick shock to his feet changed Ash's mind.

"Pika pika pikachu." (I'll stand guard.) Pikachu said seriously. "Fine, have it your way." Ash said dismissively. Pikachu hopped onto Dawn's bed once more, and Buneary emerged from her Pokéball soon after. "Buneary will take first watch tonight, would that be ok?" Dawn asked, still a bit jumpy.

"As long as it's ok with Pikachu, it's ok with me." Ash replied. Pikachu nodded and curled up into a ball on Dawn's bed, giving Buneary the first watch of the night. A few hours into the night, Buneary glanced over to the window and saw a strange shadow that kept changing shape.

Panicked, Buneary shook Pikachu awake, pointing towards the window. Pikachu rubbed his eyes and looked over to the window and saw nothing. Buneary uncovered her eyes and noticed that whatever she had seen had vanished. "Bun bun buneary!" (I know I saw something!) Buneary exclaimed softly, so as not to wake the humans.

"Pika pi pi chu pika." (Just relax, I'll stand watch now.) Pikachu said soothingly. Buneary took a deep breath and allowed her body to relax, even though her heart remained racing for a short amount of time. Pikachu even offered his tail to Buneary, who gratefully accepted it, and hugged it like a pillow.

Within a few moments, Buneary was comfortably snoozing, with Pikachu keeping a vigilant watch.  
_

**A/N: lol, any ideas now? For all you reviewers out there, all of your guesses were logical, but wrong. xD I pushed in a few more hints, so try again! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and special thanks to Sullimike23 for giving me the idea of Misty and Surskit! I was wondering how I would fit that in, but the academy gave me an excuse! **

**And don't worry, I didn't bring back Corsola for nothing, she'll have an important part in this too. And to top it all off...Brad's back! xD And still cracking jokes as you can see! I was dying to get Brad back in there, for anyone who wants to see him for real, go to youtube and search for "Brad Stine". I bet you'll laugh. That's enough out of me, get ready for the rest of Pokemon Summer Academy! Please review everyone!**


	27. Pokemon Summer Academy: Part 2

**I am truly ashamed at how long it took for me to do this, but I had an internal battle with myself on how I would include Angie's crush on Ash with Misty actually being his girlfriend. o_O At any rate, I would like to thank you all for the reviews, they made sure that I didn't get lazy and they made me pull out what I hope is a quality filled chapter!  
_**

Chapter 27

**Day 3**

The group was woken up by an extremely loud bugle at what seemed to them was the crack of dawn. Speaking of Dawn, she was ready to crack. "Even Buneary saw something! Don't you believe me now?" Dawn asked desperately. "Sorry Dawn, but all that means is that your Pokémon are seeing things too, I don't know what to tell you." Misty replied.

"What time is it anyway?" Ash asked groggily. "It's 7:00 A.M., now we know why we go to bed so early." Brock replied. "What's the matter Ash? Can't handle waking up early?" Angie joked. "I wouldn't be so sleepy if it weren't for your snoring." Ash said bitterly. "Me? Snore? Must've been a Kricketot." Angie replied. "Only if you inhaled it." Ash grumbled.

Just then, Brad barged in. "Rise and shine everyone!" he exclaimed. "We're up, but we're not shining Brad." Misty said with a yawn. "Maybe this'll get you moving. Breakfast is on the table." Brad said. "Breakfast? Well alright then!" Ash exclaimed. Ash quickly got himself out of molasses-mode and sped up his wake-up.

He ran into the bathroom, put on his clothes, and ran past Brad to the mess hall all in a matter of seconds. Once Ash was gone, Angie followed suit and mirrored Ash's actions. She put on her clothes, and blew right by him, almost knocking him over.

"Wow, I need to make a joke for when that happens." Brad said. Brad left to leave the three remaining teens alone, and headed to the mess hall so he could eat his own breakfast. When he got there however, he found a very frustrated Ash and Angie. "Something wrong?" Brad asked. "This guy's being a total pain, that's all." Angie said.

"He won't give me what I wanna drink!" Ash whined. Brad glanced at the man behind the counter and gave a small smirk; the man smirked back. "I'll handle this." Brad said, stepping in front of Ash and Angie.

"Can I help you?" the man asked. "Yeah uh, gimme a Coke?" Brad replied. "Pepsi?" the man said. Brad stared at the man and then turned back to Ash and Angie. "See?" Ash said. "Dude, Coke, Coke, I'd like a Co…" Brad was cut-off. "Pepsi ok?" the man said.

"Nyehh…! Co-Coke! Cooooke! COOOOKE!" Brad had resorted to spelling "Coke" in sign language, he even yelled at the top of his lungs, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. By now Misty, Dawn, and Brock had come in and were watching the scene unfold. "What's going on?" Misty asked.

"At first I thought this guy was being stupid, but I think we just walked into another Brad joke." Ash replied.

"Gimme a 7-UP." Brad said. "Sprite?" the man replied. "AAAAHH! Ah-ah, Dr. Pepper!" Brad yelled. "Mr. Pibb?" the man replied. "Quit it!" Brad screeched. The entire mess hall was now laughing. Some students even had milk fly out of their nose from laughing too hard.

Once Brad was satisfied with the turnout, he and the man behind the counter gave a bow. "Thanks Don." Brad said. Don gave a thumbs-up and motioned for the group to come and get their breakfast for real.

They sat down together at the last available table. "You planned that?" Angie asked. "I did say you wouldn't escape my jokes forever didn't I? Or did Ash forget to warn you?" Brad snickered. Ash flushed red and tried to look away.

"Lemme tell you something though, that joke comes from truth as well. The thing called 'common courtesy' is a lost art these days. What used to happen when they didn't have what you asked for, they would courteously tell you: 'I'm sorry, we don't have that, would you care for this?' Now, they just name the nearest beverage equivalent like it's the same thing and we can't tell the difference!" Brad explained.

"Unfortunately, that is true." Brock said. "And lemme tell you something, nothing these days mean what they're supposed to mean, we've changed everything to make things mean whatever we want them to mean." Brad said.

"I know this'll turn into a joke, but like what Brad?" Misty asked. "Imagine a stop sign. Stop signs used to mean…stop. Now it means, roll! Which means you kinda just look around to see if an Officer Jenny is around before you ignore the stop sign and drive by." Brad explained.

"And also, a yellow light! Yellow light used to mean, slow down, it's gonna turn red. Now it means, speed up it's gonna turn red!" Brad exclaimed. "I've seen that happen!" Angie said. "Which means it's true! Signs were put on the street so we didn't NEED cops on every corner of the street watching us." Brad explained.

"A 'No parking' sign used to mean…you can't park there! Now it means, 'Well, you CAN park there as long as you stay in the car…! And I'm like: Am I the only one who sees this moron at the Item Store parked under the 'No parking' sign, sitting back in his seat with his arm out the window staring at us as we pass like WE'RE the idiots!" Brad exclaimed.

"People do that?" Ash asked. "Yeah, and if you give them a look, they say: 'What? I'm not parked. I'm prepared to leave if Officer Jenny shows up.'" Brad said. "That's one of your funnier skits Brad." Ash said. "Then why haven't you laughed this whole time?" Brad asked. "Because I don't wanna spit food everywhere. That makes more work for you." Ash replied. "See that? That's common courtesy! Just for that, I owe you a favor now." Brad said.

"Gee, thanks!" Ash exclaimed. Suddenly, a loud beep was heard over the intercom. "Attention students, this is Principal Rowan, please meet us by the lake in five minutes. Thank you." Prof. Rowan announced. "Principal Rowan? Since when?" Dawn asked. "Meh, Rowan likes to play teacher around this time, so he calls himself 'Principal Rowan'." Brad explained. "Well we better hurry up then; we don't wanna be late again." Misty said. The group quickly finished their breakfast and rushed out towards the lake. When Misty saw it, she could barely maintain her giddiness.

"Look at all the water-Pokémon!" she squealed. "Misty's personal paradise, right here." Brock joked. "I'll be over here if you guys need me; maybe I'll go clean a twig or something." Brad joked. The group chuckled as Brad walked a few feet just to dip his toes into the cool water.

"Attention everyone. Yesterday you all did extremely well getting to know your Pokémon, but what do you say to something a little different?" Prof. Rowan asked. The students cheered, Misty was notably louder than anyone else; her water-type excitement was fueling her voice.

"Good, because I'd like you all to observe the water-type Pokémon in this lake." Prof. Rowan explained. "Now as you all can see, these waters are teeming with all sorts of Pokémon, the choice of which kind of Pokémon you observe is entirely up to you. You may express your findings in a report, sketch, or any way you choose, but your grade is based on a final presentation. You may work by yourself, or in groups." the male instructor said.

"Excuse me?" Misty asked, raising her hand. "Yes young lady?" the male instructor replied. "I noticed a Tentacool in that lake, are we allowed to catch them?" Misty asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not." Prof. Rowan said, "Because the water-type Pokémon in this lake area are still being researched, they are not allowed to be caught."

"Also, please remember that leaving the area is forbidden. Rule number one is: Safety First." the male instructor added. "With Misty on our team, we'll get an A-plus for sure!" Ash exclaimed. "What? You think I'm doing the work for you?" Misty asked. "Um…well…" Ash stammered. "Sorry Ash, you're on your own." Misty replied.

Ash whined a bit more, but when Misty threatened to whack him with her mallet, he quickly backed down. She then turned to walk away. "Where's she going?" Dawn asked. "Who knows? But I'm sure wherever it is; it's got something to do with the water-types." Brock replied.

Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Angie walked along the water's edge, and eventually came across two Lanturn paddleboats. "Wow, I'll bet those are a blast!" Ash exclaimed. "And they'd be an awesome way to observe Pokémon!" Dawn added.

Suddenly, a flash of blue light came from the forest. "What's that?" Ash wondered aloud. When Pikachu suddenly started walking in a sort of hypnotized haze, Ash knelt down and shook Pikachu to his senses. "Hey, are you ok Pikachu? You were acting weird." he said.

Pikachu snapped back to reality and looked at its master with confusion, unsure of what had just happened to it. They pondered the origin of the light for a few moments, but eventually dismissed it when Angie asked to take one of the boats out with him.

Trying to act friendly and avoid hostility, Ash agreed, leaving Dawn and Brock to take the second boat. After a few sightings, Ash finally decided on a Dewgong that had leaped into the air and splashed him and Angie.

Meanwhile Angie had chosen a Sealeo to do her project on, and the two proceeded to sketch their choices. _"Now I wish I had taken some drawing lessons from Tracey."_ Ash thought.

Dawn meanwhile had seen all sorts of Pokémon, but hadn't seen one that really caught her eye as of yet. "Where the heck is Misty anyway? She's been gone for awhile." Dawn said. As if on cue, Misty emerged from underwater in her bathing suit, startling the two boaters.

"What are you doing?" Dawn asked. "Believe me, there's no better way to observe water-Pokémon than to get up close and personal with them." Misty replied. "So I suppose you followed that Tentacool around then?" Brock asked. "Yeah, but not because I need to. I already know everything there is to know about Tentacool and Tentacruel." Misty replied.

"Where's Ash by the way?" Misty asked. "In the boat over there with Angie." Dawn replied. "Oh…with Angie?" Misty asked, slightly hurt. Her expression had not gone unnoticed. "Misty, don't even think what I know you're thinking right now. You know who Ash really cares about." Brock said seriously. "Besides, Angie doesn't really like Ash anyway; she keeps trying to pick fights with him." Dawn added.

"I guess." Misty said quietly. The mood suddenly changed when a Gorebyss swam by, leaving Dawn in total awe. "Wow, how beautiful!" Dawn squealed. "That's a Gorebyss, another favorite of mine." Misty said. "I'm gonna check it out." Dawn said, reaching for her Pokédex. Before she could start the scan however, Conway appeared next to her in a rowboat.

"Gorebyss, the south-sea Pokémon. Its long, beautiful pink body is more vivid in the springtime." Conway explained. "What do you want Conway?" Dawn asked exasperatedly. "To offer my help. My encyclopedic grasp of Pokémon is yours for the asking." Conway said. With a small chuckle, Conway began to row away.

"Oh yeah? I'm willing to bet that I know more about water-types than you could ever dream of!" Misty screamed. Conway just continued to row away. "Creep." Misty hissed. "You know what? I think that Gorebyss is the perfect choice for me!" Dawn proceeded to sketch the Gorebyss.

"As for me, Chinchou is a done deal." Brock said, as he also began to draw. "I'm gonna go check on Ash and Angie. Seeya guys." Misty submerged back underwater, leaving Dawn and Brock to do their thing.

Meanwhile, Ash and Angie were busy drawing their Pokémon, but Dewgong and Sealeo eventually grew bored, and swam off in opposite directions. "Angie, you need to move over, I can't see the Dewgong." Ash said calmly. "Oh yeah? Well why don't YOU move over so I can see MY Sealeo?" Angie replied.

Ash was quickly losing tolerance with the pre-teen; his temper was growing shorter by the minute. But a quick surprise kept his mind off his anger. "Hiya!" Misty exclaimed. The splash that Misty's surfacing created caught Ash and Angie by surprise, which was easily recognized by their yelps.

"What are you doing in the water Misty?" Angie asked. "That's the best way to observe water-Pokémon." Misty replied. "And I'll bet it's loads of fun too." Ash said. "Well yeah, that part doesn't hurt either." Misty said, "So how are your sketches coming along?"

Ash and Angie proudly showed the water-trainer their drawings. "What do you think?" Ash asked. "I think I need to give Tracey a call." Misty replied with a sweat-drop. "Oh come on Mist, my drawing isn't that bad." Ash said. "Sorry, but it is." Misty replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Who are we kidding? We give these to the Professor and we're done for." Angie moaned. "Why not go with my idea?" Misty asked. "You mean jump in and swim with them?" Dawn asked hopefully, as they paddled over to the others. "The water's great, come on in!" Misty said, before diving backwards back underwater.

After a few minutes, Ash and Co. were in their swimming attire and it wasn't long before they had found the Pokémon they had originally scouted out. "What'd I tell you? Being in the water is the only to check out water-Pokémon." Misty said knowingly.

"For sure!" Angie exclaimed. Dawn and Brock soon surfaced as well. "The Gorebyss is even prettier underwater!" Dawn exclaimed. Angie gave a yelp of surprise when Chinchou surfaced in front of her. "Chinchou produce electricity through their feelers." Brock explained. "Yeah, but if I get shocked with that static while I'm in the water, it's gonna hurt." Angie said.

"Oh please, try getting shocked with a 'Thunderbolt' and then we'll talk about real voltage." Ash said. "Well what do you say we get to shore and work on our report before we turn into prunes?" Misty said jokingly. The group nodded, and swam back to shore.

"(Sigh) Ok, now we can finally get to work on our report." Brock said. "Oh goody, when it comes to giving reports, I'm the worst." Angie moaned. "No, I am." Ash admitted. "Nope, it's me." Dawn added. "Wow Brock, we're the only intelligent ones here." Misty joked.

"That's why you need to help us!" Dawn said pleadingly. "Nope, sorry, if I won't help Ash, I'm not helping you." Misty said, sticking her tongue out at the blue-haired girl. "Fear not Dawn." Conway said, sneaking up behind the startled coordinator, "For I'd be happy to transcribe your thoughts."

"What do you mean transcribe?" Dawn asked. "Elementary. It simply means that you do the talking, and then I'll write everything you say down, and turn it into the perfect report." Conway said with a chuckle. "Why don't you go breathe down someone else's neck?" Misty hissed. "Not to worry Misty, I'd gladly give you the same offer." Conway said.

"Except she doesn't NEED your help." Ash grumbled. "Thanks anyway Conway, but I think I have to write the report myself." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "As you wish, but as soon as you change your mind, I'll be there, ok? Ok." Conway replied coolly.

"You know what? I think we need to observe the Pokémon some more!" Ash said, quickly changing the subject. "I agree, back in the water everyone!" Misty exclaimed, trying to escape Conway's presence. "Hold on!" Angie cried.

"Angie, what's wrong?" Ash asked. "All of a sudden Shinx is missing!" she replied, an extremely worried look on her face. "Piplup, weren't you and Shinx playing together?" Dawn asked. Piplup replied with a nod of its head, but its worried expression said that it no longer knew where Shinx was.

"What's going on?" The group turned around and found Brad coming up to them. "Have you seen Shinx anywhere?" Angie asked with concern. "No, I was just coming to check on you guys." Brad replied. "Oh no. Guys, we've just gotta find Shinx!" Angie begged. "Don't worry Angie; let's go look guys." Brock said.

Brad joined in on the search for the small electric-type, and they went as far as the boundaries were allowed, with calls of "Shinx" coming from every member of the search party's mouth. "This isn't going to work. We have to try something else." Misty said.

Just then, the blue light flashed again, and this time everyone saw it. "There's that light again!" Ash said. "What do you mean 'again'?" Dawn asked. "It flashed once before over there!" Ash replied. Without warning, Piplup began walking as if it had been hypnotized. "Piplup, what's wrong with you?" Dawn asked.

Feeling Dawn's hands on its shoulders snapped Piplup out of its daze. "The same result." Ash said in awe. "Result? What do you mean?" Misty asked. "Earlier, that light flashed and Pikachu's eyes got all spacey." Ash replied. "As if…it was in a trance." Misty figured. "Maybe there's a Pokémon in the forest using 'Hypnosis'?" Dawn guessed.

"If so, then why?" Brock wondered. "Interesting." Conway said, once again sneaking up behind Dawn, close enough that their faces were a mere few inches from each other. Dawn jumped back and quickly put distance between herself and Conway.

"Conway, haven't you ever heard of personal space?" Misty hissed. "Do you know something about this Conway?" Brock asked calmly. "If what you say is true, then the legend just might be truth." Conway said. "What legend?" Dawn asked.

"You see, there's a famous legend concerning this lake: When a strange blue light flashes, Pokémon start vanishing!" Conway said mysteriously. "Man, I don't like that legend at all!" Ash exclaimed. "Pokémon vanishing from a blue light, and now Shinx is missing?" Misty said. "Well, with Shinx disappearing, it may just have something to do with that legend." Conway said.

"Uh, actually guys…" Brad was cut-off by Ash's usual attack of instinctive thinking. "We've gotta do something!" he exclaimed determinedly. "I'm not letting my Shinx be part of that legend! I say we go over to where that light is coming from!" Angie said.

"Oh for crying out loud." Brad face-palmed. "Hey folks, remember we're not supposed to go far from the lake!" Conway shouted. _"But if Dawn's going, I guess there's not much I can do." _he thought slyly. Conway chuckled to himself and chased after the group of teens. "I've gotta get back to the academy!" Brad said to himself.

Brad turned to run off, but stopped suddenly when he saw James and Meowth. Brad jumped into a bush to spy on them briefly, just to make sure they weren't up to anything.

"That flash has lots of zing!" James said. "You mean, like some treasure type bling?" Meowth asked. "I was thinking the same thing." James said evilly. The duo snickered devilishly as plans popped into their mind. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's nothing there." Brad said, popping out from his hiding spot.

James and Meowth reeled back and immediately went on the defensive. "We-we were just curious was all." James said. "Hey, if you wanna check it out, be my guest. I'm just letting you know you won't find anything to put in your rocket…I mean pocket." Brad snickered, hinting at his knowledge of their true guise.

"Well, tanks for dat tiny tidbit of intel." Meowth said. And with that, Brad ran off for the academy. "I tink he knows who we are." Meowth moaned. "He can't, otherwise we would've been kicked out by now." James replied. "Maybe, but he seems a bit too defensive of dat der light." Meowth said.

_"What a bunch of idiots. They need to put helmets on so everyone knows how stupid they really are."_ Brad thought as he ran. It wasn't long before he reached the academy. And it was a good thing he made it when he did. A storm was just coming over the horizon, and it was a big one. He found Professor Rowan counting students, and he ran to meet him.

"Which way?" Angie asked. "I think it was that way." Ash said, pointing east. "And that's exactly why we should go west." Misty said, pointing the other direction. "Mist, come on, it had to be east!" Ash said. "And since when has YOUR sense of direction ever been right?" Misty asked. "Guys, come on, this is no time for a fight." Dawn said.

Ash and Misty shot quick glares at each other. "It was directly northwest from here." Conway said. Their glares turned into embarrassed smiles; they were both wrong. "Heh, sorry Mist." Ash said. "Me too." Misty replied.

"If you guys hug now, I swear I'll have Croagunk use 'Poison Jab' on YOU." Brock warned. "And then you get drilled into the ground by a mallet, so we'd be even." Misty replied smugly. The intense expression on Brock's face made her shrink back. Brock was not playing games; he was serious about the situation at hand.

"Come now, no need to quarrel, I'm sure Shinx is somewhere around here." Conway said. "You know, you don't have to come with us." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "No, no, I want to soak in everything I possibly can about Pokémon." Conway replied with a chuckle.

Dawn rolled her eyes and ran off in the direction Conway had pointed in. "Whoa, when did we walk into a morgue?" Misty asked nervously. The sky had turned black with clouds, and the ground around them seemed dead, yet there was regular plant life beyond the ten foot radius. And in front of them, a rocky cave.

"There's something creepy about this place." Dawn said fearfully. "Not to worry, no matter what happens, rest assured, I'll protect you." Conway said chivalrously. "Err, thanks." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. A flash of lightning filled the sky, and rain immediately began pouring down on them. "Aah! Help me!" Conway covered his head with his hands and ran into the cave in fear.

"What a coward. He can't even protect himself." Misty said. "Maybe, but he was smart too. We're out here in the rain, he's in the cave." Brock said. Realizing Brock was right; the group also ran into the cave to shield themselves from the storm.

"Man, it's really coming down." Ash said. "I sure hope Shinx is ok!" Angie said worriedly. "No need to worry, I'm sure it's alright." Dawn reassured. "We'll look later, for now, we should probably take a break here." Brock suggested.

"Take a look at this!" Conway exclaimed. The group turned to look deeper into the cave. "What an eerie green light." Misty said. "That's right! I remember now! The legend states that the strange blue light comes forth from the green cave!" Conway exclaimed.

"And that's green if I ever saw it." Angie said nervously. "So that means…the light from the legend…is back there?" Dawn squeaked. "Then there's only one thing to do, we've gotta go look!" Ash exclaimed. "M-Maybe we could stay back here until the rain stops." Angie suggested. "Do you wanna save Shinx or not? It might be back there!" Ash exclaimed. Angie sighed fearfully, but nodded.

"Come on, let's stay together." Misty suggested. Ash grabbed Misty's hand, and Misty did likewise to Brock, and the line continued until everyone had a hand. Dawn ironically enough got stuck holding Conway's. _"His hand feels…weird. Like he is." _Dawn thought.

The light flashed once again, and the group froze in their tracks. "That IS the light!" Dawn squeaked. She unintentionally squeezed harder, making Conway give a chuckle. Dawn turned her head to face him and hastily yanked her hand away.

"C'mon Pikachu, keep it together!" Ash tried to shake Pikachu back to reality, the flash had put Pikachu back into a daze. With a small "Pi", Pikachu blinked and looked around with confusion. "That does it; something back there is definitely putting the Pokémon into trances." Misty said.

"Shinx just has to be back there!" Angie rushed for the light, not even allowing herself to have second thoughts. "Shinx, where are you?" she cried. The group soon followed, they looked around in awe at the cave. "Guys, look in the water!" Misty exclaimed.

They looked. And a blue light was slowly moving towards them. "Don't look!" Ash yelled. Pikachu managed to cover its eyes before it was hypnotized again, but Piplup's reaction time was slower. "Piplup, snap out of it!" Dawn shook her Pokémon back to reality, who replied with a small and confused "Pip".

"So THIS is where the strange blue light's coming from!" Ash exclaimed. Ash and Dawn held Pikachu and Piplup in their arms, shielding them from the hypnotizing light. They braced themselves for whatever was about to see; the owner of the light was about to make itself known to them.

Suddenly, the light seemed to splash out of the water, and attached to it was a Pokémon. "What's that?" Ash asked. "It's a Lumineon." Brock replied. Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan the strange Pokémon, but once again, Conway moved in first.

"Lumineon, the neon Pokémon. Lumineon lives in the ocean's depths. It lures Pokémon with a flashing light in the pattern of its tail fins." Conway explained.

"So it was just Lumineon's light. Nothing sinister about that." Misty said. "In fact, Lumineon's beautiful." Dawn said. "I wanna catch it!" Misty exclaimed excitedly. "Misty you can't, remember?" Brock said. "Oh yeah. Rowan said not to." she replied dejectedly. "But it's strange." Conway said. "What's strange?" Dawn asked. "A Lumineon shouldn't be in a place like this." Conway replied.

"Yeah, you're right. Lumineon are indigenous to oceans, not small ponds like this." Brock said. "So what's it doing here?" Misty wondered. Before a suggestion could be uttered, the group heard a small moan. "Did you hear something?" Dawn asked. "That sounded like Shinx!" Angie exclaimed.

Angie ran to where she heard the noise, and sure enough, there was her Shinx, hypnotized, but safe. "Pull yourself together Shinx!" Angie cried. She shook her small electric-type back to reality. And as soon as Shinx showed signs of actual consciousness, it was quickly and tightly embraced by its master. "I can't tell you how worried I was!"

"Looks like this mystery is solved." Misty said. "Yeah, we found Shinx and we know where the light's coming from." Ash added. "Perhaps, but there is another mystery here." Brock said. "And what's that?" Dawn asked. "We have no idea why Lumineon's here. If we could get to the bottom of that, think of the great report we could do!" Brock replied.

"Perfect! A group report worth ten points for each of us!" Misty cheered. "And if you don't mind, I'd like a part in this too." Conway added. "Hold on a minute!" A feminine voice said. The group turned around and saw Jessilinda standing in front of the water.

"It appears that I've FINALLY found a Pokémon that matches me." she said. "I know you; you're Jessilinda, the captain of the green team!" Conway exclaimed. "That's MISS Jessilinda to you, Buster!" she screamed furiously.

"Add a 'Miss' to your name and suddenly you think you're such a hot shot." Misty said. "Naturally, and that Lumineon; perfect for someone beautiful, elegant and refined such as myself. And luring all sorts of Pokémon doesn't exactly hurt either." Jessilinda said.

"That sounds awfully familiar." Misty said suspiciously. "Now I shall catch it, observe it, and then write a report on it. You can just go find something else." Jessilinda said smugly. "Hold on a second! If I can't catch it, what makes you think you can?" Misty screamed. "What? You mean follow Rowan's rules? I catch whatever I wanna catch. That's MY rule!" Jessilinda replied. "Again, that sounds familiar." Misty said. "You're right Misty, that sounds like a Team Rocket line." Dawn added.

"We found Lumineon first, and you know it!" Angie screamed. "Besides, how'd you even find out about Lumineon anyway?" Ash asked. "I have my ways. Enough foolish talk from you losers. Yanmega, let's go!" Jessilinda threw out a Pokéball, and a giant dragonfly emerged.

"If you want Lumineon, you'll have to get through us!" Ash yelled. "Please! If you don't mind, I'd like to handle this." Conway said confidently, "Dawn, I'll wage this battle for you."

Dawn sweat-dropped. "O…k." she said. Misty crossed her arms and watched Conway prepare. "Let's see if he battles as well as he talks." she said. "Come forth Slowking!" Conway tossed a Pokéball, and a Slowking emerged from it. "Well, we're not the sharpest tool in the shed, are we?" Jessilinda snickered, mocking Slowking's seemingly dumb nature. "Overconfidence can be bad for your health." Conway replied simply.

Jessilinda snickered devilishly, and then barked out an order. "Yanmega, use 'Sonic Boom'!"

Yanmega complied, and its wings sent out a powerful shockwave of sound. "Quick Slowking, 'Protect'!" Conway countered. Slowking crossed its arms, and an impenetrable, green force-field protected it from any damage.

"Slowking's 'Protect' is as strong as ever!" Dawn exclaimed. "Not bad so far." Misty added. "Why thank you ladies. I am honored. I owe you for that. And I intend to pay it back right now! Slowking, 'Water Pulse'!" Conway ordered.

Slowking formed an energized ball of water that quickly sent Yanmega flying backwards. "Don't take that from a dolt! Use 'Steel Wing', go!" Jessilinda ordered. As soon as it regained its mid-air balance, Yanmega charged forward with steel-hard wings.

"Protect', once more!" Conway countered. Once more, Slowking formed the green barrier, and bounced back Yanmega's attack. To say the least, Jessilinda was getting extremely frustrated. "I'm too cute for this!"

"Let's wrap this up! 'Psychic', let's go!" Conway ordered. Slowking's eyes glowed in an eerie blue color, and Yanmega was suddenly held frozen in mid-air. "That 'Psychic' did the trick." Brock said. "Looks like he is as good with Pokémon as he is with his mouth." Misty whispered to Dawn.

The two girls snickered quietly, but it soon amplified into loud laughter when Jessilinda began screaming with despair. "No! Don't do something, just stand there!" she begged.

"Not a chance!" Conway yelled heroically. Slowking finished the job; it sent Yanmega barreling into its master, and the impact sent it and Jessilinda literally rolling out of the cave. When she finally stopped, James and Meowth, wearing their janitor outfits, were waiting for her.

"Guess dat blows da treasure concept." Meowth said. "We've had enough concepts for one day." James added. They picked up the unconscious woman and quietly escorted her out of the cave before the group could see them.

"Jessilinda wait – Oh my…she's gone." Conway said in shock. "Where could she have gotten to so quickly? It's a one-way tunnel." Misty said. "You'd be surprised how fast embarrassment can make you move." Dawn said. "Good point, after that beating, I wouldn't be surprised if she made a hasty retreat." Misty said.

Outside, the two Rockets in disguise were greeted by the last thing they wanted to see. "I told you there was nothing for your rocket – I mean pocket." Brad snickered. "Well, you know what they say, curiosity killed the Meowth." James said nervously. "Could you please not use dat saying?" Meowth moaned.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" Brad asked. Meowth suddenly had a cold sweat on his forehead. "Look, I know you're Team Rocket; you're welcome to stay, but if we find one missing Pokémon, Slowpoke and Torkoal are gonna make you wish you had put helmets on! Are we clear?" Brad said seriously.

James and Meowth looked at each other nervously. It was quite obvious that their cover was blown. "Here, let me help you get Jessilinda – I mean Jessie back to the academy." Brad offered. James and Meowth stayed silent; nervous expressions still all over their face. But they allowed Brad to assist them in getting the unconscious Rocket member back to the school.

Meanwhile, Ash and Co. had gone back in to observe the Lumineon, but they were all shocked to find that…

"The Lumineon's gone!" Angie exclaimed. "But, where could it go?" Dawn asked. "Well, if I were a water-Pokémon, I would dive underwater to hide from all the noise." Misty said. "So who's gonna go in and look?" Conway asked. "That'll be me. Ok Buizel, time for you to help find the Lumineon." Ash called out his water-type, who gave a nod to acknowledge its orders.

"I'll help too. Corsola, let's go." Misty called out her water/rock-type, who was ready to go as well. Ash and Misty, who were wearing their swimming gear underneath their clothes, quickly took off their regular outfits and dived into the water with their Pokémon.

"At least the water's not cold." Misty said. "Make sure that you don't get caught by that blue light." Dawn warned. "We'll be ready." Ash said. "Ok Ash, let's split up and take one side each." Misty said. Ash nodded and dove underwater, hanging onto Buizel's waist for propulsion.

Misty did likewise with Corsola, although she grabbed onto one of Corsola's coral branches. She looked around left and right, not seeing anything but Ash and Buizel on the other side of the body of water. When she made eye contact with Ash, she motioned for him to surface. He nodded and met up with Misty at the top of the water.

"Anything?" Dawn asked. "Not yet, but we can still go deeper; the water's really murky." Ash replied. "I have a theory about that. The water's really salty." Misty said. "Does that make a difference?" Dawn asked. "It might, if my theory is right. The water in the lake was fresh water, this isn't." Misty replied.

"Tell me what to look for Mist." Ash said. "Anything that seems out of place, that's all, there isn't much down there." Misty replied. "I'll do some searching up here, maybe we can learn something." Brock said. "Alright, ready for round two Mist?" Ash said. Ash and Misty took a deep breath and submerged deeper than they had before; they once again split up.

After going a bit deeper, Ash spotted something that he thought was out of the ordinary. Ash signaled for Buizel to fire a 'Water Gun' in Misty and Corsola's vicinity, in order to get their attention. When Misty turned her head, Ash motioned her over.

Misty's eyes widened. There was a hole at the bottom of the water, and it stretched into a long tunnel. Misty motioned for Ash to surface, and the two swam up.

Meanwhile, Brock had made a discovery of his own. "Huh? What's this?" Brock had found something peculiar on a rock, but before he could identify it, Ash and Misty surfaced. "Did you find anything?" Dawn asked. "No, Lumineon's gone." Ash said.

"But now I'm positive my theory was correct." Misty said. "What theory was that?" Angie asked. "The water here is salty, which can only mean one thing: There has to be a connection to the ocean somewhere in here." Misty explained. "And that would account for the murky water." Conway added.

"But how can there be a connection to anywhere in here?" Angie asked. "We did find a hole at the bottom of the water; it stretched into a tunnel that was so long that not even Misty would be able to get through." Ash said.

"So maybe Lumineon uses the tunnel to come here from wherever it's living." Brock figured. "Here's the big question. Why would Lumineon want to leave the ocean to come here?" Misty asked. "I have my own theory, take a look at this." Brock led the group over to the rock he had previously found something on.

"This seaweed is a favorite of water-type Pokémon; Misty could probably confirm that, right?" Brock said. "Definitely, back in Cerulean, when I would take my Pokémon out to swim in an ocean, they'd be snacking on this stuff." Misty added.

"Cor sola sola cor." (Well it IS tasty.) Corsola said. "There's even more proof." Misty giggled. "And another thing you may notice, it looks like a lot of that seaweed has been eaten." Brock said. "No way Lumineon could eat it all by itself." Ash said. "Maybe not in one sitting, but after a whole bunch of trips here it might." Misty replied.

"Are you sure it didn't have help?" Angie asked. "I know water-Pokémon like the back of my hand, I'd be able to tell if there were traces of other Pokémon here, and there are none." Misty replied. "So it IS the Lumineon who's eating it all." Brock concluded.

"Wow, excellent detective work!" Conway exclaimed. "You two figured it out just by looking!" Angie exclaimed, obviously impressed. "Of course! Anyone aiming to be a water-Pokémon master or a top breeder has gotta be smart!" Ash exclaimed.

"And now we're gonna have the best report of anyone else at the academy!" Misty cheered. "The hard part will be the actual writing though." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "Don't forget, my transcribing offer still stands." Conway said enticingly.

"Maybe that'll be fine." Dawn finally submitted and accepted Conway's offer to help. Since Lumineon was no longer in the cave, and the rain had finally stopped, the group walked out of the cave. "Well it looks like the rain stopped." Ash said.

"Hey, look up there!" Dawn exclaimed. The group looked in the sky, and stared in awe at what they saw. "Wow, what a gorgeous rainbow!" Angie squealed. "That's the best part of a thunderstorm. When it's finally over, we get one of these." Misty said dreamily.

"Our work here is done." Brock said. "C'mon guys, race you back!" Ash exclaimed. Ash and Co., minus Conway, sprinted back towards the academy. "Hmm, not a sad face in sight." Conway said to himself. He chuckled and began the long trek back to the academy.

And unbeknownst to them, a blue light shined from the cave, bidding them farewell. Afterwards, the group wrote up their report. Conway of course wrote everything down for the more pencil-challenged team members: Ash, Dawn, and Angie.

When it was finally time for the reports to be given, Ash and Co. went up there with high spirits. They gave their report on the Lumineon and were welcomed by a standing ovation from the Professor himself. "An exceptional report indeed. I give you all a full ten points!" Prof. Rowan said.

The group cheered. "However, you all left the lake area without permission!" Prof. Rowan said. The group suddenly became nervous. "For breaking the rules, we will subtract four points each." The male instructor said.

"But…since the only reason you left was because you cared for your Pokémon's safety, and you did send Brad to tell us what was going on, we award four bonus points each for showing extreme care for your Pokémon." Prof. Rowan chuckled.

"What? You mean you're not going to discipline these children for doing something without permission?" Jessilinda asked. "No. However, since YOU left the lake too, and without a decent reason, you lose four points." the instructor said.

Jessilinda sweat-dropped, and quietly sat herself down. "As for you Conway, we were told that you assisted the red team in helping to save their Pokémon, and so, you will not be penalized." the instructor. "What a pleasant surprise." Conway said.

"So the Lumineon is back eh? Albeit a little early this year." Prof. Rowan said. "Perhaps it just couldn't resist its favorite food." the instructor suggested. "Perhaps…everyone dismissed. Please proceed to the cafeteria for dinner." Prof. Rowan said.

Ash and Co. stepped off the stage, and found Brad waiting for them. "I tried to tell you what it was, but you wouldn't let me." Brad said. "Wait, you knew what it was all along? Why didn't you tell us?" Misty asked. "I told you. You wouldn't let me." Brad replied. "So I guess we're even now, since you kept us out of trouble." Ash figured.

"Actually, now YOU owe ME a favor." Brad snickered. "How so?" Misty asked. "I paid back the favor by keeping you out of trouble, and now you owe me a favor because I DIDN'T tell you about Lumineon, allowing you to figure it out for yourselves and present the best report of anyone here." Brad explained.

"That sounds about right." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "Of course it's right, I wouldn't have said it if it wasn't right. That's kinda my thing, I say the right stuff." Brad said. "Like you've never said something wrong before." Misty said. "Of course I have, we all make mistakes, cause were humans, we all make mistakes. It's just very rare when I make one." Brad joked.

"Well, thanks for the help anyway Brad." Brock said. "As usual, no problem. Now get moving, dinner's ready." Brad said. "Awesome! Last one there gives up his dessert!" Angie exclaimed. "What if a girl loses?" Ash asked. "Then you still have to give up your dessert!" Angie joked. "Not if I can help it!" Ash yelled.

The group charged for the cafeteria for dinner time. Ironically enough, Ash WAS the last one there, since his legs were tired from all the extra swimming. Misty came second to last, but only because her legs were better conditioned and toned from her constant swimming, so she had more stamina.

When Ash was asked to give up his brownie, he protected it like gold. "My precious!" he said jokingly. Although he was determined to keep his dessert, Misty managed to get it away from him using a very sneaky technique: Kissing him.

While Ash was enjoying the taste of Misty's lips, she used her free hand to make sure Ash wouldn't get to taste any chocolate; she grabbed the brownie and held it behind her back. When she broke the kiss, Ash looked around dreamily, but quickly got back to his senses when he realized that his brownie was gone.

"Don't tell me…" Ash moaned. He glanced at Misty, who was now holding up HIS brownie in triumph. "Give it back Misty!" Ash whined. "Look at you, getting all worked up over chocolate." Misty said in mock disapproval. "I don't get to have any that often!" Ash replied. "Tough." was the simple response.

Ash continued to try and get it back, but a threat of a mallet to his head quickly shut him up. "That's a good boy." Misty teased. Ash pouted and crossed his arms, as he watched Misty divvy up HIS brownie to herself, Dawn, Brock, and Angie, who happily enjoyed both the chocolate, and the look on Ash's face.

When they got up to head to the dorm rooms, Ash was still frustrated. However, when Misty revealed that she hadn't eaten her brownie to save it for Ash, his spirits quickly lifted. "Thanks a lot Mist!" he said excitedly. "This doesn't go without a hitch you know." Misty said. "Uh oh, what's the catch?" Ash asked. "You have to share. It is MY brownie after all." Misty replied.

Ash felt like arguing about it, but something inside him, or rather, something that wasn't inside him yet, was telling him not to push his luck. He split the brownie in half and shared it with his red-headed girlfriend.

That night, Dawn was getting rattled again. "Please oh please, let tonight be normal." she begged to no one in particular. "When have any of our days been normal ones?" Misty joked. The look on Dawn's face said she wasn't amused, so Misty turned away.

Dawn calmed a little though when Pikachu hopped onto her bed, and Buneary emerged from her Pokéball and did likewise. "So, this is gonna be a nightly thing now?" Dawn asked. Pikachu and Buneary nodded in response.

They shut off the lights and fell asleep, with Pikachu taking first watch as usual, and Buneary grabbing onto Pikachu's tail as a pillow until it was her turn. When the humans were asleep, that was when Pikachu felt less awkward around Buneary. It wasn't strange to have her hold onto something he normally protected like it was the thing most important to him, but he still would've felt awkward trying to be affectionate towards her. Time would have to change Pikachu slowly. But there were already definite signs of emotional transformation.

**DAY 4**

The night was rather uneventful; nothing strange happened for either nightshift, which left Dawn in good spirits for the next class. They enjoyed a good breakfast as usual, and then the class began, but not before an announcement from Prof. Rowan.

"Ahem, this is Principal Rowan. Today's activity is to deal with the proper way to interact with ghost-type Pokémon. The goal of this program is to ensure you will be able to correctly approach ghost-Pokémon, wherever and whenever you encounter them. Your instructors will fill you in on all the details. That is all."

The loudspeaker quit humming, signaling that Prof. Rowan was finished. "Did you hear? PRINCIPAL Rowan." Dawn said jokingly. "I guess we'll have to call him that from now on." Misty said.

"Attention class, we will now go over our rules. After each of you teams up with a fellow classmate, you will both go together and retrieve this medal located in the summit ruins." the instructor said, holding up a gold medal with a carving on it, "Your final score will be based on how long it takes you. The event begins tonight at 7:00 sharp, so for now, your job is to find a partner."

"Found him/her!" Ash and Misty exclaimed. This outburst brought sweat-drops from their friends. "Sounds to me like a test of courage." Brock said. "And that's exactly why me and Ash will wipe the floor with everyone!" Misty exclaimed determinedly. "Yeah, we'll show them what we're made of!" Ash added. "Uh, no you won't." Brock said. Ash and Misty both replied with a confused "Huh?"

"If you two go alone, there's a good chance you won't make it back until who knows when." Brock said. "Yeah, I seem to recall something about an hour long firewood gathering trip?" Dawn said. "Oh come on Brock! You really don't think we can be together?" Misty whined. "I do, I'm just taking a precaution for the team; both of you find a partner besides each other." Brock said firmly.

"Geez Brock." Misty whined. The bell rang and each student was given a list of the students who could be teamed up with. Reluctantly, Ash and Misty took theirs and began their hunt for a partner. And as they walked outside, they both thought the same thing: "_Stupid Brock."_

"Ok, let's see who I can pair with, since Brock won't let me pair with Misty." Ash grumbled. As Ash scanned the list for a partner, Angie and Shinx walked up. "Hey Ash…since Pikachu and Shinx get along so well, what do you say WE be partners? I mean…I know you'd probably prefer Misty but…" Ash cut her off. "Hey, that's alright, sure I'll be your partner! Let's mop up the floor with those guys!" Ash exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Misty and Brock were both looking for partners, although Misty was upset. "I can't believe you Brock." Misty grumbled, as she leaned against a pole with her arms crossed. "Look, I want to do what's best for the team." Brock replied. "I don't know anyone else here Brock! Who do you expect me to team up with?" Misty asked angrily.

"You could always team up with me." a voice said. "And…who might you be?" Misty asked. "The name's Kendall, and me and my muscles would be more than happy to protect you from those super scary ghost-Pokémon." Kendall said, flexing his biceps.

"Uh, that's ok…I-I already teamed up with my friend Brock!" Misty exclaimed, gripping Brock's arm tightly. Brock sweat-dropped. "Your loss, I'm sure some other lady will be more than happy to use these muscles as a shield." Kendall turned around and confidently went in search of another girl.

"So, I guess we're partners now?" Brock figured. "That guy was just…ugh. Remind me again why I couldn't team up with Ash?" Misty asked. "You know, I don't remember." Brock replied.

"Hey Misty, found a partner yet?" Ash asked. "Uh yeah, let's just say I had to think fast." Misty replied, "How about you?"

"Angie asked me to be her partner since Shinx and Pikachu get along so well." Ash said. "Oh…ok." Misty mumbled. "Anybody seen Dawn lately?" Ash asked. "Not recently." Brock replied. As if on cue, Dawn walked up. "Wow, I can't find anyone to team up with, how are you guys doing?" Dawn asked. "We've actually already chosen." Ash said.

"What? You guys have partners already?" Dawn asked. "Afraid so." Ash said. "It just happened that way." Brock added. "So who does that leave for me?" Dawn asked sadly. Suddenly, a shadow appeared from behind Dawn. "Weird…I have a feeling…a feeling that something really gross is standing right behind me." she said.

"That would be a correct assumption." Misty replied. Dawn turned around and saw the muscular Kendall. "Hey there Dawn." he said. "Hi Kendall." Dawn sighed. "You have any idea what these biceps are for?" Kendall asked. "They're for doing what you're doing now? Freaking us out." Misty said.

"No, they're for protecting you from any of those scary ghost-Pokémon." Kendall said. "Oh." Dawn said with some disgust. "And let's not forget these powerful pecs." Kendall said, as he flexed his pectoral muscles, "When you're scared out of your wits and wanna run away, they'll be there to stop you!"

"Well, that's…very…thoughtful of you but…" Dawn was cut-off. "Come on, isn't this an offer you can't refuse?" Kendall asked. Dawn looked around. "What choice do I have? Everyone else is already hooked up…it's a deal, you and all those muscles." Dawn said reluctantly.

"Awesome, see you tonight." Kendall said. With that, Kendall left and began telling all his friends about the date he had. "Why is it that all of the weirdoes have to wind up hitting on me?" Dawn moaned. "I can't answer that question for you, I don't know the answer." Misty replied.

"I just can't believe everyone got to choose but me." Dawn said. "Check out that Jessilinda lady, those kids are fighting over who gets to go with her." Brock said. "I'd like to know what they find so appealing about her; she acts like a jerk after all." Misty said. "Beats me." Ash said.

Indeed, Jessilinda had five students, all male, begging for Jessilinda to pick them. "One teensy problem. A partnership takes two to tango instead of five." she said, "A team that big would get me thrown out of my adorable gear."

The five kids groaned and sweat-dropped with disappointment. "And so, as sole representative of this large lot, you're up. You protect me." she chose the small boy with glasses, who was as honored as could be to be chosen as her partner.

She then got up and inconspicuously walked behind a nearby storehouse, where ironically enough, Brad, James, and Meowth were busy working. "Excuse me, but I'd like a private moment with these two fine gentlemen, so if you would be so kind as to leave the area in an orderly fashion." Jessilinda said.

"Whatever, good luck with that chick James." Brad replied. Jessilinda sweat-dropped when he said that. Brad walked around the corner and disappeared. "He knows your name?" she hissed. "It wasn't our fault! He recognized us through these disguises!" James defended. "And I'll bet my charm dat he knows who you are too." Meowth added.

"This makes what I'm about to ask you all the more difficult." Jessilinda said. "I get da feeling it woulda been difficult without dat guy knowing." Meowth moaned. Jessilinda whispered the plan. "What? You want us to rig the program and cause you to win?" James asked.

"I do, and thank you for your support." Jessilinda said. "Not so fast Jessie." James replied. "We can't rustle up a robot without cash." Meowth added. "Cash, smash! You'll just assume the guise of a ghost-Pokémon and turn this party upside-down!" Jessilinda said. "Who me?" Meowth panicked, "Look I don't even KNOW much less LOOK like a ghosty-Pokémon!"

"Calm those whiskers," Jessilinda said, pinching Meowth's cheeks, "A little nip here and a tuck there and you'll make a lovely ghost-Pokémon."

"Yeah? In whose dreams?" Meowth moaned, his cheeks still out-stretched. "Oh come on, let's get to work!" Despite his protests, Jessilinda grabbed Meowth and dragged him into the storehouse to give him a make-over.

"Do you know why I won't try to stop you?" Brad asked, as he revealed himself from behind the storehouse. James jumped back in panic. "W-Why?" he asked. "Because no matter how convincing she makes Meowth look, the whole point is to learn how NOT to be scared of ghost-Pokémon, so it'll be pointless." Brad said. "If I tell Jessie that, she'll have a fit." James moaned.

"All the more proof that you all need to put a helmet on!" Brad said. James moaned and sweat-dropped. The rest of the day went without issue, and when the sun finally went down and the moon was out, the teams met at their respective starting lines.

"Alright, the red team will be departing at this red gate, but the blue and green teams will be leaving from different locations. However, rest assured that all the paths are the same distance from the ruins." the male instructor explained.

James had been assigned the job of shouting out the names of the pair-ups. "Alright, first team get on your marks!" he announced.

The first team consisted of Ash, Angie, Pikachu and Shinx. "That first place spot is ours!" Ash exclaimed. "You bet Ash!" Angie replied. "Don't forget, you still have to beat me Ash!" Misty exclaimed. "And so I will!" Ash countered. "Not if I can help it!" Misty shouted.

"Ok, I admire the competitiveness, but remember that you're all on the same team and whoever makes it first will earn the points for the entire red team." the instructor said. "Right." Ash and Misty mumbled. The instructor glanced at his watch, and the moment it became 7:00, he sent Ash and Angie on their way.

Five minutes into their trip to the ruins, they stopped sprinting and turned on their flashlights. "There's something creepy about this place." Ash said seriously. "Just let me know if you get scared, I'll make sure you're safe Ash." Angie said protectively. "Err…thanks, same to you." Ash replied.

As the days went by, Angie felt more and more admiration for the Pokémon Trainer. His training methods paired with his caring personality made him a unique individual in Angie's eyes. She was feeling less and less compelled to fight with him, and was feeling more compelled to form a friendship.

As for Ash, he was glad that she seemed to be chilling out, and he was glad that he could be friends with the young girl. He already had more than enough rivalry to contend with whenever he saw Paul, he didn't need to deal with another one, so Ash was relieved that Angie had finally dropped the constant fighting.

They continued their trek down the dark path in the forest, when suddenly Shinx gave a cry of terror and froze in its tracks. Pikachu immediately went into action, and blasted what appeared to be some sort of purple claw.

When the electricity nailed it, the claw released Shinx's tail without hesitation. "Hey, Pikachu, what's wrong?" Ash asked. Pikachu pointed into the bushes; Ash and Angie looked into it, and saw a Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar huddling close to each other for protection. "Hey, it's just some ghost-Pokémon." Ash said, "I'm really sorry my Pikachu attacked you like that."

Gastly and Gengar smiled slightly, but were still understandably nervous. Haunter on the other hand gave a large grin. "Thanks for trying to protect Shinx, Pikachu." Angie said. Pikachu gave a two-finger salute. "Alright guys, let's move out." Ash said. Ash and Angie waved goodbye to the ghost-Pokémon, who waved back.

_"There was something familiar about that Haunter back there."_ Ash thought.

"Alright, the next pairing may proceed!" James exclaimed. That next pairing was Misty and Brock. "You better not slow me down Brock." Misty said bitterly. "Just relax, we'll make it in due time." Brock replied.

"We'll be on our way before we know it too." Dawn said. Before Misty and Brock took off however, they heard a loud chattering coming from behind Dawn. Dawn was reluctant to turn around, after all the weird stuff she had seen over the past few days, she had no desire to see what it was. But the noise didn't stop, so she braced herself and turned around.

With some relief, she found her partner Kendall with his knees knocking and his teeth chattering. "Hey, what's wrong?" Dawn asked. "Huh? Me? It's nothing!" Kendall replied. "Looks like your partner is scared." Misty snickered.

"You know Kendall, it's ok if you're scared." Dawn said. "I'm not scared! I'm…shaking with excitement!" Kendall replied. "Please keep moving, we mustn't delay the other students!" the instructor announced. "Good luck Dawn." Misty said before running off. "You too!" Dawn replied.

Misty and Brock ran into the darkness, leaving Dawn and Kendall to await their turn. _"Kendall can talk the talk, but can't walk the walk." _Dawn thought.

Misty and Brock eventually slowed to a walk, flashlights on and in hand. Suddenly, the Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar that Ash and Angie had previously encountered leapt out of the bushes to freak out their victims.

"Aah! Do something Brock!" Misty screamed. "Don't worry; I have just the thing to handle this." Brock said, "Here guys, check this out, you've gotta love this, I made it just for you: Super special ghost-Pokémon food." Brock placed the bag of food on the ground, and the three ghost-types slowly floated out of the bushes.

After taking a few sniffs, they began happily munching down on Brock's special mixture. "Phew, I'm sure glad you had that food with you." Misty said with relief. "It never hurts to be prepared, let's move on." Brock said. They left the three ghost-types to enjoy their meal, and continued their trek down the path.

Meanwhile, Dawn and Kendall had begun their walk down the path, although one of them was nowhere near calm. "D-D-Don't forget…anything weird comes, this bulked-up guy turns into a super protection machine." Kendall whimpered, hiding behind Dawn as if her petite frame could actually hide him.

Dawn sighed exasperatedly. "Great, thanks." she said. "You know, it gets kinda dark out here!" Kendall whimpered. "Well, anything can happen. Isn't it exciting?" Dawn replied. Dawn was taking the situation rather calmly, especially for someone who had been seeing things over the past few days.

Dawn suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Listen, do you hear that?" Dawn asked. "Sounds like monsters eating something…but what?" Kendall whimpered. Dawn shined her flashlight onto the path ahead of them, and it revealed the three ghost-types who were just finishing up Brock's food. Kendall immediately freaked out. "They're not eating me!" He charged back towards the academy.

"These pumped-up leg muscles are for running!" Kendall's voice eventually dissipated, as he continued to put distance between himself and the ghost-types. "Kendall come back! It's just some ghost-Pokémon eating Pokémon food!" Dawn shouted. Her cry fell on deaf ears; Kendall was definitely NOT coming back for ANY reason.

"Guess it's just you and me Piplup." Dawn said. When Dawn turned around though, the Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar had disappeared. "That's a little freaky." Dawn said. Dawn looked around and saw the Gastly and Gengar through the nearby trees, but the Haunter was nowhere to be found. "Guess he was just a visiting Haunter." Dawn figured.

Dawn continued to walk without a human companion, but she stopped when she saw something extremely suspicious. "Conway, alone, no partner? Wonder what that's all about." Dawn said to herself.

Conway DID have a partner, but not a student. What appeared to be a little girl was leading him. "This way, over here." she said, her voice echoing as she spoke. "Ok, over here." Conway mumbled. Dawn noted that Conway wasn't exactly acting like himself.

"Let's check it out Piplup!" Dawn ran off the path and into the woods to catch Conway, if she had gone any slower, she would've noticed an apple slowly being eaten, but nothing seeming to hold it.

Conway mindlessly walked towards the cliff, with the girl somehow floating over the chasm as if she was on solid ground. "Come on, come on!" she said persuasively. Conway was about to walk right to his death, when a large hand reached out and grabbed him before he fell.

With the girl's trance over him snapped, Conway suddenly came to his senses, and screamed at the top of his lungs when he realized exactly where he was and what he was about to do. The hand pulled him back over to the ground, where he gasped breathlessly on his hands and knees. "You scared me." he said.

Conway thought he was talking to a human, but when he looked up; he saw a large figure with one large red eye bearing down on him. Conway gave a shout of terror and passed out. The figure looked up and saw the little girl floating above the canyon.

The figure made an offensive move towards the girl, and in response, the girl floated away and seemingly disappeared. "Aah…Aah! Conway!" The figure turned around and found Dawn and Piplup, both scared for Conway and themselves.

"Alright, what did you do to Conway?" Dawn screamed. The figure waved its arms frantically, and disappeared just as the girl did. When the danger seemed to disappear, Dawn knelt down beside Conway, trying to shake him to consciousness. "Conway, wake up, please!"

Conway slowly opened his eyes, and looked around with confusion, his eyes finally focused on Dawn, who was still kneeling by his side. "Dawn? What are you doing here?" he asked. "I saw you almost fall over the cliff!" Dawn exclaimed. "Yeah…something…aah! What was that thing? Do you know?" Conway panicked.

"Wait…let's see." Dawn pulled out her Pokédex and searched for anything matching the description of what they had just seen. What they found however, struck fear into their hearts.

"Dusknoir, the Gripper Pokémon. It receives electrical waves from the spirit world with its antenna and is said to take people to the spirit world as well." her Pokédex chirped. "(Gulp) A few more steps and I would've ended up in the spirit world too!" Conway said nervously. "Yeah, that was a close one." Dawn agreed.

Conway looked around for what he thought was his partner. "Where'd she go? The girl I partnered with?" he said. "But…Conway…you were alone." Dawn said. "That can't be, I was just following her!" Conway exclaimed.

"You don't think…Dusknoir took her to the spirit world, do you?" Dawn asked nervously. "Aah! Then we'd have a BIG problem!" Conway exclaimed. "We've gotta tell Professor Rowan!" Dawn exclaimed fearfully. Dawn and Conway charged for the academy as fast as their legs would allow.

On the way, they passed the three ghost-types once more. When the Haunter saw their distress, it waved farewell to its two ghost friends and took off after them.

Meanwhile, poor Meowth was hiding in the bushes wearing a Banette costume, waiting for someone to pass by. "Oy vey…man, dis ghost-Pokémon gig could scare da sheets off of ya." he mumbled.

He looked around and saw flashlights coming down the path. "Belonging to none other dan da twoip team…now, here's where dis character gets good!" Meowth snickered. He attempted to zip up the zipper on his costume, but he ended up pinching his lip with the zipper instead. "People have been telling me to zip my lip all my Pokémon life but this time I really did it!"

"Did you hear something?" Angie asked fearfully. "Nah, it's just your imagination." Ash replied reassuringly. "I guess you're right." Angie said nervously. "No worries, let's keep going." Ash said with a comforting smile. Angie smiled back and continued walking.

"They split, and here I am with my chops caught in dis zipper!" Meowth yanked for a bit more before a grey hand freed his lip from its trap. "Ow! My whiskers!" he screeched, "You helped me save face, thank youuu!" Meowth was met by a for real Banette. Along with a Shuppet and a Duskull. "Yaah! It's the real deal! They're gonna turn me into monster mash!" Meowth ran down the path without looking back, leaving the snickering ghost-types to laugh heartily.

"I don't wanna end up Meowth mix!" Meowth kept on running, only to trip up from running down hill. He tumbled down the hill, shredding his costume and landing with a dull thud. But instead of lying there, Meowth quickly got up to check his surroundings. "Looks like I'll live ta see another day." he sighed with relief.

Meowth suddenly sensed something. "My creepy meter's ringing off the charts!" he squeaked. Nervously, he turned around and saw a girl, giggling spookily. "Want some?" the girl held a rice ball shish kabob up to Meowth, who after his little adventure could use a good snack.

"Anybody who offers me fried rice balls on a stick is a pally of mine!" Meowth said happily. Meowth bit down, but on air only. The girl floated backwards and waved the food around like a flag, persuading Meowth to follow.

"Oh, so you wanna make me woik for my grub, okie dokie, I can play nice." Meowth said. The girl suddenly frowned, backed off, and disappeared, leaving Meowth confused. "Hey wait for me, I'm starving!" he yelled. He attempted to chase after the girl and her rice balls, but was held back by a firm grip.

Meowth turned around angrily and snapped at the owner of the hand that held him. "Hey! I was moving in on some serious chow!" Meowth stopped when he realized what he was yelling at. The sight of Dusknoir looming over him was too much to handle, he was not only shaking in place, but a shriek of terror echoed throughout the entire forest area, and it did not go unheard.

"Was that a blood-curdling scream?" Jessilinda asked. "Yeah, it came from up ahead." her young partner said. He shined the flashlight ahead, and saw a Meowth passed out on the ground. "Look! You know, that looks like a Meowth." the boy said.

Jessilinda knew it wasn't just any Meowth, it was the THE Meowth, her friend Meowth. She ran to check on his condition, trying to shake him to consciousness. "Meowth, rise and shine!" she exclaimed quietly. "Jess…it's here." Meowth was only semi-conscious, but he managed to warn his friend of the potential danger as best as he could.

"IT'S here? Who?" Jessie asked. Meowth went into full unconsciousness once more, bringing worry to Jessie. But when she turned and saw what the "it" was, she dropped Meowth like a brick. She slowly got up and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

"You schlep that Meowth with you and I'LL pull you two in my wake!" she screamed. "Please Miss Jessilinda, slow down!" With Meowth in tow, the two charged back for the safety of the academy.

The Dusknoir stayed still for a moment, but then floated off when it sensed others coming its way. Suddenly, the Haunter made its presence known to the Dusknoir, and asked what its purpose was. Dusknoir explained, and Haunter suddenly became fearful. Haunter nodded and promised to help Dusknoir with its mission, and disappeared after Dusknoir gave a grateful nod.

Misty and Brock were now getting close to their goal, when they suddenly saw the panicked Jessilinda coming towards them. "It's here, it's here! Somebody save me!" she cried. Her partner came running behind her, still schlepping a Meowth in his arms.

"Well…that was unexpected to say the least." Misty said. "I wonder what the 'it' is." Brock added. They would soon find out however, as Dusknoir floated up to them offensively. "Brock…do something." Misty whimpered.

"I still have some ghost-Pokémon food, don't worry!" Brock said. Brock offered the food to Dusknoir, but it obviously had no interest in eating. It fired a 'Will-O-Wisp' attack at the two teens that detonated mere inches away from them. And that was all they could handle, they too took off running.

"You must be losing your touch Brock, it doesn't like it!" Misty screamed. "In that case, I think we better go!" Brock added. Where else would they go…but back to the academy?

Dusknoir looked on as they ran, but was quickly distracted as the strange girl disappeared from where she was watching. Dusknoir chased after her determinedly, it was not going to let her escape by any means.

Meanwhile, Ash and Angie had almost made it to the summit ruins without very many encounters, when they suddenly heard a noise. "Angie, did you hear that?"Ash asked. "Yeah, it came from over there." Angie confirmed.

The noise came again, and the two shined their flashlights on the source. "Sounds like it's coming from INSIDE the rock." Ash said. "But…how?" Angie asked. They got their answer quickly, as a Misdreavus appeared from the rock and launched a 'Screech' attack at the two trainers. They ran away from the loud ghost-type, covering their ears in pain.

When they finally got out of range, they hunched over and gasped for breath. "Boy…you sure wimped out." Angie said jokingly. "Angie, we don't have time for this." Ash replied annoyed, "We've gotta find the ruins!"

Angie softly sighed and gave in to Ash's statement. She just needed something to shake the nervous tension off; a small argument would've done it. But Ash wouldn't allow it. He knew that arguments were stupid when a common goal was trying to be reached. Could he take his own advice? Sometimes, but he and Misty would still sometimes get into small quarrels about stupid stuff, but they came MUCH less frequently. A happy Misty meant a happy Ash, and as long as he stayed calm, Misty was more often than not, happy.

Thinking of Misty made him zone out for a moment, he thought about whether or not Brock was taking good care of her. But when Angie uncharacteristically clutched his arm tightly, he was brought out of his trance. "What's wrong?" Ash asked. "Did we just get ourselves good and lost?" Angie replied fearfully.

Ash looked around and realized that Angie was right. That small escape sprint from the Misdreavus had left them lost in the forest. They suddenly heard a quiet and eerie giggling, and the two trainers turned to find a little girl who was waving them over. "Over here, this way." she said.

"It's that way?" Ash asked. "Hey, thank you!" Angie added. "C'mon Angie, let's follow her there." Ash said. Angie smiled and nodded, but out of instinctive precaution, she did NOT release his arm. Ash didn't mind, he was proud that he could be a figure she could look up to, and if holding his arm made her feel safe, he wouldn't object. _"But she's not Misty."_ They followed the girl through the woods, not even realizing what they were getting themselves into.

Back at the academy, all of the students from every team had gathered together with the same explanation: A Dusknoir had appeared and chased them off. "That's rather strange." Prof. Rowan said, "We monitor every single Pokémon in this area, but for some reason we don't seem to have any record of a Dusknoir dwelling here."

"Maybe it's visiting or something? Like the Lumineon." Dawn suggested. "Perhaps, but there's no reason for a forest-only dwelling Dusknoir to be in a place like this." Prof. Rowan replied. This brought gulps of worry from everyone. "Then what do you suppose that Dusknoir's doing here?" Dawn asked nervously.

"Well, an accident DID take place here the other day." Prof Rowan began, "We were doing some renovations, we accidently discovered a cave hidden deep within a stone wall, and there are some who believe it might be the legendary entrance to the spirit world."

"Entrance to the spirit world?" Misty, Dawn, and Brock exclaimed fearfully. "Right…the Pokédex states that Dusknoir will take people to the spirit world, AND if that is where the Dusknoir in question comes from, it's possible that Dusknoir might be attempting to take someone back with it." Prof. Rowan said.

"I have reason to believe there's a possibility it may have already abducted a girl." Conway said. "And Ash and Angie are still out there! What if it goes after them too?" Misty cried. "Brad, prepare the academy jeep, we're going to the ruins." Prof. Rowan said. Brad saluted the Professor and ran to get the vehicle.

"I would suggest that you all remain here to avoid any further danger. The instructors, Brad, and I will go to the ruins and confront the Dusknoir." Prof. Rowan said. "You're not going without me!" Misty exclaimed determinedly.

"It would not be a good idea. You too may also succumb to the Dusknoir's possible purpose." Prof. Rowan replied calmly. "I don't care! My friends are in trouble and I WILL help them!" Misty persisted. "That goes for me too sir!" Dawn added. "And me too!" Brock added. "I would also like to take place in this rescue." Conway said, much to the surprise of Misty, Brock, and Dawn.

Prof. Rowan sighed, but finally nodded. "Very well, but you will not do anything hasty, and you will make sure to keep yourself under control at all times." Prof. Rowan insisted. "It's a deal!" the trio exclaimed. By now Brad had come with the jeep, and in less than minutes, they were on their way to the ruins.

Back with Ash and Angie, the strange girl had fulfilled her promise and led them to the ruins. "Finally, we made it." Ash said. "And not a moment too soon." Angie said, out of breath from the long climb up the stairs of the ruins.

With only a few more steps to climb, they were met face to face with the medals. "Check it out, we're the first ones!" Angie exclaimed excitedly. Ash picked a medal and chuckled, and then a familiar gleam appeared in his eye.

"I got…the Summit Ruins Medal!" Ash did his victory pose, and laughed as he enjoyed himself. "Hey, that's a cool pose!" Angie exclaimed. "Heh heh, you wanna try it together? It's lots of fun!" Ash said, adrenaline now coursing through his veins. Angie happily agreed and grabbed onto one half of the medal while Ash held the other.

"Yeah! We got…the Summit Ruins Medal!" Their Pokémon joined in their own tongue, happily celebrating along with their masters. "Well, we're all set, let's head back." Ash said. But before they could do anything, the girl was calling to them again. Ash almost swore to himself that he saw the girl floating, but he only saw her from the corner of his eye, so he couldn't be sure.

"This way, over here!" the girl said persuasively. "What, is there something in there?" Ash asked. "Let's go, together!" the girl said. Ash and Angie looked at each other nervously; the girl was acting more strangely than usual.

With some reluctance, they walked closer. But before they didn't realize that the Haunter had been watching the entire time, and upon seeing Ash and Angie getting too close, he screamed at the top of his lungs for Dusknoir. Upon hearing Haunter's cry, the Dusknoir quickly moved to the source of the noise.

Dusknoir was not the only one that heard Haunter's cry. Ash suddenly placed his arm in front of Angie to stop her from moving. "What's wrong Ash?" Angie asked. "Don't move." Ash warned. As if on cue, Dusknoir appeared and spread its arms out like a blockade.

"It's a Dusknoir!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu and Shinx advanced and readied to attack, bodies sparking with electricity.

But Dusknoir's 'Psychic' held the two small Pokémon pinned down. Dusknoir then focused its attention on the girl, and readied a 'Shadow Ball' to hurl at her. "She's gonna get hurt!" Ash yelled. Immediately Ash ran to try and protect the girl; Angie followed to help, but Dusknoir sensed them coming and used 'Psychic' on them as well, which kept them pinned down.

Haunter went to get help, he had a feeling that the other trainers would be on their way to the ruins now. With Haunter leaving, the biggest job was left to Dusknoir.

But with the extra 'Psychic' being used on the humans, Pikachu and Shinx managed to break free from the weakened attack.

"Way to go Pikachu! Use 'Volt Tackle'!"

"Shinx, use 'Thunder Fang'!"

The two Pokémon charged ahead for a simultaneous bombardment of electric attacks. When the attacks hit, Dusknoir fell to the ground, and the two trainers celebrated their victory. The girl's frown turned into a sinister smirk, which Ash thought seemed suspicious; she had to give the girl the benefit of the doubt, but he couldn't shake this chill that was running down his spine.

"Let's play now, let's play now!" she said. "Hey, this is no time to play!" Ash yelled. "That Dusknoir's gonna wake up any minute now!" Angie added. "Let's play together, I want you all to come with me!" the girl exclaimed. One final chill that ran down Ash's spine confirmed it. This girl…was NOT human. "Angie, run!" Ash yelled. "Why?" Angie asked.

That hesitation on her part would prove to be costly, maybe even deadly. A vortex to a strange world opened up in the cave, and started sucking in debris like a black hole. The hole managed to get a hold of Angie, and she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Angie!" Ash grabbed tightly onto the young girl's wrist; Angie's eyes were shut tightly, she didn't want to see her incoming death, but she opened them when she felt Ash's firm grip.

She opened her eyes and found Ash holding her tightly with one hand, and gripping onto a nearby rock with another. "Angie, just don't let go of my hand!" Ash yelled. Angie just couldn't believe it. The boy she had spent all week tormenting was risking HIS life to save HERS. No one had EVER done that for her, for any reason. "Ok Ash, I won't!" she cried.

Meanwhile, Prof. Rowan and his team of tag-alongs were driving up to the ruins. "I sure hope they're alright!" Dawn exclaimed. Just then, the familiar Haunter appeared and gave the group a start, luckily the driver was Brad, so their course was not altered.

Haunter pointed in the direction of the ruins, trying to pass along the message of urgency. "That Haunter looks familiar." Misty said. "Yeah, it's the one we saw earlier!" Dawn exclaimed. "Actually, that's not what I…" Misty was cut-off.

"That Haunter's trying to tell us something!" Conway exclaimed. "Are Ash and Angie in trouble?" Brock asked. Haunter nodded vigorously, confirming it. That was all Misty needed to know. "Floor it Brad!" Misty screamed. "Ok, hope I don't have to teach you how to buckle your seatbelt, because you'll need it now!" Brad replied. Brad jammed down the gas-pedal and followed the Haunter to the ruins.

Meanwhile, Ash was beginning to lose ground against the pull of the vortex. "Ash, it's no use, let me go!" Angie cried, fighting back tears. Angie was completely overwhelmed by Ash's attempt at saving her life, but there was no way help would arrive before Ash's strength depleted. "If you don't let go, you'll end up going with me!" Angie couldn't fight the tears any longer. They flowed freely and got sucked into the vortex as well.

Ash had risked his life to save hers, but she knew it was useless. The least she could do was offer to allow Ash to live, even if it cost her her own life. But Ash wouldn't hear it. "No way! I'll never give up, even if that means forever!" Ash yelled. "Huh? Forever?" Angie exclaimed.

Ash simply wouldn't allow the young girl to die. He had survived worse situations than this, and come out on top. And he was confident that he would this time as well. After making that declaration, Ash's muscles tensed as adrenaline coursed through his veins, and the extra strength that had just been granted to him gave Ash back the ground he had lost.

Ash would die along with Angie before being the cause of another person's death. He would never be able to forgive himself if he knew he had failed to save her, so he held onto her hand even tighter. And in turn, Angie squeezed tighter as well.

By this time, Haunter had appeared with the other humans. "Over there!" Prof. Rowan yelled. "Is that the entrance to the spirit world?" the male instructor shouted. "And it's trying to pull them in; we've got to do something!" Misty cried. Prof. Rowan blocked the group of teens off with his arm. "Stop! Don't get any closer, any of you!" Prof. Rowan ordered.

"But Ash is in trouble, I can't just stand-by!" Misty begged. "You agreed you would follow my orders, do not move!" Prof. Rowan persisted. Misty tried to break through the blockade, but was held back by Brock and Brad. "Let me go, I have to try and save them!" Misty begged. Then and there she imagined the worst: She would never see Ash again; he would be lost to the spirit world forever. Hot tears began streaming down her face as she continued to protest.

"Misty, it's up to Ash!" Brad yelled. Misty stopped fighting, but her crying only intensified. She leapt into Brock's chest and cried as hard as she could, she was sure her boyfriend was going to die right in front of her eyes and she needed some source of comfort.

"Misty, stay strong, Ash wouldn't want you to be this way…trust him." Brock said. Misty opened her eyes and allowed another wave of tears to escape her eyes, but she gave her best try to allow one small glimmer of hope to stay aflame in her heart. _"Please don't go Ash!"_

Ash hadn't even realized that the others had arrived, but he did hear a slight noise that was barely audible above the howling wind. "Just hang on Angie!" Ash yelled. Angie nodded; she was just too stressed to talk anymore.

_"I need help now! I can't hold on much longer!"_ Ash thought. Ash's grip almost totally gave out, and Angie felt a new wave of tears coming as she thought they were both about to die. But suddenly, Dusknoir woke up and dug its feet into the ground, holding the two trainers tightly.

"Dusknoir…you're trying to save us, aren't you?" Ash asked. Dusknoir nodded. "Well, it seems Dusknoir is protecting them!" Prof. Rowan said. "I don't get it!" Dawn exclaimed. "Who cares if it doesn't make sense? They're going to live!" Misty exclaimed. "Aah! Maybe not! Dusknoir's losing ground!" Conway yelled.

"It's no use; we're going to be sucked in!" Angie cried hopelessly. Angie let loose tears she didn't think she even had, and she hugged Ash tightly, looking for any source of comfort. Ash did not object; he actually put his "Misty" experience to good use, he wrapped his arms around the girl and held her tightly.

"Ash, no!" he heard a voice cry. Ash looked up and saw Misty watching, tears and all. Seeing her distress actually brought tears to his eyes as well, he let one fall onto the ground before giving Misty one last sad smile before his impending doom.

But suddenly, Haunter leaped into action and fired a 'Shadow Ball' right at the creature who was trying to take their lives. The attack made impact and the "thing" got knocked back into the vortex itself and gave an ear-piercing shriek as it seemingly disintegrated.

The vortex disappeared and the cave caved-in, leaving the portal to the spirit world sealed off forever. Angie fell to the ground along with Ash, who still had his arms wrapped around her. Angie was still crying, overwhelmed by what had just happened, and she needed her comforter and friend.

Meanwhile, seeing that the danger was gone, Misty ran to her boyfriend and attempted to embrace him, but Ash waved her off. Angie needed help and Ash was helping her, Misty couldn't interfere. Misty did not like his utter rejection, but she respected his opinion, sort of.

Angie eventually looked up at Ash, who was quietly shushing her. "You risked your life to save me." she whispered. "That's kinda my thing." Ash shrugged. Angie couldn't help herself from looking into Ash's chocolate-brown eyes with admiration. "Thank you." she whispered. Ash smiled at the young girl in response.

Angie felt something she never felt before. A sensation totally unfamiliar to her, and she had a pretty good idea what it was. The fact that Ash had a girlfriend seemed trivial at the moment, all she knew was that she officially had a crush on Ash.

Misty had seen the whole thing, and she turned to walk back to the academy, alone. Brad noticed her departure but did nothing about it._ "I know where she'll be."_

"Thanks Dusknoir, you were looking out for us all along." Ash said. "Yeah, thanks." Angie added. Ash looked around to thank the Haunter, but it had disappeared without a trace, and Dusknoir was doing the same thing. "Dusknoir, come back!" Angie shouted.

Dusknoir wasn't coming back, but it did give a "goodbye" moan before it vanished completely. "It would seem that Dusknoir had quite an interest in guarding this cave, and we all know why." Prof. Rowan said. "Does that mean that the girl I was partnered with wasn't part of the academy?" Conway asked. "If you ask me, I think you were partnered with a ghost!" Dawn replied.

Conway turned pale and had to force himself to not faint. "Hey, where's Misty?" Ash asked. "That's weird; she was here a minute ago." Brock said. "You don't think she's in trouble, do you?" Ash panicked. "Chill out, she walked back to the academy." Brad replied.

"But why?" Ash asked. "She looked pretty upset." was Brad's simple response. "Oh man, what did I do now?" Ash moaned. "Being honest, I don't think you did anything THIS time." Dawn said. "Then…why's she mad?" Ash asked.

"We won't find out out here, let's head back." Brock suggested. "Good idea. Brad, take the children back to the academy, the instructors and I will remain here and do some research." Prof. Rowan said. "Got it boss." Brad replied.

The trainers got into the jeep with Brad and drove back to the academy. Angie had fallen asleep on the way there, but she probably would've blushed if she had known where she had landed: Ash's lap. Ash didn't even notice however, he was too busy trying to process why Misty was mad at him, and how it would affect things if at all. "Ash?" Dawn said. _"Misty, I'm sorry for whatever it is I did."_ Ash was back to being unresponsive and depressed. Why? Misty was seemingly out of reach once more.

Misty's POV

I reached the academy after the long, miserable trek, with the same scene replaying in my mind. I was just about to run and give Ash a hug, but he waved me off for Angie. The twelve year old Angie! The hurt feeling was almost too much to bear, I headed to the spot on the academy that had the best view of Mt. Coronet to try and forget what had happened.

But the image of Ash and Angie embracing each other simply wouldn't leave my mind. _"He dumped me…like a load of bricks! For someone who isn't even in her teen years yet!"_ I felt rage and sadness building up inside of me, it was tormenting me.

As I leaned over the railing and thought about what had just happened, I reached for a Pokéball. I tossed it and Vaporeon emerged from it. Vaporeon…the Vaporeon Ash gave to me as a present because I was his girlfriend. I was so happy when he gave it to me, now Vaporeon filled me with sadness. "Vapo?" (Misty?)

I looked at it, and then closed my eyes to block the tears that were about to pour out like a waterfall. I clutched the Pokéball tightly and then threw it to the ground. I raised my foot to destroy it, and then I realized what I was about to do.

I slowly put my foot down and looked down at Vaporeon, whose fear filled eyes broke my heart even further. I knelt down next to it and hugged it tightly, just trying to find someone I could open up to.

"I knew you'd be here." I heard a voice say. "I wiped the tears out of my eyes and turned to find Brad standing in front of me. "Oh…hey Brad." I replied. "So, you're upset." Brad said. It would be silly to try and deny it since my eyes were bloodshot from all the crying, so I just nodded.

"You mind telling me why?" Brad asked. I looked away to avoid Brad's gaze. The last thing I wanted to do was open up to the comedian who made jokes over people's sensitivity. "Come on Misty, I just wanna help." Brad said. There was something different in the comedian's voice. It was soft and understanding, rather than the usual brash and bold tone he used. At this point, I was willing to take anybody, so I agreed.

"Ash doesn't like me anymore." I said simply. "And, what makes you say that?" Brad asked. "Well…you saw those two…they were…hugging." I replied sadly. "Hmm, I see your point." Brad replied. "Maybe I should just go back to Cerulean and try to forget Ash." I said. "Or, you could not." Brad replied.

"But Brad…I mean…when Ash came to get me, he told me he loved me, and then I find him waving me off to hug ANGIE of all people? I mean, what's that all about?" I huffed. "So I guess the logical thing to do would be to go back home." Brad suggested. "What? No way! If I go back now, I may never get to leave again!" I exclaimed.

Brad raised an eyebrow at me and I realized what I had just said. "Crud." I moaned. "Misty, is that the only proof you have to base your theory on?" Brad asked. "Well, he's been spending time with her more, and of course the hug and…you know." I said. "No, I don't know." Brad replied. He was not making this easy. "Ok fine, so that's all I have! Are you happy?" I screamed.

"Misty, if it had been you in Angie's place, he's still kinda new to you, you don't know him that well, you're about to die, and he puts himself in life threatening danger to save someone he barely knows. You're also emotionally stressed because you think you're about to die, and when the danger finally passes, you're left alone with the person who just saved your life. Add to the fact that you'd be a twelve year old who's just getting to realize what dangers life can throw at you. How would you react?" Brad said.

"I'd…I'd be overwhelmed." I admitted. "And thusly, you might've…" Brad paused to allow me to finish. "I might've hugged that person in thanks or because I needed comfort." I admitted. Brad had forced me to see what might've been Angie's point of view. Was I being upset for nothing? Ash was just being a nice guy, like he always was.

"So, what are you going to do with Vaporeon?" Brad asked. I knew exactly what I was going to do. "I'm gonna put her back into her Pokéball and go talk to Ash!" I exclaimed. "Good girl, so, do you feel better?" Brad asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes I do. Thanks Brad." I embraced the short, blonde man in a grateful hug, who reciprocated it. "Not bad for a man without sensitivity." I joked. "You do know that I only act that way when I'm joking right? In real life, I'm a totally different person." Brad replied.

"I'll try to keep that in mind. Thanks for talking to me Brad." I said again. "Quit thanking me and go talk to Ash already for crying out loud!" Brad exclaimed. Brad's brash and bold manner was back. I giggled and waved goodbye to the comedian, who waved back.

Ash's POV

_"I don't get it…what did I do?" _I was just so confused. Misty was mad at me and I didn't even know why! And when I tried to crawl into bed, Brock stopped me. He told me that if Misty was mad, I should give her space. So I was forced to sleep on the floor. Dawn, Brock, and Angie had fallen asleep already, but I was still awake.

I couldn't bear the fact that Misty was so mad that she would leave before even talking to me. Sure, I waved her off so I could console Angie, but that couldn't be it…could it? _"Misty doesn't get jealous, not that I can remember anyway."_

I figured that trying to understand Misty would only make my head hurt, so I just rolled over and tried to get to sleep. I didn't even have Pikachu to console me anymore, since he was on Dawn's bunk with Buneary. _"Please Misty, don't be mad."_

Normal POV

Misty quietly walked into the dorm room, not wanting to wake anyone up. She saw that Ash had not fallen asleep. Nevertheless, he didn't even realize she had walked in, his depression was too deep. His hurt expression hurt her as well._ "What have I done to him?"_

Misty slowly kneeled down next to him and gave him a soft peck on his head; this brought Ash back to reality quickly. "Misty?"

"Hey Ash." Misty replied. "Misty, what did I do? I mean, why are you mad? What did I…?" Ash was cut-off. "C'mon Ash, let's get some sleep." Misty said with a smile. Ash felt incredible relief and smiled back. He grabbed his pillow and blanket and crawled into the bunk with his girlfriend.

"Misty, you still didn't tell me why you were mad." Ash said. "I…I was jealous." Misty whispered bashfully. "Jealous? For what?" Ash asked. "I mean…you…you waved me off so you could hug Angie! I thought…you cared for her more." Misty whispered.

"I was just trying to make her feel better." Ash said. "I know, I was just acting so stupid!" Misty said. Misty was never one to demean herself, but when she was wrong, she felt horrible about it. Especially when it hurt someone she loved.

"I forgive you Misty, I'm just glad you're not mad at me anymore." Ash said. "And I'm glad you're alive, I thought you were a goner for sure!" Misty said sadly. "So did I." Ash said honestly. The two sat in silence for a moment, before Misty finally broke it.

"So, do you think Angie likes you?" she asked. "Who knows? I think she was just being grateful, I DID save her life after all." Ash said proudly. "Now if only you could save your own life that well." Misty teased. "Hey, I'm here aren't I?" Ash countered. "Nope, all I see is a ghost." Misty laughed, but then put her hand over mouth as she realized what she just. "I-I'm sorry, I-I'm so sorry." she mumbled. "No worries Misty, just relax!" Ash replied.

Misty nodded and rested her head on Ash's chest without another word. She would just try to sleep off the fact that anything had happened, she had been reassured that Ash loved HER and not Angie, he was just a nice guy who would do anything to make his friends feel better, even if it meant him using methods she personally would prefer be used on her and ONLY her.

And to think that she never would've realized it if Brad hadn't come to talk to her. She almost convinced herself she wasn't loved, almost released Vaporeon, and almost went back home to practically rot. Brad, the comedian who joked about sensitivity and such, showed Misty a side of him she had never seen before. Underneath all the jokes, he was an understanding and caring person. She thought to herself, as she dozed off into a comfortable slumber, _"Ash may have saved Angie's life, but I owe Brad mine."_

"Pika pika pika chu." (Looks like everything's alright.) Pikachu said to his bodyguard companion. "Bun buneary bun bun." (I'm so relieved they're together again.) Buneary replied. "Pikapi pi Pikachupi, pika chu pi pi pika." (Ash and Misty, it's never boring with them around.) Buneary agreed and relaxed as she dozed into a peaceful slumber. "Pikachu." (Goodnight.)

**DAY 5**

Misty as usual was the first to wake up, fully refreshed and still happy that Ash was truly hers. She placed a small peck on his cheek before getting ready for the final day. When she came out of the bathroom, she found everyone still asleep. "Staryu, come out and use 'Bubblebeam'." Misty snickered.

Staryu emerged and launched a stream of bubbles at the now complaining members of the red team. "You guys should be thanking me! Professor Rowan's announcement is in a few minutes!" Misty exclaimed. The group leaped out of their beds and scrambled to get dressed. Angie accidently ran into Ash in her hurry and blushed slightly; she ran off again before Ash could notice however.

The group met up outside with the other teams for the final announcement of the Summer Academy. "We had quite a busy night, but you all performed admirably. So I've decided to give each team thirty points." Prof. Rowan said.

"Oh please, what kind of thinking is that?" Jessilinda complained. "We're still in second? Ash should've gotten bonus points for saving the day yesterday." Misty grumbled. "Hey, at least we're still in second place." Brock said. "But I like being the winner." Misty grumbled.

"Oh I don't know, it gets kinda lonely at the top." Conway chuckled cockily. "We could handle lonely." Misty replied. "Listen up red team, let's turn this thing around!" Ash exclaimed. The red team roared their approval.

"Settle down please, I will now explain the final event." Prof. Rowan said. The rabble eventually quieted down, and Prof. Rowan gave his final announcement.

"Students, it is my honor and pleasure to announce the final activity at the Pokémon Summer Academy; it is without a doubt our biggest program: The Pokémon Triathlon! The things you've learned this week will play a key role, so be ready to apply it!" Prof. Rowan announced.

"The starting line begins here at the academy, and everyone will begin simultaneously. We have prepared a Pokéball for each one of you, but you'll have no idea which Pokémon it contains ahead of time." the instructor said.

"So it's day one all over again." Misty said. "Which means we'll have to work with whatever Pokémon pops out." Dawn added.

"You and your Pokémon will wind your way through the forest and head towards this lake." the instructor said. "Excuse me, but is that where we pick up our next Pokémon?" Brock asked. "Right, naturally you'll be using a water-type Pokémon to cross the lake." the instructor said.

"Perfect! That'll be my chance to take the lead!" Misty exclaimed. "And after that, it's marathon time!" Angie added. "At that point, everyone will make their way back here to the finish line, also, it is very important to remember that under no circumstances should you attack or battle any opposing team." the instructor said.

"First place earns fifty points, second place earns thirty points, and third place earns twenty points, all of our remaining contestants will earn ten points each." the instructor explained, "And here's some good news for the red team, the overall point total will be calculated using the points earned by each individual team member."

"Hey that's different from last year! That means if we do well we can overtake the blue team!" Angie exclaimed. "Great! We'll show them!" Ash added. "Alright everyone, you're dismissed. Prepare yourself for the triathlon!" the instructor exclaimed. The students cheered as they got up from their seating positions and basically scattered all over the academy.

"Those fifty points are gonna be all mine!" Ash exclaimed. "It's good to be pumped up, but keep up the hot air and you'll pass out." Angie said, "For your information Ash, I've done this before and it's a lot more intense than you may think."

"Whatever Angie, I'm just totally psyched about this!" Ash exclaimed. "You know Ash, if you don't see Angie as a threat, don't forget that I'm in that race too and I am NOT taking it easy on ANYONE." Misty said. "It's an overall race Misty; your water-type expertise will only help you on the lake so I'm gonna win!" Ash exclaimed.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

"You're both wrong! I know all the tricks so first place is all mine!" Angie screamed. "Oh yeah?" Ash and Misty both shouted.

"Yeah!" Angie replied.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?"

"YEAH!"

"Just stop it! All of you!" Dawn begged. "Guys, relax already. It doesn't matter who comes in first because the points earned all go to the entire red team in the end." Brock said. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Misty sighed.

"Yeah, he is right. So whaddya say Angie? May the best guy win?" Ash held out his hand for Angie to shake it and call a truce, but Angie was hesitant to make a move. She just stared at his hand as images of the night before raced into her mind.

_"I'll never give up! Even if that means forever!"_

Angie blushed slightly. "Um…well…uh…" she stammered. Ash looked at her with confusion. "What's wrong with you?" he asked. "Nothing I'm fine! Come on Shinx, let's go!" Angie ran off with her Pokémon, trying to use an old Misty technique of hiding her embarrassment behind rage.

Misty recognized that tactic, and she hoped that Ash wouldn't. _"That's my trick. She was blushing! Come on Ash, show me that famous denseness!" _she thought.

"What got into her?" Ash asked.

_"Thank goodness."_ Misty thought.

"Something doesn't seem right." Dawn said. "I'm sure she'll be fine." Misty said. "Well…I guess." Dawn said. Just then, Conway appeared from behind Dawn again. "Well Dawn, it's almost race time." he said.

Dawn stiffened up at the shock and then jumped back away from Conway. "Can't you just leave her alone already?" Misty hissed. Conway took one step forward, but Misty's glare sent him two steps back. However he maintained his confident and cool composure.

"You see Dawn, I've spending a lot of time analyzing every last bit of data I've logged on you throughout the week…" Conway paused for dramatic effect. "And?" Dawn asked. "And…I've come to the conclusion that YOU'RE going to be my most formidable rival in the Pokémon Triathlon." Conway said.

"So now I'm your rival?" Dawn huffed. "That's right Dawn, I've got you marked see? Sounds exciting, doesn't it?" Conway snickered.

That did it for Misty. "Alright you creep, that's the last straw! I'm gonna make you forget every last bit of data you have in that pin head of yours!" Misty screamed. Conway knew what was coming. Screaming, he ran off as fast as he could, with Misty trailing him with mallet raised and ready to swing.

"What is up with that guy?" Dawn moaned. "Here's hoping Misty can give that guy what he deserves." Ash snickered. The remaining trio also snickered.

"Ahh, I can just feel the excitement building in everyone." a voice said. The trio turned around and saw Prof. Rowan walking up with a Nurse Joy and a Chansey. The trio greeted them cordially; Brock was more cordial than anyone else of course.

When asked what she was doing at the academy, Nurse Joy replied, "It's my job to make sure all of your Pokémon are strong and healthy, so remember if anything goes wrong during the triathlon, I'm here."

Brock couldn't resist any longer. "Just the thought of a lady in waiting makes my blood pressure start rising, and now my heart is beating a mile a minute which can only mean one thing! I need immediate medical attention!"

Brock was right. He did need medical attention, but only because Croagunk had emerged to pacify him with a 'Poison Jab'. "Why…do…I…keep…doing…this?" Brock fell to the ground in pain, and was dragged away by Croagunk just as Misty returned with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"What happened to Brock?" she asked. "Nurse Joy." Dawn replied. "What's with the smile Mist?" Ash asked. "Let's just say that Conway won't be waking up until the triathlon starts." Misty replied. The group laughed at that.

"The triathlon begins in about half an hour, so I would suggest you go and wake your friend." Prof. Rowan said. "Oh yes sir, I'd be glad to." Misty replied innocently. When the Professor and Nurse turned to leave, Misty tossed a Pokéball.

"You're supposed to go wake up Conway, Misty. What're you doing with Azurill?" Dawn asked. "I am waking him up. See?" Misty replied. Azurill sprayed a soft jet of water to the ground to demonstrate her method of alarm clock.

"Oh boy." Dawn giggled. With that, Misty walked away to give Conway a rude awakening. Meanwhile, Jessilinda was busy getting a massage from her little posse of kids. "Good luck on the upcoming triathlon Miss Jessilinda, you'll be great!" one of the kids said.

"The green team probably won't win anyway, but we'll keep fighting to the bitter end!" another one said. This got Jessilinda up off her chair. "Excuse me, but the green team NEVER gives up! It's all for one and one to win!"

The children roared their approval. Jessilinda suddenly became coy when she realized what she had just said; she blushed and said, "Sorry, but I seem to have misplaced my manners." The green team laughed along with their leader; apparently Jessie's better half was in play while she was in disguise.

James and Meowth, who were laying down the chalk lines for the race, were keeping an eye on their comrade. "Jessie's team spirit is on full burn!" James said. "Yeah, but her empty head can't seem ta grasp dat da green team's winning chances are zip, zero, nada." Meowth added.

"True, but it would be good for our future health if Jessie were to take that victory lap." James said. Their face suddenly became dark and mysterious. "Of course, we could help her out by being sneaky!" Meowth said.

"I just love when we sneak." James said. "So whadda we do den? A robot or sabotage?" Meowth asked. "How about you do your job?" a voice said. James and Meowth felt a chill run down their spine. Brad had heard their every word.

"Where'd you come from?" Meowth asked. "Simple. You've been watching her, and I've been watching you. No cheating you two." Brad warned. "It's da last day anyway! Whadda you care whether or not we cheat? We'll have to leave afterwards whether or not we do or don't!" Meowth exclaimed.

"True, but Slowpoke and Torkoal have been dying to get their shots at you, and I just might let them." Brad replied. James and Meowth sweat-dropped. "That's what I thought. Now finish laying those lines down." Brad said.

"Yes sir." James and Meowth moaned.

Later, all the students gathered at the starting line. "I fail to understand why you use such violent methods in everything you do." Conway muttered. "Only in the things that annoy me." Misty replied. To save time and effort, Dawn and Angie returned Piplup and Shinx to their Pokéballs. Pikachu stayed on Ash's shoulder of course.

"Alright, let's put this Pokémon Triathlon in motion!" Prof. Rowan exclaimed. The students silenced themselves, and readied themselves to take off. "Everyone on your marks…get set…"

Angie snuck a determined glare at Ash before the starting gun, and Ash shot one back at her. The blank pistol fired, and the students took off running. "Make way for the fastest feet in foot-racing! It's Jessilinda!"

Jessilinda charged ahead of the pack to take an early lead. "I'm not letting that diva get ahead of me! She reminds me of my sisters!" Misty charged forward to make up ground, leaving Ash and the others in her dust. "Whoa, she moves fast!" Angie exclaimed.

Up ahead, Jessilinda carefully chose her first Pokéball, giggling the whole time. "My swift speed comes from a heart that's pure. And now my reward!" she tossed out the Pokéball and a Hippowdon emerged. "(Groan) Sorry, bad choice. Take a hike." Jessilinda said dismissively. By now, Misty had caught up with her.

"Nice Hippowdon." Misty snickered. "Be quiet twerpette, I'll just hand this Hippowdon in for something sleeker and with more sass." Jessilinda said. Misty caught the "twerpette" comment, and her suspicions were beginning to rise. When Jessilinda reached for the Pokéballs, the instructor at the booth blew a whistle.

"The exchanging of Pokéballs is forbidden by the rules!" he said. "Eh, oopsie." Jessilinda mumbled. "Deal with it prima donna." Misty snickered. "You should learn respect for your elders." Jessilinda hissed back. Misty rolled her eyes and grabbed a ball from the pile.

"Come on out!" The Pokéball flashed, and a Rapidash emerged from it. "Awesome Rapidash!" Misty squealed. "Why does she get such a fast Pokémon and I'm stuck with slow and sluggish?" Jessilinda whined.

By now, Ash and Co. had arrived as well. "Wow Mist, you got lucky!" Ash said. "Yes I did, now if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting ahead." Misty replied. Misty hopped onto the back of the flaming horse and took off. "Giddy up!"

"She's getting away!" Angie screamed. Ash and Co. grabbed their Pokéballs as well, and tossed them all out. Their Pokémon emerged next to Jessilinda's Hippowdon, who was still waiting for Jessilinda to get over her tantrum.

"Wow! I got a Dodrio!" Dawn squealed.

"And check out my Spoink!" Ash exclaimed.

"That Onix sure looks strong!" Brock exclaimed.

"And so does my Ariados!" Angie added.

Jessilinda watched in horror as Ash and Co. disappeared from sight, trying to catch up to the water-trainer on the speedy fire-type.

"Alright, it's you and me Tiny. Hippowdon, catch up to the crew!" Jessilinda ordered. Hippowdon complied, but in its own manner. "Hey! No surprise 'Sand Tomb'!" Jessilinda cried. Hippowdon dug underground with Jessilinda ridding on top.

Meanwhile, Misty was galloping along with Rapidash. "That's right Rapidash! Hyaah!" Misty was pumping up her Pokémon's spirits, willing it to move faster, but apparently Dawn was doing the same with her Dodrio.

"Let's pass her up Dodrio!" Dawn screamed. Dodrio heard the coordinator's cry and willed itself to move faster, and it eventually came neck and neck with Misty and Rapidash. And before she could react, Ash was coming up, hopping along on his Spoink. "Slow down guys, not so fast!" he yelled.

"You're right Ash; I think I'll go faster! Give it all you got Rapidash!" Misty screamed. Rapidash found another gear and started putting distance between itself and Dawn's Dodrio. "We're catching up!" Ash yelled.

Spoink was putting more strength into its bounces and was starting to gain ground on Dawn, but Misty would be the toughest to catch, or so he thought.

"Eat my dust!" Angie screamed. Angie had used Ariados' 'String Shot' to swing from branch to branch, which made up for its slow foot-speed. Of course, the giant bug-type that had just swung by caused Misty to scream in terror and lose her balance.

Rapidash stopped when it heard Misty's shriek, which allowed almost every student to pass her up. "I'm gonna get her for that! Come on Rapidash, giddy up!" Misty shook off her fear and hopped back on the fire-horse. With a loud and determined neigh, Rapidash charged ahead at full-gallop.

Despite the speed of Rapidash, Misty had a long way to go before she would catch up to her friends, she was now caught in the middle of the pack where a whole bunch of students were jammed together. "Aah! You all better get out of the way!" that voice might've sounded threatening if it didn't sound so terrified.

Misty turned around and saw one of the green team members riding a flying Garchomp. "Oh boy, I smell trouble! Rapidash, MOVE!" Rapidash found one final gear and managed to pass up the Camerupt that was leading the pack.

And Rapidash passed it just in time, because Camerupt tripped trying to avoid colliding with the Garchomp, and it accidently sent off an 'Eruption' attack in the process. And once one attack was fired, all the Pokémon behind it fired as well, leaving a major people and Pokémon pile-up.

"Phew, that was close. Good job Rapidash!" Misty said with relief. Before Misty could get Rapidash going again, she gave a surprised yelp when Conway emerged from underground with his Dugtrio.

"I had a feeling that digging some holes and going underground was the only way to go." Conway chuckled. "Don't tell me YOU caused that?" Misty asked angrily. "Perish the thought; I have no interest in hindering other competitors." Conway replied.

"Well I have no trouble. Eat my dust creep!" Rapidash took off after the group at an incredible speed, leaving Conway and Dugtrio in a dust cloud. "Well, let's catch up with her then." Conway coughed. Dugtrio went back underground to maximize its speed.

Up at the lake, Angie arrived first riding Ariados. "Thanks Ariados." She then exchanged Ariados for her water-type. "You're up next!" the Pokéball splashed into the water, and a Lapras emerged from it.

"Ok Lapras, it's up to you!" Lapras squealed and swam off just as Ash and Co. reached the lake. "Ok, time to clinch this!" Ash exclaimed determinedly. Ash grabbed his Pokéball and a Mantyke emerged from it, and he wasted no time getting to full speed.

Dawn got a Sharpedo, and Brock got a Feraligatr. The two took off after Ash and Angie, just as Misty and Conway got to the lake.

"You were awesome Rapidash, thanks."

"A job well done Dugtrio."

Misty and Conway grabbed their Pokéballs and tossed them out onto the water. Misty wound up with a beautiful Milotic, and Conway got a Floatzel.

"Now's our best chance to take the lead! Milotic, full steam ahead!" Misty exclaimed. Being the water-type expert she was, Misty stood on Milotic's back and rode it like a surfboard as it skimmed across the water.

Meanwhile, Angie was cruising on the water, confident that her first place position was secured. "Winning this and getting first place will be a piece of cake." she said to herself. "Hey Angie!" a chill ran down the young girl's spine when she heard that voice.

She turned around and saw Ash gaining on her. "You haven't won it yet!" he yelled. "Oh no, it's Ash!" Angie cried. "Full speed ahead Mantyke!" Ash yelled. Mantyke poured on the speed as it passed up Angie and Lapras. "Coming through!" Ash gloated.

"Like that's gonna happen! Quick Lapras, use 'Ice Beam', now!" Angie ordered. Lapras fired and created a ramp of ice. It slid upwards all the way to the top and looked down on its opponent. "Let's go!" Angie and Lapras slid down the other side of the iceberg with their heads down to minimize wind resistance.

With the extra speed from the makeshift slide, Lapras blew right by Ash and Mantyke. "Seeya later!" Angie taunted. Ash was certainly not going to stand for that. "Quick Mantyke, step on it!"

While Ash and Angie jockeyed for position, Dawn and Brock were falling behind. "No surprise that neither of those two are willing to give up a single inch." Brock said. Before Dawn could comment, she heard cheering coming from behind them.

They turned around and saw Misty riding on the back of her temporary Milotic like it was a surfboard, and she was blowing everyone away. "Heads up!" she screamed. Before they could blink, Misty had passed them and was on her way to take the lead away from either Ash or Angie.

"Wow, they sure know how to mix it up don't they?" Brock said. "I don't care how competitive or how much of an expert they may be! Eight can play at that game! Quick Sharpedo, let's move!" Dawn shouted.

Sharpedo tried to speed up, but something blocked its path. "Aah! It's Conway!" Dawn cried. "Guilty as charged. Well my dear I'm afraid I'll have to catch up with you later." Conway chuckled. Conway dove back underwater on his Floatzel, still chuckling even under the water, which resulted in a literally bubbly laugh.

With dropped jaws and faces of annoyed disbelief, Dawn and Brock just stared like that, apparently forgetting they were in a race.

Meanwhile, back at the back of the course, Jessilinda and Hippowdon had just reached the exchange point. Hippowdon emerged from the ground, revealing a dirty, dusty, and coughing Jessilinda.

"I have had it! I don't remember this being in my job description!" Jessilinda said angrily. She thought she was talking herself, but when she heard the confused "huh?" that came from behind her; she had to think fast so as not to blow her cover.

"Thanks Hippowdon, return. A job well done." she said cheerfully. With a smile as fake as her disguise, Jessilinda returned Hippowdon to the female instructor, who erased any thoughts of suspicion from her mind.

"Not only did she almost blow her cover, but Jessie's dead last and sinking fast." James said from behind a nearby bush.

"Maybe we should give that girl's water-type Pokémon a submarine-type boost." Meowth suggested. Out of nowhere, James and Meowth got sprayed with a 'Water Gun' from the bushes on the other side. "You don't tink…" Meowth said.

They looked over and saw Brad with his Slowpoke. He was waving his finger in a "no" fashion, telling them not to try anything. James and Meowth sweat-dropped. "Why do we even try? As long as dat clown of a comedian is watching us we don't even be able ta steal cookies from da cafeteria." Meowth moaned.

By now, Jessilinda had chosen one of the two remaining Pokéballs. "Alright, on the double!" she threw the Pokéball into the water, and a tiny Magikarp floundered around. "A Magikarp?" James and Meowth said in shock. They could swear that they heard a snickering coming from the other side of the bushes.

The now growling, snarling, and hissing Jessilinda stomped into the water with a face so furious that it could rival a Misty glare. She reached down and picked up the Magikarp that was only a tiny bit bigger than her head, swinging it around furiously. "I need you like I need too much sun!"

Suddenly, the Magikarp she was holding seemed to become jet-propelled as Jessilinda fought to maintain her grip on it. It hopped along the water at unbelievable speed that was impossible for even a normal water-type, let alone another Magikarp.

With Jessilinda gone, James, Meowth, and Brad came out of their hiding spots. Even Brad was surprised at how fast that Magikarp was dragging Jessilinda. "Since when does a Magikarp move out like that?" James asked in shock.

"Dat Professor Rowan sure knows how ta pick Pokémon with primo pizzazz pluck." Meowth added. "Just goes to show you that anything can happen here at the academy." Brad added.

Meanwhile, Ash and Angie were still battling for first place. "Go go go go go! Do it do it do it do it do it!" they both yelled. Mantyke and Lapras were pouring on the steam to try and take a significant lead, but neither one could seem to stay in front for longer than a few moments.

Just then, the inevitable happened. Misty came up riding her Milotic. "Say hey to the queen of water-type racing!" she laughed. Misty easily took the lead as she literally surfed on her Pokémon. "Whoa, she's riding Milotic like a surfboard!" Angie exclaimed.

"She's just showing off, well I'll show her!" Ash yelled. Mantyke found one final gear and blasted ahead of Lapras. He reached the end of the lake and leaped off as soon as he was in range of solid ground. Ash returned Mantyke to its ball and placed it in the return box. After that, he made a mad dash to catch the water-trainer that was already way ahead of him.

Angie was left behind due to her hesitation by sending out Shinx. Those few extra seconds would cost her precious ground which she would somehow have to make up.

Back on the lake, Dawn and Brock were lagging behind with Conway. But Jessilinda was coming up fast thanks to the unnatural power of her Magikarp. She blew right by them and reached land first, although rather painfully.

She shook off the pain and laughed. "Now you all can see what I'm really made of." she said. Conway reached ground next and snuck up behind her. "I must say, that was quite impressive."

Jessilinda cringed. "Perhaps it might've been a smarter choice to keep tabs on YOU rather than on Dawn." Conway chuckled. "While you two discuss tabs, we'll be getting ahead!" Dawn exclaimed.

Dawn and Brock called out Piplup and Happiny respectively and took off. Not wasting any more time, Jessilinda called out her Seviper and took off, with Conway and Slowking following uncomfortably close behind.

Meanwhile, Misty and Vaporeon were running towards the cave in first place. But behind her, she heard banter being exchanged between Ash and Angie. "I am NOT losing to the likes of you Ash Ketchum!" Angie screamed.

"You're gonna be changing your mind real soon!" Ash countered. Misty did not want to lose her position, so she willed her legs to move faster, and it wasn't long before she was in the cave. But before she disappeared completely, she heard a familiar scream of panic. _"That's it, I'm gonna test something."_ Misty thought.

Speaking of panicked screams, Jessilinda was running away from Conway. "Go pick on someone from your own planet!" she screamed. "Once I start keeping tabs on someone, I don't stop!" Conway replied. Jessilinda couldn't stand it any longer. She went into emergency mode and moved faster than anyone else in the entire race was at the moment.

She passed the confused Ash and Angie before they could even blink, and they became more confused when Conway passed them as well.

They reached the inside of the cave, and Conway was gaining headway on Jessilinda. "Enough being pursued! Seviper, take care of that fruitcake with 'Poison Tail'!" Jessilinda ordered. Seviper complied, turned around, and took a swing at Conway and Slowking, who just barely managed to dodge.

Ash and Angie did a face-plant to avoid the lifted dust and dirt. "Battling's against the rules, so stop!" Ash yelled. "There's nothing more cacophonous in a cave-setting than clap-trap! Seviper, boink them with 'Bite'!" Jessilinda ordered.

Now Seviper charged towards Ash and Angie, who barely managed to dodge. However Shinx got knocked into a nearby ditch, and Angie wasted no time going after it. "Angie!" Ash yelled. Ash ran to help, but Seviper was still on the attack.

Another 'Poison Tail' narrowly missed Ash, who was trying to find some way to dodge and help Angie all at once. But just then, Ash slipped on some loose gravel and fell to the ground. Seviper moved in to finish the job, when it was suddenly attacked from behind by a 'Water Pulse'.

_"Misty."_ Ash thought with relief.

"I should've known from the beginning! The way you look, talk, and act, you're Jessie from Team Rocket!" Misty screamed angrily. "I don't know what you're talking about." Jessilinda replied. "But I do!" Misty shouted, "Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse' again!"

Vaporeon fired the attack and held Seviper back from Ash. "Thanks Mist!" Ash said gratefully. "Never mind thanking me! Get Angie out of that hole! I'll hold Jessie off!" Misty screamed. Ash nodded and ran for the ditch.

"Forget this; my fight is with the bespectacled brainiac, not you." Jessie said, "Seviper, make sure you pin those pinheads."

Seviper charged forward to attack. "Sorry." Conway said. Conway coolly stepped out of the way, leaving Seviper to have his head slammed into the cave wall.

"Well I guess that settles that, I've won it along with my blue team. Guess my tab-keeping time on you is over!" Conway laughed. "No nerd disses me and then beats me!" Jessie fumed. She grabbed her snake by the tail and chased after Conway, leaving Ash, Misty, and Angie behind.

"Ash, you need help?" Misty asked. "Stay on stand-by Misty! Come on Angie, just a little more!" Ash yelled. "Right…don't worry; I'll get us out of here Shinx." Angie said.

Angie was carefully climbing her way up the ditch with Shinx held tightly in her arm, just when she was about to reach the top, the cliff crumbled and left Angie without something to grab onto.

She cried out with terror, but when she opened her eyes, she was once again being held by the firm grip of the Pokémon Trainer who had saved her life the night before. "Just hang on tight! You'll both be just fine!" Ash yelled. "Thanks Ash." Angie said, eyes sparkling with admiration.

With a determined roar, Ash yanked Angie out of the hole and onto solid ground. They panted and gasped for breath after that. "Are you guys alright?" Misty asked with concern.

"I'm alright Mist." Ash said, "How about you two? You hanging in there?" Angie looked up at Ash with a shy smile. "Yeah, we're fine. Thank you Ash." she said. "No prob, glad you're alright." Ash said. Angie couldn't stop herself from blushing. Ash had saved her life again, and her crush on him was slipping through her competitive nature.

All through this time, Misty was screaming to herself in her head to not act jealous._ "He's just being nice, he's just being nice, he's just being nice!" _Seeing Angie blush only made her more upset, but she quickly figured out a distraction.

"Well if you guys are fine, I think I'll go steal first place. So long!" Misty took off like a shot with Vaporeon, leaving Ash bewildered. Angie had neglected to notice, she was still basking in Ash's presence.

"Hey wait a second Misty! No way this is over yet! We're gonna turn this thing around!" Ash yelled determinedly. Angie's blush faded, and her competitive nature was returning. She stood up and charged out of the cave with Ash trailing her.

"I'm not going easy on you just because you saved me!" Angie exclaimed. "I didn't think you would!" Ash replied. Normally Ash would be able to burn Angie in a straight race, but the previous day's activities had gotten him sore and was slowing him considerably.

Meanwhile, at the finish line, Conway and Jessilinda were trudging along, slowly but surely moving forward. "Big mistake, getting Misty upset kept me from having time to do cardio training." Conway panted. "Come on Seviper, put some spring in your step, like me." Jessilinda panted.

James, Meowth, and Brad had gotten back from the lake by now, and were watching the sorry sight of the two competitors dragging themselves along. "Jessie looks like she just got back from shopping…but with a bounced credit card." James said.

"Wit all da living in da lap of luxury, she's gotten kinda soft around da middle." Meowth added. As they trudged along, they gasped when they saw Ash, Misty, and Angie sprinting for all they were worth to make it to the finish line.

"These legs aren't in perfect shape for nothing, that finish line was meant for me!" Jessilinda exclaimed. Despite her wish to win, Jessilinda simply didn't have the energy to go faster than she was. Conway on the other hand tried to unleash his kick, but he tripped up when he found that he had no kick left.

Unfortunately for Misty, Conway's fall not only knocked Jessilinda over, but it knocked her over as well since she was passing them just as Conway fell. With a resounding "Oof!" Misty fell to the ground with a thud.

"Misty!" Ash stopped in his tracks to check on her, leaving Angie to take first place. "W-We did it Shinx! We won the Pokémon Triathlon!" Angie cheered breathlessly. Shinx shared its master's enthusiasm, but was too tired to cheer.

Ash and Misty crossed the line next, which gave the red team the top three point totals, and the overall victory. "H-Ha! In your face Ash!" Angie gloated. Ash just smiled. "Congrats Angie, you sure raced hard." he said. Angie lost her fiery demeanor and smiled coyly. "Thank you Ash." she said.

"And thank you too Misty, if you weren't there in the cave keeping that Seviper away from Ash, I probably would've been a goner." Angie said. "That's what friends are for." Misty replied with a smile. _"Even if you may like my boyfriend."_ she thought.

The rest of the competitors started crossing the finish in swarms. Dawn and Brock reached in fifth and sixth place, only a blue team girl with a Marill finished ahead of them. And finally, Jessilinda and Conway literally crawled to the finish line, reached with their hands and collapsed on the spot.

"A shame…my Pokémon expertise was unassailable, but my endurance was strictly sub-par." Conway said, his exhausted voice barely above a whisper.

"That's it…next time I grace the hallowed halls of the Summer Academy, I'm majoring in food service." Jessilinda whispered. Jessilinda passed out on the ground, and was helped up by James and Meowth, who gently deposited her onto a chair.

When it was all said and done, the final scores were:

Red Team: 390

Blue Team: 360

Green Team: 280

When all of the students finally caught their breath, Prof. Rowan gathered them together for his final announcement. "So this brings our Summer Academy to an end. First off, congratulations to the red team on their victory." Prof. Rowan said.

"And of course the blue and green teams were wonderful too. And I'm extra specially overjoyed that not a single student was injured." Nurse Joy added.

"And so I say goodbye with my one wish for all of you: That the friendship you have with all Pokémon deepens and you always learn from each other." Prof. Rowan said.

While the Professor was speaking, the instructors were going around handing out plaques to everyone. "Wow, so we all get this plaque?" Ash asked. "Yep, one for everyone who was involved!" Misty replied. "(Sigh) This is like number ten for me, I'll have to make room on my shelf for this one." Brad joked as he walked by. Ash and Co. chuckled, but Angie was uncharacteristically quiet.

"One more thing everyone!" Prof. Rowan shouted, "You're all invited to the annual final night bonfire!" The students cheered at that.

As night fell, a huge fire was lit in the school's fire-pit, and a buffet table with all sorts of food on it was available for all to enjoy. Ash and Co. enjoyed the sight of the roaring fire, while Conway and Jessilinda pigged out on the buffet.

James, Meowth, and Brad had gone on their own to watch the bonfire. "You know, Jessie didn't get first place but she gave it the old college try." James said. "No robots from us and she still managed to stay in da hunt." Meowth added.

"You know what? I'm proud of you guys. Same time next year?" Brad asked. "You mean…you'd be willing to work with us again?" James asked. "Sure, you worked hard this week, and even though you intended to do wrong, you did right by me." Brad replied. "We'll see how it plays out." James finally said.

"Since I must've been burned enough calories to power a nuclear reactor, I need to fuel back up!" Jessilinda said with her mouth full of food. "Miss Jessilinda?"

Jessilinda turned her head and found her entire green team looking at her. "You see, we wanted to thank you. We all had such a lot of fun being in all those classes with you every day." One of the kids said. "Well aren't you all sweet? Thank you." Jessilinda said, flattered.

Meanwhile, Ash and Co. were now roasting marshmallows on the fire to make smores. "Hey, where's Angie?" Dawn asked. "She's over there; she's been kinda quiet for a while now." Brock replied. "Ash, I think you should go talk to her." Misty said.

"You won't get jealous Mist?" Ash asked. "Get out of here Ketchum! I wanna be able to eat my smores without worrying about you eating it." Misty said with a smirk. Ash got the hint and walked over into the darkness, where Angie was quietly watching the stars.

"Angie, what's wrong?" Ash asked. "It's all done…you know, over. It's the last night before we head out." Angie replied. "Yeah, of course." Ash said.

"You know, I must've gone to the Pokémon Summer Academy a million times before, but this year hands down was the best one yet." Angie said. "Yeah, I had a lot of fun too." Ash replied.

"You know the most amazing thing that happened to me? Was that you saved my life two times!" Angie said coyly. "Duh, I mean, you and I, we're friends." Ash replied. Angie looked to the ground with the faintest hint of red on her cheeks. "We are friends, right?"

Ash extended his hand to the young girl. "We'll meet again, no doubt." he said friendlily. Angie accepted and shook his hand, not wanting to let go. "I'll come seeya, next time I get to Solaceon Town. I know, we'll battle!" Ash said excitedly.

"And that'll be nice…can't wait." Angie replied. Angie's blush grew slightly stronger at Ash's promise to see her again. She knew he had a girlfriend in Misty, but his personality and determination as a trainer was simply too much for her to ignore.

The night went on without any major events. They settled into their bunks for the final time, and when they awoke, they would be on their way to Celestic Town.

When morning came, the group got dressed and bid farewell to their friends, Angie was naturally reluctant to say goodbye, but the time had to come eventually. As for Brad, they looked for him, but couldn't find him, so they went on.

A little later, they heard a voice calling them. The group turned around to find Brad chasing them with a backpack slung on his shoulder. "Hey Brad, where you been?" Ash asked. "You guys are headed my way, so I figured I'd follow along, I have to meet someone on the way to Celestic Town." Brad replied.

And with laughter abundant, and a new temporary travel partner, the group continued their journey on the road of Sinnoh.  
_

**A/N: Again, I apologize for how long it took for me to do this. But I promise the next one will come out MUCH faster! Unfortunately, the one after that may be the toughest one of all. It's a movie! O_O So expect the chapter after the next one to take a long time. Cheer me on in your reviews everyone! EP is out! Watch out for updates!**


	28. Introducing a Hero

**Hey there guys! Well, this is the longest imagination-created chapter up to date, and I have a good internet buddy of mine to thank! I'm sure you'll figure out who it is as you read the chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this, because I had a TON of fun writing it! I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 28

Misty's POV

What a week, the Academy was a whole lot of fun, but it had its share of sadness as well. Mostly for me since I almost lost Ash due to my own stupid jealousy. But thanks to Brad, I was able to pull myself together and ensure that Ash remained mine. Speaking of Brad, right after we said goodbye to Angie, he came running after us, saying he had to meet someone on the way to Celestic Town.

We just couldn't resist the guy's charm. We had to say yes and let him travel with us! Brad was the kind of person that could make you laugh even in the most depressed kind of moments. And as we walked by a nearby meadow, Brad pointed out a young man with messy blonde hair, dark blue joggers and a T-shirt who was training with an Eevee and an Electrike.

Normal POV

"Hey D. Shad!" Brad yelled. The young man in the meadow ceased his training to look around for the owner of the voice. When he saw Brad walking towards him, he waved. "Yo Brad! Long time no see!" he replied. The man, who looked only a little bit older than Brock, hopped over the wooden fence with his Pokémon and greeted Brad with a hard yet friendly slap on the back.

"How ya been man? Haven't heard from ya since those Team Rocket losers tried to steal the Pokémon from your hometown." the young man said. "Just finished with the Academy. Dude, you should've been there this year." Brad replied.

"And who's this lot? I knew you were comin' but I didn't know you'd have tag-alongs." the young man asked, referring to Ash and Co.

"Actually D, you could say I'm tagging along with them. These are my friends, Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock." Brad said.

"Nice to meet you." the group said.

"Same here. The name's D. Shad."

"Is that your REAL name?" Dawn asked. "Actually, 'D. Shad' is short for my hero name." D. Shad replied. "Hero name? You mean you're like a super hero?" Ash asked. "In a sense. You see, I'm sort of a self-appointed guardian over Sonzonia City." D. Shad explained dramatically.

"D, how long are you gonna milk this? Just tell them the story." Brad said, rolling his eyes with a laugh. "Heh heh, ok, ok." D. Shad chuckled.

"It was a few months back. I was taking a night walk in the city with my faithful Luxray, when I saw a couple of shadowy figures sneaking through the alleys. I went after them to see what was going on, and I saw them trying to break into the local Pokémon Center." D. Shad continued,

"When I confronted them, they took off their masks and did a freaky motto for me. I never saw something so boring in my life, so I decided to fake sleeping just to irk them, and boy did they get mad. The chick called out a Seviper, and her rather odd friend sent out a Carnivine." D. Shad was about to continue, when Ash and Co. exclaimed in shock. "Team Rocket!"

"Yeah, how'd you know where they were from?" D. Shad asked. "We've been tangling with them since Ash started out on his journey!" Misty exclaimed. "Journey? So you guys are all Pokémon Trainers?" D. Shad asked.

"Well, I am anyway. I wanna become a Pokémon Master!" Ash exclaimed. "Hmm, well good luck with that." D. Shad replied. "Could you continue your story? I love hearing how Team Rocket gets their cans kicked!" Dawn said excitedly.

"Oh sure. So after they did all that, there was a bit of a racket in the alley from the battle. Needless to say, we earned a bit of attention, but that came after the battle. Anyways, they were nothing compared to my Luxray, so I just toyed with them for a while, I let them get a few attacks off just for kicks." D. Shad said.

"After I finally had my fill of watching those losers waste their time trying to hit Luxray, I told Luxray to use 'Charge Beam' and send them back to where they belonged: The trash dump." D. Shad concluded.

"Wow, your Luxray must be really powerful." Brock said. "He is. The beam showed the cops exactly where we were, and we took off before they showed up. The next day I read the 'Weekly Zonia' and Luxray and I had apparently been spotted trying to make a break for it, and I had been given the nickname: Darkness Shadow. I've been keeping an eye on Sonzonia City ever since."

"Yeah, but with hair that bright I'm still surprised they didn't call you Sunny Day." Brad joked. "Ok, so why do they call you that?" Misty asked. "Simple. The article said I was a shadow in the darkness, and I happened to like the name, so I shortened it and decided that only my friends would get to call me D. Shad." D. Shad said.

"And thusly, I get to call my buddy here, D. Shad." Brad said. "Yeah, although I have often questioned that choice." D. Shad joked. "So what IS your real name?" Dawn asked. "I did say my friends call me D. Shad right? You guys are officially my friends; you don't need to know my real name." D. Shad said.

"Aww man." Dawn moaned. "So what do you do then?" D. Shad asked.

"I'm practicing to be a top coordinator." Dawn replied.

"And I want to become a top Pokémon Breeder." Brock added.

"And as for me, my dream is to become a water-Pokémon master!" Misty added.

"Water trainer eh? Is that a fact?" D. Shad said. "Hey D. Shad, I wanna challenge you to a battle!" Ash exclaimed determinedly. "No thanks, instead, I have a proposition for the water-trainer here." D. Shad said.

Ash was taken aback at this. "You wanna battle Misty?" he asked in disbelief. D. Shad ignored Ash and walked up to Misty. "So, you want a real challenge?" D. Shad asked. "O…k?" Misty replied, slightly nervous at how close he had gotten.

"Good, let's head over to that lake over there and then we'll have a battle." D. Shad said. D. Shad and Brad walked off, leaving a rather stunned Misty and an upset Ash. "I can't believe he said no to a battle!" Ash said angrily. "Actually, he DIDN'T say no to a battle, he said no to a battle with YOU." Misty replied.

"I get the sneaking suspicion that D. Shad has something up his sleeve." Dawn said. "You suspect something Dawn?" Ash asked. "I don't know, there's just something unnerving about him." Dawn replied. "Well he is a friend of Brad's; you don't really think there's something suspicious do you?" Ash asked.

"Just to be safe, let's keep an eye on him for now." Brock said. "Right." the other three teens said. Ash and Co. chased after the two blondes and finally caught up with them at the lake D. Shad mentioned. "What took you so long?" D. Shad asked. "Err, nothing." Ash replied hastily.

"Good. Now I want you guys to meet my other Pokémon. And be ready for some total epicness." D. Shad said.

D. Shad tossed out six Pokéballs, and his Pokémon emerged soon after. A Luxray, Lucario, Staraptor, Garchomp, Golem, and Floatzel all appeared next to his Eevee and Electrike. "Whoa." the group all said.

"Impressive eh? These guys are my team members and buddies from a while back, but most of all is Luxray." D. Shad said, as he stroked Luxray's mane. Luxray purred at the affection. "Whoa, awesome!" Dawn said, pulling out her Pokédex.

"Luxray, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon. Its eyes can see through anything. It can even spot its prey hiding in the shadows." her Pokédex chirped. "So you had a Shinx as a starter then." Brock figured.

"Yep, I went for an electric-type. Electric-types are my favorite Pokémon type." D. Shad replied, "So let me see your Pokémon."

"Ash and Co. threw out their Pokéballs, and their Pokémon emerged in a huge group. "Well, impressive bunch you got there, I really like that Charizard and Gyarados." D. Shad said. "Actually, that's MY Gyarados." Misty said.

"Well then, I wanna battle it AND that Charizard." D. Shad said. "Well that's MY Charizard so you'll have to battle me too!" Ash exclaimed. "Fine, we'll do a three-on-three battle, but I wanna battle Misty first." D. Shad said.

"Alright then, you want me to be your ref?" Brad asked. "Only if you promise not to go into one of your long-winded monologues." D. Shad joked. Brad rolled his eyes and took his place on the sidelines. "Choose your Pokémon Misty, so my electric-types can zap 'em!" D. Shad exclaimed.

"Never underestimate a gym leader!" Misty countered. "G-Gym Leader? You?" D. Shad asked in shock. Misty ignored the question and went to her Pokémon, who went to go play in the lake. "Alright guys, I need three of you to help me in a battle." Misty said.

Her Pokémon became excited and crowded her, all except Gyarados who gave some distance so as not to injure its master. "Ok, so Gyarados. Surskit, so you can get some experience…" Misty was cut-off when Vaporeon and Corsola began hopping up and down, begging Misty to choose them for the final spot.

"Ok…Vaporeon, let's go!" Misty exclaimed. Vaporeon cheered and rubbed up against Misty's leg affectionately, while Corsola looked on in disbelief. "Don't worry Corsola; you'll get the next battle." Misty reassured. Corsola frowned and turned back to the water.

"Whoa, I've never seen Corsola that upset before." Ash said. "Yeah, I wonder why." Brock added. "I'm interested in seeing how Misty matches up with D. Shad's electric-types." Dawn said. "I'm sure she can handle it, gym leaders are supposed to know stuff like that." Ash said.

"Well, I didn't know you were a gym leader." D. Shad said. "Why does it matter? Are you scared now?" Misty asked cockily. "Not really, I just like to know who I'm battling." D. Shad replied. "So…who goes first?" Brad asked.

"I can help with that! Misty, heads or tails?" Dawn said. "I choose heads!" Misty exclaimed. "Guess that leaves me with tails." D. Shad said dismissively. Dawn pushed the button on her Pokétch, and the virtual Magikarp coin flipped and landed on heads.

"It's heads! Misty you're first!" Dawn exclaimed. "Alright! Misty calls Surskit!" Surskit hopped from behind its new master and readied for battle. "Staraptor, let's get the fun started!" D. Shad's Staraptor gave a mighty cry and faced the small Pokémon.

"Misty's at a disadvantage since Surskit's a bug-type as well." Brock said. "I'm sure Misty will pull it off!" Ash exclaimed. "Alright everyone put your helmets on and let's get this battle started!" Brad yelled.

"Surskit, use 'Sweet Scent'!" Misty ordered. Surskit emitted a pleasing aroma that wafted through the air and headed straight for Staraptor. "Staraptor, counter with 'Defog'!" D. Shad countered. As quickly as it came, it went away. Surskit's 'Sweet Scent' was sent away by Staraptor's 'Defog'.

"Surskit can't use 'Sweet Scent' because of Staraptor's 'Defog'! It's keeping the atmosphere clear!" Brock said. "So that means Misty'll have to win using speed and strength rather than strategy." Dawn said. "Not necessarily. Strategy is more than using tricky moves, but without them, Misty has her work cut out for her." Brock explained.

"Use 'Fly'!" D. Shad ordered. Staraptor flew up into the sky! Misty had to shield her eyes to keep from blinding herself with the sun's light. "Surskit, use 'Bubblebeam' towards the ground!" Misty countered. Just like they practiced at the academy, Surskit fired and made the ground wet to give it a speed advantage.

"Not bad. That's a move worthy of a gym leader." D. Shad said. "You're not bad yourself!" Misty quipped back. "But now it's time for the carnage! Nail it Staraptor!" D. Shad ordered. Staraptor swooped down to hit the skating water/bug-type, which squealed for help.

"Stay cool Surskit! Turn around and use 'Ice Beam'!" Misty countered. Surskit acknowledged, and fired a freezing beam toward the predator-Pokémon. Staraptor managed to dodge however, and amply nailed Surskit with a hard, swooping tackle.

"You alright Surskit?" Misty cried. Surskit quickly got back to its feet and glared at its opponent. "That move was super-effective against Surskit." Ash said. "And Staraptor's way faster than Surskit, how will Misty be able to make up for it?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"Let's wrap this up! Use 'Brave Bird'!" D. Shad ordered. Staraptor backed up and charged ahead in a fiery aura. "Hold your ground Surskit!" Misty screamed. Surskit looked back at Misty with worry. "You heard me! Hold your ground!"

Surskit was unsure of the plan; nevertheless it did what it was told. "Now! Punch it in!" D. Shad roared. Staraptor charged ahead to finish the small Pokémon off. "Duck Surskit!" Misty screamed. Surskit practically flattened itself to the ground, and wound up with only a small scratch on its head.

With the miss, Staraptor was forced back into the air with a short time stunned from the recoil of the attack. "Now while it's stunned, use 'Ice Beam'!" Misty ordered. Surskit got up and fired. This time, Staraptor had no choice but to take it, but the cry it emitted said it was in pain.

"Awesome! Misty used Surskit's small size to make it hard for Staraptor to land the attack!" Dawn cheered. "And since Staraptor's 'Brave Bird' left it stunned, Misty was free to nail it with that 'Ice Beam'!" Ash added.

"Use 'Bubblebeam'!" Misty ordered. Surskit fired at the stunned bird; the water from the 'Bubblebeam' sent it hurling towards earth. With a crash, Staraptor was left in a crater. "Staraptor's unable to battle! So…huh?" Brad was about to announce the winner, but Staraptor refused to go down. It slowly got back up to its feet and growled at the small Pokémon.

"I should've known better. D. Shad's Pokémon don't know the meaning of the world quit." Brad said. "Surskit, finish it with 'Quick Attack'!" Misty ordered. Surskit used the remaining water on the ground to speed up its attack, leaving Staraptor with a VERY small window of opportunity.

"Staraptor, 'Close Combat'!" D. Shad ordered. Staraptor surprisingly found a second wind and started kicking Surskit with its talons, leaving it stunned and shocked. "But how?" Misty cried. "Use 'Brave Bird'." D. Shad ordered. Staraptor charged ahead and finally nailed the water/bug-type with the super-powerful flying-type move, leaving poor Surskit fainted.

"So Surskit is unable to battle, the winner is Staraptor!" Brad announced. "Epic job Staraptor." D. Shad said. Staraptor landed on the ground and panted wearily. Misty called back her newest Pokémon and stared at the Pokéball. "You were awesome Surskit, take a nice break." she said comfortingly. "Wow, after all that, Misty still couldn't pull it out of the fire." Dawn said sadly.

"That was a really good move. D. Shad looks like he's really tough." Ash added. "Let's hope Misty can finish Staraptor off quickly to make up for it." Brock added. "Vaporeon, you're up!" Misty exclaimed.

Vaporeon leaped onto the field and glared at the weakened bird. "Staraptor, return." D. Shad returned the exhausted bird to its Pokéball and snapped his fingers. "Electrike, let's get the fun started!" he exclaimed. Electrike leaped onto the field and stared down Vaporeon.

"Hmm, an Electrike." Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex to scan it. "Electrike, the Lightning-Pokémon. Using the electric charge stored in its fur, it can run faster than the eye can follow." her Pokédex said.

"Put your helmets on everyone! The battle's on!" Brad yelled. "Vaporeon, use 'Quick Attack'!" Misty ordered. "Electrike, YOU use 'Quick Attack'!" D. Shad countered. Electrike charged towards Vaporeon and literally blew right by it.

"Whoa, Electrike's fast!" Ash exclaimed. "There's no way Vaporeon has a chance in a speed battle!" Dawn added. "Alright Vaporeon, try 'Water Pulse'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon fired the energized ball of water at the Lightning-Pokémon, but it easily jumped out of the way.

"So, you like the lightning reflexes of my Electrike, Misty?" D. Shad asked. Misty quietly growled at the comment. "How fast is that Electrike?" Ash wondered out loud. "All the electricity stored in Electrike's fur fuels its speed; Misty has to come up with another strategy." Brock said.

"Electrike, 'Bite', let's go!" D. Shad ordered. With lightning speed, Electrike charged forward and bit down on Vaporeon's leg. "Aah! Vaporeon!" Misty cried. While Vaporeon was getting teeth marks in its leg, a soft cheering could be heard from the lake area.

"Shake it off with 'Blizzard' Vaporeon!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon closed its eyes, and with incredible effort, summoned a freezing snow storm that forced Electrike to release Vaporeon's leg. "Now, use 'Aqua Ring'!" Misty ordered.

Vaporeon summoned rings of water that slowly healed its leg and strengthened it. The cheering originally heard was now grunts of disbelief. "Not bad, Gym Leader. Teaching your Pokémon a healing move." D. Shad said.

"Try this on for size! 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon launched a shadowy blob of ghostly energy at the small electric-type, but once again it merely jumped out of the way as if the attack was standing still.

"We've got to make up for some of that speed somehow." Misty said to herself. "Use 'Spark'!" D. Shad ordered. Electrike charged again with incredible speed, and slammed into Vaporeon with an electrified tackle. The damage would've been much worse, but the 'Aqua Ring' previously enabled by Vaporeon made up for some damage.

"Try 'Water Pulse' again!" Misty ordered. Once again, Vaporeon fired, but this time Electrike had a slightly harder time dodging the move. "Did you see that?" Dawn asked. "Electrike's dodge was slower that time." Ash said. "It makes sense. Since the electricity in its fur fuels its speed, using electric-type moves will slow it down." Brock explained.

"Electrike, use 'Bite' once more!" D. Shad ordered. Electrike charged Vaporeon at a noticeably slower speed, but still managed to bite down on the same leg as before. "Vaporeon, knock it back with 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty countered.

"Quick, change 'Bite' into 'Thunder Fang'!" D. Shad ordered. Before Vaporeon could fire, sparks flew out of Electrike's mouth, and Vaporeon cried out in pain. "Come on Vaporeon, be strong!" Misty encouraged.

Electrike still has the advantage." Dawn said worriedly. "Yeah, but if Electrike keeps using electric-moves, Vaporeon should be able to match up in speed, that's assuming of course Vaporeon doesn't go down first." Brock explained.

"Vaporeon, use your 'Acid Armor' on that puddle you're standing in!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon melted into the small pool of water, leaving Electrike with nothing to bite down on, or so Misty thought. "Use 'Thunder Fang' on the puddle!" D. Shad ordered.

"Quick Vaporeon, use 'Quick Attack' to dodge it!" Misty countered. Vaporeon leaped out of the puddle just seconds before Electrike shocked the pool of water with its fangs. "Now use 'Blizzard'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon summoned the ice storm, and this time Electrike had no means of dodging it.

"Come on Electrike, use 'Quick Attack'!" D. Shad ordered. Electrike charged once more, trying to regain its speed. "Counter with your 'Quick Attack'!" Misty countered. Vaporeon ran ahead at full speed, and this time they were neck and neck in the speed department, and Misty knew this too.

The attack collided and both Pokémon jumped back and got back into battle-ready stance. _"Electrike's been slowed down alright, but Vaporeon can't take much more, I've got to finish this now!" _Misty thought.

"Alright Vaporeon, wrap this up with 'Water Pulse'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon blasted one last water ball at the small electric-type and then collapsed onto the ground with exhaustion, but it did not faint. "Electrike, dodge it!" D. Shad countered.

Electrike tried to dodge it, but too much of its speed had been depleted, and it took a direct hit. "Come on Electrike, stay with me. Use 'Bite'!" D. Shad ordered. Electrike did. It used 'Bite' on itself. "What are you doing Electrike?" D. Shad yelled.

"That's why 'Water Pulse' is my favorite move! The Pokémon hit can become confused!" Misty cheered, "Vaporeon, heal yourself with 'Aqua Ring'!"

Vaporeon summoned a rather weak move, but as the rings did their job on Vaporeon, they slowly got stronger, and Vaporeon managed to get back to its feet, but only barely. "Good job Vaporeon! Now let's wrap this up with 'Shadow Ball'!" Misty ordered.

The move it knew as an Eevee was easy to activate even in its exhausted state. Vaporeon fired and hit Electrike dead-on. The combination of its confusion paired with the attack was too much for Electrike to handle, and so it fainted.

"Looks like Electrike is unable to battle, so that makes the winner, Vaporeon!" Brad announced. "You did it Vaporeon, what a comeback!" Misty cheered. She knelt down and hugged her exhausted Pokémon, who just closed its eyes and rested in her arms.

"Epic job Electrike, take a rest." D. Shad said, "Impressive, I'll say that much…Staraptor, the fun continues!" D. Shad sent out Staraptor for a second time, and the time spent in its Pokéball seemed to strengthen it slightly, but not much.

"Vaporeon, you think your 'Aqua Ring' can get you through one last battle?" Misty asked. Vaporeon nodded, and stood back onto the field, though weakly. "I hope you realize that I've only been training Electrike for a few months, Staraptor won't be a picnic." D. Shad said. "You don't know what we're capable of!" Misty quipped back. "Alright, put your helmets on, the battle's on!" Brad yelled.

"Staraptor, let's start and end it with 'Brave Bird'!" D. Shad ordered. Staraptor charged forward towards the tired bubble-jet Pokémon in a fiery aura. _"Vaporeon won't be able to survive that if it hits!"_ Misty thought.

"Use 'Blizzard'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon summoned yet another snow storm, which caused Staraptor to falter a bit, but it was determined to stay on course. "Vaporeon, use your 'Acid Armor' to dodge!" Misty cried.

Vaporeon looked at its master with worry; it COULDN'T use 'Acid Armor'. "Oh no, I froze the water!" Misty cried. Staraptor now had a clear target, and it nailed Vaporeon with a powerful attack that would make any Pokémon say ouch.

Vaporeon simply couldn't stand the stress, with or without an enabled 'Aqua Ring'. Vaporeon fainted on the spot, leaving Staraptor as the victor. "Vaporeon's had enough! The winner is – huh?" Brad stopped to look at Staraptor, who had just fainted from the recoil caused by 'Brave Bird'.

"Uh, check that. BOTH Pokémon are unable to battle!" Brad announced.

"Vaporeon, you were amazing."

"Epic job Staraptor, take a nice long break."

"Vaporeon sure gave it her all, I had no idea she had it in her." Dawn said in awe. From behind them, Dawn could swear she heard a small "hmmph".

"Well then, guess it's all down to this." D. Shad said. "Guess it is…Misty calls Gyarados!" Misty's mighty water-dragon crawled onto the field, ready for the final battle. "Luxray, let's get the fun started!" D. Shad's starter Pokémon leaped onto the other end of the field, also ready for the exciting final battle.

"This'll decide it all, but once again, D. Shad has the type-advantage with Luxray." Brock said. "I know Misty can pull this off! She's a gym leader after all!" Dawn exclaimed. "Put your helmets on! The battle's on!" Brad yelled once more.

"Luxray, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Luxray launched the furious electric-attack, and Gyarados was immediately forced to go on the defensive. "Now use 'Charge Beam'!" D. Shad ordered. Luxray charged the follow-up attack, which left Misty with a small window of opportunity.

"Use 'Hydro Pump'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados recovered and fired the powerful stream of water at the electric-type. Luxray took the attack valiantly, but eventually was forced back by the water-pressure being exerted from Gyarados' mouth.

"Not bad, not a lot of Pokémon can even hold a candle to my Luxray." D. Shad said. "When you're training to be a water-Pokémon master, beating type-advantages is mandatory!" Misty quipped back. "Of course it is, but now it's time to get serious! 'Discharge'!" D. Shad ordered.

Luxray launched the blue electricity attack at the water-dragon. "Quick Gyarados, counter with 'Flamethrower'!" Misty countered. Gyarados spewed flames from its mouth, and aptly countered the electricity, causing an explosion to span the field.

"Now I'm completely convinced you were a gym leader. Teaching your water-type a fire-type move to beat grass-types." D. Shad said. "I just happened to be one of the top-rated gym leaders back in Kanto!" Misty quipped back. "So you're Misty Waterflower, former gym leader of Cerulean City!" D. Shad said.

"Glad to see you've heard of me." Misty said. "Oh yes, it's an honor to meet you, but that won't change how I battle! Luxray, use 'Crunch'!" D. Shad ordered. Although not as fast as Electrike, Luxray charged forward and bit down hard on Gyarados' midsection. Gyarados roared in pain, which brought worry to Misty.

"Luxray's faster and has the type-advantage. If Misty's going to win this, she'll have to rely on Gyarados' power. "Come on Misty; show him what you're made of!" Ash yelled. Hearing Ash's voice calmed the water-trainer, and ironically enough, with serenity came an idea. "Use 'Protect'!" Misty ordered.

Gyarados glowed and a green force-field appeared, bouncing Luxray off of Gyarados and onto the ground. "Now use 'Hyper Beam'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados followed up with an ultra-powerful attack that sent a shockwave through the surrounding area, even D. Shad was surprised by the sheer power of the attack.

"Dodge it Luxray!" D. Shad yelled. Luxray just barely managed to avoid a direct-hit, but it did take quite a bit of damage. "Impressive." D. Shad said. "Glad you approve." Misty quipped back. "But now that you're vulnerable, we'll show you our ultimate power!" D. Shad yelled. Misty became fearful once more.

"Thunderbolt!" D. Shad roared. Luxray began charging what would be an extremely painful attack to the weakened Gyarados. "Come on Gyarados, snap out of it!" Misty cried. Gyarados shook the weariness off, only to find an electric blast heading straight toward it. "Quick, use 'Protect'!" Misty screamed. Gyarados formed the green field just as the attack made contact. An explosion took place and smoke covered the whole area.

When the smoke cleared and the dust settled, Gyarados…had fainted. "Gyarados has had enough! So the winner is Luxray and the match goes to D. Shad!" Brad announced. "Epic job Luxray." D. Shad said.

"You did your best Gyarados, I'm proud of you." Misty sadly returned her water-dragon to its Pokéball. "Hey Mist, don't feel bad, that battle was awesome!" Ash consoled. "I'll be ok Ash; this was just a friendly battle after all." Misty said.

"Well Misty, that was indeed quite a battle, I expected Luxray to take you down way faster than that." D. Shad admitted. "Guess to show that you can't keep water-types down." Misty quipped back. "Indeed, so what say we relax for a little while before I take Ash on?" D. Shad suggested.

"Sounds good to me, I'm tired just watching that battle." Dawn said. "Good, my team could use a good break." D. Shad said. The group called out their Pokémon for some much-needed rest and relaxation. Even Brad's Pokémon went to go play with the others.

"If you guys wanna wait a while, I can whip up something for lunch." Brock said. "How about some of that chili Brock?" Ash suggested. "Heh, alright big guy, one pot of chili coming up." Brock chuckled. Brock proceeded to get lunch ready, while the others watched their Pokémon splash around in the water.

"So D. Shad, I was wondering, that Eevee of yours, are you going to evolve it?" Dawn asked. "Yeah, I've got one of each set of evolutions except for Umbreon, so that honor goes to that one." D. Shad replied. "Does it know any moves yet?" Misty asked. "Just the basic egg moves: 'Tackle', 'Tail Whip', 'Helping Hand', it hatched only a few weeks ago." D. Shad explained.

"Where'd you get so many Eevee?" Ash asked. "Well…actually…that's kind of a long story; I'd prefer to keep it private if you don't mind." D. Shad said. For the first time since they met him, D. Shad actually looked unsure or sad. From behind D. Shad, Ash saw Brad giving him a look, telling him to drop the subject like a brick.

A noise coming from the water made the subject change quickly. "What's going on over there?" Misty asked. They looked and saw Pikachu and Turtwig trying to keep Corsola away from Vaporeon. "Corsola, what are you doing?" Misty asked angrily.

Corsola panicked and dove underwater to escape its master's gaze. It didn't work. Misty walked up to the water and yanked Corsola out. "What's wrong with you?" Misty asked again. Corsola looked away angrily and didn't reply. "Fine, get back in your Pokéball until you're ready to behave." Misty huffed.

Misty returned Corsola to its Pokéball, and crossed her arms as she sat back down on the grass. "What's wrong with Corsola?" Ash asked. "I don't know, she's copping an attitude!" Misty replied. "Actually, I think I may know why." D. Shad said. "Really?" Misty asked. D. Shad was about to explain, when Brock began shushing them and all the Pokémon.

"Brock, what's wrong?" Dawn asked. Brock shushed them again. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

The group warily looked around, and they too heard a faint noise in the distance. "Sounds like…an airplane." Ash said. "I wonder if the passengers were taught by those hypocrite attendants that tell you not to be afraid to crash but then teach you how to crash." Brad joked.

"Brad, not now." D. Shad said. The group became slightly nervous when the noise was becoming louder, but nothing could be seen. "I don't like this." D. Shad said seriously. The noise seemed to be right above them now, but still nothing could be seen.

"Luxray lux!" The group turned around and saw Luxray being pulled away by something. "Oh no, Luxray!" D. Shad charged toward the situation and yanked Luxray away from the suction pull. The bounce back however caused the pull to grab onto Vaporeon instead, who cried for help to its master.

"Something's taking Vaporeon!" Misty cried. Vaporeon seemed to vanish from sight, and then the noise slowly began to become fainter. "We've got to do something!" Misty cried. "We will, I'll take Staraptor and chase after whatever just took Vaporeon!" D. Shad said determinedly.

"I'll help! Charizard, let's go!" Charizard rushed to Ash's side, and Ash hopped onto its back. "You coming Mist?" Ash asked. "I'm gonna give those freaks a piece of my mind!" Misty replied. Misty grabbed Ash's hand and hopped on, she then wrapped her arms around Ash's waist and balanced herself.

"Brad, hold down the fort, make sure no one else gets taken." D. Shad said. "Gotcha covered, good luck D." Brad replied. D. Shad nodded and grabbed Luxray's Pokéball, returned Luxray to it, and then stuffed it into his pocket. Pikachu certainly didn't want to miss the adventure, so before take-off, he hopped onto Ash's shoulder.

"Let's go!" D. Shad yelled. Staraptor and Charizard took off with their passengers, and chased after the noise that filled the sky. "You think they'll be ok?" Dawn asked. "With Darkness Shadow on their side, believe me; it'll turn out just fine." Brad reassured.

In the sky, Staraptor was showing off its speed, as it put distance between it and Charizard. "Boy that Staraptor sure can move." Ash said in awe. "Never mind that, just keep your eyes and ears peeled for whatever took Vaporeon." Misty hissed. "Misty, we'll find her, don't worry." Ash reassured.

"Sorry Ash, I'm just really frazzled. Someone's taken Vaporeon, Corsola's being a pain, and I'm still recovering from our recent…personal struggle." Misty said, her voice trailing off at the end. "Just relax Mist, everything always works out." Ash replied with a smile.

Ash wrapped one arm around her shoulder and squeezed, comforting her. "Thanks Ash…hey, what happened to D. Shad?" Misty asked. Ash and Misty looked around the sky, and found that D. Shad had indeed vanished, but the noise was still as present as ever. After a bit more flying, the noise changed somewhat.

"Ash, does it sound like the sound is going down?" Misty asked. "You mean, getting quieter?" Ash replied. "No, I mean literally going down." Misty said. The noise was indeed lowering from the sky, and eventually landed and stopped.

"The noise is gone!" Ash exclaimed. "We couldn't have lost it!" Misty added. They hadn't, as they floated in mid-air atop Ash's dragon, the noise revealed itself. "Hunter J's ship!" they both exclaimed. "It was in stealth mode, no wonder we couldn't see it!" Ash exclaimed.

"And now that she's landed, we've got to sneak in somehow." Misty said. Charizard flew up to the ship, making sure not to trip any exterior alarms and keeping an eye out for any entrance. When they looked through one window, they saw D. Shad sneaking around the interior of the ship with Luxray.

"It's D. Shad!" Ash whispered. Ash softly rapped against the window to get D. Shad's attention. It worked. D. Shad tip-toed to the window and found a way to open it. "What took ya so long?" D. Shad asked humorously. D. Shad helped Misty through the window first, and then Ash jumped through.

"Thanks Charizard, take a break." Ash whispered. Ash returned Charizard to his Pokéball, and the couple joined D. Shad on the mission. "So, from what I've seen so far, it looks like this ship belongs to a bounty hunter. And whoever it is, was aiming for Luxray. Well they'll get Luxray, but my way." D. Shad said determinedly.

"Sounds like a plan!" Misty replied excitedly. D. Shad suddenly shushed the two teens, and cautiously looked around the corner. "Guards. You two stay put." D. Shad said sternly. Ash and Misty followed instructions and stayed put, but curiosity made them peek around the corner. "Luxray, knock them out with 'Thunderbolt'." D. Shad whispered.

Luxray fired, and the noise caused the guards to turn around. "Hey you!" they screamed. Too late. The 'Thunderbolt' reached them and zapped them silly. They passed out on the floor, smoking from the attack. "I'll take this." D. Shad snickered, taking a passkey from the guard's pocket.

D. Shad motioned for Ash and Misty to come out of hiding and opened the door with the key. "This looks like the brig." D. Shad whispered. "That means Vaporeon should be in here." Misty added. "Vapo vapo vay!" That cry for help confirmed her suspicions.

"That was Vaporeon, come on!" Misty exclaimed. "Misty wait!" D. Shad yelled. Too late. Misty charged for the cell and got knocked back by an electric force-field. "Mist, you ok?" Ash asked with concern. "Yeah, but I feel kinda numb." Misty replied.

"An electric security field…this'll be tricky. Electric moves obviously won't have any effect, so Luxray and Staraptor won't be of any help." D. Shad said. "Dang it! I left my Pokémon behind too! All I have are Pikachu and Charizard!" Ash said with frustration. "I don't have any Pokémon with – wait a minute, yes I do! Corsola!" Misty exclaimed. Misty threw Corsola's Pokéball, and Corsola emerged soon after. "Corsola, we need your help!" Misty exclaimed. Corsola gave a determined smile. "We need you to free Vaporeon from that cell!" Misty said.

When Misty said Vaporeon, Corsola immediately frowned and turned away angrily. "What's wrong Corsola?" Misty asked. "If I may, I believe Corsola might be angry at Vaporeon." D. Shad said. "But why? Did Vaporeon do something?" Ash asked.

"Is that it Corsola? Was Vaporeon mean to you?" Misty asked. Corsola fired a 'Spike Cannon' at Misty, who narrowly dodged. "What's the big idea?" Misty hissed. "Mist, I don't think she's mad at Vaporeon, I think she's mad at YOU." Ash said. "I think it's a little bit of both." D. Shad said.

"Both? I don't get it." Misty said. "I think she's mad at you for choosing Vaporeon over her, and she's jealous of Vaporeon because she's your favorite." D. Shad explained. "Wait a second; I don't have a favorite Pokémon beyond Tentacool and Tentacruel! Corsola, is that REALLY why you're upset?" Misty asked. Corsola shot an icy glare at its trainer, and then turned its back again.

"I think that's a yes." Ash said. "Listen Corsola, you know…you're acting just like my other Pokémon did a few years ago. They were jealous of Luxray because they thought he was my favorite, but I explained to them that I cared for all of them exactly the same way." D. Shad said.

"The same goes for me Corsola, I may have chosen Vaporeon this time, but that doesn't mean I love her any more than I love you. I'm just as proud to have you as a Pokémon as I am to have Vaporeon." Misty said. Corsola smiled and jumped into Misty's arm for a hug. "That's my Corsola." Misty giggled.

Corsola hopped out of Misty's arms and faced the cell. "Ok, use 'Spike Cannon'!" Misty ordered. Corsola fired a flurry of spikes at the cell, and the electric-field easily blocked them. "Ok, try 'Bubblebeam'!" Misty ordered. Corsola fired a stream of bubbles; once again, the field blocked them. "Try again!" Misty exclaimed. Corsola did, but with the same result.

"Geez, a rock-move would bust through the field AND the glass. Too bad I left Golem and Garchomp behind." D. Shad said. "Hey Misty! Corsola is a rock-type right?" Ash exclaimed. "Yeah, but she doesn't know any rock-type moves." Misty replied.

"Corsola cor!" (Yes I do!) Corsola squealed. "What? When did you learn one?" Misty asked. "Cor corsol cor corsola!" (I learned it at the gym!) Corsola replied. "Heh, way to go Daisy." Misty said quietly. "What are you waiting for Mist? Let's make with the jail break!" Ash exclaimed. "Right! Alright Corsola, let's see that move!" Misty shouted.

Corsola charged an orange, glowing sphere above its head, which grew in size as it held it suspended. "Whoa, it's beautiful!" Misty said in awe. "Let's see what the Pokédex says." Ash said, pulling out his red Pokédex.

"Power Gem'. The user attacks with a ray of light that sparkles as if it were made of gemstones." the Pokédex chirped. "I bet that's why my sister's tried using Corsola for jewelry. They saw her as valuable when she learned 'Power Gem'." Misty said, half proud and half upset.

Corsola launched the sphere, and it blasted through the field and shattered the glass into a million pieces. Misty wasted no time running in to embrace her Pokémon. "Vaporeon, I was so worried!" she cried. Corsola looked down sadly for a moment. "C'mere Corsola, group hug!" Misty exclaimed.

Corsola smiled and hopped into Misty's arms to share the embrace with its new friend Vaporeon. Suddenly though, an alarm went off throughout the ship. "Dang! I forgot the security system!" D. Shad growled. Before they knew it, they were surrounded by henchmen, and of course, Hunter J herself.

"So you're the one behind all this huh?" D. Shad growled. "David…so we meet again." J said. "Huh? How do you know my name?" D. Shad asked suspiciously. "Don't tell me you don't recognize me, my dear old flame." J replied.

D. Shad's eyes grew wide in realization. "J?"

Hunter J removed her mask, and the young bounty hunter gave a devilish smile to the city guardian. "It's been a long time." she snickered. "Not long enough." D. Shad replied. "And I see you've made friends with some thorns in my side, not surprising." J said.

"Why did you steal Vaporeon?" Misty screamed. "An error on the part of my henchmen, I was targeting a Luxray and we wound up getting that." J said with disgust. "Looks like you fulfilled your dream of being a Pokémon Bounty Hunter." D. Shad spat.

"Indeed…and come to think of it, that Luxray you have there must be the one were supposed to be captured instead." J said. "Yeah, remember that little Shinx I had back then? Not so little now, is he?" D. Shad growled. Luxray also growled, with sparks coming from its body. "And if this is the Luxray I was to capture, then you must be Darkness Shadow, the person my client wanted me to steal from." J said.

"Glad to see my reputation precedes me." D. Shad growled. "And I'm sure YOU remember the little Bagon I used to have." J said. Hunter J tossed out a Pokéball, and her loyal Salamence appeared and roared ferociously. "Looks like you did a good job with that thing J." D. Shad growled.

"And you have done well with Luxray, my dear David, but my client insisted that I come through, so I'm afraid this little reunion must end." J said menacingly. Her henchmen threw out Pokéballs, and a Rhyperior, Exploud, Machamp, and Hitmonlee emerged from the multiple light flashes.

"Kill them, and bring me Luxray." J ordered. J walked away with Salamence, but before closing the door behind her, she gave D. Shad one final devilish grin, and then blew him a "farewell" kiss. "Let's make this quick boys." the head henchman snickered.

"Four against four, think we can take 'em?" D. Shad asked with a smirk. "Let's take them down!" Ash exclaimed.

"Rhyperior, use 'Rock Wrecker'!" the henchman ordered. "Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse'!" Misty countered.

"Exploud, use 'Hyper Voice'!" the second henchman ordered. "Corsola, use 'Power Gem'!" Misty countered.

"Machamp, use 'Focus Blast'!" Henchman number three ordered. "Luxray, use 'Discharge'!" D. Shad countered.

"Hitmonlee, use 'Hi Jump Kick'!" the final henchman ordered. "Pikachu, use 'Volt Tackle'!" Ash countered.

The four Pokémon launched their most powerful attacks at each other, and the resulting explosion caused the ship to rumble, and smoke to come out in all directions. In fact, there was so much smoke that the ship's inner fire alarm went off and all the security doors in the ship automatically opened.

"Let's jam!" D. Shad yelled. While the henchmen struggled with the smoke, Ash, Misty, and D. Shad ran for the first window they could find.

Meanwhile, J found a nearby security monitor, and found Ash and Co. taking off. "Of course." she hissed. J took off for the cockpit to start the ship.

Back with the escapees, they finally found a window they could squeeze through. "Corsola, use 'Power Gem' to break the window!" Misty ordered. Utilizing its newest move, Corsola sent the huge glowing rock right through the window.

"Staraptor, let's get the fun started!"

"Charizard, I choose you!"

The two flying Pokémon emerged and allowed their masters to hop onto their back. They recalled their Pokémon to their balls and flew off as fast as possible. But of course, J was not one to just give up. "Start the engines!" she shouted. Her engineers complied, and the huge airship took off, uncloaked.

"We did it, we did it!" Misty cheered. "Don't start cheering too soon, look!" D. Shad yelled. The couple turned around and found J's airship chasing after them, not only that, it was firing at them. "Lock missiles on target." J ordered. The helmsman of the giant ship used the ship's targeting system to lock onto D. Shad and Staraptor.

"Missiles locked sir!" the henchman announced. "Farewell, my darling David, we WON'T meet again." J snickered, "Fire missiles!"

The henchman pressed the firing button, and missiles began pouring down on the trio of escapees. "Whoa, she's really trying to kill us!" Ash yelled angrily. "No, it's my Luxray she wants! You two get back to Brad, it's time Darkness Shadow did what he's good at." D. Shad exclaimed.

"But D. Shad…" Ash was cut-off. "Don't ask questions, I said go!" D. Shad yelled. Ash was forced to comply, and they left D. Shad to take the missile fire all for himself. As they flew away however, he heard the hoots and hollers from D. Shad ringing through the air. "What's the matter, got nothing left? Keep 'em coming!"

After a bit more flying, they finally landed back near the lake area, where Brad, Brock, and Dawn were patiently awaiting their return. "Glad to see you guys are in one piece." Brad said. "Did you manage to rescue Vaporeon?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, she's safe, thanks to Corsola." Misty replied. "So the problem's been resolved then?" Brock asked. "Yeah, the thing was that Corsola was jealous of Vaporeon, but thanks to D. Shad's help, I was able to convince Corsola that I love all my Pokémon exactly the same amount." Misty replied.

"Speaking of D, where is he?" Brad asked. Ash and Misty's faces drooped. "He's not…dead, is he?" Dawn asked worriedly. "Does it look like I'm dead?" a voice asked. The group turned to find a completely unharmed D. Shad landing from the air.

"D. Shad!" the group cheered. They ran up to the city guardian gleefully, patting him on the back and congratulating him. "So what happened up there?" Ash asked. "They were no match for Staraptor. Once you guys were safe, I just had Staraptor burn 'em!" D. Shad exclaimed. "So that's it then right?" Misty asked.

"With any luck, yes." D. Shad replied. Apparently, luck was not with them. "It's J's ship! She was the one who took Vaporeon!" Brock yelled, as the giant ship loomed over them like an angry storm cloud. "But why would she want Vaporeon?" Dawn asked. "She didn't! She was hired to capture Luxray and she made a mistake!" D. Shad replied.

A noise came over the ship's exterior intercom, and then a voice. "Ah my dear David, I'm afraid you're efforts to escape have been useless. Now I shall take care of all your friends right here and now. And once you and all the other thorns in my side are dead, I shall take your Pokémon and give them to my client…quite worthy of a Bounty Hunter, wouldn't you say?" J said.

"That does it." D. Shad growled, "Alright guys, we don't have much time!" Indeed they didn't, J was once again locking her weapons on them. "Lock all weapons on the targets."

"Call out your Pokémon! We're gonna do some damage on that ship before she can do permanent damage to us!" D. Shad yelled.

"Charizard, I choose you!"

"Misty calls Gyarados!"

"Piplup, let's go!"

"Croagunk, let's go!"

"Torkoal, let's do this!"

"Luxray, let's get the fun started!"

The six called out Pokémon, along with Pikachu growled at their metallic opponent, ready to take whatever actions necessary to protect their masters. "Alright guys, you ready? Fire!" D. Shad roared.

"Charizard, use 'Flamethrower'! Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Gyarados, use 'Hyper Beam'!"

"Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!"

"Croagunk, use 'Poison Sting'!"

"Torkoal, use 'Solarbeam'!"

"Luxray, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

The seven Pokémon fired a furious barrage of attacks at the giant airship. "Fire all weapons on – what the?" J shouted. J's ship was rumbling furiously after the barrage of attacks, bodies went flying all over the cockpit, as the ship hurled them to and fro.

"Retaliate immediately! Fire all weapons!" J ordered. The henchmen regained their balance and did what they were told. Lasers came flying out of the guns in the ship, leaving the group on the surface to jump and dodge by any means necessary. "Same old J, eh D?" Brad said. D. Shad ignored Brad's comment and barked out more orders.

"Lucario, join the party with 'Aura Sphere'!" D. Shad yelled. Yet another of D. Shad's Pokémon emerged, and started launching attacks at the ship. All the previously released Pokémon followed suit, and fired again at the giant ship.

More bodies went flying as the ship took damage once more. "Sir, multiple injuries being reported on decks three and five!" a henchman exclaimed. "Activate our cloak!" Hunter J ordered. The ship began to vanish from sight. "Looks like they're trying to make us take blind shots, I'd say they're just about ready to go down!" D. Shad yelled.

"Ash, remember the combination Pikachu and Electabuzz did back in Veilstone City?" Misty asked. Ash's eyes widened and he nodded at his red-headed girlfriend. "D. Shad, tell Luxray to use 'Thunderbolt' on my signal!" Ash exclaimed.

D. Shad had no idea what Ash was up to, but Ash seemed sure of himself, so he complied. "Pikachu, use 'Volt Tackle' and jump over Luxray!" Ash ordered. Pikachu backed up a few steps, and then charged ahead, gaining more and more momentum as the electricity enveloped its body. When Pikachu leaped over Luxray, Ash made his move. "Now D. Shad!"

"Luxray, use 'Thunderbolt'!" D. Shad ordered. Luxray launched the furious electric-attack at Pikachu, who was jet-propelled into the air. "Pikachu, use 'Iron Tail'!" Ash ordered. Still surrounded by the electric-aura, Pikachu raised its tail and placed it in front of its face.

When the steel-hard tail made contact with the metallic structure of J's ship, a loud clang was heard over a two mile radius, and the ship began sparking furiously. "Sir, what are your orders?" a henchman asked. "…Retreat." J growled. Even the henchman was surprised at J's decision, but he followed orders and turned the ship around.

"J's running away!" Dawn cheered. "We did it!" Ash cheered. The group high-fived, hugged, and congratulated each other on a job well done. They thanked their Pokémon and returned them to their balls for a well-deserved rest.

"I can't believe someone would hire Hunter J to steal one of OUR Pokémon." Dawn said. Ash and Misty's curiosity had been peaked during the exchange of words on the airship, but they remained quiet because of the emergence of the situation. Now that the danger was diverted, they had questions.

"D. Shad…how did Hunter J know you?" Misty asked. "And how did she know your real name?" Ash added. D. Shad looked to the sky, as if searching for answers. "Come on D, these guys are trustworthy, tell them." Brad encouraged.

"(Sigh) J and I used to be a couple." D. Shad said. The group, excluding Brad, gasped. "Tell us about it." Misty said pleadingly. D. Shad told the group to take a seat, saying it was a long story.

"It was years ago. J and I were happily in love, we worked together in a Breeding Center in Sonzonia City." D. Shad was cut-off. "That explains where you got all the Eevee." Ash figured. "Right. Anyways, me and J went on a picnic one day, to kinda, discuss our future and such. I told her I was really looking forward to one day taking over the business and working together with her." D. Shad continued,

"That's when she dropped the news on me…the news that changed everything. J told me that she had read into the benefits and profits involved with being a Bounty Hunter…when I told her I disapproved, she tried to convince me how much better of a future it would be, and tried to convince me to come with her." D. Shad continued,

"I almost agreed. I mean, this was the girl I had been together with for over two years, she was beautiful, smart, and good with training Pokémon, but she never mentioned her secret life as a hunter in training. It was then and there that I ended our relationship. I had standards about life and the lives of Pokémon, and I wouldn't lower them for anyone, not even her." D. Shad continued,

"I left her alone on the hill, and I went on with my life without her. But I will admit that it was hard to cope without her. I eventually forgot about her, but now that I know who she is and what she's doing…well…let's just say that old wounds should never be reopened." D. Shad concluded.

"Too bad you didn't stay with her D; you could've made great rap music with her, D and J!" Brad joked. "Brad, please." D. Shad mumbled. Brad cooled off and pat his friend on the back. "Sorry big guy." Brad said, "Actually, I knew J myself, she was always one to stop at nothing to get her way, but she was never that ruthless before." Misty's hand mechanically made its way to her mouth. "I'm so sorry D. Shad." she said sympathetically.

"It's not your fault, I should've known that one day we'd meet again, I was just caught off guard is all." D. Shad replied. "Hey D. Shad, if you wanna take your mind off of things, how about we have our battle now?" Ash suggested. "You know what Ash? That sounds like a great idea." D. Shad replied.

Back with Hunter J, she was busy talking to her client, who had shadowed his/her figure and disguised his/her voice. "So, you didn't get his Luxray." the client said over the communications console. "No…we didn't." J growled. "Consider our agreement null and void, you're fired!" the client exclaimed. The client hung up, leaving J alone.

"I'll get those meddling kids!" J hissed to herself.

"So, what do we do now? The professional couldn't pull it off." The client's helper said. "We're professionals too! We'll just have to take Luxray ourselves!" the client replied. "Oh dear." the helper moaned.

"The battle between Ash and D. Shad will begin now!" Brad announced. "Ok Lucario, let's get the fun started!" D. Shad called out his fighting/steel-type Pokémon, and it growled determinedly. "Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash's fire-monkey emerged, ready for battle.

"Don't forget, I wanna battle that Charizard of yours!" D. Shad exclaimed. "You will, don't worry! But let's see if you can handle Chimchar!" Ash quipped back. "Put your helmets on everyone! The battle's on!" Brad yelled.

"Chimchar, use 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar made the first move, and charged toward Lucario in a wheel of fire. "Dodge it Lucario, and then use 'Force Palm'!" D. Shad countered. Lucario masterfully dodged Chimchar's attack, and then turned to grab Chimchar and blast him with a beam of energy.

Chimchar was knocked back hard, but it quickly rebounded. "Use 'Dragon Pulse'!" D. Shad ordered. Lucario formed a sphere in its hands, similar to its 'Aura Sphere', but this attack was pigmented differently, it was more green than blue. Lucario fired, and the attack swiftly hurtled towards the small fire-type.

"Use 'Dig' and fast!" Ash countered. Chimchar dug a hole, narrowly avoiding being directly hit by the dragon-type move. "Keep your eyes peeled Lucario, he could be anywhere!" D. Shad exclaimed. Lucario looked around warily, but Ash noticed something about D. Shad's Lucario.

_"He's not telling Lucario to use his aura…maybe that's his weakness!" _Ash thought. "Nail him Chimchar!" Ash yelled. Chimchar emerged from the ground and threw Lucario off balance. "Not bad Ash." D. Shad said. "You think that's good? Try this! Use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered.

Chimchar spewed a powerful flame at Lucario, who once again looked unfazed. "Dodge it." D. Shad said calmly. Lucario complied, and easily moved out of the way of the flame. "Lucario's so fast, Chimchar can't keep up!" Dawn exclaimed.

D. Shad likes having a speed advantage, and he usually gets it, so this'll be tough." Misty added. "Use 'Rock Climb'!" D. Shad ordered. Lucario's claws grew in length and glowed white; he slammed them into the ground and a mountain appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, knocking Chimchar off balance.

"Quick Chimchar, use 'Flame Wheel' up the mountain!" Ash ordered. Chimchar complied, and spun up the mountain in a blazing inferno. Meanwhile, Lucario was running up the mountain as well, when he reached the top, he would slam into the small monkey and finish the job, or so it thought.

"Lucario, look out!" D. Shad yelled. Not even Lucario could dodge in time, Chimchar had beaten him to the top, and he slammed into Lucario hard. Lucario rolled down the mountain in pain, and slowly got back to its feet. "Keep it going Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar followed up with a blazing blast of fire, which hit Lucario hard as well.

"Come on Lucario, use 'Aura Sphere'!" D. Shad ordered. Sweating and in pain, Lucario launched a barrage of attacks that slammed into the charging Chimchar. "Chimchar, are you ok?" Ash asked with concern. Chimchar slowly got back to its feet and growled at its opponent.

"A little tip about Lucario, the more damage he takes, the stronger he gets!" D. Shad yelled. Ash growled in response. "If Ash doesn't hurry up and finish this match, D. Shad will." Brock said seriously. "Use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered.

Chimchar fired once more. "Counter that with 'Dragon Pulse'!" D. Shad countered. The two attacks collided and caused an explosion all over the field. "Now use 'Rock Climb'!" D. Shad ordered. Lucario charged back up the mountain, only to find that Chimchar was once again nowhere to be seen.

"Now where'd it go?" D. Shad asked. Chimchar emerged from under the ground and threw Lucario down the mountain; it had used 'Dig' while the smoke was covering the field. "Finish it off with 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar charged down the mountain, adding on to the damage Lucario was taking by rolling down the mountain. When they finally reached the bottom, Chimchar leaped back to his side, and awaited the result of his barrage.

Lucario grunted, groaned, and growled, but when he tried to push himself back to his feet, he fainted. "Lucario's had enough, that means Chimchar is the winner!" Brad announced. "Yeah, way to go Chimchar!" Ash cheered.

"Epic job Lucario, take a nice break." D. Shad said, "Well I'm impressed Ash, that little Chimchar of yours sure has a whole lot of determination."

"Yeah, that's our Chimchar!" Ash replied. "But now that determination won't help you! Floatzel, let's get the fun started!" D. Shad called out his lone water-type, who stared down its opponent with a toothy grin. "Chimchar's already weak, if Ash goes with Chimchar, he won't last long." Brock said. "Ash, you need to switch Chimchar out for this one!" Misty exclaimed. "Don't worry, we can take it, right Chimchar?" Ash said. Chimchar raised its fist and replied with determination. "Ugh, I'll count how long it takes for Chimchar to faint." Misty grumbled.

"Put your helmets on, the battle's on!" Brad yelled. "Chimchar, use 'Dig'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar dug a hole and prepared to attack from beneath the water-type. "Ready Floatzel?" D. Shad asked. Floatzel nodded and stepped back a few steps.

Thinking it had reached its target, Chimchar jumped up from under the ground, only to find Floatzel staring down at it. "Use 'Aqua Jet'!" D. Shad ordered. Floatzel dove down into the hole with Chimchar in front of it. When Floatzel emerged from the hole, Chimchar was above it, being thrown into the air by the momentum.

"Finish it with 'Waterfall'!" D. Shad ordered. Floatzel summoned a pillar of water that formed from right beneath Chimchar; it quickly reached the sky and totally smothered Chimchar in swirling water. When the waterfall dissipated, Chimchar fell to the ground with a thud, fainted. "C-Chimchar." Ash groaned with worry.

"Chimchar's had enough, which makes Floatzel the winner!" Brad announced. "Well done Floatzel, be prepared for the next battle." D. Shad said. "You were great Chimchar, take a nice long rest." Ash said, returning the exhausted monkey to its Pokéball.

"He can't say you didn't warn him." Dawn said. "No matter how much he matures, Ash will always be Ash." Misty moaned. "Ok Pikachu, you ready to get in there?" Ash asked. Pikachu bounded onto the field with sparking cheeks.

"Put your helmets on, the battle's on!" Brad yelled. "Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu fired the furious electric-attack at Floatzel. "Floatzel, dive into Chimchar's hole!" D. Shad countered. Floatzel dove into the hole previously dug out by Chimchar, and completely avoided the attack.

"Now use 'Ice Beam'!" D. Shad ordered. Floatzel leaped out of the hole and fired the freezing beam at Pikachu. "Dodge it with 'Quick Attack'!" Ash countered. Pikachu put on the speed and dodged the beam before it reached him. He then turned back at Floatzel and gave it a quick tackle into its abdomen.

"That's nothing! 'Surf'!" D. Shad ordered. Floatzel summoned a huge wave and barreled towards the electric-mouse. "Use 'Iron Tail' to spring up!" Ash countered. Pikachu's tail glowed white, and it sprung high up into the air and avoided the huge wave.

"Now turn that into 'Volt Tackle'!" Ash ordered. Still in mid-air, Pikachu dive-bombed Floatzel and slammed into it hard. "But how? It hit in mid-air!" D. Shad exclaimed in shock. Floatzel was pushed into a ditch from the impact of the 'Volt Tackle', but it wasn't done just yet.

"Way to hang in there Floatzel! Now, use 'Waterfall'!" D. Shad ordered. Floatzel summoned a pillar of water, and climbed up into the sky, riding the waterfall. When the attack dissipated, Pikachu was unharmed. "What happened?" Ash wondered out loud.

"Nothing yet!" D. Shad yelled. Ash gasped as Floatzel dive-bombed Pikachu from above. "Use 'Aqua Jet'!" D. Shad ordered. Floatzel's downward speed increased when it went into attack mode, and Pikachu could do nothing except brace itself for the inevitable.

Pikachu was knocked back hard from the 'Aqua Jet', and flopped onto the floor in pain, sopping wet. "Come on Pikachu, you've gotta get up!" Ash encouraged. Pikachu slowly pushed itself up, but was obviously in pain.

"We're not done yet! Now use 'Ice Beam'!" D. Shad ordered. Floatzel fired at Pikachu, and the attack made a direct hit; the water dripping off of Pikachu's body froze his bottom half, leaving Pikachu totally immobilized from the waist down.

"Pikachu's frozen in place!" Misty cried. "Yeah, me and my girl Floatzel here worked on that combination for a long time! And very few people have escaped it!" D. Shad exclaimed. "Let's finish the job Floatzel! 'Waterfall' once more!" D. Shad ordered.

Once again, Floatzel went up the pillar of water, this one would be the finishing blow. _"Pikachu's frozen in place, there's just gotta be a way to beat that thing! Wait, that's it, but I've only got one shot!" _Ash thought.

"Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt' on the water!" Ash ordered. Despite its half-frozen state, Pikachu was still quite capable of launching a well placed 'Thunderbolt' on the pillar of water. The attack traveled all the way through the pillar of water, and it shocked Floatzel with double the damage.

"Yeah, that did it!" Ash cheered. Floatzel fell out of the 'Waterfall' and crashed into the ground, fainted. "Floatzel's had enough! The winner is Pikachu!" Brad announced. "Yeah Pikachu, that was totally awesome!" Ash cheered.

The still frozen Pokémon sighed with fatigue, but shared its master's enthusiasm. "That was amazing! Who knew Pikachu could pull something like that off?" Dawn exclaimed. "I did. All he needs is the right trainer at the helm." Misty said.

"Weren't you just upset at him for using Chimchar at the wrong time?" Brock asked with a smirk. "Hmm, I don't recall that." Misty replied, sticking her tongue out at the other two. "Well Ash, I did say not many people have been able to beat Floatzel's ultimate combo, congrats." D. Shad said.

"Hey thanks, but Pikachu did all the work." Ash replied, rubbing his friend's head affectionately. "Pika pika chu Pikapi! Pika chu!" (Don't pet me Ash! Defrost me!) Pikachu exclaimed angrily. "Oh oh, sorry buddy." Ash said.

"Ash has the worst timing." Brock said with a sweat-drop. "Hey Charizard, how about a quick 'Flamethrower' buddy?" Ash called out his dragon to defrost Pikachu with a soft fire-attack. "Oh, so I finally get to battle that Charizard eh?" D. Shad asked.

"Depends on your choice of Pokémon!" Ash quipped back. D. Shad smirked and clutched his final Pokéball. "Golem, let's get the fun started!" Golem emerged and stomped its foot, making a small rumble.

"Pikachu, whaddya say we let Charizard finish this off?" Ash suggested. Pikachu nodded and wearily walked back to Ash's side, a small smile on its face the whole time. "Alright, put your helmets on, the battle's on!" Brad yelled.

"Charizard, let's start off with a 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard launched the blazing inferno at the rock-type. "Bounce it off Golem!" D. Shad countered. Golem crossed its arms and merely blocked the attack with little to no damage done.

"That didn't even faze it." Misty said in awe. "Naturally Golem's being a rock-type provides a lot of defense, but a blast from Charizard should've at least made it wince, D. Shad's trained it really well." Brock explained.

"Use 'Stone Edge'!" D. Shad ordered. Two light blue rings surrounded Golem, and then the rings turned into small shards of rocks, the rocks were then fired at the dragon-like Pokémon, who roared in pain. "That was a direct hit!" Dawn cried. "And super-effective too!" Brock added. "Come on Ash; get your head in the game!" Misty screamed.

Ash nodded and took a deep breath. "Alright Charizard, use 'Flamethrower' once more!" Ash ordered. Charizard fired once more, and once again Golem blocked it. "Quick, use 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered. Charizard opened its wings, and charged forward like an angry Rhyhorn towards the rock-type Pokémon.

"Golem, use 'Dig' to dodge!" D. Shad countered. Golem started to dig a hole, but Charizard managed to get to Golem before he could get down. Golem rolled backwards from the impact, and eventually rolled back onto its feet. "Way to go Charizard!" Ash cheered.

"Finally! Ash finally has the speed advantage!" Misty cheered. "Yeah, but don't forget Golem has the type-advantage, this might still be a tough battle." Brock said. "Golem, use 'Strength'!" D. Shad ordered. Golem ran at full, but nevertheless; relatively slow speed to grab Charizard. "Take off Charizard!" Ash ordered.

Charizard opened its wings again, and dodged the attack by flying into the air. "Golem, use 'Strength' to jump up and grab Charizard!" D. Shad ordered. Golem pumped its legs and leaped up into the air, grabbed Charizard's neck and forced it down painfully.

"Charizard, shake it off with 'Dragon Breath'!" Ash ordered. As the two Pokémon plummeted, Charizard turned its neck ever so slightly and blasted the fiery breath attack at the undefended Golem. Golem released Charizard and rebounded to the ground. Charizard was not quite as lucky; he landed a bit less gracefully.

"You alright Charizard?" Ash asked with concern. Charizard grunted and clenched its claws into fists. "Use 'Stone Edge'!" D. Shad ordered. The blue rings turned into rocks once more, and were fired at Charizard again. "Use 'Steel Wing' to protect yourself!" Ash countered.

Charizard's wings glowed white, and it put them in front of its face to block the rocks. They bounced off with a loud clang, but Charizard wasn't through yet. Charizard charged towards Golem once more and slammed into it with wings of steel.

"Stay strong Golem!" D. Shad yelled. "Not a chance! Finish it with 'Seismic Toss'!" Ash ordered. Charizard grabbed Golem and swooped up into the air, did three mid-air flips and almost hurled Golem down to the ground. "No ya don't! Golem, use 'Strength'!" D. Shad roared.

Golem grabbed onto Charizard's neck and was determined to bring Charizard down with it. A huge crash rumbled the surrounding area, sending a dust storm in all directions. When the dust finally settled, both Pokémon were lying on the ground, fainted.

"Both Pokémon have had enough! And since D. Shad is out of Pokémon, the match goes to Ash!" Brad announced. Ash ran up to Charizard and held its head. "You did it Charizard, you won it for us, you were great." Ash said softly. Charizard gave a tired grunt in response.

"Epic job Golem, take a nice long rest." D. Shad said, returning his exhausted rock-type to its Pokéball. While Misty, Dawn, and Brock congratulated Ash on his amazing victory, D. Shad looked on. _"He's gonna make some master someday, as long as his friends stay by his side."_ he thought.

"Yo Ash!" D. Shad shouted. The group stopped celebrating to allow D. Shad to speak. "Yeah D. Shad?" Ash replied. "That was truly an epic battle, but it seemed a bit unfair that you had a whole cheering section on the sidelines." D. Shad joked.

"Heh heh, yeah, what can I say? I've got the best friends a guy could want." Ash replied with a smile. "I can see that. Hey, take my advice. If you wanna be a master, you'll need your friends close by, so keep them close dude, and you'll go far." D. Shad said.

"Believe me; he'll never be able to get rid of me." Misty joked. Despite Misty's joking tone, both she and Ash couldn't help but turn a little pink around the edges. "You two especially…you'll need each other the most on your journey…promise me you'll stay strong." D. Shad said seriously.

"We promise." Ash and Misty replied. D. Shad smiled and exchanged fist-pounds with Ash and Co. "Well, I think I'll grab my comedian of a friend and head on home." D. Shad said. "Hey, it was nice meeting you!" Dawn exclaimed. "Well guys, this is ta ta for now, see you around." Brad said, also exchanging fist-pounds with the group.

Before they could get the chance to separate, another rumbling was heard, a much softer one however. "Did anyone feel that?" Brock asked. Before they knew it, the entire group on the pathway was trapped in a ditch. "Oh no." Ash moaned. "What? What's wrong?" D. Shad asked. "You'll see in a minute." Misty face-palmed.

Jessie: "We see you've forced J back on the shelf."

James: "If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet!"

James: "When everything's worse, our work is complete!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth, now dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place."

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "And we're in your face!"

It was Team Rocket in their hot-air balloon, with yet another attempt to steal the group's Pokémon. Much to their frustration however, D. Shad and the others had fallen asleep in the ditch. "Hey! Dere's nuthin ruder den takin' a nap while we do our ting!" Meowth screeched.

"(Yawn) I'm sorry, did you say something? I couldn't hear anything over all the static." D. Shad heckled. Team Rocket face-faulted. "You have no respect for a terrific team trio." Jessie spat. "Oh and by the way, hiring a bounty hunter to do your dirty work isn't all that diabolical." D. Shad said with a smirk.

Team Rocket face-faulted again. "That's enough; we're here to take that Luxray AND that Pikachu!" Jessie exclaimed. "Ugh, this is a waste of time. Luxray…" D. Shad snapped his fingers and Luxray knew exactly what to do. With a furious 'Thunderbolt', Luxray sent Team Rocket blasting off.

"That so-called hero did it to us again!" Jessie screamed furiously. "I could see this coming a mile away." James moaned. "We shoulda known betta den ta mess with his primo Pokémon." Meowth added.

Team Rocket: "We're blasting off again!" *Ping*

"I'm assuming those are the guys who waste your time all the time?" D. Shad asked. "Yep, and I'm assuming they're the ones you beat that gave you your name?" Misty asked. "Yep, what a bunch of losers." D. Shad replied.

So after sharing a laugh at Team Rocket, the group departed with Brad and D. Shad, happy to have met such incredible personalities, and positive that they would one day meet again. And so, Ash and Co. continued their journey on the road to Sinnoh.  
_

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the adventure of Darkness Shadow! I spent the week working with him on it. It's his actual game team with their actual moves and every detail is in place. Next up will be the movie. Being perfectly honest, I'm a little intimidated by it. Give me some motivation gang! Please review and watch for updates!**


	29. Giratina and the Sky Warrior: Part 1

**Sorry guys, but I said it might take a while for me to do this. On top of it all, I may have to do this in three parts, not two. This chapter only covers one-third of the entire movie, which means it covers half an hour's worth. Let me know what you think, and if you think I incorporated Misty and Charizard effectively. I own nothing except the story.  
**_

Chapter 29

Misty's POV

A few hours after we parted with Brad and D. Shad, I asked Brock where the closest Pokémon Center was. After all, all the excitement was tiring for the Pokémon and for us. I couldn't believe it when he said that he had forgotten to check his map for such a location. I was even more surprised when Brock said that the closest Pokémon Center was in Sonzonia City of all places. I remember saying that we should've stuck with Brad and D. Shad.

So after I slammed Brock into the ground for making us walk for so long only to have to turn around, we found the fork in the road and began the walk to Sonzonia City, where, if we were lucky, we would run into our friends.

By the time we reached the Sonzonia City Pokémon Center, it was already dark outside. Unfortunately, we didn't make it in time before the doors closed and we would have to sleep outside again. I was just about ready to kill Brock, when Ash pointed out something in the Center.

"Look, it's Brad!" he exclaimed. I just couldn't believe it. Everywhere we went Brad was somewhere nearby, it was getting to the point of being spooky. We all started banging on the door to get Brad's attention. Not only did we get Brad's attention, but we got the attention of everyone else in the building.

So Brad finally came and unlocked the door. "You guys following me?" he asked. "No, Brock forgot to read the map and see where the nearest Center was. So we had to turn around and catch up with you and D. Shad." I replied, rather annoyed.

Brad laughed at that. "Hey Brock, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one." he joked. "Yeah, we thought so too." I added. Brock sweat-dropped and walked away nervously, only to go check-in with an irritated Nurse Joy. She didn't appreciate having to work past the Center's curfew.

Normal POV

"Well, since you guys are stuck in Sonzonia City for a while, whaddya say you meet me and D. Shad for a barbeque tomorrow at noon?" Brad suggested. "Barbeque? We're there!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "But what about getting to Celestic Town?" Misty asked. "That can wait! I haven't had good barbeque food in forever!" Ash exclaimed.

Misty rolled her eyes and walked away to where Dawn was standing. "And once again, Ash's stomach takes over his brain." she said. "Doesn't exactly come as a surprise you know." Dawn replied. "Yeah yeah. Come on; let's see if Brock got Nurse Joy to give us a room yet." Misty finally said.

The two girls headed over to the counter, where Brock was laying on the floor in pain. "You just had to make Croagunk mad, didn't you?" Misty sighed. "It…wasn't…Croagunk." Brock strained. The two girls looked up to the counter and saw a furious Nurse Joy with her arms crossed, and her eyes focused towards the ceiling.

"What did you say to her?" Dawn asked. "Nothing except that I'd like two rooms." Brock replied, his voice becoming natural again. "Why two rooms?" Misty asked suspiciously. "One for you guys and one that I could share with her!" Brock exclaimed passionately.

Misty and Dawn's eyes both grew wide, and they took turns beating the Breeder back to the ground. "I should've…come up…with something else…" Brock strained. "Serves you right!" Misty hissed.

After seeing that the girls were getting nowhere with the love-struck and mallet-struck Breeder, Ash and Brad walked over. "He did it again, didn't he?" Ash sighed. "What do you think?" Misty replied. "Sorry about my buddies Nurse Joy, could we get ONE room?" Brad asked.

Nurse Joy threw a room key at the comedian, and then walked away, grumbling to herself, "Curfew is curfew; I shouldn't have to work at this hour unless there are Pokémon emergencies."

Now Misty's rage had been redirected at the irate Nurse Joy. "She didn't have to do that. It's not like it was Brad who harassed her." Misty said. "Meh, not every Nurse Joy is cheerful at all times. She wanted to go to sleep." Brad shrugged.

"So…what do we do with Brock?" Ash asked. "Why not just leave him here? That way he can see his precious Nurse Joy in the morning?" Misty suggested devilishly. "Oh come on Misty, don't forget he's our friend." Dawn said.

"Yeah I know, but one of these days he has to learn." Misty sighed. "Let's get this joker into the room." Brad said. Ash and Brad each took one half of Brock, Ash took his arms and Brad took his legs, and they carried the Breeder into the room and plopped him onto the couch.

"Hmm, for a grumpy Nurse Joy, she sure chose a nice room to throw at us." Dawn joked. "Hey, think I could use that joke one day?" Brad asked. "Be my guest!" Dawn replied.

"Alright guys, I'm heading to my room. I dunno know about you, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's barbeque!" Brad exclaimed. "Me too!" Ash added excitedly. The girls rolled their eyes and said goodnight to their comedian friend.

"C'mon! The sooner we get to sleep, the sooner tomorrow comes!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. Ash charged for the bathroom to slip into his pajamas, leaving the two girls alone.

"He's YOUR boyfriend." Dawn snickered. "Don't worry; I'll work that food obsession out of him." Misty replied. Dawn put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow. "Ok fine, so that'll never get out of him. But is it really so bad?" Misty asked.

"You tell me, you were the one worrying about it down there." Dawn replied. "I don't really mind his excitement; it's his eating habits that bother me." Misty said. "You mean when he scarfs down his food without breathing?" Dawn figured. "Bingo." Misty replied.

"No need to worry, he can only go up from there." Dawn said. "I sure hope so." Misty chuckled. Ash walked out of the bathroom with Pikachu on his shoulder as usual. "What's going on?" he asked. Misty and Dawn sweat-dropped. "Nothing." they in unison. Too excited about tomorrow, Ash shrugged it off and crawled into the bed, and pulled the covers over his head.

"G'night guys!" and with that, Ash started snoring almost instantaneously. "Ash, you've changed so much but you just can't get those last bits of immaturity out of you." Misty sighed. "You know you've mentioned how he has to stay Ash somehow right?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, I guess if he matures too much he may not be Ash anymore." Misty shrugged. With that, Misty walked into the bathroom to change into her pajamas as well, leaving Dawn alone with the sleeping Ash.

"It's incredible…" Dawn said to herself, "Ash and Misty are the most dysfunctional couple I've ever seen. They argue, they bicker, they compete with each other, and they occasionally get on each other's last nerve. But in the end, they really care about each other, and they wouldn't hesitate to act if one needed the other's help. Misty's really a lucky girl to have Ash as a boyfriend…I hope one day I can find someone as caring and pure-hearted as him…"

Dawn stood in a haze for a few moments, not even realizing that Misty had come back out of the bathroom. "Dawn, you alright?" Misty asked, waving her hand in front of the petrified Coordinator's face.

Dawn blinked a few times before snapping out of her self-inflicted trance. She then looked at the puzzled red-head and smiled sadly. "I'm ok…" she said. Dawn grabbed her pajamas and headed to the bathroom. Misty looked at the Coordinator suspiciously, pondering what she was doing staring at HER boyfriend. Before entering, Dawn turned and faced the Gym Leader. "You know, you're lucky to have someone like Ash…I don't have ANYONE."

Misty's expression changed from suspicious to sorrowful. Dawn walked into the bathroom with her head hung down, leaving Misty to think. She turned towards the sleeping figure in her and Ash's bed, just thinking out loud.

"She's right…I am lucky to have him. Poor Dawn doesn't have anyone to really care for her, I should be thankful with what I have." Misty quietly slipped under the covers next to the sleeping Pokémon Trainer and tenderly stroked his messy, black-hair. "Good night Ash, thanks for being you."

Misty dropped into a peaceful slumber next to her boyfriend, not even noticing Dawn's return. _"(Sigh) There's just gotta be someone out there for me…somewhere."_ Dawn thought. She slipped into her bed and drifted off to sleep as well, dreaming about finding a boy who genuinely cared, unlike Conway and Kendall.

The next morning, the group met up with Brad in the Pokémon Center Lobby. "Hey guys, D. Shad's waiting for us at his place." Brad said. "You told him we were coming?" Brock asked. "Nope, I told him YOU were cooking, Brock." Brad replied with a snicker. The group laughed at their misfortunate friend, who groaned in response. "Why me?"

Brad led the group through Sonzonia City. It had just about everything in it: On one side there would be skyscraper office buildings, and homes on another. "This is one impressive city." Brock said. "You haven't seen anything yet; wait until we get to D's house." Brad replied.

Brad led the group to a small neighborhood, where D. Shad kept his humble home. "Well, here we are." Brad said. "Looks kinda…ordinary to me." Ash said. "Yeah, the spot where he lives isn't that impressive, but what he lives next to is what'll really catch your eye." Brad replied.

Brad banged on the door of D. Shad's home, and a few minutes later, a blonde man in black shorts and a T-shirt emerged. "Well, the tag-alongs are back." D. Shad joked. "Yeah, go figure, right?" Brad added.

"Nice to see you guys again, and Brock, thanks for volunteering to cook." D. Shad said. "Uh…yeah…volunteered." Brock sweat-dropped. "Now if you guys would be so kind as to come and help me deposit the grill into my truck, we'll be on our way." D. Shad led the group into his home, when Brad suddenly froze in his tracks, stopping them.

"Um, I think this is as far as Misty should go." Brad said. "Why's that exactly?" Misty asked suspiciously. "Trust me, you won't like it." Brad warned. "Oh come on, I'm sure I can handle it whatever it is." Misty said, walking past the comedian, "After all, I'm not exactly a…wimp." Misty's voice trailed off at the end.

Ash, Dawn, Brock, and Brad walked into the living room where Misty was frozen solid. Ash gingerly placed his hands onto Misty's shoulders, trying to calm her. "You're ok Mist, they're D. Shad's Pokémon, they won't hurt you." he said comfortingly.

The room was filled with bug-types, Pokémon he had collected throughout his travels throughout different regions. A Yanma, Nincada, Burmy, Scyther, Silcoon, Dustox, Ledian, Volbeat, Illumise, Pinsir, Combee, and Kricketune all walked/crawled around the room.

"My bug collection. You like?" D. Shad asked proudly. Misty whimpered and escaped Ash's grasp, running out the front door as fast as she could. "Misty wait!" Ash yelled. Too late. Misty definitely wasn't coming back.

"Something wrong?" D. Shad asked. "Misty's terrified of bug-types, D. I think your collection here just scared the living daylights out of her." Brad replied. "Oops." D. Shad said regretfully.

"I'll go talk to her." Ash said. "You do that Ash, I'll help Brad and D. Shad with the grill. C'mon Dawn." Brock replied. Ash took off towards the front door while Dawn and Brock followed the two blondes out the back door to where the grill was.

When Ash exited D. Shad's abode, he looked around for the insectophobic Gym Leader. He found her curled up into a ball on a nearby bench, shivering and whimpering with fear. He sat himself down next to her, staring at her fearful form, just waiting for her to say something. Then, she finally spoke.

"Bug-types…are evil." she whispered. Ash chuckled lightly at that. "It's not funny Ash Ketchum!" Misty screamed angrily. "I didn't say it was." Ash replied. "Then why are you laughing?" Misty asked, a little more quietly this time.

"It's just that you think that bug-types are EVIL, being scared of them doesn't make them evil." Ash said. "They are evil! What kind of Pokémon have so many eyes?" Misty exclaimed. Ash gave her a skeptical, yet sympathetic look.

Misty gave a small giggle at his expression. "Ok fine, they're not EVIL, but I still don't like them." she said, her lips upturning into a small smile. "That's fine; I'll stay here with you if you want." Ash offered. "What? And let you miss out on the honor of helping Brock lift the grill into D. Shad's truck?" Misty joked.

"I can't afford to throw my back out! I can't train if I can't move!" Ash quipped back. "Oh yeah? The only time you stop moving is when you sleep! If you broke both your legs, you'd just walk with your behind!" Misty joked.

Ash just laughed at that. He had nothing to top that with. "Hah! I knew if I tried hard enough I'd get the upper-hand back!" Misty cheered triumphantly. "It's only because I'm thinking on an empty stomach." Ash said. "Then it's amazing you ever beat me…you're ALWAYS running on an empty stomach." Misty joked.

"Touché." Ash chuckled. Misty giggled, and then took in a deep breath of fresh air. "You feeling better?" Ash asked. "Yeah, I am. Thanks for coming after me." Misty replied.

"Aww, come on Mist. You should've known I would've gotten here sooner or later, I couldn't just let you be all jittery." Ash said. Feeling a tender moment coming on, Misty gently grabbed Ash's hand and gave it a squeeze. Ash squeezed back of course.

Holding each other's hands in silence, the couple looked around the skies and the city, just sitting on the bench. "It really is a nice city. Fresh air, an in-city stream, cozy homes." Misty said. "Yeah, and when we get to where D. Shad's taking us, it'll be even better!" Ash exclaimed.

"Good thing, because after all of yesterday's excitement, I could use a good vacation." Misty said. "Don't we all? But my idea of a vacation is a Pokémon Battle!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

"You know what? You're onto something. I'm gonna challenge D. Shad to a rematch!" Misty exclaimed. "Hey, why not a double-battle? You and me versus D. Shad and whoever he decides. We'll wipe the floor with him!" Ash exclaimed.

"You've got yourself a partnership!" Misty replied. "I thought I already did." Ash joked. Misty giggled and blushed slightly at Ash's joke. "Yeah, I guess you do." she replied coyly.

Misty advanced towards Ash and wrapped her arms around him. Ash followed suit and did likewise. However their tender moment wasn't going to last long, as Brad had shown up to check on the two. "Ahem!" he coughed.

Ash and Misty quickly broke apart, blushing. "Not that this biology lesson isn't fascinating, but D. Shad's grill is in the truck and we're ready to go." Brad said. Ash and Misty smiled sheepishly and walked by the comedian without a word.

They slipped into the back of the truck with Dawn and Brock, and then D. Shad closed the back of the pick-up. "Hey, sorry about the bug thing, I didn't know." D. Shad said apologetically. Misty made a peace sign with her fingers and smiled.

D. Shad wiped his brow of fake sweat and smiled back. "You ok Misty?" Dawn asked. "Yeah, it was just a panic attack, that's all. I'm ok now." Misty replied reassuringly. When D. Shad started the truck, the group held on to whatever they could find to keep their balance, and the short drive to the park began.

On the way there, they saw a flock of Wingull flying through the air above them. And as they drove beside the stream, they spotted a few Magikarp. "Those things are just about everywhere." Dawn said. "Actually, they ARE everywhere. Magikarp are the most common Pokémon caught when you go fishing. Take it from someone who knows." Misty replied.

The truck finally stopped at a large clearing, where the stream fell into a bunch of miniature waterfalls, and flowed from the city itself. There were stone stairs that led to an area big enough for a battle. And at the top of the stairs was a stone sink with a faucet on each of its four sides, and a designated grilling area for D. Shad's grill.

"That's weird, there's no one else here." Dawn said. The group heard two doors slam, and Brad and D. Shad freed them from the back of the truck. "Dawn, you won't find another person here unless I say so. This…is my secret get-away." D. Shad explained.

"Awesome! There's even a place to battle!" Ash exclaimed. "Of course, what kind of paradise would it be without my favorite pastime?" D. Shad asked. "Exactly. Now if you don't mind, I'd like a rematch!" Misty declared suddenly.

D. Shad's eyes widened, and then a smirk spread across his face. "So the Gym Leader wants her can kicked again eh?" D. Shad chuckled. "Not exactly. This time, you choose a partner and Ash and I will kick YOUR can all over the place." Misty quipped back.

"Fair enough. This time I know your tactics and your strategies. Beating you two will be a piece of cake." D. Shad said confidently. "You want me on your team D?" Brad asked. "Affirmative, we'll wipe the floor with these kids." D. Shad said.

"Hey Dawn, can you give us a coin-toss?" Ash asked. "Oh sure Ash, and then I'll be your ref." Dawn replied sarcastically. "What's your problem?" Ash asked.

"I never actually get to battle! I always have to give the coin-toss and then be the ref. Well you know what? Toss your own coin!" Dawn huffed. Dawn turned to stomp away, but she didn't notice D. Shad scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"Brad, you need to work on your referee skills, so Dawn, you be my partner." D. Shad said. Dawn turned and was greeted by a confident smile and a thumbs-up from D. Shad. "You serious?" Dawn asked. "C'mon, let's show them what we've got." D. Shad replied.

Dawn clasped her hands with excitement and cheered. "Thanks so much D. Shad!" she squealed. D. Shad flashed her a quick smile and then went to help Brock with the grill. "D's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, don't let him down, m'kay?" Brad said. "No need to worry! I'll do my absolute best!" Dawn replied determinedly.

A little while later, after D. Shad gave Brock the lowdown on how to work his grill, Ash, Misty, Dawn, and D. Shad walked down the stone staircase down to the battle area. "You sure you don't wanna come too?" D. Shad asked.

"Nah, someone has to keep Brock company." Brad replied from the top of the stairs. D. Shad shrugged and joined Dawn on the side of the field. "Since lunch won't take too long to make, let's keep this battle short and sweet. Two Pokémon each!" D. Shad yelled.

"You got it! And how about this? Simultaneous choosing!" Misty exclaimed. "Alright then, let's do this!" D. Shad yelled, clutching his first Pokéball.

"Garchomp, let's get the fun started!"

"Buneary, spoootlight!"

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Misty calls Corsola!"

Three Pokémon emerged from Pokéballs, while Pikachu merely hopped off of Ash's shoulder. "Whoa, it's his Garchomp." Ash said, pulling out his Pokédex. "Garchomp, the Mach Pokémon. When it folds up its body and spreads its wings, it can fly like a jet plane at the speed of sound." his Pokédex explained.

"Alright Corsola, this is our first battle in a long time, let's show them what you've got!" Misty exclaimed. Corsola nodded and glared at its opponents. "Let's get this party started!" D. Shad yelled.

"Garchomp, use 'Dig'!" D. Shad ordered. Before anyone could blink, Garchomp dug a hole and disappeared from sight.

"Pikachu, make sure you keep moving to avoid Garchomp! Use 'Thunderbolt' on Buneary!" Ash ordered. Pikachu took off running, but didn't attack. "Pikachu, I said 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash yelled.

By now Garchomp had tried to nail Pikachu with the ground-type attack, but missed because of Pikachu's running around.

"I'll take a turn! Buneary, use 'Ice Beam' on Pikachu!" Dawn ordered. Buneary fired the freezing beam at Pikachu. "Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash ordered. Pikachu stood like a statue. "Pikachu, what's wrong with you?" Ash yelled.

At this point, Misty leaped into action. "Corsola, jump in front of Pikachu and use 'Mirror Coat'!" Misty ordered. Corsola jumped in front of Pikachu and deflected the 'Ice Beam' away from the electric-type. "Ash, tell Pikachu to try something on Garchomp!" Misty exclaimed.

Ash nodded. "Pikachu, use 'Iron Tail' on Garchomp!" he ordered. This time Pikachu charged ahead to slam into Garchomp with a tail of steel. "Buneary, counter with 'Dizzy Punch'!" Dawn ordered. Buneary charged ahead to meet Pikachu with its own attack.

Pikachu gasped and leaped over Buneary's head, while still trying to stay on course for Garchomp. Leaving the ground however led to Pikachu being vulnerable. "Garchomp, use 'Dragon Rush'!" D. Shad ordered.

Garchomp charged ahead in a blue aura, and slammed Pikachu backwards. Meanwhile, Buneary didn't stop running, and she wound up hitting Corsola instead. The two Pokémon fell backwards, and slowly got back up.

"Pikachu, what's wrong with you?" Ash asked. Pikachu shook its head and said nothing. "Ash, I don't think Pikachu wants to hurt Buneary." Misty said. "Is that it Pikachu?" Ash asked.

Both embarrassed and shy, Pikachu nodded, but didn't reply verbally. "Pikachu…Buneary isn't a baby-Pokémon; she can take care of herself." Ash said. Pikachu shook his head again.

"So…I guess the battle's on hold for now?" D. Shad figured. "Well, we could call a forfeit, but then Ash would be really steamed at Pikachu." Dawn replied. "I see…you mind filling me in on what's happening here?" D. Shad asked.

"Well…as it turns out, when Ash matured, Pikachu began to follow suit. He knew Buneary had a crush on him, and when things changed for Ash, things changed for Pikachu too. He's starting to like Buneary back." Dawn explained.

While Ash tried to convince Pikachu to battle, Buneary watched on in awe, slightly blushing at the thought of Pikachu refusing to hurt her. But at the same time, she was slightly insulted because it looked like Pikachu thought she couldn't handle an attack from him. So Buneary spoke up.

"Bun buneary, bun bun!" (Come on, let's battle!) Buneary exclaimed. Pikachu looked away from his master and averted his gaze to the rabbit-Pokémon, waving his arms frantically. "Pika pika pikachu pika!" (But I don't wanna hurt you!) Pikachu replied.

"Bun buneary, bun bun buneary!" (Don't hold anything back, because I'm not!) Buneary exclaimed. "Pi…ka…" (Well…I…) Pikachu mumbled.

"Buneary really wants to battle Pikachu, whaddya say we do just that?" Ash asked. Pikachu thought about it for a moment, then glanced back to Buneary, who gave a determined nod. Suddenly energized, Pikachu turned back to Ash and nodded.

"Good for you Pika-pal! Just remember that this is all in fun!" Misty exclaimed. "Pika. Pika Pikachupi." (Right. Thanks Misty.) Pikachu replied. "Alright, the battle's back on!" D. Shad yelled.

"Pikachu, use 'Iron Tail'!"

"Corsola, use 'Bubblebeam'!"

"Buneary, use 'Bounce'!"

Garchomp, use 'Rock Tomb'!"

Pikachu and Buneary charged at each other, while the two projectiles from Corsola and Garchomp headed towards each other.

Garchomp's 'Rock Tomb' fell in front of the stream of bubbles and blocked them. Meanwhile, Pikachu's 'Iron Tail' met up with Buneary's foot from her downward assault. The two attacks battled for superiority, and eventually Pikachu won out of sheer strength.

Pikachu gracefully fell back to earth, while Buneary fell on her back. Pikachu gasped when he saw what he did, but Buneary quickly got back to her feet and smiled determinedly at the electric-mouse. "Good going Pikachu, now let's kick it up a notch!" Ash exclaimed.

"Misty, watch Pikachu's back, I'm gonna try something." Ash said. Misty nodded without looking Ash's way, fully focused on the battle.

"Pikachu, use 'Quick Attack'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu charged ahead at lightning-speed to give a swift tackle to the two Pokémon. "Garchomp, use 'Dig'!" D. Shad countered. Garchomp dug another hole and had Buneary follow it to avoid the attack.

"That's it! Misty, your turn!" Ash yelled. Misty immediately caught on to Ash's plan. "Corsola, use 'Bubblebeam' in the hole!" Misty ordered. Corsola hopped over to the hole dug out by Garchomp and fired a stream of bubbles into it.

"Get ready Pikachu." Ash said. Pikachu's cheeks sparked viciously, as it readied itself for its next attack. Suddenly, Garchomp, with Buneary holding on to its head, rushed out of the ground via another hole and flew into the air. As it turned out, it had dug quickly enough to avoid the 'Bubblebeam'.

"Now Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Corsola, help out with 'Power Gem'!"

The two attacks fired towards the flying Garchomp, who nervously awaited orders. "Do something D. Shad!" Dawn screamed. "I am…" D. Shad replied.

Just before the attacks connected, D. Shad made his move. "Quick Garchomp! Swoop down and use 'Dragon Claw' on Pikachu!"

Garchomp did just that. It dive-bombed the electric-mouse, narrowly escaping the two attacks and slashing at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, block it with 'Iron Tail'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu slammed its tail into Garchomp's claws, holding back the dragon-type move. "Quick Corsola, use 'Spike Cannon'!" Misty ordered.

Corsola fired a barrage of spines at the two Pokémon. "Buneary, stop those spikes with 'Ice Beam'!" Dawn countered. Buneary fired at the spikes, but instead of stopping them, they merely turned into sharp icicles.

With the attack turning into ice, Garchomp roared in pain and bucked Buneary off of it. "Yeah, that's the way to do it!" Misty cheered.

"Sorry D. Shad." Dawn moaned. "Never mind that, let's get back in this!" D. Shad yelled.

"Use 'Cut'!" D. Shad ordered.

"Buneary, use 'Dizzy Punch'!" Dawn ordered.

The two Pokémon charged ahead once more. This time the attacks connected dead-on, and both Pikachu and Corsola fell back.

"Pikachu, let's finish this! Use 'Volt Tackle'!"

"Corsola, use 'Power Gem'!"

Ash and Misty's Pokémon launched their most powerful attacks; they were determined to finish the battle before it got too out of hand.

"Buneary, counter 'Volt Tackle' with 'Bounce'!" Dawn countered.

"Garchomp, use 'Rock Tomb'!" D. Shad countered.

Dawn's plan was clever. She would force Pikachu to hit Buneary, hoping that Pikachu didn't have the nerve to follow through with its most powerful attack. Unfortunately, Buneary's pep-talk to Pikachu had worked a little too well.

Pikachu completely negated Buneary's 'Bounce', and fainted it easily. Meanwhile, Garchomp's 'Rock Tomb' had just barely beaten Corsola's 'Power Gem' in the power department, so Corsola fainted for their side.

Ironically enough, when Corsola fell back, she wound up sending mud in Ash's direction. Ash did a face-plant to avoid mud in his face, but instead he got mud on his hands. "Next time, watch where you're falling." Misty snickered.

"Well, this match isn't over yet!" Ash yelled. "Oh yes it is." Brad said, coming out of nowhere, "Brock sent me to get you guys."

The group was confused whether to be happy that lunch was ready, or to be sad because the battle had just been cut short. But Ash had no trouble deciding which. "Come on guys, it's barbeque time!" Ash wasted no time heading for the stairs, which led to the others following close by.

When Ash stopped to admire a flock of Wingull which had just taken off, the others passed him up. "Hey, I call first serve!" Ash yelled. Ash charged up the stairwell and quickly rinsed his hands of the mud, and despite Ash getting there last, he was the first to get to the table.

"Here ya go big guy, hot off the grill." Brock said, placing a hotdog onto Ash's plate. As Ash reached for the hotdog, Brock suddenly slapped his hand away with his spatula. "Hold on a minute, did you wash your hands?" he asked suspiciously.

"Uhh…look! They're clean as a whistle!" Ash chuckled. "Take another look." Misty said with disgust, as she sat herself down at the picnic table. Ash turned his hands and saw the dirt all over his hands, due to lack of quality washing.

"That's disgusting Ash, I can't believe I hold those hands!" Misty spat. "Hey, wait a sec…" Ash was cut-off by Dawn. "Ash Ketchum, you should always remember to wash your hands before you eat!" Dawn exclaimed angrily.

"But I…" Ash was cut-off again by Misty. "Now go and wash your hands before I throw you into the fountain!" she exclaimed angrily. "Alright, whatever." Ash grumbled.

Ash got up and jogged to the stone sink. "Man, those two can be a pain." he grumbled to himself. As Dawn passed the Pokémon Trainer, she sat herself down next to Misty and high-fived her. "Now WE get first serving." Dawn snickered.

While the girls helped themselves to the hotdogs and salad, the Pokémon whined to Brock hungrily. "Looks like we've got some hungry customers here." Brad chuckled. "Not to worry, I made more than enough for everyone." Brock said.

Brock jogged over to a white tarp and uncovered what was beneath it. "Ta da! My extra special Pokémon food!" Brock exclaimed proudly. Pikachu and Piplup cheered. "Hey yeah, my guys have to eat too." Misty said, getting up from her seat.

"Let them out over by that tarp Misty, that food has special water-type ingredients mixed into it." Brock said. Misty did just that. She grabbed her Pokéballs and tossed them all (with the exception of Gyarados) out. "Come on out everyone!" she exclaimed. Her Pokémon: Staryu, Politoed, Azurill, Corsola, Vaporeon, Surskit, and Psyduck all popped out of their balls with excitement evident in their eyes. Although on Psyduck it was hard to tell.

"You too everyone, it's time to eat!" Dawn sent out her Pokémon as well. Buneary, Pachirisu, Ambipom, and Swinub all popped out as well, Swinub the most excited about lunch of course.

"Hey, I'm not gonna leave you guys out!" Ash exclaimed. After making sure that his hands were actually clean, Ash came and unleashed all of his Pokémon (with the exception of Charizard). And so Chimchar, Gliscor, Staravia, Turtwig, and Buizel all popped out as well, which only left Brock's Pokémon.

"Wait until you feast your eyes on this feast!" Brock sent out his three Pokémon, pride in his voice over his job well done. Happiny, Sudowoodo, and Croagunk all popped out of their Pokéballs. Sudowoodo and Happiny immediately ran for the food, but Croagunk in his usual non-chalant stance just stood in place.

"Ok, that takes care of your Pokémon, now how about the host's Pokémon?" D. Shad asked. D. Shad tossed his Pokéballs and all eight of his Pokémon: Luxray, Lucario, Staraptor, Garchomp, Golem, Floatzel, Electrike, and Eevee popped out of their balls looking around for their meals.

"Well, if Ash and Misty would be so kind as to send out Charizard and Gyarados, I'll show you." Brock said. Ash and Misty nodded and sent out their two giants, both roared upon release.

"Don't forget my Pokémon." Brad said. As soon as he said that, Slowpoke and Torkoal emerged as well, completing the large group of Pokémon.

"I have special Pokémon food for the bigger members of the group, the smaller ones get what the others get, the exact nutritional needs for a Pokémon of their type, size, and so on." Brock explained proudly.

As Brock handed the Pokémon their food, D. Shad and Brad gave a chuckle. "You're gonna make some Breeder someday, you know that?" D. Shad said. "That's what I'm hoping for." Brock replied.

As the gang watched their Pokémon eat, they failed to notice a dusty little puffball moving in on Brock's signature dessert pancakes.

"I'm getting hungry watching them chow down." Ash groaned, clutching his growling stomach. "The food's back there." Misty said. Without further ado, Ash turned around and headed to the table. But he gasped at what he saw.

"Hey, stop! Those are OUR pancakes!" Ash panicked. Hearing Ash's panic-attack, Misty, Dawn, Brock, and the two blondes ran to the table as well. And they saw something eating Brock's pancakes. "What is that thing? A tribble?" Brad joked.

"It's a Pokémon of some sort." Brock said. Enraged, Piplup tried to pull away the pancake the Pokémon was eating. Instead, the Pokémon quickly chomped down the rest of the pancake and wound up biting down on Piplup's wing.

Piplup squealed in pain and growled at the Pokémon. Unfazed, the Pokémon shook some of the dust off of its body, causing the group to cough. When the dust and dirt settled, it hopped onto Ash's hat and hung off of it, this got Ash off-balance.

Ash knocked it off with a swift snap of his neck, and the Pokémon grabbed onto the grill in panic. Now even the grill itself fell over along with the Pokémon, and it fizzled out and began smoking. "That grill cost me a boatload!" D. Shad roared.

D. Shad's tantrum was interrupted when the smoke that came from the busted grill started getting absorbed by the Pokémon. "What kind of Pokémon can do that?" Dawn asked. "Maybe a grass-type, like a tree." Brock said.

When the Pokémon began glowing brightly, D. Shad took charge. "Get down!" he yelled. Not risking the time to question the guardian, the group and all their Pokémon did face-plants. And it was a good thing they did too, because a large green energy blast covered everything around the area, including their lunch.

When the dust finally settled, the group looked around warily. "You ok Mist?" Ash asked. Misty nodded and got back to her feet. "I wish I could say the same for my grill." D. Shad grumbled. "Relax D; I'll buy you a new one the next time I get a gig." Brad replied.

"What is it anyway?" Misty wondered out loud. She wouldn't get the chance to answer; Piplup was throwing a fit and yelling at the Pokémon furiously. The Pokémon crawled away from Piplup fearfully, only to run into everyone else's Pokémon, with the exception of Slowpoke and Torkoal who weren't really all that upset.

The other Pokémon however were furious at the mysterious Pokémon for ruining their food. "I sense a fight coming on." Misty said. Dawn wasn't going to allow it, so now she took charge. "Stop it, all of you!" Dawn screamed.

The Pokémon backed off a bit, but they were still pretty steamed. Dawn kneeled down in front of the frightened Pokémon and held her hands out to it, palms up. "No need to worry. Don't be afraid." Dawn said soothingly.

Misty kneeled down next to the Coordinator to help tend to the Pokémon. "Let's get that dust off of you." she said.

"Staryu, Politoed, help us out with a soft 'Water Gun'." Misty said. Misty's two Pokémon reluctantly obeyed and fired two 'Water Guns' to act as a shower. "Alright, we'll get you nice and clean." Dawn said softly.

Dawn rubbed down the strange Pokémon and washed the dust and dirt off of it, revealing it to be a light green Pokémon with pink flowers on its head. "Ok, that's enough." Misty said.

"We need to dry it off with something." Dawn said. "Here, use this." Misty said. Misty handed Dawn her pink handkerchief, which gave Dawn a slight start. "Misty, are you sure?" Dawn asked. "I have Ash as my boyfriend; I don't need that thing now." Misty said with a smile.

Dawn smiled and wrapped the soft fabric around the Pokémon's wet body. "There, nice and clean." Dawn said sweetly.

"Mmm, that did feel nice." a voice said. "I'll bet it did." Dawn replied.

The group suddenly gasped. "Did it just…talk?" Misty asked.

"Although it was a little chilly…and perhaps if you'd been the tiniest bit gentler with the water…" it said again.

"Hey! My Pokémon did the best…wait a second, did anyone else…?" Misty paused. "Yeah, I heard it." Ash said. "Me too." Dawn added. "Brad, D. Shad?" Misty asked. "We're with you, but this is totally new for us." Brad replied.

"It must be telepathy." Brock said. "You mean like Lugia?" Misty asked. "Has to be." Ash replied. "So it can talk, don't stand there gaping, find out what's up." Brad said.

"Ok…where'd you come from?" Ash asked it. "From over there." it replied. "From over where?" Ash asked, confused.

"I said from over there!" the Pokémon said, growing irritated. "And I said whaddya mean by over there?" Ash asked again, his tone also growing irritated.

The Pokémon looked away and answered, "Well, if you had a little further from over here, and then you head over there…" the Pokémon paused and stopped talking. "Go ahead and finish." Misty said. "Hold on, something's not right." Brock said.

Upon hearing there was a problem, D. Shad moved in closer while Brock felt the Pokémon's forehead. "It's got a fever!" Brock exclaimed. "We've gotta get to the Pokémon Center! Everyone in the truck!" D. Shad exclaimed.

The group returned their Pokémon and piled into D. Shad's truck. D. Shad had left his Staraptor out for some reason. "Brad, take my truck and meet me at the Pokémon Center, I'll take whatever it is there myself to speed up the trip." D. Shad said.

"Got it, make it fast D." Brad replied. "Gimme the Pokémon, Dawn." D. Shad said. When Dawn moved to hand the Pokémon to D. Shad, it whimpered. "No!" it cried. D. Shad pulled back a bit.

"We don't have time to argue about this. Dawn, get on Staraptor, you're coming with me." D. Shad said. Dawn nodded and got out of the truck, she then hopped onto Staraptor's back, followed closely by D. Shad.

"Good luck guys, and be careful!" Misty shouted. D. Shad gave a two finger salute, and then took off on Staraptor. "Keep the little guy warm Dawn!" D. Shad yelled. Dawn held the ill Pokémon close to her heart to calm it, and to try and maximize shared warmth.

"Alright then, let's scram!" Brad exclaimed. Brad jammed down the gas-pedal to D. Shad's truck, and the engine roared as it sped down the open road.

At the Pokémon Center, D. Shad thanked Staraptor for getting them there, and the two rushed into the center, where Nurse Joy was working on some paperwork. "Nurse Joy! Nurse Joy! I've got a sick Pokémon here!" Dawn cried.

Nurse Joy immediately dropped what she was doing and called in a Chansey to help escort the Pokémon to the treatment room. They followed the Nurse to the room where some machines were ready to heal the Pokémon back to health.

"Will it be ok Nurse Joy?" Dawn asked worriedly. Just then, Ash and the others ran into the room where Nurse Joy was booting her laptop. "How's it doing?" Ash asked. "And another question, what is 'it'?" Misty added.

Nurse Joy put on a pair of red glasses and answered, "I'll have the answer to all of your questions in just a minute."

As Nurse Joy began clicking and typing on her laptop, windows of all sorts popped onto the screen, all of them containing information of the Pokémon inside the treatment room. "Luckily the fever wasn't severe, so the healing process is almost completed." Nurse Joy said.

This brought sighs of relief from everyone, but their curiosity was still eating at them. "Do you know what it is yet?" Misty asked. "That data is being fed into the computer now." Nurse Joy replied. After a bit more beeping from the computer, their answer was finally found.

"It's Shaymin, the Gratitude Pokémon…it does look awfully tired…but everything's just fine. And this little Shaymin's back to full health." Nurse Joy declared proudly.

"So we finally have something to call it." Misty said. "A Shaymin, so that's what it is." Ash said. "The Gratitude Pokémon." Dawn added.

"And I'm Brock, the Gratitude Person!" Brock exclaimed just as suddenly as passionately. Now D. Shad had not yet seen Brock's way of flirting, so he was startled by Brock's sudden loss of maturity and common sense.

"You think I'm funny D? Watch this." Brad snickered.

Brock continued his speech. "I'm grateful to have met you Nurse Joy, grateful! Now, will you go out with me? So grateful! Of course, we could always just be friends! Still more grateful!"

"Now watch this, and get ready to laugh." Brad snickered.

"Of course, we could always…" Brock groaned and fell to the floor after Croagunk stabbed his side with 'Poison Jab'. "Let's stick with the friend line." Brock groaned. And with that, the poison/fighting-type dragged the pained Breeder away.

"Ha ha ha ha! Does that happen often?" D. Shad asked. "At least once a day. When we go to the beach it's murder." Misty replied. "I don't think I could handle travelling with you guys, I'd die of laughter." D. Shad chuckled.

Just then, Chansey pushed Shaymin out of the treatment room. The group's attention was immediately averted to the small grass-type on the cart. "Where…where – where am I?" Shaymin wondered nervously.

Dawn placed Piplup onto the cart and ran into Shaymin's line of view with a huge smile on her face. "You're at the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy treated you and now you're all better!" Dawn said cheerfully.

"Oh please, I NEVER need healing. But I do get hungry." Shaymin replied. "That sure doesn't sound like gratitude to me." Ash mumbled. "Maybe WE'RE supposed to be grateful for Shaymin?" Misty shrugged.

"Let me handle this." Brad said. Brad walked up to the grass-type and looked at it with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't there something you'd like to say to Nurse Joy?" Brad asked. "Like what? I don't know who she is." Shaymin replied.

Brad sweat-dropped. "I mean you should thank her for getting you better." Brad said. "Weren't you listening? I don't need healing." Shaymin replied. Brad made a bigger sweat-drop and walked away. "I remember when saying please and thank you was common knowledge." he grumbled.

"Relax Brad; I think we should humor it for a while. After all, it was exhausted." Dawn said. Brad shrugged and watched Dawn do her thing.

"I'm glad you're feeling all better now. My name is Dawn, and my partner Piplup is behind you." Dawn said. Shaymin turned to face Piplup, only to get a good laugh when Piplup lost its balance and fell on its back.

"I've got just the thing for you. Try this, it's called a poffin. I made it myself!" Dawn held out a small, beige-colored treat for Shaymin to take. "Oh, thank you!" Shaymin took the poffin in its mouth and began to chew it.

"It said thank you." Ash mumbled. "I don't think Brad can believe it." Misty added. Misty pointed in the direction of the comedian who was doing his 'Put a Helmet On' routine in disbelief. Very faintly, the couple could hear him whisper to D. Shad, "What makes Dawn any different from Nurse Joy? It needs to thank her too."

"So?" Dawn asked, waiting for Shaymin's opinion on her homemade poffin. "It's ok I guess." Shaymin replied. "Now that you've had something to eat, don't you think you should thank Nurse Joy now?" Brad asked.

"For what?" Shaymin asked. Brad face-faulted at that comment. He quickly got back up and began to grumble again. "Totally oblivious, that has to be it."

Since introductions were being made, Misty decided that it was time to get her helping of credit for helping out.

"Well my name's Misty, my water-type Pokémon are the ones that got you all cleaned up." Misty said with a smile. "Oh, I don't like your Pokémon." Shaymin replied. Right then and there, Misty's smile became forced. "And…what's wrong with my Pokémon?" she asked.

"They gave me a cold shower; don't they know how to use hot water?" Shaymin asked. Misty straightened up, turned her back on the grass-type, and the forced smile quickly turned into a natural scowl. "Arrogant grass-type." she mumbled.

"Let me give it a try." Ash said, patting Misty on the shoulder. Misty turned to watch Ash give it a go, but her scowl remained.

"Hey, I'm Ash, and this is MY partner Pikachu." Ash said. Pikachu also greeted the grass-type, who at this time had finally swallowed Dawn's poffin. Instead of replying, Shaymin opened its mouth and let out a belch that caused smoke to come out of its mouth and spray Ash in the face.

Ash coughed and immediately backed away. He stumbled backwards and was caught by Misty who was standing behind him, both to help him and to use him as a shield. She remembered what happened the last time Shaymin came into contact with smoke. "Whoa, you're not gonna blow up, are you?" Ash asked nervously.

All of a sudden, the recovered Brock ran up to the cart to give his opinion. "Well, it did breathe in smoke from D. Shad's grill."

"Ah ha! That would be called 'Seed Flare'!" Nurse Joy exclaimed. "What's 'Seed Flare'?" Ash asked.

"When Shaymin breathes in polluted air, it purifies it in its body. Separating it into light and water and then expelling it. This process is called 'Seed Flare'." Nurse Joy explained.

"Wow, Shaymin you sure are something, aren't you?" Dawn said with amazement. "I am, aren't I?" Shaymin replied. "Cocky little sucker, ain't it?" D. Shad mumbled.

"There is one thing…" Nurse Joy said. "Uh oh, that's never good." Misty said.

"There was a Shaymin that used 'Seed Flare', and when it inhaled toxic air it destroyed a whole forest." Nurse Joy said. Upon hearing that, D. Shad stiffened. "Let me see that report." he said.

D. Shad read the reports that popped onto the screen, and his eyebrows slowly furrowed as he read. "If that little guy absorbed more toxicity than my little grill could make, Sonzonia City would be in ruins." D. Shad said seriously.

"I would say you owe me a big 'thank you'." Shaymin said. "We're supposed to tell YOU that! Don't forget we're the ones who took you to the Pokémon Center!" Ash said angrily.

"That was your idea." Shaymin replied. Ash growled furiously, and if Misty hadn't held him back, Nurse Joy might've had a serious job ahead of her.

"It's strange for a Shaymin to be all the way out here however." Nurse Joy said. "I shouldn't be here, should I?" Shaymin said. "So what happened?" Dawn asked.

"I was tossed all over the place, it was horrible." Shaymin said. "So that's how you got covered in all that dirt." Brock figured. "I know. So you're going to take me to the flower garden, right?" Shaymin asked.

"Uh, you should probably stay here and rest." Misty said. The apparently reenergized Shaymin got up and glared at Misty. "See here! I have to get to the Flower Garden and that's that!" Shaymin exclaimed.

"Ugh, Nurse Joy?" Misty asked, hoping for an answer. "Yes, for the Flower Bearing." Nurse Joy replied. "The what?" Brad asked.

"Shaymin have a custom. Once every season, a group of them gather together in a garden and migrate. And a new garden grows wherever they decide to stop. And that's where the name 'Flower Bearing' comes from." Nurse Joy explained.

"I'm going to fly off from the Flower Garden!" Shaymin exclaimed. "Whoa, Shaymin, you can fly?" Ash asked. "Don't tell me you can't?" Shaymin said.

"Of course I can't!" Ash said. "Aww, what a shame." Shaymin replied. "Nurse Joy, are you sure it's the Gratitude Pokémon?" Misty asked. Nurse Joy sweat-dropped. "Perhaps this is a special case." she said.

Shaymin hopped onto Ash's hat again, and tried to knock him off balance again. "Come on already! Let's go to the Flower Garden!" Shaymin exclaimed.

"Well, where is it?" Ash asked. "It's right over there!" Shaymin flicked Ash's neck into the direction it was pointing in, causing Ash to groan with both exasperation and pain. "I thought you said you could fly." Ash groaned.

"I can, but not now." Shaymin replied. "What's that supposed to mean anyway?" Ash asked. Misty grabbed Shaymin off of Ash's head, only to have Shaymin hop out of her hands and onto her head. "Come on; take me to the Flower Garden!" Shaymin squealed.

"I would, if you'd stop sending me in three directions at once!" Misty replied. Dawn grabbed Shaymin off of Misty's now aching head, and Shaymin surprisingly calmed down in Dawn's arms.

"No need to worry, you'll get to the Flower Garden because we'll ALL take you." Dawn said. "Hate to disappoint you, but Brad and I have to take off. I have to do my rounds and then I have to take Brad to the Sonzonia Train Station so he can head home." D. Shad said.

"That's ok, we've walked before, we can walk again." Ash said. "Thanks for everything guys, we hope we'll see you again soon!" Dawn exclaimed. "Knowing you guys, we'll see each other sooner than you think." Brad joked.

The group laughed and waved goodbye to the two blondes, who walked out of the Center and to D. Shad's truck. "I don't have to head home until next week, what's really on your mind?" Brad asked.

"There's no reason that Shaymin should've gotten beat up like that, plus the whole 'Seed Flare' thing made me nervous for the city. You and I have some research to do. How much damage can a Shaymin do, and how did Shaymin wind up the way it did?" D. Shad jammed down the gas-pedal, and they sped off.

Ash and Co. walked out of the Center with Shaymin on top of Ash's head again. "Ok, which way should we go?" Ash asked.

"This way!" Shaymin jerked Ash's head to the left. "No this way!" Shaymin jerked Ash's head in the opposite direction. "No THIS way!" Shaymin jerked it forward again, and Ash had had enough. "Make up your mind! he growled.

"Ok, that's it; you're done riding the Ash Express." Misty said. Misty grabbed Shaymin off of Ash's head once again, and Shaymin struggled to get free. "Let me go, I don't wanna go with you!" Shaymin strained.

"Fine. Here Dawn, Shaymin seems to like you." Misty huffed. Dawn took the small grass-type and pressed it against her heart. "So, which way Shaymin?" Dawn asked calmly. Shaymin didn't reply. In Dawn's embrace, Shaymin relaxed, and pink flowers bloomed on its back.

"Wow, it's like a bouquet!" Dawn exclaimed. "It's that way!" Shaymin exclaimed surely, pointing to the eastern side of the city. Dawn took off immediately, leaving the others behind.

"Ugh, could someone please explain which way 'that way' is?" Ash groaned. "Oh that's easy, 'that way' is that way." Misty joked, pointing her fingers in opposite directions. Ash and Brock got a chuckle out of that, and they took off after the Coordinator.

Meanwhile, D. Shad and Brad reached D. Shad's home, and D. Shad immediately went to work on his laptop. "You know D, if the Mayor knew you had the password to the city's security system, you'd be a criminal, not a hero." Brad joked.

D. Shad gave a small chuckle, but didn't look away from his laptop. "There, I'm in." D. Shad said. What D. Shad had hacked into was the city-wide security camera system. "I found the gang." D. Shad said.

D. Shad watched the group run using the series of different cameras. "Now I'll punch in the microphone code…" D. Shad punched in a few more figures, and sound began coming from the laptop. "You could have a living as a computer programmer." Brad joked.

D. Shad and Brad watched the group run without incident, but suddenly, Shaymin hopped out of Dawn's arms in a panic. "What's going on? Turn up the sound, D!" Brad exclaimed. D. Shad quickly raised the volume and watched the scene unfold.

"They're here!" Shaymin cried. "Who's here?" Dawn asked. "Them! They are!" Shaymin cried. Without warning, Team Rocket appeared and grabbed Shaymin off the ground.

"We put the 'they' in 'them'!" James snickered. "And of course, you put the 'T' in 'twerps'." Jessie cackled. Team Rocket took off with Shaymin in hand, and the teens pursuing.

D. Shad slammed his fist against the table and growled. "That's it, I'm taking care of those guys once and for all!" he roared. D. Shad grabbed Luxray and Staraptor's Pokéballs, when Brad stopped him. "Hold on, let's see how this plays out." Brad said calmly.

D. Shad averted his attention back to the screen to watch the scene continue. Team Rocket continued to run, until they were suddenly sucked up by one of the park's prism-like objects.

Dawn wasted no time grabbing Shaymin away from Team Rocket, who soon disappeared from sight from the strange portal. Soon after, the portal grabbed a hold of Dawn, who while holding Shaymin had nothing to grab onto.

Being the usual hero he was, Ash dove into the portal after her. "No! Ash! Dawn!" Misty tried to jump in after them, but the portal had vanished before Misty could try. "But how?" Brock panicked. "Give them back whatever you are!" Misty pounded her fists against the prism, trying to somehow reactivate the portal, but it didn't work.

"Are they gone?" Misty asked worriedly. "All we can do is wait." Brock replied. And so they sat themselves down in front of the prism, just hoping for anything to happen.

"D. Shad…did you just see what I think I saw?" Brad asked in awe. "I think we might be in trouble. Here, take this computer and give me a scan on whatever that was! We're getting to the bottom of this!" D. Shad handed Brad his own computer, and the two began working feverishly to find out what was going on.

Meanwhile, Ash and Dawn continued to fall, and they eventually landed on a platform in the strange world they had wound up in. "What's going on?" Dawn asked fearfully. "This is weird, I feel like I don't weigh anything." Ash added.

"I don't like this place. Please, get me out of here now!" Shaymin cried. Suddenly and without warning, a huge figure sped by them, and knocked them off the platform just with the sheer power of its momentum while flying past them.

They landed on a lower platform, and quickly turned around to see what had just knocked them over. "Was that a…Pokémon?" Dawn gasped. Whatever the thing was, it was dark, it was big, and it was coming closer. And to top it off, it didn't look happy to see them.

"It's going to eat me!" Shaymin squealed. After hearing that, Ash's blood raced. It was battle time! "Pikachu, quick, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu leaped off of Ash's shoulder and fired a furious electric-attack at the huge Pokemon.

Unfortunately, the Pokémon vanished out of thin air, and the attack made no contact. "Is it gone?" Dawn wondered out loud.

They turned around again and saw that the Pokémon had not left. "There it is!" Ash yelled.

"Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup fired, and had to be stopped by Pikachu before it wound up flying away thanks to the strange gravity.

The 'Bubblebeam' hit, but merely bounced off of the Pokémon's body. "It didn't do a thing!" Dawn cried. "Time for the heavy artillery…Charizard, I choose you!" Ash called out his dragon-like Pokémon, who roared almost as loudly as its new opponent did.

The Pokémon came around again and fired a huge blue fireball at the two teens. "Charizard, 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard roared and fired a blazing flame to try and counter the fireball. A huge explosion took place and the Pokémon retreated only to come around again. "Get ready Charizard!" Ash said. Charizard tensed its muscles for attack, when suddenly a man climbed onto the platform they were on.

"Stop it, all of you! You can't upset Giratina!" the man yelled. "That's a Giratina?" Ash asked. There was no time to answer; Giratina was coming around to attack again. "Quickly, this way!" the man exclaimed.

Ash hopped onto Charizard's back. And thanks to the strange lack of gravity, Charizard was able to carry everyone on its back. "Just follow his directions Charizard!" Ash ordered. Disappointed that he didn't get to keep fighting, Charizard complied and followed the man's directions.

"Alright, everyone off." the man said, hopping off Charizard's back. "But why? Charizard can carry us." Ash replied. That would prove to be wrong. The gravity suddenly changed back to normal, and Charizard dropped like a brick out of surprise.

"Whoa, my body feels normal again." Dawn said. "Sorry about that Charizard." Ash said with a sweat-drop. Charizard blew a small flame in Ash's direction, but smirked as he did it. Ash didn't want to risk another attack, so he allowed Charizard to remain outside of its Pokéball just in case his power was needed.

"Now that we've made it through the low-gravity zone, things'll be a little easier." the man explained. "Man, this is one weird place for sure." Ash said. "You get used to it." the man replied.

They ran into a shelter area, panting and gasping for breath. "Anybody hurt?" the man asked. "Well I managed not to get eaten." Shaymin replied.

"Are you the Shaymin from before?" the man asked. "Are you – who are you?" Shaymin replied. "Newton Graceland is the name. I'm in the process of researching the Reverse World. And just so you know, those among me in my field, I'm considered a genius if I do say so myself." Newton said proudly.

"Why doesn't he tell us what he REALLY thinks of himself?" Ash mumbled. "Humble guy." Dawn added. "What a weirdo." Shaymin added.

Newton sweat-dropped. "Come on, that's no way to treat someone who just saved your lives." he whined.

"I'm sorry. Thank you for saving us." Dawn said.

"My name's Ash."

"And I'm Dawn."

"Um, what exactly is the Reverse World?" Dawn asked. "And what's a Giratina?" Ash added. "Ahh, excellent questions those. Allow me to explain." Newton said.

"We're now in the middle of an alternate world. The location of which is exactly the opposite of reality! The force of gravity gets weaker and stronger here depending on where you happen to be. Which means here, we have a distorted world!" Newton explained.

While Ash and Dawn were listening to the story of the Reverse World, Misty and Brock were doing some investigating of their own. "Brock, look at this!" Misty exclaimed. The structure seemed to be wavering somehow. Brock attempted to touch it, but his finger went right through the structure. "What the…?"

"You see, two worlds coexist side by side with each other; they do not intersect at all! However Giratina, and ONLY Giratina, has the power to travel between these two worlds. And what's more, Giratina is the only Pokémon that even exists in this world! Which is to say that Giratina is the master of the Reverse World as it were." Newton explained.

"Well I don't like Giratina, that monster tried to eat me!" Shaymin squeaked. "Huh, why would that be?" Newton asked himself. Newton suddenly gasped. "Would you all perhaps like to go back to the real world?" he asked.

"You bet!" Ash replied. "I have to get to the Flower Garden right away!" Shaymin added. "Then in that case, there's not a moment to lose." Newton pressed a button on his backpack, and a miniature GPS system activated.

"Alright, there's still time. Come on, and be lively!" Newton said. The two teens glanced at each other, and then chased after the self-proclaimed genius.

"As time went by, I became obsessed with the Reverse World, and started researching it inexhaustibly! The next thing I knew, five years had gone by!" Newton laughed.

"Funny guy." Ash mumbled. "Well he SEEMS impressive." Dawn replied. "He's a weirdo." Shaymin added. Newton stumbled a bit after hearing that, but he pressed on without retaliating.

After a bit, he stopped in his tracks. "What's that?" Dawn asked. A strange, dark cloud was obstructing their path.

"When there are imbalances in the real world, this world corrects it and dictates the balance between time and space. Whenever this occurs, a black cloud appears." Newton explained, carefully walking around it.

The teens followed suit, but the curious Piplup decided to get a closer look. "Don't breathe it in! It's poisonous, one quick breath and you're done for!" Newton yelled. Charizard flapped its mighty wings and blew the cloud away from the panicked Piplup.

Piplup's face was bluer than usual due to lack of breath. Piplup fell down with exhaustion, and Charizard picked it up and carried it. "Thanks Charizard." Ash said. Charizard nodded and pressed on.

As they continued, more and more of the poisonous clouds appeared all around. "You see, once time and space – two dimensions that never should've met – collided with each other, and unraveled each other." Newton continued,

"Dialga and Palkia both thought that their territories had been violated, so they began fighting fiercely. As a result, both time and space were bent violently, and the sum total of the Reverse World started overflowing with this toxicity." Newton continued,

"Giratina was absolutely furious with Dialga and Palkia for defiling its home, so it made its way to the real world and proceeded to capture Dialga. However…thanks to Shaymin's 'Seed Flare', Dialga managed to escape." Newton concluded his explanation.

"Wow, so that's why Giratina's angry." Dawn figured. "Right. Angry with Shaymin." Newton replied. "Really REALLY angry." Shaymin added nervously. Dawn gave Shaymin a squeeze, and it relaxed in her arms and its back bloomed with flowers again.

"But that's not all! Giratina can no longer go into the real world because of Dialga!" Newton exclaimed. "Serves Giratina right. Let the punishment fit the crime." Shaymin said.

Ash would've been angry at Shaymin, but a floating sphere caught his attention. "Look, it's Misty and Brock!" Ash exclaimed. "You're right! They're still back there waiting for us!" Dawn added.

Brock was done exploring, so he dropped to his knees along with Misty, who had given up on searching a while ago. "Come on guys, where are you?" he groaned.

"Misty! Brock! Guys, can you hear us?" Ash yelled. Ash tried to touch the sphere, when Newton tried to stop him. "No, don't rip the…!" It was too late. The sphere popped in Ash's hand and supposedly nothing happened. But in the real world, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Misty and Brock were knocked back by an unseen force, and were now more confused than ever. "Anybody get the license plate of the truck?" Misty asked, looking around nervously. "I don't think anything hit us." Brock replied.

"Then why does my arm feel numb?" Misty asked. "Where'd you land on it?" Brock replied. Misty pointed to her elbow. "You probably hit your funny bone, give it some time, you'll get feeling back." Brock said.

"Newton, what happened?" Ash panicked. "If something gets destroyed here, it has a big influence on the real world. Any changes on those bubbles, gets reflected in the real world." Newton explained.

"Wait, are our friends ok?" Dawn asked nervously. "Guess you'll have to find out when you get out of here." Newton replied. "Oh no…" Ash mumbled.

Dawn caught Ash's comment. "I'm sure Misty's fine, no need to worry." she said comfortingly. Ash forced a smile at her, but his worry didn't decrease any.

Ash would've lost all focus if it weren't for Newton speaking up. "Now gravity gets strange again starting right here. But it can be kinda fun, our destination is straight ahead!"

"Race ya!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash shrugged and decided to play along. Maybe it'd get his mind off of Misty. The race didn't last long however, due to Giratina's return. Charizard's muscles tensed as Giratina loomed over them.

"Let's run!" Shaymin cried. Shaymin hopped out of Dawn's arms and onto Ash's head, forcing Ash to lose control of his body again. Ash managed to leap to another platform without falling deep into the unknown, but now Giratina was making its move.

Ash leaped to try and stay out of Giratina's grasp, and just barely missed getting his head taken off by the gaping jaws of the enormous Pokémon. Ash fell to the ground with a soft thud, and the first thing he saw in front of him was his hat, but no Shaymin.

Shaymin had been taken away by Giratina in its mouth. "Oh no! Charizard, get Shaymin back!" Ash yelled. Charizard roared and opened its wings for takeoff, when Ash's hat suddenly started vibrating. "Hold it Charizard!" Ash yelled.

Charizard relaxed slightly, but no more. It still wanted to take on Giratina. They surrounded the hat and were incredibly relieved when Shaymin had somehow managed to get under Ash's hat. "You people need to get on the ball." Shaymin said.

Despite the attitude Shaymin just gave them, the group sighed with relief. "Wait a sec, if you're here, then what does Giratina have?" Dawn asked.

Her question was answered when the thing Giratina was holding suddenly disintegrated inside of its mouth. "Substitute'. I must say, I'm impressed." Newton said. "Sorry, but flattery will get you nowhere." Shaymin replied.

Unfortunately for the group, Giratina was enraged by Shaymin's deception, so it came around again for round two. "I don't think Giratina's too happy about it though." Dawn said.

"Alright Charizard, this is what you've been waiting for! Hold off Giratina any way you can!" Ash yelled. Charizard took off to meet with Giratina in the sky, and started firing 'Flamethrowers' and 'Dragon Breaths' at the huge Pokémon.

With the barrage of attacks being sent at it, Giratina was forced to divert its attention from Shaymin to Charizard, and Giratina wasted no time doing so.

"We've got to go! Hurry!" Newton shouted. The group ran as well as they could with messed up gravity, while Charizard did his very best to hold off Giratina.

Now that Charizard had attracted Giratina's attention, it was forced to go on the defensive. Giratina disappeared from sight and confused the Flame Pokémon, and then reappeared to knock Charizard off balance.

"Charizard can't hold on much longer!" Ash yelled. "It won't have to! The portal's over there! You can't get in from there, but you should be able to get out! Hurry and jump!" Newton exclaimed.

Piplup was the first to jump through the hole, and almost immediately Piplup's head came out of the structure that Misty and Brock were waiting in front of.

"Look, it's Piplup!" Misty exclaimed. "And Pikachu too!" Brock added. Pikachu had popped out next. And Dawn was following closely.

Since Dawn was obviously bigger than the two Pokémon that went before her, she got stuck before the lower half of her body could get out. Brock grabbed her by the arms and pulled her out, knocking himself down in the process. "But where's Ash?" Misty asked worriedly.

Ash was still in the Reverse World, watching Charizard dodge numerous attacks by Giratina. "Charizard!" Ash yelled.

Charizard turned for a split-second and saw Ash waving him down. Charizard wasted no time in retreating. It wanted to fight Giratina, but it hadn't counted on Giratina's immense strength. Ash reached for Charizard's Pokéball and returned the dragon-like Pokémon to where it belonged.

"Thanks for your help Charizard; you may have just saved our lives again." Ash said to the Pokémon now encased in its ball.

"Are you coming too Newton?" Ash asked. "I've still got some things to tend to here. Now hurry or you won't be able to get out!" Newton exclaimed.

Ash tried to get through, but he felt a force trying to push him back, so he nervously backed off. Newton pushed him forward again. "Giratina can see into the real world, so watch your step, and also beware of mirrors!" Newton yelled.

Ash fought against the push of the portal and was shocked when his hand suddenly felt normal. He felt a soft and familiar hand reach out and grab it, and his heart skipped a beat when he realized that Misty was alive and well.

Misty yanked Ash out of the structure with all her might, and wound up on her back with Ash lying on top of her when he was finally released.

Before she got the chance to say anything, Ash had embraced her in an almost desperate hug. "Misty I'm so glad to see you! I thought I had killed you!" he said quickly.

Ash said it so fast that Misty couldn't comprehend what he had just said. "Ok Ash, first, get off of me. And second, what did you say?" Misty said.

Ash released his red-headed girlfriend and got up and dusted himself off. "I thought...I had killed you, AND Brock." Ash said. "Well we're obviously alive, so relax." Misty replied.

"Where did you guys go?" Brock asked. "To the Reverse World!" Ash replied. "Huh? What's that?" Brock asked. "And where's Newton?" Dawn added.

"He stayed back there…and he said 'beware of mirrors'." Ash replied. "What's wrong with mirrors?" Misty asked. She got her answer when the reflective structure wavered like water and Giratina flew by it. "It's coming this way!" Shaymin squealed.

"What was that?" Misty asked nervously. "This place is dangerous! Come on, let's go!" Ash exclaimed. Ash took off in the direction furthest away from anything reflective and was soon followed by his friends. "Guys, tell us what's going on!" Brock yelled.

"I'll tell you everything as soon as we're out of danger!" Ash replied. "Out of danger from what?" Misty asked. "Giratina." Ash replied simply.

"Brad look! They're back!" D. Shad exclaimed suddenly. Brad put down his computer and watched the group that was on the run again. "D, we're not gonna get anywhere with this, I say we go and ask some witnesses." Brad suggested.

D. Shad nodded and grabbed his Pokéball belt and laptop. "Get ready Brad, this could be a long day for all of us."  
_

**A/N: Well guys, that was part one of the three part movie. I hope you thought the cliff-hanger was well placed and effective. Also, PikachuXBuneary...whaddya think? I'm currently working on part two right now. You see, I'm homeschooled, and so school doesn't get in the way for me as much as other authors. Which only further proves that I need to speed up my writing. I have no excuse to take as long as I did. Bear with me folks. Oh yeah, please review!**


	30. Giratina and the Sky Warrior: Part 2

**Well guys, here's part 2 of the three part movie. I'm glad you guys reviewed the last chapter and I humbly ask that you continue to review. Only one more chapter before we're done with Giratina! Keep me going guys!**  
**_**

Chapter 30

Normal POV

"A Giratina? In the Reverse World? Man, I wish I could've seen that." Brock said. "Speak for yourself! I'm perfectly happy here in the nice and safe real world." Misty said.

"I'm with Misty on this one. If you had gone, you would've seen how dangerous it was." Dawn said. "Thanks to me we're all safe and sound. Aren't you grateful I'm around?" Shaymin said.

"What? You're the one who got us into this mess in the first place! And you didn't do a thing! If Charizard hadn't held Giratina off, you'd be digested by now!" Ash pointed an accusing finger at Shaymin.

"Ash, calm down." Misty said soothingly. "I'm sorry Misty, but I've had it up to here with this Shaymin! I think it's time for Shaymin to step up to the plate!" Ash yelled.

"I think it's time for you to get me to the Flower Garden!" Shaymin exclaimed. "Instead of yapping about the Flower Garden, tell me where it is so we can just drop you off already!" Ash growled.

Shaymin hopped onto Ash's head and started pointing his head in directions again. "It's over there, no wait it's over there!"

Ash practically ripped Shaymin off of his head and growled. "You know what I think? I think you know where it is and you're doing this to me on purpose!" Ash growled. "How long did it take for you to figure that out?" Shaymin asked.

Dawn suddenly grabbed Shaymin from Ash before he squeezed the life out of the grass-type. "I need a vacation from this vacation." Ash mumbled. Misty patted the seat next to her, offering Ash a chance to cool off and enjoy some time with her.

Ash flashed a quick smile, but before he could sit down, what seemed like hundreds of Magnemite and Magneton suddenly surrounded them. "Oh man, NOW what's going on?" Ash asked nervously.

Just then, a tall man with snow-white hair that covered his right eye hovered above them on a strange hovercraft. The man wore what looked like a Giratina outfit, and his sidekick was the leader of the Magnemite and Magneton group: A Magnezone.

"I'll just take that Shaymin off your hands." the man said coolly. "Man, Shaymin sure is popular around here." Misty said. "He must wanna eat me too!" Shaymin squealed.

"Uh, I don't think that's what he wants." Brock said with a sweat-drop. "Ok, who are you? And how do you know our Shaymin?" Dawn shouted. "I sure don't know him!" Shaymin exclaimed.

"Well he's not a trainer." Brock said. "Maybe he's a Bounty Hunter? We ran into Hunter J yesterday." Misty suggested. "But what would a Bounty Hunter want with Shaymin?" Dawn asked.

"I assure you, my profession is not of such self-centered origin. Magnezone, 'Mirror Shot', now!" the man ordered.

Magnezone moved in to fire and charged the attack. "Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash countered. Pikachu fired to counter the steel-type move. The resulting explosion from the attacks colliding scattered most of the Magnemite and Magneton.

"Don't let them escape!" the man yelled. The remaining Magnemite and Magneton surrounded them once again, leaving no room to move. "Now, capture Shaymin!"

Before they could carry out his order, the Magnemite and Magneton were blasted by a 'Flamethrower' and a 'Thunderbolt' out of nowhere.

"It's Brad and D. Shad!" Misty exclaimed. "Come on! Let's blow this place!" Brad yelled from the window of the passenger seat of D. Shad's truck. Ash and Co. leaped off the nearby bench and into the back of D. Shad's pick-up, where Luxray and Torkoal had fired off their attacks.

As soon as the last of the teens had jumped into the back, D. Shad gunned the engine and sped off. "After them! They mustn't escape!" the strange man yelled. The Magnezone led its devolved forms through the streets of Sonzonia City, chasing after the group and their getaway vehicle.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ash asked. "You really thought I wanted to go back home already? Please." Brad joked. "We saw it all using the security cameras around the city! Now you mind telling us what the heck's going on here?" D. Shad asked.

"Maybe now's not a good time?" Brock said in panic. The Magnemite and Magneton were firing at them still, and D. Shad was weaving in and out to avoid the attacks.

"That's it, I've had it. Brad, where are we?" D. Shad asked. "We're almost at the train station." Brad replied.

"Perfect. Quick! Look in the glove compartment and grab my gauntlet!" D. Shad exclaimed suddenly. Brad opened the glove compartment and saw what he was talking about: A black glove with sockets in the knuckles.

"Lock and load Brad! Use these!" With his free hand, D. Shad handed Brad a handful of smoke pellets. Brad loaded them into the gauntlet sockets and stuck his hand inside of the glove. "Now what?" Brad asked.

"Use your mind!" D. Shad yelled. "Geez D, I know what you want me to do but how does it work?" Brad replied just as loudly. "No! I mean literally use your mind! It responds to thought! Just imagine yourself firing!" D. Shad yelled.

Brad stuck his head and left hand out the window and yelled. "Get down!"

The group responded by ducking as low as they could get. Brad fired the smoke pellets and they exploded right in front of the pursuing Magne-army.

As the smoke spread out, the Magnemite and Magneton floated around in a haze until the smoke cleared. By that time, D. Shad had lost them.

D. Shad parked the truck and rushed everyone out of it. "Hey, where'd you get this puppy? It's got some serious 'oomph' in it." Brad said.

"Never mind Brad, just let me have it!" D. Shad exclaimed. "It can't be that easy, those Magnemite and Magneton were really bent on catching us." Brock said.

"We're not done yet! We're taking the train!" D. Shad exclaimed. "But how do we get on without tickets?" Misty asked. "You leave that to me." D. Shad replied.

After returning their Pokémon, the group ran to the conductor of the train, who naturally stopped them. "Tickets please?" he said. "This is an emergency! We must get on this train!" D. Shad exclaimed. "And who are you that makes this situation any different from any other 'emergency'?" the conductor asked.

"Simple. I'm Darkness Shadow." D. Shad replied. The conductor dropped the pen and paper he was holding and gasped. "The Guardian of Sonzonia City! Y-Y-You can use my train anytime you like!" the conductor said excitedly.

D. Shad nodded and hopped onto the train, and then the rest of the group followed him on. The conductor was just getting over being star-struck, when the Magnemite and Magneton suddenly appeared again.

"Nyehh! He wasn't kidding!" Luckily everyone had already boarded, so the conductor quickly closed the doors and sent the train on its way.

After a few minutes, one of the train stewards walked up to D. Shad with a huge grin on her face. "Is there anything I can do to make your ride more comfortable Mr. Shadow? she squeaked. "Uh, yeah. Go and do your job so I can handle mine." D. Shad replied.

"Whatever you say!" the steward nodded like a bobble-head doll and squealed to her fellow steward who was waiting for her return.

"Boy, you sure are famous around here." Ash said. "I did say my friends got to call me D. Shad. Everyone knows me as Darkness Shadow. But being a 'celebrity' has its disadvantages…she was one of them." D. Shad replied.

"At any rate, we lost those Magnemite and Magneton at the train station." Misty said. "Good. Now you can finally tell us what's happening here." Brad said. Before Ash could get the chance to explain however…

"I'm hungry." Shaymin tugged on Ash's ear as if it was edible, and then released it when Shaymin found that it wasn't so. "Stop it!" Ash barked.

Misty sighed and took Shaymin off of Ash's shoulder and into Dawn's arms, where Shaymin enjoyed being the most anyway. "(Giggle) You ok Ash?" Misty asked. "No, I'm not." Ash replied.

"I loved whatever I had this morning." Shaymin said. "You mean my dessert pancakes? We're out of those." Brock said. "It's ok, I still have some poffins." Dawn said.

Dawn handed the grass-type one of her signature poffins, and it munched it down hungrily. "Dawn, you're wonderful! Way nicer than Ash." Shaymin said, giving Ash an annoyed expression.

"Oh yeah?" Ash growled. Ash got up in Shaymin's face and grimaced, but Shaymin had a simple way to get him to back off: Burp.

Shaymin belched a puff of black smoke in Ash's face, and that backed him up FAST. "Why you little…" Ash raised his fist at the grass-type who squealed in fear. "I'm scared!"

Dawn became a human shield for Shaymin and blocked it from Ash's rage. "Now you just stop that." she said. "You saw that burp!" Ash said.

"Shaymin didn't mean to, right?" Dawn asked. "Certainly not." Shaymin replied with a grin. "Told you Ash. So, let's go then." Dawn said. "Chop chop." Shaymin added.

Dawn walked past the group and took a seat next to a man and his wife, with Shaymin happily tucked in her arms.

"Don't let it get to you Ash, not every Pokémon in the world is going to consider you their friend." Misty said. "Gee Mist, thanks. That makes me feel tons better." Ash groaned. Misty planted a kiss on Ash's cheek and then went to join Dawn and Shaymin.

"You know D. Shad, I'm glad we made it onto this train and everything, but where are we going?" Brock asked. "That's a good question. Guess we'll just have to wait and see." D. Shad replied with a smirk.

"Now if you would be so kind as to explain the situation?" Brad asked. And so Ash explained the story of his experience in the Reverse World, and the story Newton told him and Dawn about Dialga and Palkia.

"…Whoa." was all Brad could say. As for D. Shad, his eyebrows furrowed and his mind raced. "I get the feeling that you'll need all the help you can get from this point on, so you can count on us to stick with you guys until the end." D. Shad finally said.

Ash and Brock nodded and went to join their friends and sit down. When they got there however, they saw the young man explaining the story of how he got to see the Shaymin Flower Bearing when he was younger.

There was an older, overweight woman sitting on the other side of the train with a Smeargle, saying how lucky he was to get to see the bearing. And that luck also explained how he managed to get such a beautiful wife.

The married couple both blushed a soft pink at that comment. Despite all that, it was obvious that Shaymin was the center of attention, and was loving every bit of it. There were three children there with a Teddiursa, and the youngest girl was squealing with delight. "It's so cute!"

The next oldest one was a boy, and he decided to tease his younger sister. "It's gonna bite!" he said menacingly. The little girl fell for it hook, line, and sinker, and his behind her Teddiursa in fear.

The oldest one was a boy as well; a responsible one as he told the child there was nothing to be afraid of. Shaymin supported the comfort. "I don't bite."

"May I hold it?" the married woman asked. "Of course!" Dawn handed Shaymin over to the young woman who gave it a soft squeeze in her arms. "There there." she said softly. Shaymin relaxed in the embrace and snuggled into her soft, right hand. The flowers on Shaymin's back bloomed once more, showing its happiness.

The entire crowd awed at the sight, Dawn most of all of course. Her light-blue eyes were actually sparkling with awe.

"Shaymin sure likes you." Misty said. "Yes, I suppose so." the woman giggled. Poor Brock was fighting every instinct in his body to make a move on the woman; her intense beauty was torturing him. The fact that she was married tortured him more.

"I know that look in your eye Brock; do you need me to take you away?" Misty asked with one eyebrow raised. "Yes please." Brock strained. Misty sighed, got up from her seat, and dragged Brock away by the ear, with 'ow' ringing through the corridor every so often.

"What happened to your friend?" the woman asked. "Let's just say Brock suffers from over-exposure to Cupid's arrows." Brad joked. After locking Brock in the bathroom of the train, Misty returned and retook her seat.

"He'll be fine now." Misty said with a smile. Ash and the others sweat-dropped. "You know, those flowers your husband is holding looks a lot like Shaymin does right now." Misty said.

"You're right, they're like twins!" the woman exclaimed. "What kind of flowers are those?" Dawn asked. Gracidea Flowers, Dawn." the older woman replied.

"I suppose there's a story behind them?" Dawn asked. "Yeah, there is. But I'm not the story-telling type." D. Shad said, glancing over to Brad. "Don't look at me; I dunno what you guys are talking about." Brad said nervously.

"Then I'll explain it." the older woman said, "Around these parts, if you really wanna show someone your gratitude you send them a bouquet of Gracidea Flowers since they look like Shaymin the Gratitude Pokémon."

"It's wonderful that I'm getting to hold the real thing." the married woman said happily. "You're grateful, right?" Shaymin asked. The woman giggled at that. "Yeah." she said.

Ash could be seen rolling his eyes. He had quite honestly had enough of that over-bloated ego of Shaymin's. "You better be careful with that one, it could blow up at any moment!" Ash exclaimed. The group gasped, but Shaymin would have the last word.

"I don't do that to nice people." Shaymin said with a smile. "And I guess I'm not nice then." Ash grunted. "Now you're catching on." Shaymin replied. Ash growled and sat himself down in an empty booth, trying to maintain whatever self-control he had left.

"For the sake of changing the subject, Leyla and all her friends are heading back to their hometown." Dawn said. "It's my great-grandmother's 100th birthday. She took such good care of me when I was a little girl so I thought I would send her a bouquet of Gracidea Flowers to show my gratitude." Leyla explained.

The curious Shaymin sniffed the flowers in front of it, and then it suddenly started to glow brightly. All of a sudden, Shaymin changed shape and floated right out of Leyla's arms. Shaymin landed on next to Ash on the seat he was sitting on. When the glow finally dissipated, Shaymin glared at Ash with a smirk.

Shaymin hopped off of Ash's head, making him even angrier. And then started flying around the train, laughing and enjoying its newly found power. "It's flying…" Ash said, apparently forgetting he was angry.

"What just happened here? The tribble just turned into a reindeer." Brad said. "You see, Shaymin turn into Sky Form when they come in contact with Gracidea Flowers." Leyla's husband explained.

"Is that part of the Flower Bearing?" Dawn asked. "Right. The Shaymin gather in the Gracidea Garden where they change into Sky Form and fly off." Leyla's husband explained.

"Do you know where the Gracidea Garden is?" Brock asked. "We're looking for it!" Ash added. "Excuse me, coming through, follow me everyone!" the older woman said.

The group did just that and followed the woman through the train cars. She eventually found a map of the area. "Ok, check out this map. Here's where we are right now, if you transfer to a boat at the next station, the Gracidea Garden will be around here. You picked a good time because the flowers are ready to bloom!" the older woman explained.

"No wonder Shaymin was in a hurry." Misty said. "Exactly! I have to get there right away, my friends are all there! If I don't make it before the flowers bloom, I'll be left behind!" Shaymin exclaimed.

"But what about Giratina? According to Ash and Dawn, it was pretty ticked off at you." D. Shad said. "Giratina was a problem, but I'm fine now! I can fly there anytime I want!" Shaymin replied.

"I wanna see the Flower Bearing too!" Dawn exclaimed. "Yeah me too! I can't wait to see it!" Ash added. "That makes three of us." Misty added.

"Lemme tell ya, it's something to see." Shaymin said proudly. "Well duh, it's not something to taste." Brad joked. "Funny man. Laugh this off!" Shaymin flew over to Brad and belched in his face, making yet another smoke cloud.

"And here I thought the smoke was gone already." Brad coughed. "Never underestimate a Shaymin!" Shaymin replied.

All of a sudden, the hairs on D. Shad's neck started to tingle. "Guys, I smell trouble." D. Shad growled. "I SEE trouble! Look out the window!" Misty cried.

Outside the window, the Magnezone had tracked them down and brought its army with it. "I should've known they wouldn't give up." D. Shad growled.

The electric/steel-types broke through the windows of the train and slowly moved in on the group. "What do they want?" Leyla asked fearfully. "They're all trying to capture Shaymin!" Dawn replied.

"There's no way you're ever gonna get me!" Shaymin exclaimed. Shaymin flew circles around the Magnemite and Magneton, disorienting and confusing them. Shaymin then landed and fired a powerful 'Energy Ball', knocking one of the Magneton out the broken window.

"Told ya!" Shaymin exclaimed cockily. "Brad, get Leyla and her husband to safety, we'll handle these jokers!" D. Shad roared. Brad nodded and escorted the married couple to the next car.

"Alright Lucario, let's get the fun started!" D. Shad sent out his fighting/steel-type to battle against the Magnemite and Magneton.

"Pikachu, use 'Iron Tail'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu hopped along the seats of the train and swung its tail into one of the Magneton; the Magneton got knocked out the window and ran into another Magneton, KO'ing both of them.

"Wow, well done." Shaymin said sincerely. "Pikachu." (Thanks.) Pikachu replied. The congratulations would be short-lived however; there was still a lot of work to do.

"Misty calls Politoed!" Misty's frog-Pokémon emerged and awaited orders. "Use 'Water Gun'!" Politoed fired and sent a lot of Magnemite and Magneton to the floor, sopping wet. "Now Lucario, use 'Rock Climb'!" D. Shad ordered.

Lucario moved in for the kill. It knocked out all the Magnemite and Magneton that Politoed had knocked to the floor by sending them out the window with their friends.

"Now Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Per Dawn's instruction, Piplup fired and knocked yet another pile of electric/steel-types to the floor, only to have Lucario use 'Rock Climb' and clean up their mess.

The battle continued with Pikachu using 'Volt Tackle' to knock a few more out the window. Piplup used 'Whirlpool' and sent a bunch more out. Lucario's 'Force Palm' literally punched them out. Politoed's 'Double Slap' hit them back and forth in all directions. And Shaymin's 'Energy Ball' was practically detonating them all.

Eventually, only one lone Magneton was left unharmed, and Pikachu finished it off with a furious 'Thunderbolt'.

"Ha! That'll teach them to mess with us!" Misty cheered. High-fives were being sent all around, until the powerful Magnezone decided to take matters into its own hands. Magnezone crashed through the last window that had been left unbroken and tried to enter it.

But its large size was making it difficult for it to get through. It roared pure rage in its garbled language, determined to get the job done and capture Shaymin.

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt', let's go!"

"Politoed, use 'Water Gun'!"

"Piplup, 'Bubblebeam', now!"

The three attacks were fired at the electric/steel-type, but it held its ground and growled furiously.

"That's it! Lucario, finish the job with 'Aura Sphere'!"

Lucario hopped onto the seat and charged a large sphere of aura energy, and with the help of Shaymin's 'Energy Ball', they managed to knock Magnezone out the window and sent it crashing into the tunnel the train was about to enter.

"Every last one of them!" Shaymin cheered. "Have you changed a little, or is it just me?" Brock asked. "It's 'thank Shaymin time'." Shaymin said cockily. "It's just you Brock." Ash said with a sweat-drop.

"Now all you have to do is get on the ship at the next station and you'll be on your way." the older woman said. "Wait a sec! How are we gonna get on without tickets?" Misty asked.

"Oh ye of little faith. Leave that to me." D. Shad said with a smirk. The train finally pulled into the next station, and the group got off the train. Needless to say that the teens were a little more wary than Brad and D. Shad, they were half expecting Magnezone to show up again.

Luckily, the air was clear of electric/steel-types, which meant they could finally relax. Of course Shaymin didn't exactly want to relax anymore. With its newfound power and energy, Shaymin couldn't sit still for more than two seconds. Dawn was perfectly fine with it, but Ash and Misty were getting a little irritated by the constant flying around. "Shaymin's making my head spin." Misty whispered to Ash. "Yeah, no kidding." Ash whispered back.

After the older woman pointed out which ship they needed to get on, D. Shad did his thing. The group walked up to the Captain of the ship, who was busy marking off his passengers. "Excuse me; we need to get on this ship." D. Shad said.

Without looking up, the Captain answered, "Nothin' doin' pally. Nobody gets on this here ship unless you're on this here list, and I don't care who you are."

"Really? I figured you'd enjoy having Darkness Shadow on your boat." D. Shad said with a smirk. The Captain looked up from his paper, and just like the Conductor of the train, he dropped his pen and paper and stammered, "D-Darkness Shadow! You wanna get on my boat?"

"Yeah, me and my friends here, but since we're not on the list, I guess we'll just have to leave." D. Shad shrugged. "W-W-Wait a minute, wait a minute!" the Captain quickly picked up his pen and paper and flipped through the pages of passengers.

As discreetly as a man in plain sight could, the Captain grabbed his pen and scribbled something onto the last page of paper. "See? You ARE on this here list!" the Captain exclaimed.

The paper said "Darkness and friends" in messy print, but it would definitely do the trick. "Well guys, we're on the list, let's get moving!" D. Shad said.

The group walked up the ramp to the ship and leaned onto the metal bars that bordered it. After a while, the Captain finally cast off, and the ship began its journey. From shore, Leyla, her husband, and all their friends shouted out "goodbyes" and good lucks", and the group sent them right back at them with interest.

It took a while before the port couldn't be seen anymore, but once that did happen, it looked like they had entered a snowy paradise. "Brock, isn't this part of the sea?" Dawn asked.

"D. Shad would probably be able to explain it better since we're still in his territory, but according to this pamphlet I picked up, a glacier wore away the mountain here and created this valley a long time ago." Brock replied.

"A glacier? You mean like the ice age and stuff?" Misty asked. Brock turned the page and found an artist's conception of what the glacier would look like if it was still there. "Like this. Ice has been covering and wearing away at this mountain for tens of thousands of years!" Brock explained.

"Whoa! Makes me cold just thinking about it!" Dawn wrapped herself in her arms, trying to think warm thoughts to counter the cold ones.

"And there's also a glacier located deep in the flower garden we're heading to now." Brock explained. "Just goes to show you the awesome power of water." Misty said. "Uh Mist, ice did this, remember?" Ash asked.

"What do you think ice is Ash?" Misty asked. "It's frozen water, but it's not really WATER in a sense, it's ice." Ash said.

"Ice is frozen water, that makes it water." Misty said.

"Ice is frozen water, but it's not called water once it's frozen." Ash countered.

"But if you were to thaw it out, it would be water!" Misty shouted.

"And if it stayed frozen, it'd still be ice, not water!" Ash countered just as loudly.

"Water!"

"Ice!"

"WATER!"

"ICE!"

At that moment, Brad came up from behind the quarreling couple and put helmets on their heads. "What are these for?" Ash asked. "Well, if you two are gonna butt heads with each other, I figured the least I could do was to tell you to PUT A HELMET ON!" Brad yelled.

"Very funny." Ash and Misty mumbled. The couple took the helmets off and tossed them back at the comedian. "So you won't be needing these I assume?" Brad asked. "We're fine Brad, really." Misty said.

Brad nodded and walked away. Now Ash and Misty had some awkward apologizing to do. "We did it again, didn't we?" Misty said timidly. "Yeah…guess we did." Ash replied just as shyly.

"Sorry about all that Ash." Misty said. "Yeah, me too Mist." Ash replied. The two embraced each other while Dawn and Brock tried to keep their lunch down watching it. Shaymin however, had other plans.

Laughing, Shaymin flew around them in circles, dizzying them and confusing them. Then it swooped right down the middle, forcing the two to separate prematurely. "Hey! Mind your own business!" Misty shouted.

"I am minding my own business; I need you guys to stay focused if I'm going to get to the Flower Garden." Shaymin replied. It was Misty's turn to growl now. She had to summon every bit of self-control she had in order to keep from murdering Shaymin. The whole time she had kept her cool because Shaymin was messing with just Ash, but Shaymin interrupted THEIR moment, that was not acceptable.

"Uh, hey Misty! Check out all the water-Pokémon out there!" Dawn exclaimed, changing the subject. The enraged water-trainer turned her attention to the large group of Spheal, Sealeo, and Walrein that were relaxing on an iceberg, and her attitude quickly mellowed.

All sorts of ocean-dwelling Pokémon could be seen from the sparkling water. Finneon and Lumineon shined through the oceanic-water, and the Spheal were doing somersaults with joy.

Shaymin couldn't resist. With its new sky form, Shaymin blasted skywards. Even passing a few clouds didn't stop it, Shaymin climbed still higher.

Eventually Shaymin swooped down at amazing speed and cheered with joy. It was having the time of its life in sky form, and it didn't want it to end.

However, Piplup didn't appreciate being left out of the fun, so it jumped off of the railing and flapped its wings frantically. Unfortunately, Piplup was one of the flightless types of birds, so it plopped into the water with a small splash.

"Aah! Piplup!" Dawn cried. "Chill out, Piplup's fine, it's in its element in the water." Misty said. All the group had to do was wait until Piplup shot out of the water like a geyser and dove back into the water with a graceful swan dive.

"See? What'd I tell you?" Misty said, now completely happy. As Shaymin and Piplup played together near the water's surface, Ash called out Staravia.

"Pikachu, you wanna fly with them?" Ash asked. "Hey! You think Staravia can handle Azurill too? It needs some time out of its Pokéball." Misty said.

"Star, Staravia!" (Hop on!)

"I'll take that as a yes." Ash said. Misty called out Azurill, gave it a quick nuzzle, and then the two Pokémon hopped onto the back of the bird and flew off. "Now be careful!" Misty exclaimed.

Staravia took off with Pikachu and Azurill riding on its back. Meeting up with Shaymin in the sky, Staravia and Shaymin soared through the air together, enjoying the feeling of flight and the wind in their faces.

They swooped back down to the water's surface, where Piplup tried its hand at flying again. It hopped out of the water and flapped its wings desperately. It held out a little longer this time, but Piplup eventually gave up due to fatigue and fell back to the water with an awkward splash.

The group was having a ball watching their Pokémon enjoy themselves. But their attention was quickly averted when the ship came next to a waterfall. The light from the sun shined on the mist of the flowing waterfall, creating a gorgeous rainbow.

Misty leaned her head onto Ash's shoulder as she gazed at the natural beauty of the waterfall. "(Sigh) It's beautiful." she said softly. Ash wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, he also was staring at beauty, but it wasn't the waterfall he was looking at, it was her.

Misty glanced up at Ash and saw him looking at her, but Ash didn't look away when he saw her turn. Their eyes were locked together and nothing was going to separate them. Their faces inched closer…closer…closer, and their lips were just about to lock into a blissful kiss, when Shaymin ruined it once again.

Shaymin flew out from behind the waterfall and splashed the couple with freezing cold water. Staravia did the same, although not with the same intentions.

"Oh no, you're coming with me!" Shaymin grabbed onto Ash's ear and tried to lift him up into the air, the feeling of his ear almost getting ripped right off his head was too much for Ash to simply endure, so he shouted a loud "OUCH!"

"Pity, much too heavy." Shaymin said. "No kidding!" Ash growled. "But I bet Misty weighs less!" Shaymin grabbed onto Misty's hair and tried to lift her up. Shaymin was right that Misty weighed less, but it didn't actually lift her up that high.

Nevertheless, having her kiss ruined and then her hair getting pulled on was the last straw for Misty. "That's it! Brad, give the helmet to Shaymin! It's gonna need it in a minute!" Misty yanked out her mallet and took a swing at the grass/flying-type, but Shaymin merely flew out of range and blew a raspberry at the enraged water-trainer.

"That was lousy, now I'm freezing." Misty shivered. "Hey Brad, can you get us some towels?" Dawn asked. "Yeah sure, I'll be right back." Brad went down into the interior of the ship to complete his appointed assignment.

"If I wasn't freezing my butt off…I swear Shaymin would be very scared right now." Misty said, still shivering from the freezing water. Ash apparently didn't pick up on her hint, so she made it obvious.

She placed herself under his arm and snuggled into his shoulder, trying to find any warmth she could. Now understanding, Ash held her tighter and tried to conserve warmth for the both of them. By now, Brad had come back with the towels.

"Here, but make sure you put them where they belong when you're done." Brad said, tossing them the towels. They caught the towels with their free hands, and wrapped them around their bodies to form one big, absorbent blanket.

"Boy, Shaymin sure is having fun; it kinda makes you wish you could join them." Dawn said. "Yeah, it kinda does." Misty said with a small smile.

"Just think of how much fun it'll have flying off with all its friends." Brock said. "Yeah…I guess we won't have much more time together." Ash said sullenly.

Despite the amount of torture Shaymin had been putting him and Misty through; the truth was that Ash enjoyed having Shaymin around. Even if its absence would save him from physical pain. But the atmosphere had gotten sad, so Ash tried to lighten it with a joke.

"You know, it's kind of a relief." he said. Dawn didn't think that joke was funny. "Excuse me Misty, I need to borrow this." Dawn grabbed Misty's mallet out of nowhere and slammed Ash in the head with it.

Ash leaped out of his and Misty's makeshift blanket and shouted in pain. "Ow! Ow! OW!"

The rest of the day went without event. As the sun began to set, the group fed their Pokémon a snack and began getting them ready to relax for bed in a few hours. However, a lot could happen before the sun went down.

"What's that?" Brock asked. The group of teens looked towards the water and saw a strange whirlpool swirling in the water. "Uh oh…Brad! D. Shad! Get up here!" Dawn screamed.

Brad and D. Shad charged from the interior of the ship to see what was wrong. Once they got to the railing they knew exactly what was wrong. "What's that thing?" D. Shad asked.

"That's the same thing we got sucked into before!" Ash exclaimed. "Aah! Let's get out of here!" Dawn cried. "Forget it! I'm not going anywhere!" Shaymin declared.

Shaymin would prove to be wrong, as the portal created a wormhole that sucked the group right off the ship and into the Reverse World.

Pikachu and Azurill were still riding Staravia, waiting for their turn for a snack, when they saw their masters getting sucked in. "Pika pika!" (Step on it!)

Staravia fearlessly dove into the wormhole, chasing after its falling friends.

They landed on their backs and slid down a sleek incline. Ash managed to stop himself before he fell down into the nothingness, but now he had to stop everyone else. He grabbed Dawn by the waist and shoulder and stopped her momentum, and then he grabbed onto Brock's hands and dug in his feet to stop Brock from running right off the edge.

Brad and D. Shad managed to hold each other back, and that left Misty. Misty was sliding down the cliff just like Dawn was. But in order to keep from getting knocked over, Brock had to jump out of the way, which forced Ash to time his rescue wrong.

Misty slid off the edge and started to fall, but was quickly grabbed by a gloved hand. Ash pulled her back up onto solid ground, and she fell to her knees in pure shock. Ash knelt down next to her and consoled her.

Misty was gasping and breathing in a panic, so Ash held her close and tried to calm her down. "I-I was a-almost…I mean I was gonna…how'd you pull me back up?" Misty stammered.

"I'd like to say that it was all me, but gravity is weird here. You probably don't weigh more than five pounds in this place." Ash said.

"Thanks for saving me anyway." Misty whispered, still shaking from the ordeal. Ash held her tighter and nuzzled his face into her hair.

"So this is the Reverse World eh?" D. Shad asked. "Yep, welcome. Or for me and Dawn, it's welcome back." Ash said.

No sooner had he said that, that Giratina made an appearance and flew right past them. "Aah! What is that thing?" Misty screamed fearfully.

"It's Giratina." Ash said. "It's huge!" Brock exclaimed nervously. All of a sudden, an 'Energy Ball' was blasted at Giratina, enraging it.

"Giratina, I'm challenging you!" Shaymin exclaimed. "You go Shaymin!" Ash yelled. Shaymin fired again, only this time Giratina vanished and avoided the attack completely.

It then reappeared and sent Shaymin tumbling through the air. "That's what I was afraid of!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Alright, here we go again! Charizard, I choose you!" Charizard roared upon release and immediately took off to do battle with Giratina once more.

"Let's take him down! Luxray, let's get the fun started!" Luxray emerged as well, and awaited orders.

"Staravia, come down and drop off Azurill, and then get up there with Pikachu!" Ash yelled.

"Forget it! Azurill can do it!" Misty exclaimed.

"In that case, Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

"Azurill, use 'Water Gun'!"

"Luxray, use 'Discharge'!"

While Luxray acted as the ground assault, Charizard flew around Giratina firing 'Flamethrowers' and 'Dragon Breaths' at it.

Staravia used its aerial abilities to give Pikachu and Azurill prime spots to fire at. Pikachu launched the 'Thunderbolt' which made a direct hit, and Azurill did likewise with 'Water Gun' with the same result. But it seemed that Pikachu and Azurill were doing nothing against the gigantic Giratina.

Luxray continued to fire, but just like the others, it seemed to be doing nothing. "Time for some mega-help. Misty calls Gyarados!"

Now Gyarados joined the battle and awaited orders as well. "Misty, Gyarados is a flying-type; tell it to get up there!" Ash yelled.

"Ash, you know Gyarados can't fly!" Misty exclaimed. "Gravity's loopy here! Trust me on this!" Ash yelled. Misty wasn't sure, but she sucked in her fear and ordered Gyarados to get in the air with them.

Rather confused itself, Gyarados followed orders and jumped off the cliff. Much to everyone's – including Ash's – surprise, Gyarados floated in the air and roared in triumph.

"Awesome! Now get up there and use 'Hydro Pump'!" With its temporary ability to fly, Gyarados joined Charizard and the others in battling against Giratina.

"That Giratina's got the toughest defense I've ever seen to withstand all that." Brad said. Suddenly, Charizard got slammed into a wall by one of Giratina's blue fireballs, and it crumpled in pain.

"Charizard!" Ash cried. Charizard suddenly began glowing in an angry red aura, and it furiously spewed flames from its mouth. "Is that 'Blaze'?" Dawn asked nervously. "It is. But don't worry, Charizard can control it." Brock said.

Charizard charged forward towards Giratina, got up into its face, and spewed a wave of fire into its face. "That's not 'Flamethrower', what is that?" Ash asked. "That's 'Heat Wave'!" Brock exclaimed.

"Wow, Charizard's still learning new moves after all this time." Misty said. "Awesome Charizard! Keep it up!" Ash yelled.

Charizard roared and fired another 'Heat Wave' at Giratina. Giratina actually seemed to be getting worn down thanks to Charizard's 'Blaze' paired with the new move and the other attacks from everyone else.

Shaymin had been firing 'Energy Balls' with all its might while Pikachu, Azurill, and Gyarados flew around firing their most powerful attacks at it.

"It's working!" Ash cheered. But the celebration was premature. When the Reverse World grew totally dark, Shaymin suddenly lost its power and fell down. Staravia saw that and swooped underneath Shaymin and made the catch.

The now terrified Shaymin leaped off of Staravia's back and landed on Ash's face, knocking the trainer over. "I guess I didn't want to be eaten!" Shaymin squeaked. Dawn picked up the frightened grass-type and cuddled it in her arms to calm it.

Ash was helped up by Misty, and then he asked, "But what happened to all your strength?"

"I'm not so good at night." Shaymin replied. "It could be that Shaymin can only take on Sky Form during the daytime." Brock said. "That explains it. The sun was setting when we got sucked in here, it must be nighttime already." Misty added.

"Guys, we've got trouble!" D. Shad yelled. The group looked into the sky and saw that Charizard and Gyarados were having trouble holding Giratina back. "But what happened? We were doing so well!" Dawn cried.

"Well I'm no tactics expert, but I'd say that when Shaymin powered down, the shock of what happened caused Charizard and Gyarados to lose focus. Add to that the fact that Shaymin was doing a lot of damage itself." Brad explained.

"Then we better get out of here!" Misty cried. The group took running with their Pokémon still firing attacks as they ran.

For some reason, Shaymin hopped out of Dawn's arms and onto Ash's head. "Why can't you run any faster?" Shaymin exclaimed. "Why are you always on ME when we're running?" Ash asked.

"So we can be eaten together, that's why." Shaymin replied. "Very funny!" Ash yelled angrily.

Charizard and Gyarados were giving a valiant effort at slowing Giratina down, but they were having serious trouble stopping the Pokémon that was more than five times their size.

Giratina had had enough by now. It charged right past Charizard and Gyarados and made a beeline for Shaymin. Ash turned around and saw Giratina gaining on them. "Quick Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash yelled.

Still riding Staravia, Pikachu fired a furious 'Thunderbolt' towards the ground, in hopes of diverting it away. Giratina moved up to avoid the shock, and then stared down Luxray and Pikachu – who had just landed on the ground after its attack.

Giratina fired another blue fireball that Luxray and Pikachu just barely dodged, and the humans did likewise as it blew by them at an uncomfortably close angle.

That almost made us charcoal!" Misty screamed. Charizard and Gyarados fired once more, but Giratina just disappeared again, and knocked the two giants to the ground on its return.

"Oh man, there goes our best bet at stopping Giratina." Brock moaned. Charizard and Gyarados lied on the ground with sweat dripping off their every body part. Charizard's wings were bent, scratched up, and even singed from Giratina's retaliations.

Gyarados was also scratched and bruised in every sense of the word, as it panted with exhaustion and pain.

"Charizard…"

"Gyarados…"

Miraculously, Charizard managed to push itself back onto its feet, but it quickly fell onto one knee in pain and exhaustion. Gyarados was powerful, but not as strong as Charizard in terms of endurance and experience.

Charizard had been on many similar adventures with Ash, and so it knew how vital it was that he stay on his feet. As for Gyarados, this was only his second real adventure with the group. The only other time was during the battle with the Mirage Pokémon, so Gyarados wasn't conditioned to battle under such circumstances.

Misty returned Gyarados to its Pokéball and stared at it sadly. "I'm so proud of you Gyarados." She placed the Pokéball back into her pocket and sighed sadly. Ash placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a look of sympathy.

But she didn't have any extra time to be sad, as Giratina fired at them once more. "Give us a break already!" Misty fumed. All of a sudden, a voice had called out to them. "Hello!"

The group looked up and saw a man standing upside-down, or so it seemed. "Ash, Dawn, up here!" he yelled.

"It's Newton!" Dawn exclaimed. "Guys, let's go!" Ash called for his Pokémon to follow, and they complied. Although if gravity hadn't been as weak as it was, the exhausted Charizard wouldn't have been able to lift itself off the ground.

"Charizard, let me put you in your Pokéball." Ash said. Charizard shook its head and gave a thumbs-up to its master. Ash smiled and nodded at the dragon.

Ash and Dawn, who were already accustomed to the strange reality of the Reverse World, easily adjusted to suddenly becoming upside-down as they ran. Misty, Brock, Brad, and D. Shad however were confused beyond belief.

"What the heck is happening?" Misty exclaimed. "Don't worry Mist, just keep moving!" Ash exclaimed. "How come I'm upside-down and my blood isn't rushing to my brain?" Brad asked.

"That's because the Reverse World works differently than the real world, although I must say that this usually isn't a place people come back to." Newton said.

"Believe me, we didn't plan on coming." Misty said. "Follow me!" Newton exclaimed.

The group followed the scientist into a cave, still upside-down. Charizard may have preferred to stay out, but Staravia had no issue going back into its Pokéball for a break. "Staravia, return!" When Staravia vanished, Azurill plopped into Misty's arms, where it comfortably rested after its battle.

"You all are quite a handful, aren't you?" Newton said. "Excuse me, but who are you exactly?" D. Shad asked. "Newton Graceland. And may I ask who you are?" Newton asked.

"My name's Misty."

"I'm Brock."

"Brad's the name."

"And I'm D. Shad, aka Darkness Shadow."

"I've never heard of you, but it's a pleasure to meet you all." Newton said. "Skip the introductions; you're taking me to the Flower Garden, right?" Shaymin asked.

"Giratina's out there! You can't just waltz out of here." Newton said, suddenly beginning to flip right side-up as he walked.

"You'll all abandon me, I know it!" Shaymin cried despairingly. "Don't be ridiculous! We'd never do that!" Misty exclaimed. "You mean it?" Shaymin asked. "Of course, we're your friends." Misty replied.

"Come on Shaymin, what happened to all that confidence you had back in Sky Form?" Ash asked. "I left it back in the sky." Shaymin replied.

"Well don't worry Shaymin; we've got your back." Ash said. "Gee…thanks." Shaymin said softly. "You heard that Ash? Shaymin said thanks." Misty whispered.

"At least we're getting somewhere." Ash replied. After a while, the group stopped at what Newton called his current shelter, and the most unlikely trio to run into appeared bearing gifts for him.

"Welcome master sir! We brought you some things!"

"Team Rocket?" Misty asked.

"Oh for – what are you losers doing here? Come for a rematch with Luxray?" D. Shad asked. "Maybe I should give you some helmets before we beat you." Brad added.

"Isn't it obvious we've become his star pupils?" Jessie asked. "His top trio of Reverse World workers!" James added. "Actually…we just go and get him junk." Meowth admitted.

"Hold it Newton! These guys…" Ash was cut-off. "Are actually quite helpful to be honest." Newton chuckled. "Heh, a maid and a butler. Perfect jobs for boneheads like you." D. Shad snickered.

Team Rocket growled and almost retaliated, but Shaymin's selfish attitude had kicked in again. "I don't care what they do, I'm hungry!"

Shaymin hopped off of Ash's head and waddled over to Meowth. "Gimme food."

"Gimme a break greenback! I ain't got any grub!" Meowth growled. Shaymin belched smoke in Meowth's face and repeated itself. "Give me food!"

A reply wouldn't get the chance to be answered, as two Magnemite appeared and abducted Shaymin. "Shaymin!" the group charged after the two Magnemite to try and rescue Shaymin.

When they ran out of the cave, they found the same man that had tried to capture Shaymin beforehand, hovering over them. "Who's that creep?" Brad asked. "He's the guy you rescued us from before!" Dawn exclaimed.

"So you're the one behind all this huh?" D. Shad growled. "Indeed I am, and the Shaymin's mine." the man replied.

"Oh yeah? Well you probably didn't count on running into Darkness Shadow!" D. Shad reached for Staraptor's Pokéball. But a whole mob of Magnemite came and held them captive in their magnetic fields. The Pokémon were next. Pikachu, Piplup, and Charizard were also held captive by the man's Pokémon.

The group struggled to break free, but the Magnemite's magnetic field was too powerful for even the strongest human among them, D. Shad.

"It's no use, we can't move!" Dawn cried. "You just wait until I get out of here whoever you are, and I'll make you pay for this!" D. Shad roared.

"No, I don't think you will." the man said. "I can't believe you Zero!" Newton suddenly yelled. "Wait a sec, you know this creep?" Misty asked. "Zero used to be my assistant." Newton replied.

"If it isn't the good doctor Newton Graceland…long time no see…you haven't changed a bit." Zero said coolly.

"Save it! Why did you come here?" Newton roared. "You know why…to make this wonderful world all mine." Zero replied.

"You're still on that?" Newton growled. "You have no claim to this world." Zero replied. "I never said I did!" Newton yelled. Unnoticed by the group, another poison cloud had formed to their left.

"Perhaps, but you're trying to keep this beautiful place all to yourself!" Zero exclaimed. "Look, the Reverse World is vital in that it sustains the real world!" Newton yelled.

"Hmmph, I've already figured that out." Zero said with an evil grin. "And so you're willing to destroy it anyway? What are you anyway?" D. Shad roared suddenly.

All of a sudden, Charizard gave one final surge of power and broke free of the Magnemite's field. "Go Charizard!" Ash yelled. Charizard charged for Zero with a mighty roar, but Zero remained stone-faced.

"Magnezone, use 'Thunder'." he said calmly. Magnezone launched a mighty electric-attack just as Charizard fired a 'Heat Wave'.

The two attacks collided and scattered a bunch of the Magnemite, and even frightened the Magnemite holding the group captive.

D. Shad managed to break free with a surge of strength, but everyone else was still trapped by the Magnemite's field.

This time, D. Shad reached for Garchomp's Pokéball, and released his dragon-type who gave a mighty battle-cry.

"Let's go!" D. Shad boarded Gachomp's back and also charged for Zero. "Use 'Thunderbolt'." Zero said calmly.

All of the Magnemite and Magneton huddled together with Magnezone, and launched an earth-shattering blast of electricity that spanned the entire area.

Charizard, Garchomp, and even D. Shad were blasted by the ultra-powerful attack, and fell back to the ground with a loud crash.

The three valiant heroes lied on the ground, unmoving and unconscious. "D? Come on D, get up!" Brad exclaimed nervously.

D. Shad was completely unresponsive. His unconscious form was barely breathing, and that was the exact condition Charizard and Garchomp were in.

"Guys?" Ash groaned fearfully. The group mentally begged for any sort of response from the three forms on the ground, but it didn't look like any sort of answer would come.

Without a word, Zero hovered over to the poison cloud, and the noise from his hovercraft earned the attention of the furious prisoners. "You see. This place is beautiful…but people destroy it! Defile and pollute it! People like your heroic friend there." Zero said.

"Wrong! Don't you realize that's this world's job?" Newton roared. Zero motioned for his Magnemite, and the Pokémon created a vortex that blew the poisonous cloud towards the group. "Ah yes, I forgot to mention…I've finished your invention for you." Zero said.

"Oh no!" Newton exclaimed. The cloud suddenly enveloped them. "Don't breathe in!" Newton roared. "But what about D?" Brad coughed.

D. Shad and Garchomp were in trouble, but nothing could be done for them. However, Ash could help his dragon. Ash struggled to reach for his Pokéballs, and found Charizard's. He grabbed it and pointed the beam at Charizard, and watched as the dragon disappeared into it.

"Worthy effort my young friend, but I'm afraid it will do no good." Zero said. The two Magnemite that held Shaymin captive placed it inside the cloud, right in front of Dawn.

"Oh no, Dawn!" Shaymin began absorbing the toxic cloud in an effort to save its friends, not knowing what a big mistake it was making. "Shaymin." Ash whispered.

"Ah, there we go." Zero said. Newton growled at Zero, but whatever anger that would be shown from him wouldn't change the situation any.

Giratina had heard Shaymin, and was attracted to it like a bug-zapper. "What a pity Giratina…because of Dialga you lost your ability to go to the real world…but I'll help you." Zero cackled.

Shaymin continued to absorb the cloud; the pink flowers on its head had turned black from the amount of toxicity absorbed. "Of course! It's 'Seed Flare'!" Newton exclaimed.

"That means Shaymin just turned into a living time bomb!" Brad exclaimed. "Come on D. Shad, get up!" Ash roared. Their only means of escape was still unconscious on the ground, with no way to wake him.

"If I could only move my hands, I'd let Azurill drop and use 'Water Gun' on D. Shad!" Misty exclaimed. All of a sudden, a flash of white light was seen and Psyduck emerged soon after. "It's Psyduck!" Ash exclaimed.

"Psyduck, quick! Use 'Water Gun' on D. Shad!" Misty exclaimed. Psyduck tilted its head and looked at Misty with confusion. "Arrgh, Psyduck! We don't have time for this!"

Indeed they didn't. Shaymin was growing more and more scared as Giratina closed the distance between itself Shaymin. "Giratina's here!" it squeaked.

"Psyduck! You've gotta use 'Water Gun'!" Misty cried. This time Psyduck complied and used 'Water Gun'…on her.

"Great…now squirt him!" Misty screamed. Psyduck seemingly figured it out this time, and fired a 'Water Gun' at D. Shad's face.

D. Shad's eyes snapped open and he slowly got back to his feet. "Way to go Psyduck!" Misty cheered. "Ugh, it feels like I inhaled an entire box of cigarettes." D. Shad coughed.

"That's the toxic cloud! You're lucky to be alive! And your Pokémon might be poisoned after all that!" Newton exclaimed. "Oh man, Garchomp!" D. Shad returned the still unconscious Garchomp to its Pokéball for a nice rest. "It must've been a huge blast to make a ground-type crumple like that.

"Never mind D! Look up there!" Brad yelled. D. Shad turned around and saw Zero and his Magnemite staring at Shaymin excitedly. "Now, open a hole using 'Seed Flare'…help Giratina…allow it to leave, now!" Zero exclaimed.

"A hole?" Ash asked. "He means a portal!" Newton exclaimed. "He's gonna let that monster run free in the real world?" Misty cried.

The group turned their attention to the enraged Giratina, who was busy knocking out all of the Magnemite that had invaded its territory.

"It's getting rid of the Magnemite!" Brock exclaimed. Despite Giratina's true intentions, Shaymin was still terrified. "It's going to eat me!"

The flowers on Shaymin's head began to glow, and it seemed that waking D. Shad would be pointless now, as it was too late for the guardian to do anything. "Shaymin doesn't understand." Dawn said.

"Shaymin, don't do it!" Ash yelled. The entire group began roaring protests, but it was too late. "Yes! Here we go!" Zero exclaimed.

Shaymin unleashed an enormous blast of energy that sent the entire group flying backwards as the Magnemite were blown off of them. After ramming into the wall, the force of the blast pushed them against it. Luckily for the dopey Psyduck, he ran right into Misty who grabbed it and held it tightly.

D. Shad attempted to fight against the force, and slowly pushed forward against it. "Give it up D! There's nothing you can do now!" Brad yelled.

"Oh yeah? Watch this!" D. Shad pulled out his gauntlet and placed it onto his hand, then attached some sort of small black box to its mechanism.

"What's he doing?" Misty asked. D. Shad locked and loaded and aimed right at Zero. Without removing sight from his target, he called upon Staraptor who cried out upon release. He hopped onto its back and took off. "Here I come you creep!"

D. Shad aimed for his target, but unfortunately he didn't get the chance to fire. The portal opened and sucked him back into the real world, along with some Magnemite and Magneton, and of course Ash and Co.

They crashed into a meadow where a few of the very confused Magnemite and Magneton floated freely. D. Shad slammed his fist into the ground in rage. "Shoot! I was so close."

Brock got up next. "Guys look, it's a glacier!" he said. Brock didn't get much attention though, as Dawn had quickly gotten on her feet to look for Shaymin. "Shaymin, where are you?"

After returning Psyduck to its ball, Misty kneeled down next to the growling D. Shad and gave him a sympathetic look. "He hurt Garchomp…he knocked me out…and I couldn't stop him." D. Shad mumbled.

"To be fair, you were going against an entire army." Misty said. "Still…justifying my efforts won't help Garchomp's poisoning." D. Shad growled.

"I can help with that. Just call out Garchomp." Misty said. Garchomp hesitated, but eventually grabbed for Garchomp's Pokéball and released the moaning and groaning dragon/ground-type.

"Azurill, go use 'Refresh' on Garchomp." Misty's baby-Pokémon nodded and placed its tail on Garchomp's feverish head. It then glowed in a white aura, and began healing and strengthening the heroic Pokémon.

"He'll be fine now." Misty said. "Thanks Misty." D. Shad said gratefully. Misty nodded and went to go help Ash and Dawn find Shaymin.

Brad kneeled down next to his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey D, you can't win them all. But you sure gave it your all." Brad patted his friend's shoulder and walked away, leaving D. Shad to think.

"Shaymin!" Dawn had found the tired grass-type, and picked it up and cuddled it in her arms. "Shaymin, are you alright?"

"It was about to eat me!" Shaymin squealed. By now the others had surrounded Dawn and Shaymin. All except for D. Shad who was carefully watching the open portal.

"You're wrong! Giratina wasn't trying to eat you." Newton said. Right after he said that, a roar was heard from the portal, and the mighty Giratina emerged from the portal and landed on the ground with a loud boom. Something was different about it however.

"Giratina only wanted to get you to use 'Seed Flare' so it could come forth into this world." Newton explained. "It was also trying to get rid of all the Magnemite." Dawn added.

"Is it just me, or does it look different now?" Brad asked. "It probably has to do with the gravity change." Newton figured. "Don't look now guys, but our friend is back." D. Shad growled.

The group's attention turned to Zero and his Magnezone, who managed to escape the Reverse World before the portal closed. "What's he doing back here? I thought he got what he wanted." Misty hissed.

"Being in the Reverse World isn't what he wants." Newton said. The group suddenly heard a loud rumbling, and a red beam fired from the canyon and hit Giratina, startling the group.

"What's that?" Dawn asked nervously. The group turned around again, and saw an enormous airship that dwarfed Hunter J's by a significant margin.

"Oh no…" Newton mumbled. As the red beam held Giratina firmly in place, a large machine opened up using the same components as the laser that was holding Giratina.

It grabbed onto Giratina and held it suspended in mid-air, and the weakened Giratina was helpless to resist against its effects. Zero hopped off of the hovercraft and hopped onto the machine's standing platform, and watched as his magnificent machine fulfilled its purpose.

"Giratina…I've been waiting such a long time now for you to come here." Zero said. The machine carried Zero and Giratina further into the canyon, where it firmly held Giratina inside the beams. "What's that delusional dimwit up to?" Brad asked.

When a red laser trapezoid enveloped around Giratina, the beast roared in pain. The large airship rose higher into the sky, just as the sun began to rise above the canyon's walls. "Doc, that guy said it was your invention back in the Reverse World, is that true?" Brad asked.

"It's true…I designed that machine…I built it so I'd be able to absorb all of Giratina's abilities." Newton said. "But why would you do that?" Ash asked.

"So I could enter and exit the Reverse World at will…at that point…I realized then that Giratina would be sacrificed. Zero tried to convince me to continue with our research, but I wouldn't sacrifice Giratina for the sake of science. I deleted all my blueprints…but obviously…Zero never forgot them…and if that thing was built to my specifications…Giratina will soon be…no more." Newton said.

"He's a murderer! I've gotta stop him before it's too late!" D. Shad growled. At that moment, Garchomp stood up and escaped Azurill's healing process, and offered D. Shad its service.

D. Shad nodded and hopped onto Garchomp's back, locked and loaded his gauntlet, and took off before the group could stop him. "D…don't get yourself killed man." Brad said sullenly.

D. Shad disappeared from sight, and the group merely stood there in awe. "He's a hero if I ever saw one." Brock said. "You don't think he's…" Misty stopped herself…she didn't want to imagine what might happen to the city guardian.

At that moment, Newton ran across the small river with his Shieldon to where Zero had left his hovercraft.

"Where are you going?" Ash asked. "Everything that's happened here is my fault. "I have to make sure Giratina's safe!" Newton exclaimed.

"I'm coming too!" Ash exclaimed.

"So am I!" Misty exclaimed.

"Me too!" Dawn exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. But there isn't room for all of you." Newton said. All of a sudden, a familiar shape emerged from Ash's Pokéball belt. The bruised and battered, but never defeated Charizard, gave his master a salute, offering its services in the battle against Zero.

"Charizard, are you sure?" Ash asked. Charizard nodded and opened its wings for takeoff. "Charizard, you're a trooper!" Misty cheered.

Ash and Misty hopped onto the dragon's back and readied for takeoff. The team was about to takeoff, when they suddenly saw an increasingly bright light coming from the patch of flowers. "Finally! We made it to the Gracidea Flower Garden!" Brock exclaimed.

Now that the sun was back up, Shaymin's Sky Form was reawakened, and so was its strength and confidence. "I'm going on ahead!" Shaymin exclaimed.

"Alright, let's go!" Newton roared. The hovercraft took off with Newton and Dawn, while Charizard took off with Ash and Misty.

"Hey…! I'm starting to sense a pattern." Brock moaned as he had been left behind once more, but he wasn't alone. "You get left behind often?" Brad asked. "Pretty much." Brock sighed.

Brad looked around randomly, and spotted a Pokéball lying in the grass. He tossed it and D. Shad's Staraptor emerged from it with a shrill cry. "Well I'll be darned…Brock, let's move!" Brad yelled.

Upon seeing Staraptor, Brock hopped on with Brad and took off as well. "Alright D, you left me Staraptor so we could help you, and we'll do just that. Here we come!"  
**_**

**A/N: Well guys, what'd you think? D. Shad's turning out to be quite the hero ain't he? I hope you guys approve of this chapter and I hope you enjoyed reading it. You'll notice I had Charizard learn something new, and Gyarados can fly in the Reverse World! Neat, huh? Well guys, please review!**


	31. Giratina and the Sky Warrior: Part 3

**This is it! The final chapter and the climax of Giratina and the Sky Warrior: AAML edition! I would just like to thank all the reviewers who pushed me through this movie and boosted my efforts. I would like to give a special shout out to my good friend Darkness Shadow, who let me use his character and his Pokemon throughout these past three chapters. For any of you who grew to like D. Shad, don't worry, he WILL make another appearance one day, as will everyone's favorite helmet toting comedian, Brad. Enough of my babbling! In the words of the guardian of Sonzonia City, "Let's get the fun started!"**  
**_**

Chapter 31

Normal POV

The group of heroes followed Shaymin through the sky as they closed in on Zero's giant airship. "He can't…he won't!" Ash said determinedly. "We will all help Giratina!" Shaymin declared.

Zero noticed their arrival, and ordered Magnezone to take them out. As the two opposing sides closed in on each other, the battle would soon begin.

"Let's do this for Giratina and D. Shad!" Brad roared. The rest of the group roared in approval, and the battle began.

"I'll take care of that Magnezone!" Shaymin exclaimed. Shaymin didn't have to take it on by its own will, Magnezone wanted to take out Shaymin as well. It and its smaller minions chased after Shaymin around the airship, firing 'Discharges' at it.

Shaymin bounced off of Magnezone's face and knocked it off course. Then it made a U-turn and fired an 'Energy Ball' that sent Magnezone falling down. With Magnezone out of the way, Shaymin went on the attack to take down the Magnemite and Magneton.

Meanwhile, Charizard was doing flips and twists in the air, firing 'Heat Waves' and 'Flamethrowers' while its passengers held on for dear life. "You're doing great Charizard! Keep going!"

Bolstered by its master's encouragement, Charizard gained its full strength back as it poured on the speed and showed off its aerodynamics.

Dawn and Newton were zigzagging back and forth to avoid numerous 'Thunderbolts', as Piplup fired 'Bubblebeams' to keep them off their tail.

As for Brad and Brock, they had a lack of Pokémon that could ride on Staraptor, so they used themselves as decoys for a substantial amount of Magnemite. "Ha! It'll take more than that to knock us out!" Brad yelled.

Zero watched as the battle raged, and finally turned to leave. "Prepare to enter the Reverse World." Zero said to his holographic computer. "Yes sir, right away." the computer replied. Zero turned to go into the ship's bridge, while the Magne-army took down the group of heroes.

Meanwhile, the group had flown above the laser cage that surrounded Giratina, they had to disable the machine before Giratina would perish, so the first thought that came to mind was to use some muscle.

"Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'! Charizard, use 'Heat Wave'!"

"Surskit, 'Ice Beam'!"

"Piplup, 'Bubblebeam', now!"

The attacks fired at the laser force-field, but no damage came to it as it merely bounced them off. "It didn't do a thing!" Ash growled.

"Then I'll have to go in and stop him myself!" Newton exclaimed. As he said that, Brad and Brock were busy retreating from a large group of Magnemite and Magneton, and unfortunately they had led them right to the group.

Seeing what the real threat was, the Magnemite chased down Charizard, trying to bring down the dragon before it could do any more damage. But before they could get close enough, Shaymin confronted them and knocked one out with an 'Energy Ball'.

Shaymin relaxed for a split-second, but it soon had to be on the move again, that Magnezone simply wouldn't stay down, and it wanted revenge BADLY.

"That does it! We've gotta take down that Magnezone for good!" Ash growled. Ash turned Charizard around and had it fire at the Magnezone that was firing at Shaymin.

Charizard managed to hit quite a few Magnemite and Magneton before getting to Magnezone, and then it finally got lucky with a well-placed 'Flamethrower', and Magnezone fell down once more.

Unfortunately, Magnezone hit its target first. "Shaymin!" Dawn cried, as she watched the grass/flying-type plummet to earth after getting directly hit from a 'Mirror Shot'.

"Let's go Charizard!" Ash yelled. Charizard roared ferociously and swooped down to catch the small Pokémon. Ash reached out his arm, snagged Shaymin, and then tucked it safely under his arm.

"Well done! Now clear the path for me! I'm going in!" Newton yelled. Newton and his hovercraft tucked in behind Charizard, who fired a 'Heat Wave' to scatter the roadblock of Magnemite and Magneton. Then they landed on the airship where Newton immediately hopped off the hovercraft and charged for a door that was hidden underneath him.

"I should be able to get in through here!" Newton exclaimed. Just as he said that, Brad and Brock also landed. "Let me go with you!" Brock exclaimed.

"Very well, but we've got to hurry!" Newton exclaimed. Brock hopped onto the platform as well. "Good luck you guys, we'll take care of the Magnemite!" Ash exclaimed.

"Alright! Shieldon, 'Flash Cannon', go!" Newton ordered. Shieldon opened its mouth and blasted a hole through the metal door.

"Now that we're on the ground, I think it's time to call for backup!" Misty exclaimed. Misty sent out Staryu, Vaporeon, and Corsola to team up with Surskit.

Ash sent Charizard back into the skies to act as the aerial assault, then called out Chimchar and Buizel to help out Pikachu.

Dawn also called for extra help from Ambipom and Buneary, and the Pokémon fired their special attacks out into the air, holding off the Magnemite and Magneton in any way possible.

All of a sudden, the Magnezone appeared for the third time and began firing at them. Tired of the constant returns, Charizard took matters into its own hands.

It grabbed Magnezone by the magnets, blasted a 'Flamethrower' right in its face, then did three midair flips and hurled Magnezone down to earth. And just for good measure, fired another 'Heat Wave' just to ensure that Magnezone was thoroughly finished. "Yeah Charizard!" Ash cheered.

Charizard gave a two-claw salute, and then took off to take out some more Magnemite and Magneton. "Ash, I think Charizard just might be Pokémon of the year." Misty joked, as she ordered Corsola to fire a 'Power Gem'. Ash laughed and then ordered Chimchar to launch a 'Flamethrower'.

Meanwhile, Newton and Brock had arrived inside the computer room. "Zero, stop this at once!" Newton roared.

Suddenly, a holographic screen appeared with Zero on the transmission. "You're too late…I invite you to sit and watch as the execution of my beautiful plan is made real!" Zero chortled.

The transmission was cut off, leaving Newton and Brock on their own. "Isn't there ANYTHING you can do?" Brock asked.

Brock didn't get a verbal answer, as Newton sat at the computer chair, pressed a button on his backpack, and two mechanical arms with two fingers each emerged from it.

They quickly started clicking keys on the computer, attempting to hack into the mainframe. "I guess he forgot. This thing's MY design!" Newton said.

An alarm went off throughout the ship, as Newton broke through the firewall of the computer. By now the scan was in its final stage. "Hurry Newton!" Brock watched as the number went from 90% to 94% in a matter of seconds.

Finally Newton was finished, and only one flashing red button remained. "Alright, how do you like this?" Newton roared. He jammed the button down, and the entire keyboard glowed white. The scan was at an unbelievably close 99% complete, when the systems within the ship began to shut down.

Outside, the group felt the sudden loss of power when the ship rumbled. Their attention immediately turned to Giratina, who was slowly being released from the harmful lasers.

Not only that, but the turbines of the ship ceased their power output, and the entire ship system went down thanks to Newton's handiwork.

The cage that held Giratina suspended in the air began spewing metal, and parts were falling off at a fascinating rate. Finally the last of the lasers shutdown, and Giratina fell onto the ship, causing another rumble.

As soon as they made sure they had their balance, the group cheered, and Brad finally came in from riding Staraptor. "Looks like the guy knew what he was doing." he said. "Hey, has anyone seen D. Shad?" Dawn asked. When Dawn said that, the group realized that their heroic friend had most likely been killed before they got there. But they didn't have time to be sad, since the ship was moving in an odd fashion.

"You did it Newton!" Brock cheered. "Yes, but we must get out of here immediately!" Newton exclaimed. Newton charged out of the room, hotwired the elevator, and ran back outside with Brock.

Outside, the battling group had their own troubles. The ship was making noises that were just plain unnatural. Before they could ascertain what was happening, Newton and Brock emerged from the ship.

"I'm sorry." Newton said. "What do you mean? You saved Giratina!" Misty exclaimed. "Yes, but to shutdown the systems I had to shut down the engines too." Newton said.

"Doc, you mean to tell us…" Brad was cut-off. "Yes…it means that this thing is going down." Newton said.

The group screamed in terror as the ship plummeted in a nosedive. "Everybody return!" they cried. All of the Pokémon withdrew into their Pokéballs, except for Charizard who was still abusing all the Magnemite, and Staraptor who still had Brad on its back.

"Charizard!" Charizard turned to see its master waving frantically, and then it noticed that the ship was falling down fast. It threw away the Magnemite it was currently giving a noogie to, and swooped down to where its master stood.

Ash hopped onto Charizard's back and then took Misty's hand to help her on. She wrapped his arms tightly around his waist and they took off together. Brock joined Brad atop Staraptor and they took off as well.

And finally Newton and Dawn took off riding the hovercraft. They moved in to check on Giratina, who was still lying limp on the ship. The giant Pokémon gave one last struggle to move, but all it did was force itself to fall faster than the ship itself.

The group gasped as Giratina plummeted. They poured on the speed to get to the ground as fast they could, so much so that they neglected to notice an escape pod shoot out of the airship.

Giratina created a mini-tidal wave when it splashed into the water below, and the group quickly ran to the lake area to check on Giratina.

But Giratina hadn't surfaced from the water yet, and while they waited, they saw the giant airship crash into the side of the canyon.

"That should do it for Zero." Brock said. Just then, Giratina slowly crawled out of the water and made it onto dry land. Only to pass out due to extreme pain and lack of strength.

"Oh no…it can't be." Misty whispered to herself. Pikachu, Piplup, and Shaymin all moved closer to Giratina's body, looking for any signs of life.

Pikachu then slowly turned its head towards the group, and shook its head sadly. "No…we're too late." Newton growled.

"We were so close." Ash said, fighting back tears, his right hand balled into a frustrated fist. Dawn's hands went to her mouth in shock and sadness, and Misty just cried freely into Ash's shoulder.

"I'm sorry D…we failed you." Brad mumbled, looking to the ground. For the first time since the group met him, they actually saw the hardnosed comedian…crying out of grief, both for Giratina…and the friend that gave his life to save his city.

The group turned to leave, all except for Dawn who just stood in shock. She simply couldn't believe it. They had fought so hard, their Pokémon fought so hard, D. Shad died for their cause, and all for nothing.

Ash and Misty came to snap the coordinator out of her state of shock. When she felt two hands grab her shoulders, she blinked and looked to her left and right.

"Come on Dawn, there's…there's nothing we can do now." Misty said sadly, her voice still cracking from crying. Dawn nodded sadly and almost turned to walk away, when she thought she caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of her eye.

When Dawn pulled away, her friends asked what was wrong. Dawn looked as closely as she could through her misty eyes, and saw a glimmer of hope among all the sadness. "It's breathing!" she gasped hoarsely.

The group turned around and looked closely at Giratina's body, and saw a slight rising and falling of the giant Pokémon's lungs. "It IS breathing! Giratina's alive!" Misty gasped.

Ash ran towards Giratina and got right next to its enormous face. "Giratina, come on!" he cried. "You must pull through!" Shaymin added.

The group waited for any sort of response, but they soon regretted not asking for a GOOD response. Giratina merely gave a low moan; it was in bad shape and getting worse by the minute.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Brad asked. "Corsola can use 'Recover'…but there's no way it's strong enough to help Giratina." Misty said sadly.

At that moment, Shaymin flew up and lied down on Giratina's weak body. It then began glowing in a bright-green aura. Thinking it was 'Seed Flare' again, the group backed up nervously. But Shaymin's next statement made them think otherwise. "Giratina…stay with me!"

Shaymin now glowed even brighter, and waves of green energy started flowing throughout Giratina's body. "Of course! 'Aromatherapy'! That's one of Shaymin's moves!" Newton exclaimed.

As Shaymin continued its attempt to revive Giratina, hundreds of Teddiursa, Stantler, Ursaring, Sentret and Furret slowly came out of the forest behind them, all just as worried for Giratina as the humans were.

"Do you really think Shaymin can do it?" Misty whispered, gripping Ash's arm nervously. "It's…just got to." Ash replied just as nervously.

The green waves of energy continued to flow throughout Giratina's body, although at the moment no visual signs of improvement could be seen, only making the group think that Shaymin was straining itself for nothing.

Finally Shaymin gave out and stopped glowing. The energy waves dissipated as Shaymin gasped for breath from exhaustion.

For a moment, Giratina stayed motionless, but then, slowly but surely, Giratina got back to its feet with revived strength. It stomped the ground with purpose, and gave a roar of triumph.

"Shaymin did it!" Dawn cheered. The humans began dancing with joy, except for Brad who could only summon a small smile.

When Shaymin went to hide behind Dawn out of fear, they stopped dancing to confront Giratina. "Giratina, it's Shaymin who made you feel better!" Ash exclaimed.

Giratina looked down at the group and gave a smile. "Pikachu, wait!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu was hopping up Giratina's scales to get up close to its feet, and gave a friendly greeting to the legendary Pokémon. Giratina happily reciprocated the gesture.

Then Shaymin flew up to its face with renewed confidence. "Thank goodness you're alright." it said.

Newton gave a small chuckle, and then looked behind him where all the forest Pokémon were standing, now happy that Giratina had pulled through.

"Guess they were all worried about Giratina, huh?" Brock said. "They would know what was at stake. And just how important the Reverse World is." Newton replied.

"So I guess all's well that ends well." Misty sighed. The group agreed full-heartedly. "Hey, where's Brad?" Ash asked.

The group looked around, and eventually their eyes caught the comedian kneeling down in front of the flower bed. Brad held the keys to D. Shad's truck tightly in his fist, and then wedged them into the ground in front of him. _"As far as anyone will ever know…here lies Darkness Shadow…the greatest hero Sonzonia City…or the world could ever ask for."_ Brad thought sadly.

Brad got up, took one last look, and then went to join the others, without looking at them. Now the group had reality hit. Giratina was indeed alive, but they had lost a great friend in the process. "Would it be wrong I wonder…to hold out some hope that the guy's still alive?" Brad asked rhetorically.

The rest of the group hung their heads low; the celebration for Giratina wore off as they thought of the friend they had lost. "I wouldn't mind so much if I just knew what happened to him." Misty whispered sadly.

The group stood there a few moments more, when suddenly a geyser shot out of the water. The group turned around and saw a mini-airship floating in the air, dripping from the water it had just surfaced.

"Is that…?" Ash paused. "It's Zero." Newton growled.

The group watched as the ship underwent a transformation. The wings extended two blades out the front of them, and a blade came out from the bottom of it. And so the ship floated there, ready for battle.

"I couldn't care less what you think you've done…NO ONE gets in my way!" Zero roared. The ship charged a blue fireball that looked identical to the ones belonging to Giratina. The still weak Giratina attempted to counter with its own, but its full strength hadn't returned yet.

"It can't end this way!" Ash growled. It wouldn't. Just before Zero could fire, a barrage of red spheres of energy nailed the one-man ship.

On the inside, Zero growled. "Now what?"

The group looked to the sky to find the source of those lasers. They managed to spot a small dot that was quickly moving in. "You don't think it could be…?" Dawn paused.

More shots were fired at the ship, and it dodged them. "I said stay out of my way!" Zero roared.

The dot was becoming identifiable now, as it continued to fire a barrage of red blasts. The entire group's eyes lifted and no one could contain the smile that appeared on their lips. "It's D. Shad!" they cheered.

Indeed, D. Shad was the one firing at Zero's ship, using the gauntlet on his hand, and riding on top of Garchomp, he fired laser bolts at the ship with amazing effort.

Although no one could hear him just yet, D. Shad did say to himself, "As long as I have breath in my body, you and everyone else like you in this world, or ANY world, will never triumph!" D. Shad continued to fire while the humans on the ground cheered just because he was still alive.

"That does it!" Zero turned the ship to face D. Shad and Garchomp, and fired a blue fireball. Garchomp quickly moved out of the way and dodged it. "I wasn't even trying!" D. Shad heckled, "Now you'll see my ultimate power!" D. Shad turned a knob on his gauntlet, and fired a more powerful, but slower blast.

Nevertheless, it hit perfectly and Zero's ship took more damage. "I have no time for this!" Zero roared. Zero steered the ship towards the glacier that was behind it, and blew by D. Shad and Garchomp and missed clipping them with the wing by just a mere five feet.

However the blowback was more than enough to send Garchomp off course. Struggling to at least make a decent landing, D. Shad and Garchomp crashed down to the ground with a loud bang, and the group immediately ran to tend to him.

"D. Shad, are you ok?" Ash cried. Luckily this time, D. Shad managed to keep his consciousness, but it was then that the group saw just how much of a beating D. Shad had taken doing whatever it was he did.

D. Shad's arms and legs were scratched up and trickling blood, his bottom lip was trickling blood as well, and his face was scratched up too. He had bruises on his head that were an ugly shade of purple, his shirt was ripped to shreds, revealing more scratches and cuts that were bleeding all over his torso.

Nevertheless, D. Shad struggled to his feet and stood tall, and then helped Garchomp to its feet as well. "D!" Brad exclaimed with more emotion than intended. D. Shad limped to turn around and face his friend, awaiting another comment.

"Dude I – you look terrible D." Brad joked with a relieved chuckle. "Oh I dunno, I think this makes me look dramatic, don't you?" D. Shad joked back.

Some sparks suddenly came flying out of D. Shad's gauntlet, stinging the wounds on his arms. "Shoot. It got damaged in the crash." D. Shad growled.

He tossed the gauntlet to the ground and walked past the group with a determined look on his face. The rest of the group followed suit, as they awaited Zero's next move.

Out of nowhere, Zero swooped up into the air at high-speed, startling the onlookers, then he created a portal inside the glacier and disappeared from sight.

"He's gone!" Ash exclaimed. "He's gone to the Reverse World…Zero's managed to acquire all of Giratina's powers!" Newton explained.

Through the portal, the group saw Zero flying around inside the Reverse World, he finally came to a stop to stare them down in his ship. "Ha ha ha ha ha! Look at you all in your pathetic, filthy world! Disappear all of you!" Zero yelled maniacally.

"I don't like how he said that." D. Shad growled. Without warning, everyone including the Pokémon gave a cry of anguish as a shockwave knocked them all backwards out of nowhere.

"Clutching his abdomen, Ash slowly sat up. "What was that?" he asked. "Zero's attacking the real world from the Reverse World!" Newton exclaimed.

"D. Shad's in really bad shape, we've got to do something!" Brock exclaimed. D. Shad was still conscious, but he had no strength to move anymore. His fatigue paired with his numerous flesh wounds had left him drained of energy.

"Sorry I can't help you guys, but if I move a muscle right now, I may not have that muscle later." D. Shad chuckled softly.

"Just relax D, we'll handle this." Brad said reassuringly. Newton pulled out a first aid kit from his backpack, and proceeded to clean off D. Shad's scratches and cuts, earning a groan from D. Shad as the antibacterial cream began to sting on his arms and legs.

"Without warning, another shockwave came, luckily it just missed them. "If we don't do something soon, we'll all be killed!" Misty cried.

Just then, Giratina gave a mighty roar, and created a portal to the Reverse World with the intentions of defeating Zero.

Reacting quickly, Ash ran for the hovercraft and activated it. "I'm going too!" he exclaimed. "Ash, what do you think you're doing?" Misty screamed.

"Giratina needs help and I'm going to help it!" Ash replied. "Then I'm going with you!" Misty exclaimed. "No way Misty, I can't take the risk of losing you. I'm going alone." Ash said sternly.

Misty would've argued, but the determined look on his face showed that he wasn't budging this time. So instead, she merely moved up and gave Ash a good luck kiss on his cheek. "Be careful." she whispered.

Ash gave her a thumbs-up, and readied for takeoff, except this time Charizard held him back. Charizard weakly pointed its claw at itself, volunteering to go to the Reverse World as Ash's escort instead of the machine.

Ash could see just how little energy Charizard had left. After all the beatings it took fighting with Giratina, the Magnemite and Magneton, and plus having been carrying Ash and whoever else jumped on his back for the past eighteen hours with barely any rest, and having just been hit by a Reverse World shockwave, it was unknown to even Ash how Charizard could even still be standing.

Yet here it was, volunteering to go into battle once more, knowing that if it did go it could very well be killed by Zero and his madness. Inside his head, Ash thanked Charizard for sticking by his side for so long, no matter how tough the situation got, he could count on his old friend to stick by him almost as closely as Pikachu himself. But just like with Misty, Ash didn't want to risk losing a friend.

"Not this time Charizard, you need to rest." Ash said. Charizard grunted lowly and turned its head away from Ash, upset that he had just rejected its assistance. Knowing why Charizard was upset, Ash floated up to its ear and whispered, "Take care of Misty for me."

Charizard looked up to its master with determined eyes, and gave a thumbs-up that Ash reciprocated. Then Ash took off for the portal left behind by Giratina. "Wait for me!" Shaymin followed Ash through the portal, determined to have part in this heroic effort.

The portal vanished after they went through, leaving the whole group to wait in anticipation. "Good luck Ash." Misty whispered, as a lone tear escaped her cerulean-blue eyes.

Back in the Reverse World, Zero was flying at high-speeds through the toxic clouds that had been formed. "My lovely Reverse World…they won't tarnish its beauty again! The Reverse World's true power will forever shine through!" Zero exclaimed in a lunatic-like tone.

Zero began slicing away at large pillars of ice in the Reverse World, which caused shockwaves in the real world. "Wha – What's going on?" Misty asked.

"The glacier…" Dawn gasped. "It's moving!" Brock added.

"Zero's doing this." Newton growled. "But how?" Dawn asked. "Doc, you said that they support each other, right?" Brad asked. "That's right." Newton replied.

"So if he messes something up in there, we take the damage?" Brad asked. "Precisely…Zero! You KNOW the real world and the Reverse World support each other! Do you really want to destroy that?" Newton yelled.

Unknown to the group at the time, deep within the depths of a nearby cave, help was awakening and would soon be on its way.

His cry fell on deaf ears, as the only voice that Zero could hear at this point was his own maniacal one. He laughed crazily as he continued to chop away at the support beams that held the glacier in place in the real world.

He would've continued, but just then, Giratina appeared and roared its challenge. It fired a fireball of immense power at the ship, and it took the direct hit. Zero growled as he tried to keep his ship under control.

And as he did that, a 'Thunderbolt' and an 'Energy Ball' also struck his ship, but with much less consequence than Giratina's attack caused.

"Zero, give it up!" Ash yelled. "Stop this now!" Shaymin added.

"Why? You just don't understand…I'm protecting this place!" Zero roared. "That's Giratina's job! And if you really wanted to protect this place, you'd listen to reason!" Ash yelled. Giratina roared its agreement, and the battle for possession of the Reverse World continued.

Meanwhile, the glacier was still moving forward in the real world, threatening to destroy everything in its path. "We've got to do something!" Brock yelled.

"I've got an idea! Dawn, call out Buneary and Swinub, we're gonna make some ice!" Misty exclaimed. Dawn called out her two Pokémon, while Misty called out Vaporeon and Surskit. "Finally, I can help now." D. Shad said weakly.

D. Shad handed Brad Floatzel's Pokéball, and told him to send her out. "She'll know what to do." D. Shad said. Brad tossed out Floatzel, and it joined the four other Pokémon by the side of the lake.

"Swinub, 'Ice Shard'! Buneary, 'Ice Beam'!"

"Surskit, 'Ice Beam'! Vaporeon, 'Blizzard'!"

The four Pokémon, plus Floatzel and her 'Ice Beam', fired their freezing attacks at the water, and the water slowly began to glaze over with a thin sheet of ice. Then, all the other Pokémon from the forest that knew an ice-type move helped by firing as well.

The entire lake froze over and the glacier was forced to stop. "The glacier stopped!" Dawn cheered. "Don't stop! We can't afford to let our guard down!" Misty exclaimed.

If Ash was gonna risk his life fighting alongside Shaymin and Giratina versus Zero, then she was gonna do everything she could to help him from the real world.

Meanwhile, Giratina was back to full strength thanks to being where it belonged. It went head to head with the ship as one of its scales glowed purple and it slammed into it with all its might. Unfortunately, the ship had a mechanical advantage due to it virtually being a mechanical Giratina.

The ship blasted its thrusters and slammed Giratina into an iceberg. Then it charged a powerful fireball identical in size and power to one of Giratina's. "You have no chance! All of your powers now belong to me!" Zero exclaimed. The tone of his voice proved that Zero was not only evil, he had lost his sanity.

Zero fired, and Giratina just barely managed to get out of the way before being destroyed at point-blank range.

It then vanished out of thin air, leaving Zero to wonder where it went. He may have had all of Giratina's strength and power, but that didn't necessarily mean he knew how to use it.

Giratina appeared from above, and fired a fireball that made a direct hit with the hull of Zero's ship. "Alright, now it's our turn!" Ash moved in on the ship, but not before calling for some backup from Chimchar and Turtwig.

"Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'! Turtwig, 'Energy Ball'! Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!"

The three Pokémon fired their attacks at the ship, and with a little help from Shaymin's 'Energy Ball', Zero's ship took extra damage in its vulnerable state.

"What part of 'stay out of my way' don't you understand?" Zero roared furiously. Giratina fired another fireball, but Zero dodged it and then swung around to go on the offense.

But Giratina was ready, and it faced the ship head on with its own fireball. The two attacks collided and an Armageddon like explosion took place between them. "We've gotta hurry before it's too late!" Ash exclaimed. Ash charged for Zero's ship, and had his Pokémon fire off another barrage of attacks.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, the glacier was beginning to gain ground again, as the frozen lake began to give way under the strain of the enormous ice block. "No use! It's not stopping!" Brock exclaimed.

"If this keeps up, it's gonna crush the Flower Garden!" Dawn cried. "That's not all that'll be crushed…all the villages and towns just ahead…they're all doomed to be destroyed." Newton said.

"No…no…NO!" D. Shad felt a spike of energy surge through him, as images of his city and all who he had become responsible for came to a devastating end. All the people who had come to admire him as their hero and guardian, wondering what had happened to him and why he wasn't there to save them, they were haunting him already.

He wouldn't allow his city to die because of his weakness, he just wouldn't. Covered in bandages and still bleeding in certain areas, D. Shad forced himself to his feet and limped over to where the others stood.

"D, there's nothing you can do!" Brad said. "I won't leave my city to be crushed by this…maniac! There has to be a way to stop it! You guys make an iceberg to stop it, try anything!" D. Shad roared.

The Pokémon obliged and created an iceberg to try and stop the glacier, but just like the lake itself, the ice was shattered like thin glass.

"It can't…just end this way." Misty whimpered. Suddenly, the group felt the Earth rumbling beneath their feet. "Is that Zero again?" Brad asked. "No…look up there!" Brock exclaimed.

The group looked up the mountain, and saw a colossal Pokémon slowly trudging up the hill. "Is that a…" Brock paused. "A Regigigas!" Newton finished.

The Regigigas roared and a herd of Mamoswine came charging up the mountain and down the other side. After calling for its army, Regigigas came climbing down as well.

"Look at all the Mamoswine!" Brock exclaimed. "It's the cavalry!" Misty cheered. "And here comes some more!" Dawn cheered. Indeed, on the other side of the mountain even more Mamoswine were charging down.

But while Regigigas was trying to stop the glacier, the group could see the battle taking place through the mirror image the glacier was giving them. And they saw that Giratina was tiring, and was starting to lose badly. "They're having trouble in there!" Brock yelled nervously. "Come on Ash, you can't fail!" Misty whimpered to herself.

Inside the Reverse World, Zero blasted yet another fireball at Giratina, and this time, the tired giant took the hit directly and fell to the ground with a loud thud. "The Reverse World belongs to me!" Zero exclaimed maniacally.

Zero fired at the ice tower looming above Giratina, and sharp shards of ice began raining down on the Reverse World dwelling Pokémon. "No! Giratina!" Ash cried.

While things were turned from bad to worse in the Reverse World, things were hopefully beginning to get better in the real world. The Regigigas slammed its hands into the glacier, just as the hundreds of Mamoswine slammed their giant tusks into it to help.

They could hear the beeping noises being made by Regigigas as it distributed all its strength into its powerful arms and tree trunk-like legs. And it appeared as if the combined strength of the mighty Mamoswine and the legendary Regigigas would be enough to stop the glacier.

"Look at Regigigas and the Mamoswine!" Dawn exclaimed. "They're all trying to stop the glacier!" Brock added. For a moment it seemed to be working, but then Misty noticed something horrible. "They're giving ground, it's too heavy!" she exclaimed despairingly.

Indeed, the glacier was beginning to move again despite all of the powerful Pokémon trying to hold it back. Then in the mind of a certain fire-dragon, something echoed loudly. _"Take care of Misty for me."_

One thing was for sure, Charizard would make good on that order. Wearily, Charizard walked past the group and onto the icy lake. "Charizard, where are you going?" Misty asked.

Charizard didn't bother to turn around, it simply kept on walking. "I think I know." Brock said. His guess would be correct. Charizard squeezed through and found a spot to push on, and with all its Charicific Valley produced strength, it began pushing on the glacier as well.

"Charizard's got the right idea." D. Shad said. D. Shad called out some more two more Pokémon, his Lucario and his Golem, and he ordered them to take Garchomp, and the three of them would help push on the glacier and hold it back.

So they went with Garchomp and found a place to push on as well. Now with the extra bit of muscle, it seemed that the glacier had slowed slightly, but it hadn't stopped just yet. "Time for one last helper…" Misty said quietly.

She clutched a Pokéball in her hand, knowing that this was the final person in their party who could be of any help. "Gyarados, go and help stop the glacier!"

With renewed strength, Gyarados emerged with a roar, and joined Regigigas, the Mamoswine, and the trainer Pokémon in pushing against the glacier.

"Send Happiny out there Brock!" Dawn exclaimed. "No way! I know how strong Happiny is, but it'll be killed if it goes out there!" Brock defended.

"We'll all be killed without everyone who's able pitching in." D. Shad said. Brock reluctantly grabbed Happiny's Pokéball, and tossed it out.

Happiny cheerfully emerged, but then saw Brock's forlorn expression. Brock pointed it out towards the glacier, and told it to go push on the glacier. Happiny turned around and jogged over to the glacier and began to push as well.

"It'll be fine Brock." Brad said reassuringly. Brock was NOT convinced. Misty noticed Brock's worried expression, and thought about how she'd feel if that was Azurill out there pushing. So she came up with an idea.

"Charizard, look down to your left!" she screamed. Charizard slowly moved its head down, and saw the tiny Pokémon pushing on the glacier with all its might. Understanding what Misty wanted, Charizard carefully stepped behind the baby-Pokémon to assure that none of the Mamoswine would step on it.

Misty turned back to Brock, who seemed to be a bit more relieved, but not much. "Is it stopping?" Dawn asked nervously. It looked as if the glacier had stopped gaining ground, but only for a moment, as it seemed to have a mind of its own, and it was determined to stay on its course of obliteration.

"It's still moving!" Brock exclaimed. "What is it, possessed? There's nothing else we can do, that's the last of our muscle!" Brad growled.

There was indeed nothing else THEY could do, but Regigigas still had one final trick up its sleeve. Because of its 'Slow Start' ability, Regigigas was only at half-strength. But now with its full power restored, Regigigas poured on the power.

It glowed in a bright orange aura, and the waves emanating from Regigigas spanned throughout the entire glacier, and not only did they manage to stop it, but they actually managed to push it back a bit. But there was one catch, because of the energy waves, their mirror had been distorted, so they could no longer see what was happening in the Reverse World.

Energized by the progress being made thanks to Regigigas' extra power boost, all of the Mamoswine, Charizard, Gyarados, Happiny, Lucario, Golem, and Garchomp all poured on the power as well, adrenaline coursing through each and every one of their veins.

The group cheered as all of the powerful Pokémon managed to hold back the glacier at least for now, now all they had to do was wait and see what the outcome of the Reverse World battle would be.

Speaking of which, Zero had closed in on the trapped Giratina, and was ready to fire a fireball at point-blank range. "Giratina…this will all be over…very soon." Zero snickered.

Zero charged the attack, but it detonated before he could fire thanks to two 'Energy Balls', a 'Flamethrower', and a 'Thunderbolt'.

"Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt again! Chimchar, 'Flamethower'! Turtwig, another 'Energy Ball'!"

Ash's Pokémon fired at the airship, and Zero had now gone from angry to furious. "Out of my way!" he growled.

Zero turned the ship around and slammed the wing into Ash and his hovercraft. Ash held on for dear life as the hovercraft spun around uncontrollably, and then harshly deposited him on the ship. Ash forced himself to his knees and watched as the hovercraft fell down into nothingness. _"Sure wish I had Charizard right about now."_

Ash dusted himself off and stood back up. "Alright, are you all ok?" he asked. His Pokémon smiled and replied with enthusiasm. But that enthusiasm quickly disappeared when four mechanical arms emerged from the ship.

Ash, Pikachu, and Chimchar managed to dodge them, but Turtwig was caught off guard by the sudden grab. As they retreated, eventually Chimchar also got grabbed by the metallic limbs.

Ash and Pikachu ran until they ran out of room, at that point they were forced to fight. Pikachu 'Thunderbolted' one arm, and then Shaymin appeared and blasted the other one with an 'Energy Ball'.

"Hey Shaymin!" Ash said with relief. "A simple thank you will suffice." Shaymin joked. Ash heard cries of anguish coming from the ship, and he saw Turtwig and Chimchar being electrocuted by the arms that held them as prisoners.

"Turtwig…Chimchar!" Ash grabbed their Pokéballs and quickly returned them to where they belonged. Then just as he took a second to catch his breath, Zero opened the cockpit of the ship and confronted him.

"Hey! You stop destroying this place, Zero!" Ash growled, Pikachu in front of him with furiously sparking red cheeks.

"If anything is destroying this place, it's the real world!" Zero countered. From beneath its icy prison, Giratina roared its objection.

Zero turned the ship around, taking one last chance to convince Ash that what he was doing was right. He slowly steered the ship over to where another toxic cloud had formed.

"There! Look at that toxic cloud! Don't you see this glorious world is constantly being polluted! So don't you understand, I'm protecting it!" Zero closed the cockpit so as not to breathe in the poison, leaving Ash to face it alone.

"No! The real and Reverse worlds support each other!" Ash yelled. Ash quickly covered his nose and mouth with his shirt so as not to breathe in the poison, but he obviously wouldn't last long surrounded by it.

"Ash! I'll take care of this!" Shaymin began absorbing the toxicity into its body, and the flower that had moved from its head to its neck became black in color from all the garbage it had taken in.

While Shaymin did that, Ash turned and saw what was happening in the Real World through a huge one-way window, and saw that the glacier Zero had sabotaged was being stopped, but not for much longer due to the exhausted looks on the Pokémon's faces.

Even Regigigas itself was becoming fatigued, and they began to lose ground once more. "Can they really hold it back?" Brock wondered out loud. "Come on, you can do it Regigigas!" Dawn cried.

The group admired Dawn's optimism, but not even their Pokémon thought that Regigigas was strong enough to hold it back forever. If Ash didn't do something soon, they would all die for sure.

"We've gotta do something!" Ash exclaimed, muffled by his shirt over his nose and mouth. When Ash saw that Shaymin absorbed most of the poison, that's when an idea hit him harder than Misty's mallet.

"Shaymin, use 'Seed Flare' now! We gotta knock Zero out of here!" Ash exclaimed. "I don't think so!" Zero growled.

Yet another arm protruded from the ship's interior, and this time it went after Shaymin. "Alright Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu sparked a bit, and then launched the attack and fried the arm into a state of immobilization. "Oh really? YOUR turn to be knocked!" Zero growled.

Zero was ready to flip the ship upside-down to knock Ash off, but suddenly something grabbed onto the ship and held it back. "What the…?" Zero said in shock.

Ash regained his balance, and then saw Giratina grabbing onto the ship's tail and keeping it in place. "I warned you to stay out of my way!" Zero roared.

Zero blasted the thrusters, and the fire that shot out of the ship spewed right into Giratina's face. The giant roared in anguish, but held on nevertheless.

"No…Giratina! Shaymin, it's up to you!" Ash yelled. "I'm ready!" Shaymin replied. Shaymin flew to a safe distance, and then readied its most powerful attack.

Shaymin glowed like a powerful green beacon, and now Zero knew he was getting forced into a corner. "Raah! I've had enough of you!" he roared furiously.

The ship charged one last fireball, and aimed it at Shaymin. "Now Shaymin…GO!" Shaymin followed Ash's order, and blasted a hole in the Reverse World with 'Seed Flare'.

Zero's fireball was literally blown away by the sheer power, and Ash had to hold on as hard as he could to avoid being blown off himself.

Shaymin fought against the pull of the portal to avoid being sucked out before it knew its friends were safe, and lucky for a certain evil trio, their curiosity had gotten them close to the action, and they were blown up and out of the Reverse World and into the skies.

"What's that?" Dawn exclaimed. "Shaymin opened up a portal!" Newton explained. "Shaymin did?" Dawn asked. "That means it used 'Seed Flare'! I hope they're alright!" Misty cried.

Zero was determined not to go down just yet, so he too fought against the pull of the portal. But Giratina finally summoned the strength to fire one last blue fireball, and blasted Zero out of the Reverse World forever.

Ash had been knocked off the ship when Giratina blasted it, so it quickly disappeared and teleported so it could catch Ash before he fell to his death.

Zero groaned as he tried to maintain control, but the ship simply had no more power to do anything except crash. It slammed on top of the glacier with a hard crash, and parts started falling off in bunches. Then it slid off the edge of the glacier, where Regigigas was now pushing with only the trainer Pokémon helping, since the Mamoswine were scared off by the ship's crash.

"Now! Let's finish the job!" D. Shad limped as fast as he could onto the icy lake with his Floatzel, and was soon followed by the rest of the group.

"Floatzel, use 'Ice Beam' and put that insane asylum reject on ice!" D. Shad ordered.

"Vaporeon, help out with 'Blizzard', and Surskit, use 'Ice Beam'!" Misty ordered.

"Quick Buneary, use 'Ice Beam'! Swinub, 'Ice Shard'!" Dawn ordered.

The five Pokémon fired, and the ship soon became a part of the glacier, leaving Zero forever sealed inside. "All systems have been shut down." his computer said.

"Recover data on Giratina." Zero said. "All systems down, unable to recover." the computer replied. "Oh no." Zero gasped.

Every light within the ship began shutting off. "Every single one of my glorious plans…they're ruined." Then and there, Zero closed his eyes and decided to let go of life, so he died inside the cockpit, with his computer echoing "all systems down" before silence invaded it forever.

"That's it. He's finished." D. Shad sighed. Before they could relax, the portal spit out something else. A green, white, and pink figure that was now sliding across the ice. "I'm really not that good with the cold!" Shaymin transformed back into its Land Form and fell down screaming.

"Aah! Shaymin!" Dawn ran to catch the small grass-type while still trying to keep her balance on the ice. Shaymin landed in her arms and she held it tightly. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"I am the teensiest bit scared." Shaymin replied. "Where's Ash? And where's Pikachu?" Misty asked nervously. "They must still be there!" Shaymin replied.

"He can't be gone…can he?" Misty asked. "I…don't know…I didn't see him after I used 'Seed Flare'." Shaymin replied. Misty took two steps forward before she collapsed onto her knees. "Ash, where are you?" Misty whimpered. The water-trainer bit back tears, imagining that Ash had done what D. Shad ALMOST did.

The truth was, Ash was just fine; he was riding on Giratina's back, taking the first actual look of the Reverse World without being in mortal danger. What Zero said was half-true. The Reverse World was indeed a beautiful world. Quiet, clean, and without any sense of something bad happening.

But to Ash and Pikachu, it would never be home. "Giratina, can we please go home? I miss my friends." Ash said. Giratina didn't utter a sound; it simply gave Ash something to remember.

It repaired the pillars of ice with a beautiful, purple veil of glitter. And as Giratina magically repaired the damages done in the Reverse World, the glacier in the real world gained its natural support back.

"Misty…look." Dawn said softly. Misty looked up from the ice covered lake, and through the tears she was fighting to keep inside her eyes, she was the glacier had stopped, and Regigigas, the Mamoswine, and all their Pokémon had stopped pushing on it.

"It stopped." Dawn said. "Everyone in the village is safe, and we owe it all to Ash." D. Shad said. "Yeah…to Ash." Misty whispered, a lone tear escaping her cerulean-blue eyes.

Just then, the glacier started wavering like a rock thrown into a pond. "What's that?" Brock asked. Misty looked up once more and saw that a portal was being opened up.

The group waited in anticipation for what would emerge from the portal, and when a large figure appeared, Misty's heart skipped a beat.

"Hello down there!" Ash happily waved to the other humans below. "He's alive…HE'S ALIVE!" Misty cheered. Her tears flowed freely now, but she had no trouble showing everyone her tears of happiness.

"Misty, Dawn, Brock, Brad, D. Shad! We did it guys!" Ash cheered. Ash punched the air in celebration, as Giratina flew around the skies with Ash riding on its back.

Giratina then landed in front of the group, with Regigigas and all the Mamoswine standing by. Giratina lowered its head to allow Ash to hop off, and the first thing he was greeted by was Misty's body embracing his.

Ash immediately hugged her back tightly, rubbing her soft back. "I'm so glad you're alright. Don't ever scare me like that again." Misty said, her tears still flowing.

Ash pulled back a bit to wipe them away with his thumb. "You know you sound like my mom? I'll be careful until the next time we have to save the world." Ash joked.

Misty giggled and pulled him close again. "You're such a jerk." she giggled. They looked down for a moment to see that Buneary was embracing Pikachu in a tight hug, and Pikachu was firmly reciprocating. They looked up at each other again, but quickly looked down again when they heard a quiet "smooch" and saw a blushing Pikachu.

"You're contagious Mist." Ash joked. "I'm the good kind of germ." Misty countered. "Please, nobody cure me." Ash joked. They laughed at each other's jokes.

They finally pulled away from each other so Ash could greet the others. "Hey guys, you alright?" Ash asked. "Yeah, we're fine, but I think I could use a doctor." D. Shad joked.

Ash chuckled lightly at that. Suddenly, Giratina took off to the skies. "Hey Giratina, wait!" Ash yelled. Giratina turned for a moment to say goodbye, and then climbed higher into the sky. "Where's Giratina going?" Shaymin asked.

Newton activated his GPS device and gave Giratina one last scan. "I'm wondering if Dialga's near." Newton said finally.

"If it is, we'll be ready for it." D. Shad said. The group watched as Giratina disappeared from sight, in search of Dialga.

As the sun set on the exciting day, the group was left wondering many things. One of them being where were they going to sleep for the night?

"You know, tomorrow my friends will probably be here." Shaymin said. "Oh, that means that this'll be the last time we'll get to spend time together." Dawn said, her voice dripping with disappointment.

"Yeah…I guess it will be." Shaymin said, just as sadly. "Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't we set up camp here so we can see Shaymin off?" Brock suggested.

"That sounds great. Quite frankly, I don't wanna go anywhere until the pain in my muscles go from unbearable to just excruciating." D. Shad joked.

"You guys would really stay to watch the Flower Bearing?" Shaymin asked. "Of course Shaymin. We still have to say goodbye." Dawn said, her voice cracking on "goodbye".

The Flower Garden suddenly became awkwardly quiet. Quite honestly, no one wanted to say goodbye to the small grass-type. Shaymin had grown on them in the past two days, and no one wanted to lose a good friend. But the one who would be hurt the most was Dawn, she had fallen in love with the cute little Pokémon ever since it first arrived, and now she would probably never see it again.

Ash felt sorry for Dawn, he had seen a lot of forced goodbyes ever since his journey started, but there were two that stood out in his mind. One being when May's little brother Max was forced to say goodbye to Jirachi, knowing that he would never see it again. And the other of course was when he had to say goodbye to Misty after the Johto League.

As the gang set up a campfire, Ash went off into the forest by himself to think; little did he know that he had a tag-along trailing him.

He sat down on a smooth rock and put his face in his hands, just weary in mind, body, and spirit. _"It just isn't fair…we always have to say goodbye to the people or Pokémon that affect us the most…I'm gonna miss Shaymin, and Dawn will too, even more than I will."_

By now his tag-along had caught up with him, and saw that he was troubled in his mind. This particular tag-along had a perfect remedy for something like that.

Misty softly hugged him from behind, and Ash ran his hand over her fingers before gripping them softly. "Hey Mist." Ash said quietly.

"What's on your mind Ash?" Misty asked, walking in front of him. "Tomorrow morning we have to say goodbye to Shaymin." Ash replied.

"Yeah, I know. I'm gonna miss it, you know? It may have been a pain in the butt at the start, but given time, Shaymin turned out alright." Misty said.

"Exactly. We all grew to like Shaymin, which only makes saying goodbye that much harder. No one wants to lose a good friend. I know the feeling way too well." Ash said.

"Dawn's probably gonna hurt the most, she loved Shaymin more than any of us." Misty said.

"That's exactly what I was thinking…you know Mist, sometimes I wonder what hurts more…losing one of your own friends…or watching someone else lose one, because I've felt both, and they seem almost equal." Ash said.

"Well that's just because you've got a heart the size of a Wailord." Misty joked.

"Heh heh, no Mist. I mean it. I mean, I lost you in Johto, and I just felt so drained. Then I met up with Brock again and met May, and later on we met her little brother Max. So I figured, new people and new adventures, less pain." Ash said.

"I always thought that I'd be able to forget too. But I never did, you stuck to my brain like gum that gets stuck to your shoe." Misty joked.

"And you did too. You know, I was so happy when I saw you again on my way to the Kanto Battle Frontier; I even went as far as to carry your backpack for you. When your sisters called to tell you to come home early, I felt drained again. And you know what Misty; I'm tired of that horrible feeling in my heart." Ash said.

"I can understand how you feel about that Ash, I felt so annoyed that I had to leave early, I actually wanted to stay with you as long as you were in the Kanto area. But I just couldn't leave the gym to my sisters at the time. Daisy and I were only just beginning to get along better, and she still didn't have a clue on how to battle. Saying goodbye to you again…I just couldn't bear it, but you know me, I gotta hide my emotions in front of people." Misty chuckled at the end.

"I couldn't stand it either." Ash said softly. Ash scooted over and allowed Misty to sit next to him on his rock, them he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, he needed the warm feeling of Misty's presence to try and soothe his troubled mind.

Misty wrapped her arms around his waist and scooted even closer to the sad trainer. They were so close that their legs touched each other, and her face was mere centimeters away from his. Ash felt a small smile tugging at his lips as the warmth of Misty's love invaded his heart and soul. They sat in silence for a while, staring at the moonlight through the foliage of the tall trees. Finally Ash broke it with a question.

"Can I tell you a little story?" Ash asked. "Ooh, a bedtime story?" Misty joked. Ash chuckled and went ahead.

"Once every thousand years, a comet called 'The Millennium Comet' is visible here on Earth for only a week-long period. So me, Brock, May, and Max went to go see a carnival based on that very event. There was a magician there named Butler, and his assistant named Diane. And we didn't know this at first, but Butler was a sort of scientist interested in legendary Pokémon." Ash continued,

"He had this special crystal, which contained Jirachi, the Wish Pokémon. When Butler heard that Jirachi apparently liked Max, Butler let him keep the crystal. Now get this, when Max started to fall asleep that night, May began singing her mother's lullaby, and just like that, the crystal started glowing, and Jirachi magically appeared where the crystal used to be. Now on the next day, Butler's clowns decided to quit…" Misty cut Ash off.

"Let me guess, you and Brock volunteered to take their place." Misty figured.

"Heh, yeah. So anyway, after the day ended and we were cleaning up, an Absol came looking for Jirachi, now we thought that Absol wanted to hurt Jirachi, but as it would turn out, Absol wanted to PROTECT Jirachi from Butler." Ash continued,

"Late the night, Butler took Jirachi from Max while we were sleeping. The only reason we caught him in time was because May was sitting by herself on a rock and Butler didn't notice. What Butler wanted was for Jirachi to absorb the comet's power so he could create a Groudon as part of a revenge scheme." Ash continued,

"We managed to get Jirachi away from Butler with a little help from Diane, but what we didn't know was that Butler knew exactly where we were going thanks to a GPS device he stuck on Diane's bus. So the next few days we basically just stayed on the move to avoid Butler, but as the days went by, Max was becoming more and more depressed." Ash continued,

"So at the end of the fourth day, Max comes up to me and asks me for advice. He said that he'd be really sad when Jirachi had to leave, and asked what he should do. Here's what I told him, I told him that I lost a friend once too, and I missed HER every day, but I knew that she'd always be in my heart, and so Jirachi would be in his." Ash paused to see Misty's reaction.

Misty blushed a soft pink as she realized who the "her" he was talking about was. She was touched to know that Ash had never forgotten her, and was always remembered as his best friend. "So go on." she said softly.

"Well, Max thanked me, but he was obviously becoming more and more restless. He even went as far as to scream at May and told her to stop counting down the days left on the Wish maker she had bought. So on the final day, Max was forced to say goodbye when Jirachi opened its 'Millennium Eye' and absorb the comet's power so it could go to sleep, but then Butler appeared and captured Jirachi again." Ash continued,

"So then Butler recreated Groudon using Jirachi's power, except this Groudon wasn't really a Groudon. It was what Butler described as 'pure evil', and it was not what he had intended to make. It began sucking up the Earth's energy, and it even ate everyone except for Max and I. When Jirachi started glowing, a white meteor made by Jirachi slowly dragged Groudon and caused it to explode, allowing everyone to be released from its belly." Ash continued,

"So then the excitement ended, and Jirachi asked for one wish from Max. It wanted to go to sleep listening to the lullaby that awakened it in the first place. So we all started to sing and Jirachi turned back into a crystal and thanked everyone for what they'd done. So now through tears, Max wished Jirachi a goodnight and sweet dreams." Ash concluded.

"And there was this one time when May bonded with a Manaphy, but if you don't mind, I'd rather skip that story, I'm too depressed to tell another sad story like that." Ash said.

Finally Misty got to speak, "I understand Ash. You know, from personal experience I would say that losing a friend would hurt more than watching someone else lose one, but after hearing all that, I think watching may hurt more, at least for you it does."

"How am I gonna get through this again Mist? A guy can only handle so much." Ash asked, staring at the ground. Misty gently placed her hand onto his face and turned him toward her. "Just like you did all those other times, just lean on your friends for strength and ride it out." she said softly.

Ash grabbed her hand away from his face and held it in his hand, then he smiled at her, and Misty smiled back. "Come on Ash, Brock's got dinner ready by now, let's head back." Misty said. Ash nodded and stood up. Misty followed suit.

She turned to walk back, but Ash held her back. "What's wrong Ash?" she asked. "Nothing. Just…thanks for listening to me…again." Ash replied.

"Anytime Ash, that's what I'm here for." Misty whispered. Ash pulled her in for a tight hug, and Misty gladly accepted the loving gesture. They held each other for a few minutes before they finally walked back to camp hand in hand.

When they got there, the group was sitting around the campfire, and their Pokémon were sleeping in the clearing a few yards away. Shaymin was quietly snoozing in Dawn's arms. The couple sat themselves down with the others and took their bowls of soup that had been sitting there for a while and had cooled off substantially.

"So where'd you two go?" Brock asked. "Just went into the forest to think a little." Ash said. Brock nodded in understanding. He knew what was going on. Ash didn't like saying goodbye, and he needed some time to be comforted by his beloved Misty.

"So tell me D, we all thought you were dead, what happened?" Brad asked.

"I'll pretend that you didn't ask again because these two lovebirds just showed, and I'll tell the story again." D. Shad joked. Ash and Misty blushed and shrank back. They would've left altogether if they weren't just as curious as to why D. Shad was still alive.

"Well, after I took off on Garchomp, that darn Magnezone showed up out of nowhere with his whole army and zapped me and Garchomp. We crashed into the side of the canyon and I rolled down and finally stopped on a ledge.

When I finally came to, I found that the ship was gone and I could relax, but then that little ship showed up, so I had to get back to work. But lemme tell ya, it hurt to even breathe at the time." D. Shad said.

"Well with all that blood oozing out of you, no wonder." Brad said. "Yeah, I'm just glad I had great friends to see me through." D. Shad said.

"Well as soon as we get back to Sonzonia, we'll get you to Nurse Joy so she can do some damage control on your body." Brad said, "By the way, where DID you get that gauntlet anyway?"

"Ugh, look, I stole it from J's ship, ok? I figured as long as I was there, I'd expand the horizons of my equipment. I already made blueprints on it, so i can just make another one." D. Shad explained.

"Wow D. Shad, you're awesome." Ash said. "Naturally. I'm the coolest." D. Shad said jokingly. The group had a good laugh before Newton finally piped up.

"If you don't mind, I would like to point out that the Flower Bearing begins at dawn, so going to sleep would be wise." Newton said.

The group agreed and settled down into their sleeping bags. Before they fell asleep however, they heard a quiet sniffling coming from Dawn's sleeping bag. The entire group knew exactly what it was and why Dawn was crying. The following morning would be a sad day for all of them.

The next morning the group and all of their Pokémon awoke to watch the sun rise over the canyon wall, it shined brightly in a variety of reds, oranges, and yellows. Then they heard a rustling in the flowers behind them.

They turned around and saw a Shaymin, and then another Shaymin, and then even more Shaymin appeared, all greeting each other and readying for what was to come. "Shaymin, are they all your friends?" Dawn asked. "Sure are." Shaymin replied.

"Good thing we weren't late." Ash said. "True…thanks to you all for getting me here." Shaymin said, its eyes starting to water as the inevitable grew closer.

When the sun rose high enough over the canyon, the Gracidea Flowers started to bloom in a grand display of pink. "Just…beautiful." Dawn gasped.

"Shaymin, it's great to be able to see this place." Ash said. "Does that mean you're grateful to Shaymin?" Shaymin asked with a wink. "Yeah, you bet I'm grateful." Ash replied.

"I'm grateful too Shaymin. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and thanks to you, we get to see it." Misty added.

Just then, Shaymin hopped out of Dawn's arms, and said something without meeting their gaze. "Ash…Misty…I must say I'm grateful to you too." Shaymin said.

Ash and Misty both felt pangs in their heart, and the tears that would inevitably be shown were starting to form. "Thanks Shaymin." they said.

The Shaymin already in the Flower Garden all transformed into Sky Form, and began flying around the sky, leaving only one Shaymin left. "Dawn, Ash, Misty, Brock, ALL of you…I'll never be able to thank you enough…but I'll try…thank you!" Shaymin turned its face toward them, and tears were streaming down its face.

Shaymin then hopped down into the flowers, and took one last glance at the group. "Here is where I say goodbye." Shaymin said. "Yeah…we know." Ash said. "Have a wonderful life Shaymin." Misty added.

Shaymin walked off and transformed into Sky Form along with its friends. One thing was for sure, if it would never see the group again, it was going to make sure to give them something to remember.

Shaymin flew up into the sky just as a strong gust of wind came and blew the Gracidea Flower Petals into the sky. All of the Shaymin then quickly flew in circles, creating a sort of whirlwind of petals, and the sky framed the fantastic display of pink and green.

"It's…a sky bouquet." Dawn said. The Shaymin then swooped down low so Shaymin could get say one last thing, "Farewell my good friends!"

Ash, Misty, and Dawn ran after the Shaymin as far as they could, and watched them fly off into the sunrise. "Goodbye Shaymin." Dawn croaked. The tears were now freely flowing down her face, as Shaymin disappeared from sight.

"Make a pretty garden everybody!" Dawn shouted. "And someday…I hope…we'll see you again." Ash cried. Now the tears that Ash had been fighting back were let loose like a dam breaking. But he wasn't alone, there wasn't a dry eye to be seen, even Brad had tears in his eyes.

But Dawn was heaving most of all, Shaymin had chosen her to grow close to, and now it was leaving, even if it wasn't necessarily by choice.

Ash and Misty looked into each other's tear-stricken eyes and nodded. They walked up to Dawn and surrounded her in a group hug, to comfort both her and themselves. Brock, Brad, and D. Shad joined in on the group hug, and took one last, long look into the wild blue yonder, where Shaymin the Sky Warrior had flown. Dawn felt slightly better being surrounded by her loved ones, but nevertheless she sobbed harder, which only made Ash sob harder as well. Once again, he had seen his friends go through the pain of saying goodbye.

After a while, D. Shad broke the silence. "Hey Brad, you still have the keys to my truck?" he asked. Brad's head snapped up in realization. "Shoot! I wedged them into the ground somewhere for your – eh – memorial." Brad groaned.

Through the tears, the group choked out a chuckle. "If only I had a magnet or something." Brad said. Just then, Charizard walked up holding a Magnemite. "Err, thanks." Brad said. And so the comedian went in search of D. Shad's keys, and as soon as he found them, the group would once again be on the road to Sinnoh.  
_

**A/N: And that's it! Thanks to everyone who reviewed for giving me the motivation to hurdle the biggest obstactle I've had so far! But did I fault on the jump? That's up to you guys. So let me know how you guys feel about this final chapter of the movie, and soon I'll be working on the next episode. For those of you who may have any suspicions about D. Shad and his origins, well, you'll have to find him on your own. xD You wanna know where the name "Sonzonia City" came from? Take a look around the internet for a certain forum. And one last thing I'd like to mention...I was quite honestly crying while I wrote this last part, I earnestly hope that I wrote it so that you readers felt the emotion I did while writing. Keep an eye out for updates!**


	32. Playing the Leveling Field

**So, we're finally calming down with the big, dramatic stuff, and we'll finally get settled down as we get ready for Dawn's next contest. But first, we run into a certain gym leader with a unique flair to her style, battle and clothes-wise. Thanks a lot for the reviews everyone, I'm deeply humbled by your reviews, and I highly appreciate them. So now we're in Celestic Town, without Brad and D. Shad. But don't worry! They'll be back! I own nothing except the story.**  
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Chapter 32

Misty's POV

I was starting to think that we'd never catch a break. First we run into Hunter J, and the next two days after that, we battled against a zany scientist with the obsessive intent to conquer the Reverse World! If it weren't for Brad and D. Shad sticking with us all the way through, I don't think we would've made it.

Well, maybe we would've, but it wouldn't have been easy, that was for sure. Ash's Charizard turned out to be a bigger hero this time around than it ever had before in any adventure we'd ever been on. Charizard almost single-handedly took on Giratina TWICE, battled against Zero and his army, and helped hold back an almost twenty ton glacier!

I was willing to bet that the situation was fueling its strength, and even taught it a new move. We even got to see 'Blaze' activated and stay in control unlike Chimchar. Later on I bet Ash that Charizard's power would go down to normal once he cooled off. Ash bet the opposite naturally.

So after a tearful goodbye with Shaymin, we bid farewell to Newton, who said he would continue to study the Reverse World, only this time, without any harmful machinery. Then the next stop was the Sonzonia City Pokémon Center, where we tended to our Pokémon and of course D. Shad.

Needless to say, Nurse Joy was honored to be working on D. Shad and his Pokémon, after all, a literal hero isn't something you see every day, unless you're me. Ash is my hero.

So after that, we bid Brad and D. Shad farewell. But before we left, they gave us directions to the nearby Celestic Town, and a promise to meet both of them again sometime in the near future.

It actually only took us an hour's time to get to Celestic Town, and the first thing Dawn wanted to do was look for the Contest Hall. But before we did that, we stopped by the Pokémon Center. However, before we walked in, we heard an order being issued. "That sounds like Zoey." Dawn had said.

We looked behind the Center to where the Battlefield was, and sure enough, there was Zoey and her Glameow battling a tall, violet-haired woman with a Mismagius.

Normal POV

"I thought so! It IS Zoey!" Dawn exclaimed. "Yeah, but who's that lady she's up against?" Misty asked. "Whoever she is, she's got Glameow in trouble." Brock added.

A few cheers from the sidelines alerted Zoey to the group's presence. "It's you guys!" Upon hearing them, Zoey's opponent spoke up.

"Ahh, these are your friends? But we are in the heat of battle!" Zoey's opponent said. It was apparent where this woman had grown up, her voice had a heavy French accent to it, and she would pepper in phrases of French when she spoke every so often.

Zoey growled with determination and ordered another attack, despite the fact that Mismagius' 'Psybeam' had left it confused. "Use 'Shock Wave' Glameow!"

Despite its confusion, Glameow fired the electric-attack at the free-floating ghost-type. However the confusion also hindered the accuracy, so Mismagius merely floated calmly and watched the shocks of electricity go by.

"Wow, even confused Glameow managed to attack." Brock said. "Yeah, but if it misses, what difference does it make?" Dawn replied.

Just then, Glameow shook off its confusion and gracefully landed back on the ground. "Great! Glameow recovered!" Brock exclaimed.

"Ahh, no more confusion. For you it's out of the frying pan and into the fire!" Zoey's opponent exclaimed. "I don't like the way she said that." Misty said. "Can you even understand what she says?" Ash joked.

"Great Glameow, now use 'Shock Wave' once more!" Zoey ordered. Glameow acknowledged and fired a furious electric-attack at the ghost-type.

"Whoa! The tables have turned again!" Dawn exclaimed. "Not so fast, that lady was way too confident for her to not have something planned." Misty added.

Misty would turn out to be correct. "Use 'Magical Leaf'!" Zoey's opponent ordered. Mismagius formed a shield of leaves and held it suspended in mid-air. "That 'Shock Wave's' not gonna hit!" Ash exclaimed.

"Zoey's opponent is taking advantage of the resistance of grass-type abilities to electric-type moves to build her defense!" Brock explained.

The next move however, would be the one that decided it all. "Psywave' Tout de suite!" Zoey's opponent ordered, peppering in a phrase of French in the order.

Mismagius did the impossible as it took control of Glameow's 'Shock Wave' with the help of its 'Magical Leaf' and 'Psywave'. "It can't be!" Dawn cried. "And yet it is!" Misty added.

Mismagius launched the three combined attacks down towards Glameow, who took the hit dead-on and fainted immediately after.

Zoey ran up to her exhausted normal-type and held it close to her, thanking it for a job well done. Then she turned towards her opponent who looked down at her with a smile. "I really appreciate what you did for me. I mean, with you being a top coordinator and all and having our battle…" Zoey was cut-off by her opponent.

"Merci à vous, you are a most formidable opponent. It's been so long since I've had a contest battle. You've filled me with joy." Zoey's opponent said, her French accent shamelessly showing itself in her voice.

"Any idea what she's saying?" Ash asked. "It's kinda hard to tell with that accent, but I think she said 'thank you'." Misty replied. "Uh oh, I think Brock wants to give her language a try." Dawn said, as he watched the love-struck breeder take his shot at a beautiful woman once more.

Just before the two opponents could shake hands, Brock came in and grabbed Zoey's opponent's hands, causing a sweat-drop to run down Zoey's face.

"Ma Cherie, if I may be so bold, I simply can't remember the last time I met a beautiful woman like you!" Brock exclaimed, with a cheesy French accent. Croagunk came out unusually fast this time and jabbed Brock in the side with its poisonous hand. "Of course, this may be why…" Brock groaned as Croagunk dragged him away.

"Serves you right! If you don't get arrested for stalking, you'll get arrested for molesting a language!" Misty exclaimed. Everyone got a jumpstart at the next statement that rang through the air.

"Oh! Such a beast!" Zoey's opponent exclaimed in horror. "Which one? Croagunk, or Brock?" Misty joked.

"Zoey it's a shame that you had to lose." Dawn said. "Yeah, but what an awesome battle!" Ash added.

Zoey's opponent turned to face the girl she had just defeated. "I would very much like to meet your friends." she said. Zoey showed no objection. "Sure!"

Zoey's opponent turned to face the three other teens and introduced herself. "Enchanté, my name is Fantina." She said, as she squeezed in a phrase of French impossible to understand.

"Hey Ash, guess what? SHE'S the Hearthome Gym Leader." Zoey said. Ash gasped in shock. "You're the Gym Leader?" he exclaimed.

"Awesome! We finally get to meet the Hearthome Gym Leader!" Dawn exclaimed. "Oh yeah, you told me you'd been there a whole bunch of times and Fantina's never been around." Zoey said.

"The thing is, I've now become a travelling trainer just like you, and so I regret to say that gives me no other choice but to leave the Hearthome Gym 'jacent'." Fantina said.

"Uh, what's 'jacent'?" Misty asked. "That means 'unoccupied' Ma chérie." Fantina explained with a smile. "Oh." Misty said sheepishly.

"You're a travelling trainer and a Gym Leader?" Ash asked. "Mais oui. Fantina replied.

"Hold on, Fantina, I was the Cerulean City Gym Leader before I started travelling, couldn't you have left someone in charge of the gym instead of leaving so many challengers with disappointment?" Misty asked.

"If you don't ask my asking Ma chérie, but what kind of gym was yours?" Fantina asked. "Well, it was a water-type gym, and I'm training to become a water-Pokémon Master, but that doesn't answer MY question." Misty replied.

"This battle has parched me; shall we go inside for a cup of tea?" Fantina suggested, totally dodging Misty's comment. "Sounds good to me, I'm kinda thirsty myself." Zoey replied.

Fantina and Zoey walked into the Pokémon Center leaving a very angry Ash and a very confused Misty, Dawn, and Brock.

"She just totally ignored my question!" Ash growled. "Hey, she ignored me too ok? Maybe she's just testing your patience." Misty suggested. "Oh, I'll say she is." Ash growled.

"That's not what I meant." Misty face-palmed. Ash charged into the center to join Fantina and Zoey, and was soon followed by the other three.

They found Fantina and Zoey sitting in a booth in the back of the Pokémon Center, with Fantina quietly sipping a cup of tea. Ash immediately took a seat and tried to gain Fantina's attention. This process included waving, clearing his throat, even exclaiming loudly.

By now, Misty had had enough of Ash's tantrum. She pulled out her mallet and gave Ash a nice knock on his skull. "Ow! What was that for?" Ash growled.

"Look at yourself! You're making a fool of yourself, just chill out!" Misty replied. Ash crossed his arms and growled lowly, but he obeyed Misty's command. "That's better." Misty said.

"I understand how he feels; he's one of many challengers who have come to me with many questions." Fantina said. "Well I DON'T understand why you don't go back to your gym then!" Ash exclaimed.

Fantina didn't respond, and simply took another sip of tea. By now, Ash didn't care if he got flat-headed by the beating Misty would give him, Fantina's ignoring him was torturing him more than any physical pain Misty could inflict on him. "Fantina!" he roared.

Before Misty could get the chance to slam him, a woman with bright purple hair and glasses knocked him off his seat instead. And just like that, Misty's rage was redirected from Ash to the woman. "Hey! Why don't you watch where you're going?" Misty hissed.

"Why don't YOU take a hike while I interview this fabulously fabulous top coordinator!" the woman exclaimed cheerfully. "Oh no, it's Jessidiah again." Ash groaned.

"I do declare, your beauty is only surpassed by your top-tier talent!" Jessidiah exclaimed. "And you are?" Fantina replied.

"I am! And that's none other than beautifully busy travelling reporter Jessidiah! My main scoop for the day is about Fantina and her mountain of magnificent Pokémon! So now, if you'll just work with me and look into the camera and making media magic!" Jessidiah said a little too happily.

Fantina took another sip of tea, and then turned to face the overly peppy reporter. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible. I'm training now." she said calmly.

The reporter and her camera crew face-faulted in shock. Now Ash wanted his turn at Fantina. "But that doesn't make any sense! You're a Gym Leader AND a top Coordinator!" Ash exclaimed. "That does seem a little strange to me too. What would YOU need to be training for?" Dawn asked.

"I really didn't want to say anything, but I'm a little curious myself. I mean, I know that training is an important part of any Gym Leader's job, I should know. But you seem to have already reached the top." Misty added.

"Fantina, maybe if you told everyone the same story you told me a while ago, it would help. I really doubt that they're gonna get it if you don't." Zoey said.

"I guess you're right." Fantina said, "One day I had a sort of revelation. I wanted to become much stronger. Stronger for every challenger that came to the Hearthome Gym with the desire to battle me. Now how could I resist that? As a Pokémon Trainer, I had to put in long hours of studying, and with a bit of luck, I was able to become top Coordinator!" Fantina continued,

"Everyone was generous with their praises for my battling technique, and the Hearthome Gym was able to open with moi as its leader. The Hearthome Gym specializes in ghost-type Pokémon. I faced off against anyone and everyone who came to challenge me, I fought many many battles." Fantina continued,

"Some of my challengers even after they failed would train with fierce determination and then return for a rematch. Seeing all that again, I still felt I had to win no matter what." Fantina concluded.

"Of course. The truly dedicated trainers that wouldn't accept defeat the first time around were always the ones nearest and dearest to my heart." Brock said.

"Yeah, it's those kinds of trainers that can inspire you to become stronger yourself. It would get boring if everyone just gave up all the time." Misty added.

"Mais oui, you both understand my feelings." Fantina said. "You see, not only was Misty the Gym Leader in Cerulean City, but Brock was the Gym Leader of Pewter City." Ash explained.

Fantina suddenly stood up and folded her hands in joy. "Wow, then there is no doubt you know exactly what I mean! Even Gym Leaders are always in training. They want to become stronger too!" Fantina exclaimed.

"You got it! I've been getting a lot of training in since I hit the road again!" Misty exclaimed. "Exactly! The best way to train is on the road, so after giving it a lot of thought, I came to realize that that was the best part of Hearthome Gym battles by far!" Fantina exclaimed.

"And that's about it. Fantina's been working as hard as she can as a trainer like us. Doing all the things we do like catching Pokémon, and battling, and gaining all that experience." Zoey said.

"Bien-sûr! And that led me to realize one more thing. I had to create a…new style of battling…one that would combine the beauty of competition with the ferocity of the battlefield!" Fantina exclaimed.

"A…new battling style?" Ash asked himself. "Awesome! So have you been able to come up with your new battling style yet?" Dawn asked.

"No, not quite yet Ma chérie. But one step at a time, slow and steady." Fantina replied. "Amazing…to become a Gym Leader is not the trainer's goal…but your desire to level up even now…you know, people would do well to start following your example!" Brock exclaimed.

"For sure! You're an inspiration to Gym Leaders everywhere, and now that list includes me!" Misty exclaimed. "I gotta tell ya Fantina, after hearing your awesome story, I've just gotta challenge you to a battle!" Ash exclaimed.

"Great idea! I'd like a battle too! A battle between Gym Leaders!" Misty added. "Me too! You've inspired me to give it my best shot and I want a battle as well!" Dawn added.

"Well well, there's nothing more interesting than listening to the dreams of a few inspired twerps – I-I uhh – what I'm really trying to say is, how about a battle?" Jessidiah asked suddenly.

"She called us twerps, now why does that sound familiar?" Misty asked. "Dunno, guess we're just really used to hearing it from Team Rocket." Ash replied.

"Well…when travelling trainers meet on the road, their first words are 'let's battle'! And since you and I fit that description to a tee, I accept your challenge!" Fantina exclaimed with a wink.

The three challengers cheered before Fantina semi-ruined the moment. "But since my Pokémon are feeling tres fatigue, I'm afraid I'll only be able to battle with one of you." she said.

"Alright, let's figure this out." Ash said. "I happen to have just the thing to decide which one of us battles her!" Dawn exclaimed, pulling out her Pokétch for a coin toss.

"Uh, that won't work Dawn; there are three of us and only two sides to a coin." Misty said. "Why not decide it with a game of rock-paper-scissors?" Brock suggested.

"That'll work I guess." Dawn said, slightly disappointed that her idea wouldn't work. The three teens made fists and held them out to each other, and prepared for the game that would decide the winner.

"Ok, one…two…three…shoot!"

LATER

Misty and Dawn were sitting next to Brock, who was holding Happiny in his arms, and Zoey on a bench. Dawn was making the best pouty face she could muster while she held Piplup in her arms, and Misty was resting her head in her hands with a huge frown on her face.

"Ok why? Why did I have to be so dumb that I go and pick paper?" Dawn cried, accidently squeezing Piplup and causing a squeal to emit from its beak. "Shut up Dawn, I'm still trying to figure how the heck Ash knew to pick scissors and knock us both out." Misty grumbled.

"Come on guys, it's just a game. You win a few, you lose a few." Zoey said. "That would be the case if it was anyone other than Ash. It's a matter of pride here." Misty grumbled. "Here, hold Azurill and feel better." Zoey said, grabbing Misty's Pokéball and sending the encased Pokémon into her arms.

Azurill squealed and nuzzled against Misty's chest, only VERY slightly making Misty feel better.

"Look, maybe if you play your cards right you'll get a chance to battle her after all, but in the meantime remember that that's your friend about to battle out there. In your case Misty, your boyfriend." Brock said, rather tired of the tense atmosphere.

"You're right Brock, let's cheer him on!" Dawn said cheerfully. "…Fine." Misty grumbled.

"So, after all those things Fantina said, it's obvious that ghost-type Pokémon are the Hearthome Gym's specialty." Brock said, trying to break the tense silence that had dropped.

"Yeah, AND she's an expert at using those tricky skills oh hers." Zoey added. "There's no need to worry, right?" Dawn said confidently. "We'll see." Misty said, still upset that Ash had beaten her in the deciding game.

"Alright, please be so kind as to share with us your rules!" Fantina exclaimed. "I'd like a three-on-three! And the battle's over if all of one side's Pokémon can't continue!" Ash replied. "Excellent. And we BOTH may substitute Pokémon." Fantina said.

"She's allowing Pokémon substitutions. You know, it's just like a trainer's battle!" Brock said. "Hey, you're right Brock. Challenging a Gym Leader has a totally different rule-set." Misty said, slowly gaining her cheerfulness back.

"Hey Dawn, a coin toss would come in handy now! We've gotta decide who goes first!" Ash exclaimed. "You got it!" Dawn put Piplup down and held out her Pokétch for the toss.

"Ok then you two, call it off!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Alright then, I call tails!" Ash yelled.

"Then of course, I call heads!" Fantina exclaimed.

Dawn pressed the button on her Pokétch, and the Magikarp coin flipped and landed on heads. "Oo la la, that means I go first!" Fantina exclaimed.

"I suppose you feel better now, huh Misty?" Zoey said. "Yeah, a little." Misty snickered, amused that Ash had lost the coin toss.

Fantina pulled out a Pokéball and held it up high, intimidating Ash.

"Whoa, she's holding a Pokéball…that means Mismagius isn't gonna go first…thanks to those battles with Dawn I know how contest battles work…I'm just not sure where to start…ok…it's all or nothing. Let's do it!" Ash grabbed one of his Pokéballs and held it tightly, ready for the upcoming battle.

"Ok, Buizel! I choose you!" Ash threw the Pokéball, and Ash's water weasel emerged from it with its arms crossed, ready for battle.

"Alors, Drifloon, battle position!" Fantina threw out her choice, and the balloon Pokémon emerged with a twirl and floated freely in the air.

"I've raised this darling little one since it was a baby Pokémon!" Fantina exclaimed. "Buizel, since you never know what it's gonna do, be careful, ok?" Ash said. Buizel grunted determinedly, narrowing its eyes at its opponent.

"Then let's begin! Drifloon, use 'Ominous Wind'!" Fantina ordered. Drifloon began spinning at high speed and charged toward Buizel with a dark, purple wind starting to form in its string-like arms.

"Quick, use 'Water Gun'!" Ash countered. Buizel unleashed a powerful jet of water at the incoming Balloon-Pokémon, who simply floated out of the way like the attack was standing still.

"How did Drifloon dodge that?" Dawn asked in shock. "Well, Buizel's counter attack was well timed…but…" Brock was cutoff. "Just wait Brock, Fantina's just getting started." Zoey said.

"You mean Ash might be in over his head?" Misty asked. "We'll see. Ash IS the best battler out of any of us." Zoey admitted.

Zoey almost regretted admitting Ash's skill, as Drifloon went straight from its idle stance to unleashing the 'Ominous Wind' it was previously ordered to use.

Buizel took the hit dead-on, as the ghostly and eerie wind enveloped it. "Whoa! Buizel's surrounded by wind!" Ash yelled with concern.

"Wow, she doesn't miss a trick." Brock said. "She's really living up to her position as Gym Leader, isn't she? Who knew a Drifloon could do something like that?" Zoey added.

"She's using all her moves perfectly. I just hope that Ash and Buizel don't get too caught up in the heat of the battle." Dawn said.

"That's why I'm here, right?" Misty said. Just as she said that, Misty saw that Ash was quickly growing frustrated, as he growled and barked out another move. "Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet'!"

Buizel struggled against the 'Ominous Wind' that was still blowing, but it eventually broke the attack up and charged towards the Balloon-Pokémon in a blindingly fast jet of water.

"Yeah! That's how you fight back!" Misty cheered. Buizel struck the Balloon-Pokémon, and Fantina gasped at the power and speed of the counter.

Drifloon floated higher into the air and recovered from the shock of getting hit. Fantina wiped her brow with relief that Drifloon had survived the strike. "Buizel, that move of yours was superb! But get ready for this! Use 'Hypnosis'!"

Drifloon followed its master's orders. It glowed in a sky blue aura and its eyes glowed brightly. Just then, a yellow 'X' started flying towards Buizel, twirling and spinning in the air as it headed straight for him.

Unable to counter, Buizel took the attack right in the face, and it fell to the ground, fast asleep. "Buizel, wake up!" Ash yelled.

"Oh come on, that's not fair." Misty whined. "I never even knew 'Hypnosis' could be used that way." Zoey added.

"After taking a good long look at Buizel's moves, Fantina figured out a weakness in Ash's strategy. So after seeing that 'Aqua Jet', she threw him a change-up!" Brock explained.

"The thing about Ash's battle style is that if he doesn't get right into a rhythm when the battle starts, Ash's skills are hindered throughout the rest of the battle. Ash needs to lose some of that aggressiveness and slow down and think about what he does next." Misty added.

"Alors dear Drifloon, go and pick Buizel up!" Fantina ordered. Drifloon did just that. It floated down, grabbed Buizel's sleeping form and toyed with it, spinning and twirling Buizel as if it was a plaything.

"But Buizel's still fast asleep!" Dawn exclaimed. "That 'Hypnosis' of Drifloon's packs a punch." Brock said. "On top of all that, Fantina's using Buizel's being fast asleep to show off Drifloon's power." Zoey added.

"S'il vous plaît Drifloon, use 'Psychic'!" Fantina ordered. Drifloon complied and released Buizel, only to grab onto it once again using its telekinetic powers. After spinning Buizel around a little, Drifloon threw Buizel right into Ash, knocking the frustrated trainer to the ground. Naturally, Misty did not appreciate that treatment being given to her boyfriend.

"Hey! That was a low blow!" Misty stood up, pointing an accusing finger at the Balloon-Pokémon. "Misty, calm down!" Brock exclaimed sternly. Zoey tugged hard on the water-trainer's arm and dragged her back to the bench.

Fantina took Misty's outburst into account and decided that she was right. "S'il vous plaît Drifloon, be nice to the challenger!" Fantina scolded. Drifloon turned to its master and nodded, and went back to battle-ready stance.

Just as it did that, Buizel woke up and growled at its adversary. "Great Buizel, you woke up!" Ash exclaimed with relief.

"My sincere apologies Ash, I'm afraid my dear Drifloon can become over-excited in the heat of battle, are you quite alright?" Fantina asked. "Yeah, I'm alright! Let's keep it going Buizel!" Ash replied.

Buizel grunted determinedly, but then suddenly showed signs of fainting as it dropped to one knee. "Oh no, Buizel!" Ash cried. Buizel struggled and groaned, willing itself to stay up. "Come on Buizel, you can't let Drifloon get away with that! Water-types never give up!" Misty shouted.

Buizel heard Misty's encouragement, and fought the aches and pains all over its body, slowly forcing itself to its feet. "My my Misty, you certainly have a way with water-types, n'est-ce pas?" Fantina said.

"Misty's the best water-type trainer I've ever known, and Buizel's learning a lot from her! Take this for instance! 'Water Pulse'!" Ash ordered.

Slowly and weakly, Buizel formed the energized ball and launched it at the Balloon-Pokémon. "Drifloon, use 'Psychic'!" Fantina countered.

Drifloon took control of the 'Water Pulse' using the psychic-type move. "Now Buizel, 'Water Gun'!" Buizel fired while Drifloon held the 'Water Pulse', hoping that Drifloon couldn't handle two things at once.

"Alors Drifloon, float up and dodge it!" Fantina countered. Drifloon easily dodged the attack, and then it readied its next move. "Now 'Ominous Wind'!" Fantina ordered. Drifloon whipped up a ghostly cyclone, and allowed the 'Water Pulse' to fly around inside.

Then the attack headed straight for Buizel, who was now simply too tired to do anything except let the attack hit it and knock it out. "Aww man, Buizel…" Ash groaned.

"After all that, it's just over." Dawn groaned. "Looks like Buizel took quite a bit of damage from that first 'Ominous Wind'." Zoey said. "And I'm willing to bet that being spun around like a merry-go-round didn't help out either…but you have to admire Buizel's determination." Misty added.

"Buizel, that was some great work!" Ash returned Buizel to its Pokéball, "Now you get yourself a good long rest…Chimchar, let's go!"

Ash tossed out his next choice, and the adopted fiery little monkey popped out, ready for battle. "It is with my dear Drifloon that I will stay. Alors Ash, it is YOU who has the honor!" Fantina exclaimed.

"Ash seems frustrated that he can't get a good groove going." Brock said. Misty decided it was time to do her part in the cheering section.

"Ash, remember to keep calm and stay focused! If you just keep your cool you'll be able to handle this!" Misty exclaimed.

Ash looked to the sidelines and smiled at his red-headed girlfriend, and she smiled back at him. Then he took a deep breath and readied for battle. "Ok Chimchar, no holding back! 'Flamethrower'!"

Chimchar acknowledged and spewed a burning flame at the Balloon-Pokémon. "Drifloon, 'Psychic'!" Fantina countered.

Drifloon's eyes glowed blue, and the flames lost all their fury as they were literally stopped in mid-air. "What happened?" Ash yelled in shock. The group on the bench were in shock as well, gaping that the attack simply stopped in its tracks.

Now S'il vous plaît, we'll take control of that!" Fantina exclaimed. Drifloon's eyes glowed again, and the flame broke into eight small embers and started swirling around Drifloon. "Fantina's using 'Psychic' to control our 'Flamethrower'?" Ash said in awe.

"I've seen trainers use their opponent's Pokémon's skills a lot in contest battles before, but never like she does." Zoey said.

"How is Ash supposed to beat someone who takes advantage of almost every single move he makes?" Dawn asked. "I think Ash may have to do some training with you this time Dawn, you provide the contest side I can't give him." Misty said.

"I can't do that stuff! At least not yet anyway." Dawn said. "Fantina's a really unique trainer, in order to use both battling and contest skills at the same time takes a lot of practice." Brock said. "And learning how to counter those techniques takes even more practice." Zoey added.

"Now prepare for a surprise! 'Will-O-Wisp'!" Drifloon turned the embers into blue ghostly flames, shocking everyone. "Look out!" Dawn cried.

Drifloon fired and the blue flames nailed Chimchar before it could get out of the way. "Now 'Hypnosis'!" Fantina ordered.

Drifloon sent out the sleep-inducing 'X' once more, and it spun in the air on its way to Chimchar. Ash just stood in shock at what had just happened. "Ash, snap out of it!" Misty screamed. Ash shook his head and came to his senses upon hearing Misty's voice, and he saw that Chimchar was about to be put to sleep.

"Aah! Chimchar, use 'Dig', quick!" Ash yelled. Chimchar started digging a hole, but the 'X' managed to reach Chimchar before it could get under.

Chimchar was knocked backwards, and it struggled to fight the effects of the 'Hypnosis' and stay awake. "Come on Chimchar, hang in there!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar blinked a few times and tried to fight the 'Hypnosis', but it eventually fell asleep as well. "No, not again!" Ash cried.

"I don't believe it!" Dawn exclaimed. "Ash, do something!" Misty screamed.

Ash did just that, he reached for Chimchar's Pokéball and yanked it off his Pokéball belt. "Chimchar, return!" Ash returned Chimchar to its Pokéball to avoid any further damage.

"Ahh, good! Ash managed to get Chimchar back into its Pokéball before it was too late." Dawn said with relief. "That's not as good as it looks." Brock said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Dawn asked. "The thing is, confusion and sleep work differently. If Ash were to send Chimchar back out, he'd still be asleep." Misty explained.

"So I guess Pikachu's next then?" Zoey figured. "I don't think so." Brock said. "Whaddya say Ash? Time to call out the big guns?" Misty exclaimed from the sidelines.

"You guessed it!" Ash grabbed one last Pokéball from his belt and clutched it tightly. If any of his Pokémon could get him out of this mess, it was this one. "Charizard, I choose you!"

The giant dragon emerged with a roar, bringing a small gasp from Fantina. Oh! What a ferocious looking Pokémon you have there!" Fantina exclaimed.

"Yeah, Charizard's one of my best friends and battlers!" Ash yelled determinedly. Charizard shared its master's enthusiasm and clenched its claws into fists.

"The thing is…if Charizard falls asleep, it's all over…I've gotta think of something." Ash said to himself.

"Pika Pikapi!"

"Right Pikachu, we get lemons, we make lemonade, and that's what we do best! You ready Charizard?" Ash yelled. Charizard turned to Ash and nodded with a thumbs-up.

"Alors, this time I start! Drifloon, 'Will-O-Wisp'!" Fantina ordered. Drifloon fired once more, but this time the attack failed to do much. Charizard merely crossed its arms and took the attack with little effort. "Yeah Charizard! Now use 'Flamethrower'!" Charizard acknowledged and spewed an even more powerful flame at the Balloon-Pokémon.

Drifloon took the hit and squealed in pain. "Well, I'm impressed. That 'Flamethrower' was magnifique." Fantina said.

Drifloon struggled for a few moments, and then finally broke free. "We're just getting warmed up! Charizard, use 'Steel Wing'!" Charizard's wings glowed and he charged ahead for the attack.

"Now Ash is getting somewhere!" Misty cheered. "Ominous Wind'!" Fantina countered. Drifloon spun and blasted the ghostly wind like a horizontal tornado.

Charizard struggled against the wind, sending gasps of shock to everyone. "That 'Ominous Wind' is so powerful it's stopping Charizard in his tracks!" Brock exclaimed in shock.

Despite the force against it, Charizard continued to fight. "Hang in there Charizard, you've just gotta hang in there!" Ash encouraged.

"Oh! I've never seen such burning spirit! This battle is now in your hands!" Fantina exclaimed. Just as she said that, Charizard gave a mighty roar and surged through the wind and slammed the Balloon-Pokémon higher into the sky.

"Yeah Charizard, that's showing them!" Ash cheered. Charizard sneered with confidence, but the Flame-Pokémon was slowly weakening. As for Fantina, she was feeling for the first time during the entire match that she might lose a battle, so she started using strategy once more.

"Drifloon, use 'Hypnosis'!" Fantina ordered. Drifloon sent the attack right for Charizard, whose previous effort had left it slightly fatigued. Unable to move away in time, the attack hit Charizard right in the face.

"Oh no!" the group yelled from the sidelines. "Charizard, you've gotta stay awake! You can't go down! You're my last hope!" Ash pleaded.

Charizard's eyes blinked several times, beckoning him to lie down and fall asleep, but the giant dragon wouldn't accept it. It shook its head violently and shook off the effects of 'Hypnosis'.

"Alors, your Charizard is much MUCH stronger!" Fantina exclaimed in awe. "You think that's impressive? Watch this! 'Heat Wave'!" Ash ordered.

Charizard fired a wave of pure heat towards the Balloon-Pokémon, who just took the hit hard. "That's it!" Ash cheered.

"Look at Charizard go!" Dawn exclaimed. "Yeah, Ash can sure turn the tables!" Brock added. When the waves of heat finally ceased, Drifloon began glowing white. "Alors, my Drifloon is starting to evolve!" Fantina exclaimed.

"Evolving now?" Ash yelled in shock. The group on the sidelines also gaped, as Drifloon suddenly transformed into a Drifblim.

"Incroyable! My Drifloon has evolved into a Drifblim! Vraiment incroyable!" Fantina and Drifblim twirled around with joy, slightly intimidating Ash. However Charizard didn't seem impressed.

"So that's a Drifblim." Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex and scanned the newly evolved Pokémon. The Pokédex made a few beeping noises and gave its explanation. "Drifblim, the Blimp-Pokémon, and the evolved form of Drifloon. Because it travels on wind currents, Drifblim's movements are unusual and unpredictable." the Pokédex chirped.

"Sheesh, just when Ash gets into a groove, something like this happens." Misty groaned. "Yeah, but he is using Charizard, he's gotta win this time!" Dawn replied.

Brock and Zoey looked on silently; they didn't share the same confidence in Charizard's pure power. "I'm witnessing a miracle. Better brace yourself Ash!" Fantina warned.

Ash's fiery spirit flooded back into his veins, and he clenched his fists with determination. "No prob! You don't have to worry about Charizard and me! Charizard, 'Flamethrower', let's go!"

Charizard spewed the burning flames at the newly evolved Pokémon, assuming that not much difference had been made. "Keep your eyes peeled! Calmly floating just like that!" Fantina countered.

Drifblim merely floated out of the way while the blast of fire completely missed its target. "Drifblim dodged!" Dawn exclaimed. "Charizard's 'Flamethrower' is too strong to take." Zoey said. "But that doesn't explain how Drifblim could dodge so easily." Misty said.

"A Blimp-Pokémon like Drifblim can dodge like that so easily because it's riding the wind currents. It almost seems like its controlling the attacks." Brock explained.

"Now 'Hypnosis'!" Fantina ordered. Drifblim moved in to finish the job, and Ash seemed too deep in a haze to notice. "Ash, heads up!" Misty screamed.

Once again thanks to Misty, Ash shook himself back to reality and saw what was about to happen. Drifblim had grabbed Charizard's face and was about to put it to sleep and end it. "Aah! Charizard quick, use 'Heat Wave'!"

Charizard reacted in seconds, and fired the blast of heat right into Drifblim at point-blank range, resulting in Drifblim finally fainting. "Way to go Charizard!" Ash cheered. Charizard wiped sweat from its brow, relieved that its master had snapped out of his haze.

Fantina recalled Drifblim to its Pokéball, and congratulated it. "Merci Beacoup Drifblim, you were magnifique."

"And once again, Misty saves the day with her Ash manipulating skills." Zoey joked. "I don't MANIPULATE, I simply encourage." Misty replied matter-of-factly.

"That Charizard of yours is simply incroyable, n'est-ce pas?" Fantina said. "Uh…sure?" Ash replied unsurely. "Now Mismagius, battle position vite!" Mismagius floated onto the field, staring down the tired dragon who was panting with fatigue.

"This shouldn't take much longer; your Charizard seems très fatigué." Fantina said. "Don't count Charizard out too soon!" Ash replied.

"Do you really think Charizard can hold out for two more Pokémon?" Dawn asked. "You want my honest opinion?" Misty replied. Dawn shook her head no and looked back to the battle.

"Ok Charizard, one down and two to go!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard gave a grunt of determination, but it was obvious that he was weakening.

"Ash, it is your turn to start!" Fantina exclaimed. "Ok! Charizard, 'Dragon Breath'!" Ash ordered. Charizard launched the fiery breath attack at the ghost-type, who easily dodged the attack.

"S'il vous plait Mismagius; finish this with 'Dark Pulse'!" Fantina ordered. Mismagius launched the attack and the familiar rings that knocked Charizard out versus Team Galactic headed toward it.

"Charizard, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash countered. Charizard fired to counter the attack, but just as before with Saturn's Toxicroak, the rings broke apart and slammed into Charizard in a machinegun like barrage.

"Charizard, no!" Ash cried. "Use 'Psybeam'!" Fantina screamed. Mismagius fired, and the dragon could do nothing but take the hit and fall over fainted. "No…Charizard…" Ash moaned.

Ash groaned with his fists clenched tightly, and then grunted in defeat. "That's it."

"Oui, looks like it." Fantina replied. "There's nothing I can do since Chimchar's still asleep…thanks Charizard, return." Ash returned the dragon to its Pokéball, and looked to the ground in shame.

"Oh Ash…" Dawn said quietly. Misty handed Azurill to Zoey, and walked up to her disheartened boyfriend and gave him a hug to comfort him. "Thanks Mist."

Misty nodded and continued to hold him, as Fantina came up to her defeated challenger for the post-battle discussion.

"You know Ash; you have to admit that this battle was totally different from anything you've ever experienced." Brock said.

"You're right Brock. I couldn't get myself into a solid groove. The more I worried about my Pokémon falling asleep, the less concentration I wound up having. I got lucky with Charizard but I can't rely on that to win." Ash said.

"The thing is, even the best of us come up short sometimes." Fantina said. "Well I'll tell you this; I wanna give the Hearthome Gym another shot!" Ash exclaimed, extending his hand out to Fantina.

"I accept your challenge, and thank you for a battle incroyable." Fantina replied. "So what'll you do now?" Ash asked. "I'm going back to the Hearthome Gym to do some homework with my new Drifblim. In the meantime, you have a magnifique time out on the road!" Fantina exclaimed.

"Fantina! If it's possible, I'd like to have a battle with you too!" Dawn exclaimed. "Yeah me too! I still want a Gym Leader versus Gym Leader match!" Misty added.

"Mais oui ma chéries, I promise bien-sûr!" Fantina said cheerfully, "Meanwhile, let's all keep working. Since you can't count your Torchic before they hatch n'est-ce pas?"

"Zoey, any idea what she just said?" Brock asked. Zoey merely glanced at Brock and shook her head. "Well everyone, I believe it's time for me to hit the road, au revoir!" With that, Fantina and her Mismagius walked off into the forest back towards Hearthome City.

"Now that she's gone I have no trouble asking. Did anybody understand half the things she said?" Dawn asked. "Not a clue, but I'm gonna find out." Misty said.

"How are you gonna do that Misty?" Zoey asked. "I wrote down all the things she said, course, half of them are probably spelled wrong, but maybe I can run them through the Pokémon Center computer." Misty replied.

Ash was being uncharacteristically quiet. That brought worry to his friends. "Ash, are you alright?" Misty asked. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've just got some serious thinking to do." Ash replied. Ash walked into the Pokémon Center with Pikachu trailing him.

"That was a really tough loss you know. He probably wants to review it for himself." Brock figured. The group agreed and walked in as well. Misty took one glance at Ash who was sitting Indian-style in-between all his Pokémon.

"You sure you're ok Ash?" Misty asked with concern. "Mist, YES, I am. I just need to go over where I went wrong, ok?" Ash replied.

Misty nodded and replied with a quiet. "Ok."

She then walked over to the computer and began her research on what Fantina was saying with her French phrases.

Hours went by and the brightly shining moon rose over the thick foliage of the nearby forest. Misty had completed her research and was translating everything Fantina said to the group. "So Misty, you finally found everything?" Zoey asked.

"Yep, and I've got the list right here!" Misty waved a piece of paper she printed from the Pokémon Center computer in the air, proud that she had done it. "Well let's have it!" Dawn exclaimed. "You got it!" Misty replied.

"Ok, so remember when she said 'Bien-sûr'?" Misty asked. "Yeah, that was one of the ones I couldn't translate." Dawn said. "Well 'Bien-sûr' means 'of course' or 'exactly'." Misty explained.

"Merci à vous' means 'thank you you'." Misty said. "You said 'you' twice." Zoey said. "I know, it literally means 'you you'." Misty shrugged. Dawn and Zoey shrugged and allowed Misty to continue.

"Tout de suite' means 'now'."

"Alors' means 'so'."

"Jacent' means 'vacant'."

"Ma chérie' means 'sweetheart', 'honey', or my 'beloved'." Misty explained.

"That would explain why she only called you, me, and Zoey by that term. It'd be weird saying that to Ash or Brock." Dawn said.

"So anyways, I've got a few more here." Misty said.

"S'il vous plaît' means 'please'." Misty explained. "Wow, that's a long word to say 'please'." Zoey said. "I know right? Lemme keep going now." Misty said.

"Très fatigué' means 'very tired'."

"She said 'vite' when she sent out her Pokémon. 'Vite' means 'hurry' or 'quick'."

"N'est-ce pas' means 'isn't it' or 'aren't you'."

"Magnifique' can mean lots of different things. Ranging from 'magnificent', 'wonderful', or 'amazing'."

"This one's easy; 'incroyable' means 'incredible'."

"And lastly, 'vraiment' means 'really'." And with that, Misty finished her translation list.

"Wow Misty, how'd you find all that stuff?" Zoey asked. "Believe me, it wasn't easy. I'd rather not discuss it." Misty sighed.

"So how's life with Ash?" Zoey asked teasingly. "Well, it's not perfect by any means. But it's definitely not boring. We just got finished fighting against some maniac bent on ruling another dimension!" Misty exclaimed.

"Wow! And all I've done is win another contest. Maybe I should travel with you guys for a while." Zoey said. "Zoey, you won another contest?" Dawn asked excitedly.

"Yeah! Check it out!" Zoey pulled out her ribbon case, and revealed that she had indeed added to her collection. "Wow, your third ribbon Zoey!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah, Shellos really came through for me. And before you ask Misty, I'll make sure to tell Shellos you're proud of it and its water." Zoey said jokingly.

Misty giggled at that. "Well I am!" she laughed. "I hope I do well in my next contest, losing is something I can't afford to do." Dawn sighed.

"You'll do fine Dawn, just remember to keep cool and have fun with your Pokémon!" Misty said. "I know Misty, but I'm running out of time and contests, I can't keep coming up short." Dawn said.

"Don't worry about it. Hey, you won the Wallace Cup! That's a once-in-a-lifetime accomplishment!" Zoey encouraged. "Yeah but I tied with Misty!" Dawn said. "Dawn, I got lucky, that's all. YOU'RE the one who knows all the techniques. Trust me, you'll be fine." Misty said.

"I'll try." Dawn sighed. "Good, now take a deep breath." Misty said. Dawn obliged, inhaled, and exhaled with relief. "I feel better now."

"Good." Misty said with satisfaction. "So Zoey, you're really not going to be in the Celestic Town contest?" Dawn asked.

"I'm gonna take a pass this time. But I'll be there cheering for you, don't worry." Zoey said. "Really? Thanks Zoey! Hey Ash, guess what…" Dawn saw that Ash was still sitting in the same position he was hours ago.

"Ash is still going over today's battle in his head." Brock said, mixing a batch of Pokémon medicine. "Ash is gonna hurt himself with all this heavy thinking." Misty joked. As if on cue, Ash finally spoke up after an hour or so of total silence.

"Man! It feels like my head is gonna explode! I do know that every time we got hit by that 'Hypnosis' we were toast! Charizard managed to fight it, but I can't rely on luck every time." Ash said. Charizard growled with frustration.

"Sorry buddy, but you know it's the truth." Ash said sternly. Charizard hesitated, but eventually grunted in submission.

"From now on, we're gonna work day and night figuring out how to punch that 'Hypnosis' right in the nose!" Ash exclaimed.

"And I've gotta get focused on winning that Celestic Town contest you know? So Ash, it looks like you and I have got some serious work to do!" Dawn replied.

"Right. Next time we're at the Hearthome Gym, we're gonna rock!" Ash pumped his fist in the air, and all his Pokémon matched his action with the same enthusiasm.

"Fine, but until then, how about you take a little break? You've been racking your brain for the past two hours. Maybe we could…go watch a movie?" Misty suggested.

"Heh, yeah, that sounds great Mist." Ash said gratefully. "If you'll excuse us everyone." Misty grabbed onto Ash's hand and entwined her slender fingers into his fingers. They walked up the steps to the rooms, leaving the others by themselves.

"Nice of Ash to leave us his Pokémon." Dawn huffed. "Hey, he's had a rough day, let him enjoy some alone time with Misty." Brock said, finishing his medicinal powder.

"What's that you're working on Brock?" Zoey asked. "It's a special Pokémon massage rub. It relaxes the Pokémon's muscles." Brock replied.

"Think I could have some Brock? A massage would be just the thing for my Pokémon after a rough contest." Dawn said.

"I wish I could, but this is the last of my natural ingredients. We'll have to head out tomorrow to that nearby natural medicine hut I found on the map, and then we can head back here." Brock said.

"Well guys, it's late, I think I'll hit the hay." Zoey said. "G'night Zoey." Dawn and Brock said. Zoey walked up the steps to the rooms as well. She wound up walking by the bedroom of Ash and Co. She curiously peeked in and saw Ash and Misty cuddled up on the couch in the room.

"You lucky dog you." Zoey snickered. Zoey walked past the room and headed into her own for a good night's sleep.

"You sure you're alright Ash?" Misty asked, resting her head on his shoulder. "(Sigh) I dunno Mist, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to get anywhere even with Charizard. You had to snap me out of it like three times." Ash replied.

"Give yourself more credit than that. I only had to wake you up twice." Misty giggled. "Yeah but still, Fantina kept me guessing the whole time, there's just gotta be a way to counter that 'Hypnosis'." Ash said.

"We'll figure it out together. But tomorrow, ok? Let's just enjoy some time together." Misty's voice slipped into a whisper as she finished her sentence. She snuggled her nose into Ash's neck and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Ash responded by holding her close to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and into a loving embrace. Their attention turned to the show on the television. It was apparently about a Raticate who was part of a secret agent operation with the purpose of defeating the evildoers all over the world.

"Is there anything else?" Misty asked. "Not unless you wanna watch a documentary on Pokémon reproduction." Ash replied.

Misty's eyes widened and she quickly became content with the secret agent show. Although she still got bored with it after a while longer, and held in the loving embrace of her boyfriend, she was beginning to lose consciousness.

Noting that Misty's eyes were beginning to droop, Ash felt this sudden wave of tenderness wash over him. He gently moved her head from his shoulder and placed it onto his chest so she could use it as a pillow.

Misty sighed happily and snuggled her head deeper into his chest, as Ash rubbed her back affectionately. _"Heh, now I can watch the show in peace."_ Ash thought. But Ash was still being bothered. In the back of his mind the battle with Fantina haunted him.

_"How could I have been beaten so easily? It was almost as if she knew exactly what I'd do and when I'd do it. Charizard managed to do some damage but he's my strongest Pokémon, even he can't beat all of her Pokémon. There's just gotta be some way to counter that 'Hypnosis'."_

Ash continued to think about the battle, his restlessness growing with every moment his confusion lingered in his mind. Ash's train of thought was derailed though when he felt a slight shift below him. He looked down and saw Misty snuggling into a more comfortable position in her sleep. Ash's mind was put at ease when he saw her beautiful face.

_"Aww Mist, thanks for being here for me…even when you're asleep you're helping me. I really don't know how I ever got along without you; you're always making me feel better when I'm down." _Ash's train of thought had changed direction, and was now happily focused on the red-head sleeping in his arms.

He lowered his head slightly so that his nose grazed the top of her head, and he nuzzled his nose in her silky smooth hair lovingly. Misty's face slowly formed a small smile, and she curled even deeper into his chest. _"Thanks for everything Misty; I think I can finally relax."_ Ash turned his attention back to the TV, no longer feeling anxiousness thanks to Misty's presence.

After a while longer, Dawn and Brock finally showed up and saw that Misty was sleeping in Ash's hug and was using his chest as a pillow. Dawn quietly gushed to herself and headed to the bathroom for a much-needed shower, while Brock looked on in jealousy.

Ash stuck his tongue out at the Breeder, teasing and torturing him further. Brock rubbed his eyes wearily and walked away without a word. By this time, the movie ended and even Ash was beginning to get fatigued.

He didn't even notice that he was still rubbing Misty's back; he had been doing it the whole time and never even knew it. Of course, seeing the content and blissful expression on Misty's face showed him that Misty couldn't have been more comfortable than she was now, and Ash felt a lift in his heart to know he had that effect on a girl like her.

Dawn came out fifteen minutes later, and was about to head off to her bunk, but not before taking one last longing glance at the couple comfortably cuddling on the couch. _"Why can't I have someone to hold me like that?"_ She curled herself into her covers, just hoping and praying that someone would soon come into her life and sweep her off her feet like Ash had done for Misty.

Meanwhile, Brock was making a shopping list for the natural medicine hut for the next day. "Hey Brock, what time is it?" Ash asked in a hushed tone.

Brock looked at the clock on his desk. "It's past midnight Ash, wake Misty up and head to bed."

Ash looked down at Misty's sleeping form. Her red hair flowed down her face like a waterfall of pure, soft silk. Her smile was generated by pure happiness from love, and Ash couldn't stand himself for what he had to do.

He gently shook Misty's shoulder and tried to wake her. "Misty." he whispered. Misty didn't stir. Ash shook her a bit harder and repeated himself a bit louder. "Misty."

This time it worked, as Misty slowly opened her gorgeous cerulean-blue eyes and smiled up at her boyfriend. "Come on Mist, it's midnight." Ash said softly. Misty nodded groggily and kissed Ash's cheek before forcing herself to sit upright.

"Musta dozed off." she said with a yawn. She pushed herself off the couch and into the bathroom for her shower, leaving Ash with Brock. "I'm jealous of you Ash and I'm not afraid to say it." Brock said bitterly.

"Sorry to tell you this Brock, but Misty's a one of a kind…come to think of it I'm NOT sorry." Ash snickered. "One day Ash I'm gonna find a girl prettier than her and then rub it in your face." Brock said with a smirk.

"Even if you did get a girl, there's no way she'd be prettier than Misty." Ash countered. "Oh yeah? Watch me. One day Ash, I promise you." Brock said.

"I'll hold you to that promise." Ash countered. "Will you guys be quiet? Some of us have training tomorrow." Dawn grumbled sleepily. Dawn slammed the pillow over head and tried to go back to sleep but to no avail.

"One day you'll get a girl Brock, and that same day I'll be there to tell her about all the times Misty and Croagunk had to drag you away because you had no self-control." Dawn grumbled, upset that she couldn't fall asleep, and also still frustrated that SHE couldn't find a GUY.

"Hey, you wouldn't do that." Brock said. "Oh yeah? Try me." Dawn replied. "How'd you like to cook all your own meals from now on?" Brock asked. Dawn immediately shut up and flipped to her other side so she couldn't see the two competing men. _"Give a girl a break…geez Brock, you could see Ash and Misty's connection, but why can't you see how bad I'm feeling?"_

Before Ash and Brock could reignite their competition of who could get the most attractive girl, the favorite candidate came out of the bathroom wearing tight black shorts and a loose fitting blue t-shirt.

"Your turn Ash, I'm going to sleep. G'night." Misty gave Ash a short and sweet goodnight kiss on the lips, and then curled into the covers of their bunk as if nothing had happened. On the receiving end however, nothing could be further from the truth.

Ash watched Misty doze off with a huge grin on his face from the kiss he had received, and Brock just gaped there like he had just seen the most unbelievable thing in the world, which to him, that was it.

"What can I say Brock? I'm a lucky guy." With a spring in his step, Ash trotted into the bathroom and turned on the shower. _"I NEED to find a girlfriend before I crack open like a walnut!"_ Brock thought desperately.

Now unable to concentrate on his list, he grumpily threw his pen and paper down onto the desk and crawled into his bunk. He lied on his back with his arms crossed underneath his head. _"Maybe I should try to control myself more, then maybe I'd get somewhere. My pickup lines aren't working, so I might as well try being calm…but I can't! So many beautiful girls…"_

When Ash came out of the shower, he saw that everyone but Brock was fast asleep, even Dawn who had previously been woken up and tortured by his and Brock's bickering was asleep. Brock merely had a goofy grin on his face, and didn't seem to know Ash had walked in. _"Brock, sometimes you can be kinda weird."_

And then there was his beloved Misty. Her hair fell over her eyes and her breathing caused the covers over her to slowly rise and fall.

He didn't know how long he just stood there staring at her beauty, but when he finally came to his senses, it was because Pikachu was curling around his legs affectionately. "Hey Pikachu, where ya been?" he whispered.

"Pika pika chu pi pi pika." (Giving myself a bath.) Pikachu replied.

"Pikachu, I always thought you didn't like baths." Ash said. "Pika chu pika pi chu." (I can't go to bed smelling bad.) Pikachu replied.

"Why not? That never stopped you before." Ash joked. Pikachu sent a tiny jolt to Ash's foot, giving Ash a small jumpstart. "Well am I wrong?" Ash asked.

Pikachu didn't respond and hopped onto Dawn's bunk. "Why are you sleeping up there?" Ash asked. Ash got his answer when a white light emerged from Dawn's backpack. "Oh, I get it. Heh, g'night Pikachu."

"Pika Pikapi." (G'night Ash.)

Ash softly scooted into the bed so as not to wake Misty, and turned his head to see Pikachu and Buneary cuddling together on top of Dawn's bunk. _"Good for you buddy, good for you."_ Ash thought happily.

Love was in the air that night, along with some bits of frustration and jealousy, but mostly love from two couples. One a human couple and the other a Pokémon couple.

And as the male halves of those couples held their respective female counterpart close, it wasn't long before everyone in the room was sound asleep, and the group would be on their way tomorrow, training for Dawn's next contest.  
**_**

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this one! I was actually getting used to having Brad and D. Shad around all the time, so not including them felt kind of weird. And for all you romance fans like me out there, I filled this chapter with lots of Ash and Misty fluff, and a small bit of Pikachu and Buneary! ^^ I would like to take the time to recognize another good internet friend of mine whom without I would've never been able to handle Fantina and her French.**

**RaianOnzika of deviantart. **

**This man helped me to translate all of Fantina's sayings and phrases so that I could effectively add more where needed and also explain to the readers what Fantina was saying. And as a small payment to him, I'll take this moment to give him a shameless plug. lol.**

**If you're a fan of Sonamy, Tailream, Knuxikal, Shadouge, or Silvaze, you must check out his gallery on dA! Read his comic: Sonic and Amy: The Dark Doppels, and witness the ultimate in Sonamy comics. The link to his dA account is below, simply copy and paste it. And make sure to take the spaces out so it reads correctly. (Stupid Fanfiction won't let me post links. -_-) Make sure to review everyone! And I'll let ya know when the next update is scheduled to come out!**

**http:/ /raian onzika. deviantart. com/**


	33. Battling the Generation Gap

**Well, here we are again. Yet another update in the revision of Pokemon: Diamond and Pearl. I tell ya, looking back at how much I've written, it makes me feel like I'm might actually be making people happy. There must be people out there like myself who still think Misty deserved to be in the show all along, and I'm doing my part to make it seem that way! Next up is Dawn's contest in Celestic Town! I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 33

Misty's POV

Well it happened again. Jealousy had overtaken me. And it was towards Dawn of all people! I felt so sorry for giving her the cold shoulder, but what could I do now besides apologize?

Basically what happened was that Dawn's Pachirisu had gotten sick the day before, and we were without help from Brock since he went to a nearby natural medicine store, which left me, Ash, and Dawn by ourselves in a hut in the woods.

We didn't know if it was the cold shower that Ash had accidently given it, or if it was the pancakes that Dawn had made for lunch. My guess was on the shower since we ALL ate the pancakes and only Pachirisu got sick.

At this point I was actually defending Dawn, not hating her, but that part came later. When Pachirisu showed signs of fever, we immediately put all our focus and energy on trying to get it better. We set it to bed and covered it in blankets. Dawn's little sweetie of a Buneary even offered up its special vest to help keep Pachirisu warm.

Then I remembered that putting ice on its head might bring its temperature down, so Dawn took Piplup and Buneary outside in order to make some ice. That left me and Ash alone for a few minutes. We were both obviously worried; I mean, neither of us had the first aid knowledge that Brock had.

We just looked at each other for a few moments, what else were we supposed to do? Then Dawn came back with the ice and we put it in a plastic bag and set it atop Pachirisu's head. Pachirisu didn't seem to be getting any better, so Dawn told us about how when she was little, her mom would mash up some fruit and feed it to her.

So Dawn went into the kitchen and peeled an apple for Pachirisu and mashed it up. When I went into the kitchen to check on her, she looked like she was crying. It had to be because of Pachirisu. After all, no trainer would care to see their Pokémon be sick, and Dawn was the kind of person who would feel bad for anyone.

I gave her a small hug to try and relax her, and she was able to compose herself long enough to finish peeling the apple. I smashed it up with a potato masher, at least I could do that much. Afterwards, Dawn attempted to feed the sick Pokémon a small spoonful of fruit, but Pachirisu refused to eat anything, only worrying Dawn even further.

Ash had suggested that he go and get Brock, but I insisted that I would do it since I was better with directions. Ash handed me Charizard's Pokéball and before I knew it, I was riding the dragon and looking for Brock.

After I found him, I explained the situation and he quickly hopped on and we headed back. When we finally got back to the cabin, and the next thing I knew I was angry.

I saw Ash holding Dawn in his arms, and she was sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. Ash gave me a small smile, but I was absolutely furious at the sight. I grabbed Brock by the wrist and dragged him into the cabin to work on Pachirisu. Ash and Dawn followed.

Brock figured out that Pachirisu was having an electrical buildup and we needed to get the extra power out. So Brock grabbed a battery meter and held it out to Pachirisu's cheeks. Pachirisu gave a squeal as the electricity left its body almost instantaneously, and Dawn started to tear up again seeing her Pokémon in pain.

I did feel bad for Dawn, but I felt like she was trying to steal my boyfriend by having him comfort her. When Brock announced that Pachirisu's fever had gone, we all gave a sigh of relief, and then I pulled Dawn aside.

Dawn explained that she knew what this was about, and she explained one thing that I heard that I didn't like. She said that while in Ash's arms, she did feel a slight attraction. But then she said that I would agree that Ash was definitely one of the best guys we'd ever meet.

I did agree, and then she continued. She said that no matter what, she was NOT a thief, and she understood that Ash was MY boyfriend, but if she needed someone to lean on as a friend, she should be able to count on Ash.

I knew then that she was right. Ash was my boyfriend, but that didn't mean that he was only allowed to hug me. If Dawn was feeling bad, there was nothing wrong with playing comforter and friend. I apologized to the saddened coordinator right then and there. I felt so ashamed for my brief but definitely not subtle behavior.

Honestly, I was fifteen years old. How long could I act like a spoiled brat? I did the same thing when Ash comforted Angie, and I barely even knew her. Now I was attacking Dawn, and I knew her really well by now. After I apologized, Dawn gave me a hug, as a way of saying my apology had been accepted. The truth was, Dawn was my friend, and it would stay that way. Dawn was not someone who would lie and cheat just to get her own way.

And that led us to where we were today. We were back in the Celestic Town Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy was giving Pachirisu a quick checkup, and Dawn and I were trying to re-break the ice that I had foolishly put over our friendship yesterday.

Normal POV

"So Dawn, what did you plan on doing before the contest?" Misty asked. "Well, I'm supposed to get a call from my mom today, other than that, I thought I'd just hang around here. Dawn replied.

Silence overtook them again, until Dawn sighed and broke it. "You know Misty; I really am envious of you." Dawn said. "Why's that?" Misty asked.

"You've got an awesome boyfriend in Ash, and he'd do just about anything for you if you asked him. Meanwhile, I don't have anyone. Whenever you feel down, you can always count on Ash to hug you, tell you he loves you, and build you back up again. But when I'm down, I have to rely on myself most of the time. There haven't been any boys around that genuinely care for me the way Ash does towards you. Conway and Kendall were just people who wanted me for who knows what." Dawn explained sadly.

Now Misty knew the truth. Dawn didn't necessarily feel attraction towards Ash because she liked him; it was more because she was just so desperate for someone to care for her. _"Poor Dawn…after seeing me and Ash act the way we do around each other for so long, she's started to want the same…I've got to try and help her."_

"You know Dawn; I think your friend Kenny might have feelings for you." Misty said enticingly. "Kenny? You really think so? I mean, he teases me with the…Dee Dee name all the time." Dawn said. "You usually only tease the people you really like. You know how Ash and I tease each other all the time." Misty said.

"But…Kenny…I mean…you REALLY think so?" Dawn asked. "Try flirting a little the next time you see him. Who knows? You just might get a reaction out of him." Misty replied with a wink.

"I'll do that! Thanks Misty!" Dawn squealed. Just then, Nurse Joy came up to Dawn holding Pachirisu's Pokéball. "It's perfectly healthy. Oh, there's a phone call for you from Twinleaf Town." Nurse Joy said.

"It must be Mom!" Dawn squealed. Dawn leaped out of her chair and ran for the videophones. "Well, I solved that problem. Now I have to find a way to get Dawn and Kenny together." Misty said to herself.

Misty got up from her chair to join Dawn just as Ash walked into the Center with Brock. "Hey Mist, what's up?" Ash asked. "Nothing much, any luck on the anti-Hypnosis project?" Misty replied.

"Nope. I just can't figure it out." Ash moaned. "Did you try telling your Pokémon to run around panicking and hope that it misses?" Misty joked.

Ash gave a weak chuckle. "Uh…yeah." he mumbled. "You know I was just kidding, right?" Misty said. "I know, but I wasn't kidding." Ash mumbled again.

"Boy, you really are desperate aren't you? Tell you what; I'm in a good mood today, so I'll help you until we have to head to the contest hall." Misty said.

"Thanks Misty! I could sure use the help; maybe you can massage my head so it doesn't explode while I'm thinking." Ash joked.

"You think I'm here to be your masseuse? Not on your life Ketchum. But I WILL help you with ideas in battle." Misty countered.

"Fine. But I'd still enjoy a massage." Ash mumbled. "If you play your cards right, maybe, MAYBE I'll give you one later, I know how much you enjoy when we have some alone time." Misty flirted, despite the fact that Brock was there watching.

Ash blushed and looked up at Brock who was staring in disbelief. Ash saw an opportunity to mess with his head even more, so he motioned to Misty, who nodded her head in response.

"You know Mist; I haven't kissed you in a long time." Ash said in the calmest and most natural voice he could muster.

"Well then pucker up and fix that Ashy." Misty replied flirtatiously. Ash coolly came close to the water-trainer and planted his lips onto hers right in the middle of the Pokémon Center lobby. Hoots and whistles rang through the air as their lip-lock continued for everyone to see.

This kiss had more passion in it than most of their previous ones, but mostly because they were really trying to mess with Brock. However as the kiss continued, they slowly began to lose track of why they were kissing in the first place, and simply started enjoying the waves of pleasure that surged through their bodies.

When their lips parted, both participants were in an unplanned daze. "Not bad Ash, a little more practice and you'll be a master at this." Misty said woozily.

They then looked at Brock, whose jaw had dropped all the way to the floor after seeing them share such a passionate kiss IN PUBLIC.

"Something the matter Brock?" Misty asked. "You think you're cool because of that? Watch this!" Brock, who was not to be outdueled in a battle of love, walked over to the help desk and rang the bell for Nurse Joy.

Nurse Joy walked out of the office holding a clipboard and a pen. "Can I help you?" she asked, in the typical Nurse Joy manner.

Brock made her drop the clipboard and pen when he grabbed her hands and held them tightly in his own. "My dear Nurse Joy, if you truly care about your customers, then show how much you care by coming with me on a daaaaate!"

Croagunk had slammed its poisonous hand into Brock's side, sending waves of pain through his body. "Oh come on…Ash can't win…(Groan)." Brock fell over and was dragged away by the poison frog, who didn't care at all about Brock's personal ego.

"Boy, we sure got him good." Ash chuckled. "Yeah, but I think Croagunk got him better." Misty replied. The couple shared a laugh and entwined their hands together as they headed over to where Dawn was talking to her mother.

"Hey Mom, did you ever talk to Kenny's mom? And did she possibly mention anything about Kenny…you know…liking me?" Dawn asked quietly so as not to let everyone around her hear.

"Well…I probably shouldn't tell you this…but…" Johanna didn't get the chance to finish. When Dawn saw that Ash and Misty were coming, she quickly started talking over her mother. "Wow Mom! Awesome story about that contest you were in!" Dawn exclaimed, trying to sound natural.

Johanna was now confused. "Contest? But I was just telling you…" Johanna looked at her daughter's face and saw that she was desperately sending her a silent message to play along.

"Oh right, yeah, that was quite a challenge for me." Johanna said with a wink. Dawn face-palmed. Could her mother be any more obvious?

"What's going on Dawn?" Ash asked. "Just talking to my mom, that's all. You remember Ash, right Mom?" Dawn asked.

"Of course I do, how are you Ash?" Johanna asked. "Doing great, thanks!" Ash replied.

"And who is this Dawn?" Johanna asked, averting her attention to Misty. "Oh, this is the girl I told you about! Misty, meet my mom!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Oh yes, you're the Gym Leader girl that got together with Ash that Dawn has told me so much about. Call me Johanna." Johanna said. "It's nice to meet you Miss Johanna. Dawn's told me a lot about you too. It's awesome that you were a top coordinator." Misty replied.

"Yeah, it wasn't an easy climb to the top though, my friend Lila managed to slow me down a lot in that contest she beat me in." Johanna said.

"Mom, you mean THE Lila? You actually battled in a contest with THE Lila?" Dawn asked in shock. "That's right. See, the truth is I hadn't lost a single battle up until that event. And Lila was the one who ended my winning streak." Johanna said.

"Lila who?" Ash asked. "You've never heard of her?" Dawn replied incredulously. "No, should I have?" Ash asked.

"Well here, just look!" Dawn held up a magazine article, "She's ONLY a top Pokéstylist, even YOU remember what that is. And she styles trainers AND Pokémon!"

"Impressive. Maybe I should tell Daisy about her." Misty said. "So what happened to Lila after the contest Mom?" Dawn asked.

"Sadly, she ended up retiring from contests and as a Pokémon Coordinator before I could get a rematch with her." Johanna said.

"So the loss still stands, huh?" Dawn said. "It's fine. Fond memories…plus she's doing very well these days as a Pokéstylist." Johanna said.

Brock had just recovered, and had heard the last part of the conversation. "You know, I seem to remember reading that her store is actually in Celestic Town." Brock said.

"Yeah, isn't it great? We all have to go!" Dawn squealed excitedly. "You do that everyone. Say hi to Lila for me." Johanna said.

"You got it Mom! Thanks for the call!" Dawn exclaimed. "Ok, I love you Dawn, and good luck, I'll be watching." Johanna said. "Love you too Mom, and thanks!" Dawn hung up the videophone and faced her friends.

"I wasn't just blowing smoke you know. I mean it! Let's all go see her store!" Dawn exclaimed. Dawn ran out the door of the Center, forcing her friends to follow along. She waited outside the door for the others, but then Ash and Misty turned to go the other way.

"Hey guys, aren't you coming too?" Dawn asked. "Believe me, I'd like to, but I promised Ash I'd help him figure out how to counter Fantina's 'Hypnosis' so his brain doesn't blow up." Misty replied jokingly.

"Oh ok, good luck." Dawn said, rather disappointed. "Let's meet at the Contest Hall." Brock said. The group agreed, and went their separate ways.

"Any idea where to start Ash?" Misty asked. "Well, maybe using one of Dawn's contest techniques could come in handy. It sure doesn't look like pure power will help here." Ash replied.

"Sounds like a plan to me; we'll gather our Pokémon and do some experimental battling." Misty said. "Uh, yeah, battling." Ash said nervously. Misty eyed her boyfriend suspiciously, but she let it go as nothing.

Meanwhile, Dawn and Brock had made it to Lila's store. "Here it is!" Dawn squealed. The duo opened the doors to the store, and bells rang to inform the employees of their arrival.

The two simply couldn't believe their eyes. "Awesome!" Dawn squealed for about the fifth time that day.

"Dawn, this is so great!" Brock ran up to a familiar outfit that had caught his eye, "Look! They've got Wallace's stage costume!"

"No way, really?" Dawn joined Brock to gape at the outfit, "That was when he was in the top coordinator carnival! Wow, Lila's amazing! I cannot believe she does the styling for Wallace too!"

Dawn briefly turned her head and saw a female employee standing at the checkout desk. Dawn walked up to her and said: "Um, excuse me, but I was hoping I would get to see Lila."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid Lila's going to be out for the entire day today." the employee replied.

Dawn's high spirits immediately deflated. "Aww man…bummer." she moaned. "However, I do think she said something about…" the employee was cut off by Brock who had just realized what time it was.

"Dawn! We gotta go; you still have to get ready for the contest!" Brock exclaimed. Dawn looked at her Pokétch and saw that he was right.

"Oh man! I still have to shower, find my dress, fix my hair, thanks anyway ma'am!" Dawn charged out of the store with Brock before the employee could get a word in. "Hmm, well if she's going to the contest, she just might run into her after all." the employee chuckled.

Meanwhile, Ash and Misty were sitting in a field, arms crossed and legs folded. "Ash, I thought we were gonna battle, not sit here and think." Misty hissed.

"Look, there's gotta be a way to stay awake when Fantina uses 'Hypnosis', so we gotta put our thinking caps on." Ash replied.

Misty sighed with exasperation and submitted. And so they quietly sat there, trying to think up an idea to counter Fantina._ "Maybe we can rewind a few months when battling was Ash's only way to figure stuff out."_ Misty thought.

As time went by, Misty took note that Ash and his Pokémon were starting to doze off under the warm sun. Somehow she couldn't blame him. There was a calmly flowing stream of water, the sun was comfortably warm, there was a soft breeze blowing, it would've been perfect for an afternoon nap.

Suddenly a perfectly sneaky idea popped into her brain, and a sly smirk spread across her face as she thought of it. "Hey Ash, I gotta head to the little girl's room, I'll be back in a minute." Misty had to summon all her strength to hide the smirk that she was really wearing on her face.

"Yeah, sure, ok." Ash replied with a yawn. The Pokémon Trainer didn't know it, but he was slowly falling asleep and his Pokémon WERE asleep. Even the mighty Charizard had fallen victim to the beautiful day. Meanwhile Misty had ducked behind a nearby tree, and was about to pull off a prank she'd remember for quite a while.

She pulled out a Pokéball, and Surskit emerged from it. "Psst, Surskit, go and take Ash's hat and bring it to me." she whispered.

Surskit nodded and snuck up to the now snoring Pokémon Trainer. Surskit carefully and gingerly used its two skinny front legs to remove Ash's Sinnoh hat from his head.

Ash stirred a bit, giving Surskit a huge scare, but Ash merely switched sides and started drooling. Surskit wiped the fear-induced sweat from its brow and hopped over to Misty with Ash's hat in tow. "Good going Surskit, now get on his head." Misty whispered.

Surskit squealed in fear at Misty's request. "Don't worry about him waking up. Ash could sleep through an earthquake." Misty snickered. Surskit grinned and hopped over to Ash. It then gently crawled up onto his head, and squatted down.

Misty gave Surskit a thumbs-up and then pulled out another Pokéball. She tossed it and Staryu emerged. "Ok Staryu, you've got the best aim. Give Ash a nice and refreshing 'Water Gun' right from here." Misty said, holding back giggles.

Staryu nodded and aimed carefully. Aiming its point like a gun sight, Staryu fired the 'Water Gun' right at Ash's face, and even totally missed Surskit. Ash immediately woke up spluttering when the water hit his face. "Wha – Wha – What's going on here?"

Ash looked around in shock, and saw that Misty had apparently ditched him. "Misty! Where'd you go?" he called out.

Misty was giggling as quietly as she could behind the tree, just waiting for Ash to see that his Pokémon had fallen asleep.

She exploded into laughter when she heard Ash screaming. "Come on you guys, you gotta wake up and get cracking NOW!"

The steaming Ash heard the laughter and snuck up to the tree, knowing who he'd find behind it. "So you think that's funny huh?" Ash asked.

Misty tried to glance at him with a serious face, but she just exploded into another fit of giggles. "Yes!" she squealed through raucous laughter.

"You could've tried to keep me awake you know." Ash said. "Yeah, but that wouldn't have been as much fun." Misty replied, catching her breath.

Ash muttered under his breath. "Aw come on Ash, loosen up a little. I still love you you know." Misty said. Ash smirked and gave her a quick glance.

"Come on, we gotta get going. The contest starts in a little bit." Misty said. Ash shrugged and returned his Pokémon to their balls. Then he caught up with Misty who had gone on ahead.

"By the way, nice hat." Misty said. Ash gave her a confused look and took off what he thought was his hat, but what he saw was a smiling Surskit. "Waah!" Ash tossed Surskit up in the air in shock and Misty started laughing again.

"Thanks Surskit! You were awesome!" Misty fired the Pokéball's return beam and caught the twirling Surskit in midair. "Gimme back my hat Misty!" Ash yelled.

"You gotta catch me first!" Misty replied. Misty took off running, forcing Ash to chase her down. "I'm gonna get you Misty!"

Meanwhile, Dawn was preparing for the contest in the dressing rooms. "Come on, stay where you belong!" Dawn was once again having issues with her hair. She was trying to fit a yellow ribbon on the side of her hair and wrap it into a small pigtail, but it kept bouncing out of place. "NOW there's need to worry." she moaned.

Buneary attempted to console her master, but Dawn was feeling pretty disappointed that she couldn't fix her ever troublesome hair. She took one more attempt at fixing it, when all of a sudden a woman snuck up behind her, yanked on her hair and placed it into a perfect pigtail. "And the flowers have bloomed." she said proudly.

Dawn giggled and turned to thank the woman for helping her, but she couldn't believe who was behind her. "Thank you so – aah! You're Lila!" Dawn squealed.

Lila took a good hard look at Dawn, and a light bulb went off in her head. "(Gasp) Hold on, you're Dawn aren't you?" Lila asked.

"Yeah, but…how in the world did you know my name?" Dawn asked. Before Lila could respond, her assistant barged into the room and literally dragged Lila away.

_"What is she doing here?" _Dawn wondered. Dawn didn't have time to think, for the contest was about to begin and she still had some final adjustments to make to her wardrobe.

While Marian announced the judges, Ash, Misty, and Brock had gotten to their seats. Pikachu was wearing a green kimono to cheer in, and Dawn's remaining Pokémon were in cheerleading outfits. Misty had even called out Azurill to join the fun and cheer with its tail.

"You think Dawn'll be able to keep up her streak after winning the Wallace Cup?" Ash asked. "To quote a phrase: 'No need to worry'!" Misty replied.

Ash smiled and turned his attention back towards the stage.

"Presenting our first coordinator. This lovely lady's making her first contest appearance in twenty years! Please welcome the tiger lily of Celestic Town: Lila!" Marian announced.

The crowd roared with excitement, especially the Celestic Town residents who had seen Lila's performances when she was a child. "Lila's making a comeback?" Brock asked. "Awesome, can't wait to see this." Ash said.

Misty looked on with a forlorn expression. "Mist, what's up?" Ash asked. "I may have spoken too soon…I wonder how Dawn's holding up. I don't think she was counting on going up someone who beat her own mother in a contest." Misty replied.

"Yeah…I see what you mean." Ash said. They looked back onto the stage to see just what Lila was made of. "Now Cherrim, out you come!" Lila threw out her Pokéball, and the grass-type emerged in a flurry of pink flower petals. At first Cherrim shyly removed the leaves from its face, then it suddenly blossomed into a beautiful flower.

"You know, it's like Lila never retired!" Brock exclaimed. "Hey Ash, check the Pokédex for that thing." Misty said. "Got it." Ash replied.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the small Pokémon on the stage. "Cherrim, the Blossom Pokémon. Cherrim stays quiet until its flowers bloom when it becomes quite excitable." the Pokédex chirped.

"Before Ash or Misty could comment, Lila started up her performance. "Cherrim, 'Magical Leaf'!" Lila ordered. Cherrim spun around like a top, spraying glowing leaves in all directions. "Now 'Sunny Day'!" Lila ordered.

Cherrim launched two white spheres of energy up to the roof, and they detonated into incredibly bright flashes of light. The leaves that Cherrim had previously used glowed in a glorious display of green in the homemade sunlight.

"It almost looks like she painted that onto the ceiling." Misty said in awe. "And it also show's off Cherrim's unique qualities perfectly." Brock added. Even the Pokémon that were supposed to be cheering for Dawn couldn't help themselves, they jumped around with excitement with Dawn's Pokémon waving their pom-poms, Pikachu waving his two fans, and Azurill swinging its tail around like a pom-pom.

That was all Lila did. Her performance lasted a mere thirty seconds, but the audience and the judges were left in astonishment nevertheless.

Mr. Contesta: "Celestic Town's tiger lily is STILL blooming!"

Mr. Sukizo: "Which means, remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "It feels like a flower has just bloomed in my heart!"

After such high praises, Misty couldn't help but feel a little tense. "You're worried about Dawn, aren't you?" Brock said. "I'm just hoping she doesn't get intimidated by Lila's performance." Misty replied.

Inside the waiting room, Dawn was feeling a slight bit of anxiety, but she was apparently handling herself pretty well since Buneary wasn't squealing for help while in her arms.

The contest continued with all sorts of different coordinators and Pokémon showing what they were made of. Whether it was beauty, grace, or even power.

"Next up we have the Solaceon Town contest winner Jessilina!" Marian announced. Jessilina walked in an oddly familiar hairstyle and dress. "You don't suppose she was spying on us when we were with Fantina do you?" Misty asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised. It'd be just like her to use someone else's style." Brock replied. Jessilina walked onto the stage with a confident smile and fire in her heart, but her originality would get a zero.

"The queen of fabulous fortune and fame! And today I'll be doing something inspired by the ALMOST as fabulous Fantina!" Jessilina said in a bad French accent.

"Ok, it's one thing to steal a battle style, but stealing someone's accent is downright pathetic. Especially when it's that bad." Misty said. Ash and Brock chuckled and sweat-dropped for the same reasons Misty had.

"Now Dear Yanmega, you're on!" Still using her horrid French accent, Jessilina tossed up a Pokéball and a Yanmega emerged in a shower of pink hearts.

Without even an order, Yanmega flew towards Jessilina at full speed and knocked her into the sky. "Wow, Jessilina's flying!" Marian announced, feigning excitement.

"A new spin on my past win! How do I top this? With 'Silver Wind'!" Jessilina exclaimed. Yanmega flew down beneath her and started holding the predictable and downright unoriginal coordinator in midair. "Round and round and up and down and where she goes; now nobody knows! And la dee da and tra la la!" Jessilina chanted happily.

Jessilina may have been enjoying herself, but the audience was practically bored out of their skulls. "Oh man, she sure likes to fly." Ash said.

"THAT'S an imitation of Fantina? I'm sure Fantina wouldn't repeat the SAME act like four times in a row and still think people like it." Misty added.

While Jessilina was lowered, two guys and a Pokémon in the stands were banging their heads against the railing in disbelief. "This may be the first time I've ever thought thievery was wrong." one said. "If dat's the most sincere form of flattery, I quit." the other groaned.

Jessilina landed and started laughing with joy. But once again, NO ONE was applauding her. "You think it'd be wrong if I booed her?" Ash asked. Misty stifled a laugh but managed to tell Ash not to do it.

Mr. Contesta: "Well well, a most uh…unusual display."

Mr. Sukizo: "Heh heh, eh, and remarkable too…of course."

Nurse Joy: "Uh well…there's no substitute for enthusiasm."

Jessilina left the stage with a complacent look on her face, positive that she'd be moving on thanks to her "Fantina inspired act".

"Well after a performance like that, I bet Dawn's feeling really confident." Brock said. "Yeah, following up Jessilina will be a walk in the park for her." Ash added.

Dawn walked onto the stage just as Marian cleared her throat and tried to pretend that Jessilina's act never happened.

"Ok, moving right along…next up we have the Wallace Cup champion, Dawn!" Marian announced, this time with sincere excitement.

Dawn had an air of mystery to her when she walked onto the stage, she had her eyes closed and her right hand was on her chest, as she stared down to the floor with an intense look on her face.

"You don't think she's nervous, do you?" Misty asked worriedly. "Why take chances?" Ash replied. Misty uttered a confused "Huh?" as Ash got up to yell above the crowd. "Just stay cool and you'll be great Dawn!"

Misty smiled and looked to the stage with anticipation, Especially since she was satisfied that Ash cheering for another girl meant nothing more than him being his usual encouraging and supporting self._ "I'm gonna fight to remember. Ash is the nicest guy that anyone will ever meet. And that's exactly what he'll be to EVERYONE that comes his way."_

Dawn looked up and smiled, holding her Pokéball at the ready. "Now Buneary! Spooootlight!" Dawn tossed the ball and Buneary appeared in a flurry of red confetti.

Ironically enough, Pikachu started cheering sooner than any of Dawn's Pokémon, which earned him looks from the other cheerleaders, except for Azurill who didn't get why they were looking at its Uncle Pikachu like that. "Pika." (Sorry.) Pikachu sweat-dropped.

The other cheerleaders rolled their eyes and waited for Buneary's first move. "Use 'Bounce'!" Dawn ordered. Buneary obliged and hopped high into the air. "Now spin on your ears!" Dawn ordered.

Buneary shifted her body weight and began spinning upside-down in midair, showing off Buneary's cuteness for all to see.

Ash and Brock yelled encouragement to the rabbit-Pokémon, and Dawn's Pokémon and Azurill were now cheering with all the enthusiasm they could muster. But Misty was the only who spotted that Pikachu was NOT cheering for Buneary.

Instead, Pikachu was gaping at the small rabbit in awe. Misty giggled quietly and turned her attention back to the stage. _"Pokémon love is so sweet."_

"Ice Beam', go!" Dawn ordered. Buneary came out of her spin and fired a freezing beam towards the ground. She angled it so that a ramp of ice was made. Buneary landed and skated down the ice, gracefully and happily moving along the frozen field.

"Whoa, where'd Buneary learn to skate like that?" Ash asked. Just then, a white light flashed from Misty's pocket. "Psyduck, not now! Wait…Surskit, what are you doing out of your Pokéball?" Misty asked, wondering why her pond-skater Pokémon had chosen now to appear.

"Alright, use 'Dizzy Punch'!"

Buneary flipped upside-down and started skating on its ears, and even began spinning like a ballerina. Now Misty had the answer to her question as Surskit mirrored Buneary's moves in place. Except Surskit was a bit more polished with its movements.

"I get it, but when did you teach Buneary how to skate so well?" Misty asked. Surskit didn't respond, and continued spinning in place. Dawn looked to the sidelines, and each of her friends gave her a thumbs-up. She also noticed that Pikachu was gaping in awe at Buneary. _"Buneary, you've definitely hooked Pikachu now."_ Dawn thought.

As Buneary continued to spin, she also stole a split-second glance at the sidelines to look at her friends. But when she saw that the only one not cheering was Pikachu, she became hurt inside and started losing her form. "What happened? Buneary!" Dawn cried. Dawn looked to the sidelines in a panic, looking for any source of help. The whole group pointed, signaling to catch Buneary before it got hurt.

Surskit hadn't heard the cries from the field yet, so it kept spinning, when it finally stopped spinning, it saw that Buneary was having balance trouble. Dawn ran to catch her Pokémon, who had totally lost its form and was now spinning out of control.

Dawn made the catch with one hand and held Buneary up high to salvage the performance. "Now, just smile and sell it." Dawn said.

Buneary sweat-dropped and struck a pose. She glanced over to the sidelines and saw Pikachu waving one of his fans at her, and she more than happily waved back.

Mr. Contesta: "Now that showed off just how cute Dawn's Buneary can be!"

Mr. Sukizo: "Remarkable for sure!"

Nurse Joy: "The thing I enjoyed watching the most was how much fun Dawn and Buneary seemed to be having."

That last round concluded the appeal rounds, and so the coordinators headed back down the long corridor to the waiting room to see the results. On the way there, Ash, Misty, and Brock caught up to Dawn.

"Hey Dawn, nice job out there!" Misty exclaimed. "Thanks, but I DID mess up a little." Dawn said with a small laugh.

"But you also managed to pull it together for the finish!" Ash said. "Yeah, I suppose." Dawn replied.

"Not to sound negative or anything Dawn, but what exactly happened out there?" Misty asked curiously. Dawn looked to the ground with a thoughtful expression. Her gaze had inadvertently switched to Buneary, who was walking in front of her.

"I'm not really sure, for some reason Buneary lost her balance and went out of control." Dawn replied. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder to talk to Buneary, who seemed a bit shy to talk to him.

That's when it Dawn like a load of bricks. When Dawn glanced over to the sidelines the first time, she had seen that Pikachu was standing still instead of cheering. _"That's it."_ Dawn thought.

"Dawn, what is it?" Brock asked. "I think I know what happened after all." Dawn replied. She had the humans huddle together so that the two conversing Pokémon didn't hear. "I think it was because of Pikachu." Dawn said.

"Wait a sec, what did Pikachu do?" Ash asked defensively. "Chill out Ash. I said it was BECAUSE of Pikachu. I did NOT say Pikachu was at fault." Dawn replied. Ash grumbled under his breath. "So what happened?" Misty asked.

"Well, when I looked at you guys the first time, I saw that Pikachu was staring at Buneary in what looked like an awestruck haze. But I think Buneary might've seen Pikachu standing still and thought that Pikachu didn't like her performance." Dawn explained.

"That makes sense! With Buneary spinning as fast as she was, she probably didn't have any time to study Pikachu's expression and decipher why Pikachu wasn't cheering. So she thought that he was disappointed." Misty said.

The humans looked down and saw that Pikachu was trying to explain to Buneary why he wasn't cheering. But what could he say that wouldn't embarrass him? Misty then came up with an idea.

"Let me take Buneary and go up ahead of you guys, I wanna try and talk to her." she said. Dawn nodded in agreement. Misty scooped up Buneary and sped up her walk a little so that she was ten paces ahead of the others.

Ash scooped up Pikachu and placed him back onto his shoulder. The small, electric-mouse's ears were drooped. He felt bad that he had made Buneary feel sad and even cost her her perfect performance. "Don't worry buddy, Misty will take care of it." Ash reassured.

"What happened Buneary? You were doing so well." Misty said. Buneary's ears drooped. "Bun buneary bun?" (Why didn't Pikachu cheer too?) Buneary asked.

"You think Pikachu didn't enjoy your performance because he wasn't cheering?" Misty asked. Buneary nodded and moaned.

"You wanna know what I think? I think Pikachu enjoyed it more than anyone else." Misty said. Buneary's ears stood upright again, as she looked at the water-trainer in curiosity. "Yep. Pikachu wasn't cheering because he was frozen by your cuteness. In other words, you left him awestruck." Misty said with a smile.

Buneary peered her head past Misty's body, and looked at Pikachu, whose ears were drooped in guilt and sadness. Buneary then blushed slightly and turned back to Misty. "Go on Buneary, go make him feel better." Misty said.

Buneary gave a big hug to the water-trainer in thanks, and bounced over to the others. Misty slowed her pace so that she was parallel with the others once more, and watched as Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder to talk to Buneary some more.

When Buneary gave Pikachu a small peck, Pikachu blushed and put his paw behind his head. "And so ends this week's dramatic broadcast." Misty joked. The group had a good laugh and continued on.

When they finally reached the waiting room, Dawn saw her mother talking to Lila over the videophone. "Johanna! Great to see you! Were you watching?" Lila asked.

"Of course Lila, that was quite the surprise." Johanna replied. Dawn immediately ran up to the videophone. "Hi Lila! Hi Mom!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Well hello Dawn, that was quite a performance you gave us all out there." Lila said. "That's so nice. Thank you!" Dawn said, "So…Mom said you two had a contest battle…wow…it sounds like it must've been totally amazing!"

Lila and Johanna took a quick glance at each other before facing back to the young coordinator.

"It was…in fact, the battle between your mother and I was the most important battle in my life." Lila said, "I may have won, but when I saw how energized your mom was about battling, I started asking myself a few questions, 'is this really what I wanted to be doing with my life?'" Lila continued,

"Back then, I wasn't sure which path I wanted to take. Coordinator or Pokéstylist. Then, I got an opportunity to study to be a Pokéstylist abroad! Not knowing what to do, I asked your mom for some advice. It was then we decided we were both going to do what we REALLY wanted to do. What we'd be best at. And that's why I decided to pursue becoming a Pokéstylist, and your mother decided to concentrate on becoming a coordinator." Lila concluded.

"Yeah Lila, but I never thought you'd be going after becoming a coordinator AGAIN." Johanna said. "Well it's all thanks to your sweet daughter." Lila replied. This information shocked Dawn.

"Huh? Thanks to me?" Dawn asked in confusion. "You see, of course I find the kind of work I do now fulfilling, but when I saw Dawn battling on TV, looking so full of life, the memories of my days as a coordinator flooded back in my head! So I started thinking how wonderful it would be to stake winning my fifth ribbon in a battle with you, Dawn." Lila explained.

"Which means if you win, you'll be able to enter the Grand Festival!" Brock exclaimed. "But that's not the real reason Lila's doing it." Johanna said.

"(Giggle) Never could get anything past you, could I?" Lila shrugged, "I knew I could learn something about myself by battling Dawn the same way I used to battle with Johanna, and I will tell you, we went at it back in the day."

"It's obvious some things never change." Johanna said.

The group stared silently at the two friendly rivals, just pondering what they had just heard. Before a comment could be uttered, Marian came on the screen with the results of the first round.

As the first four coordinators went by, Lila had made it already, but Dawn still wasn't there. Dawn groaned nervously as the next three appeared, leaving only one slot left. There was a moment of silent suspense before the last slot was revealed.

"We made it! And it's all thanks to you Buneary!" Dawn hugged her rabbit-Pokémon as tightly as she could, and her eyes got all misty with joy.

As the coordinators got paired up with their opponents, Lila confronted Dawn. "Now Dawn, let's make sure it all comes down to us." Lila said. "You got it!" Dawn replied.

Finally, Johanna had her say, "Dawn, Lila, I'm looking forward to watching you two battle."

"No need to worry! Ambipom, this time it's your turn!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom acknowledged excitedly.

"Well, guess we'll see ya later then." Ash said. Ash and Co. headed back to their seats, leaving Dawn with her mom and Lila. "Well Dawn, let's give them something to remember." Lila said. Dawn nodded and left the room.

"Be warned Johanna, I'm not showing any mercy just because she's your daughter." Lila said. "(Giggle) Don't get too confident Lila, you'd be surprised what she can do." Johanna replied.

The times of twenty years ago came back as Lila and Johanna razzed each other back and forth before finally hanging up. "Ahh, this all makes me feel like a kid again!" Lila said to herself.

The battles continued. Lila and her Delcatty dominated the battlefield with their technique, and Dawn and Ambipom also managed to blow their opponents out of the water. "It seems a little too easy if you ask me." Dawn had joked.

Finally the time that everyone was waiting for came. Dawn and Lila faced off against each other on the battlefield. Dawn's friends cheered as loudly as possible from the stands. At first she felt energized by the encouragement, but one thing Brock said brought her confidence down.

"Don't forget your mom will be watching too!"

Ash and Misty shot glares at the breeder. Even Ash knew exactly how much pressure Brock had just put on the young coordinator on the field. And sure enough, when they looked, Dawn was stiff and nervous.

_"If I win, I'll get my third ribbon! But even my mom lost to Lila…can I really pull this thing off?"_

"Brock, maybe you'd better leave the cheering section to me, Ash, and the Pokémon." Misty growled. "Sorry, I was just trying to help." Brock groaned.

"Come on Dawn, show 'em what you're made of!" Ash yelled. "Remember that you're here to have fun and that we're all behind you all the way!" Misty added.

Dawn glanced gratefully at her friends. _"Misty's right, I'm here to enjoy myself! And if I lose, I can just train some more and try again! Come on, relax!" _Dawn lightly slapped her face to snap herself out of her fear and uttered her famous catchphrase, "No need to worry!"

Ash and Misty loved hearing that come out of her mouth, and they breathed sighs of relief. "You're lucky Brock." Misty said accusingly. Brock slumped in his seat and avoided the icy glares of his friends. The contest clock started ticking down from five, and the battle began.

"Ambipom, spooootlight!"

"Delcatty, out you come!"

The two Pokémon faced off against each other before Dawn made the first move. "Ambipom, use 'Swift'!" Ambipom spun around like a top, firing a huge flurry of energized stars at the cat Pokémon.

"Substitute'." Lila countered calmly. The stars made contact with Delcatty, and smoke rose from the ground from the impact of the stars. "Way to go!" Dawn cheered. Dawn apparently spoke too soon. She gasped in shock when Delcatty seemingly disintegrated.

"THAT was a Delcatty 'Substitute'? Wow!" Brock exclaimed. "So where's the real one?" Ash asked, looking around.

"There it is!" Misty pointed behind Ambipom, where Delcatty was looming over it, ready to strike. "Now use 'Shock Wave'." Lila ordered.

Delcatty spun around, wrapping itself in Ambipom's two tails, and then launched a powerful electrical attack, hurting Ambipom and creating a beautiful display of controlled electricity. Then with rehearsed attack manipulation, Delcatty actually detonated the electricity, creating a rainbow flower of light in the air.

"Yes! Well done Delcatty! And the flowers have bloomed!" Lila struck a pose and blew confetti with her fan, as her famed "Tiger Lily Smile" came into play and depleted Dawn's points dramatically.

But Dawn wasn't going to take that lying down. "Double Team' now!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom escaped from Delcatty's grip and split into eight different Ambipom, surrounding it. "Now use 'Focus Punch'!"

All eight of the Ambipom swung a tail at the cat Pokémon, and punched it from all directions. "What a hit!" Ash cheered.

"But wait a second, why's Ambipom acting weird now?" Misty asked. Indeed, Ambipom WAS acting out of the ordinary. "Uh oh, it looks like Ambipom's been afflicted with 'Attract' status!" Marian announced.

"That explains it." Misty said. "You know, I had totally forgotten that Delcatty's special ability was 'Cute Charm'." Ash added.

"That's just great. Almost every time Ambipom hits Delcatty directly, she's gonna fall in love." Misty slapped her leg with frustration.

"Such a pretty flower deserves a lullaby. Alright Delcatty, 'Sing' please." Lila ordered. Delcatty began to sing, and the mystical melody lulled Ambipom to sleep.

"Look at that, that means Lila can use sleep skills like Fantina." Ash said. "Out of curiosity, how come that song didn't put US to sleep like Jigglypuff used to?" Misty asked.

"Delcatty doesn't have the same frequency a Jigglypuff does, but either way, Dawn's got problems if this keeps up." Brock said.

"Please Ambipom, wake up!" Dawn cried. Dawn's cry fell on deaf ears, Ambipom was fast asleep, and Lila was going to make sure to take advantage of it. "Now, 'Iron Tail'!"

Delcatty leaped toward the sleeping monkey and sent it twirling into the air. Delcatty landed gracefully on its feet just as Ambipom crashed into the ground. "So! Now the second flower blooms!" Lila struck a pose once more, as her "Tiger Lily Smile" depleted Dawn's points even more.

"This is bad." Misty said. "If Ambipom doesn't wake up soon, Dawn won't be able to make a comeback." Brock added.

"Ambipom, you've gotta wake up!" Dawn cried again. "I'm afraid a flower of cruel beauty is about to blossom. 'Shock Wave'!" Lila ordered. Delcatty fired again at the sleeping Ambipom, forcing Dawn's points to deplete even further. Just when it was starting to look hopeless...

"Ambipom's awake!" Brock cheered. "Get back in this thing Dawn!" Misty screamed. Dawn did just that. "Swift', let's go!"

Ambipom fired the retaliatory attack, only to have Delcatty dodge it again. "Substitute'!"

Delcatty rose to strike again, but this time Dawn had anticipated that. Ambipom caught Delcatty by surprise and snuck up behind it rather than the other way around. "Now use 'Double Hit'!"

Ambipom swung its tails and slammed Delcatty to the ground with a powerful one-two punch. But just when Dawn began gaining momentum, 'Attract' status activated again and caused Ambipom to become lovesick once more.

"As long as Ambipom attacks Delcatty directly, 'Attract' status is a risk." Brock said. "So what is Dawn supposed to do? Just sit back and do nothing?" Misty asked.

"Well…I guess I'll just have to go for broke." Dawn gulped and barked out another order, hoping for the best, "Use 'Double Team'!"

With an amazing stroke of luck, Ambipom, still lovesick over Delcatty, split into eight different Ambipom and surrounded the cat again. "You did it!" Dawn cheered.

"Oh man, talk about lucky! 'Attract' doesn't make you helpless, you can still battle with a little luck!" Misty exclaimed. "Alright you two, keep it going!" Ash yelled.

"Hey look, Lila looks like she's getting a little rattled." Misty said. It was true, Lila's confident expression was slowly disappearing, and for the first time during the entire contest, Lila was beginning to think she'd lose. "Sing' Delcatty!" she ordered.

Delcatty began singing once more, and the mystical sleep inducing notes filled the air once more. "No you don't! Use 'Double Hit'!" Dawn countered.

Ambipom swung its tails in a rather dazed fashion, but nevertheless, it managed to break up the sleep-inducing attack and knock Delcatty down with 'Double Hit', finally depleting Lila's points.

"Ash, did you see that? Ambipom just punched out that 'Sing' attack!" Misty exclaimed. "Yeah, that was awesome!" Ash replied.

"No! I mean do you realize what that means? Maybe you can counter 'Hypnosis' the same way!" Misty exclaimed. Ash suddenly realized what Misty was talking about. "Oh look, a little light bulb turned on in your brain." Misty giggled.

"Check it out guys! Ambipom's 'Attract' status wore off!" Brock exclaimed. The couple looked back towards the field and saw that Ambipom had snapped out of its love-induced trance.

"Alright, 'Swift'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom spun like a top in midair, and launched a furious storm of golden stars with all its might. The result was simply amazing, Ambipom created a huge floating pyramid of stars in the air.

"Substitute'!" Lila ordered. Delcatty tried dodging it again, but the 'Substitute' didn't last long at all as the stars slammed into both it and the original.

"Quick Delcatty, use 'Shock Wave'!" Lila ordered. Delcatty regained its balance and launched its most powerful 'Shock Wave' ever, attempting to counter the enormous 'Swift' attack.

When the two attacks collided, there was first, an electrical buildup, and then a bright white light flashed and forced the entire audience and the judges to look away for a moment.

When the light dissipated, they saw the incredible sight as the two combined attacks merged into what looked like one huge swirling, yellow gas cloud.

"Hmm, a great ring of flowers has blossomed." Lila said. Lila looked at her opponent who was practically glowing from the bright light of the two attacks. For a brief moment, Lila was in a flashback, and Dawn looked exactly like Johanna in her younger days.

"Alright…here we go…flowers will blossom on a grand scale like the world has never seen before!" Lila exclaimed.

"No need to worry! Ambipom, let's go!" Dawn screamed.

The two attacks strengthened in intensity, both Pokémon were determined to come out on top. Everyone in the audience was speechless. Not even cheering was heard. The judges were awestricken, even Marian was at a loss for words.

"Look at all that power!" Misty finally exclaimed. "Come on Ambipom! Give it all you got!" Ash yelled. Ash and Co. started hollering at the top of their lungs, trying to keep Ambipom going. They took a quick glance at the clock which read ten seconds left.

"It's now or never!" Ash yelled. Ambipom and Delcatty continued to fire, but both Pokémon were getting exhausted.

"This is it! Finish the job Ambipom!" Dawn screamed. Ambipom pushed herself to the limit, and finally overpowered Delcatty and shot down the cat Pokémon with a whole storm of stars. With a shriek of shock and pain, Delcatty crashed to the ground just as the clock ticked down to zero.

The entire audience awaited the final result of the contest. There was no noise in the auditorium except for Marian's announcing over the P.A. system. After a few minutes, the winner was finally revealed.

"She won!" Ash and Co. leaped to their feet and started cheering loudly for their coordinator friend. Dawn herself was in a daze for a few moments, but when it finally hit her that she had come out victorious, an enormous smile spread across her face and she ran to hug her exhausted Pokémon. "I did it! Thank you Ambipom! It's all because of you! You're the best!"

Dawn then looked straight into the camera that was filming her on TV. "Hope you were watching Mom! I won it!"

Johanna was indeed watching, and she was wiping away tears of joy as she sat on her couch, watching her beloved daughter enjoy her victory.

Lila consoled the disappointed Delcatty, and then confronted her opponent. "That was a great battle." Lila held out her hand for Dawn to shake, and the blue-haired coordinator was more than content to do so. "It sure was, thanks Lila!"

Dawn was then led to the winner's circle by Mr. Contesta himself, in order to be presented with her hard-earned prize. "Congratulations, that was quite a spectacle." Mr. Contesta said.

Dawn accepted the ribbon and held it close to her heart. "Thank you so much sir!" she exclaimed, "I just won the Celestic Town Pokémon Contest and this ribbon is mine, all mine!"

Her Pokémon cheered along with her, and struck a pose to celebrate. After the closing ceremonies, the audience left and the winner and runner-up of the contest went to go change into their regular clothes.

Before Ash and Co. could go meet up with Dawn however, Nurse Joy came up and cut them off. "Excuse me, but there's a phone call for you all from a resident of Twinleaf Town." Nurse Joy said. "Is it Dawn's mom?" Ash asked. "No, it's a young boy…Kenny I believe his name is." Nurse Joy replied.

"I wonder why Kenny's calling us." Ash said. Misty smiled and told Nurse Joy that she'd be happy to take the call. Nurse Joy nodded and walked away.

"You guys wait for Dawn, keep her busy. I'll take care of this." Misty ran off towards the phones, leaving Ash and Brock confused.

Misty sat herself down in front of the videophone and clicked it on to reveal the caller. "Hey Dee D – oh, hi Misty." Kenny said, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Surprised to see me? Or should I say disappointed?" Misty asked knowingly. "What? I'm not disappointed, I was just expecting Dawn to answer, that's all. After all, she's known me longer than anyone else; I figured she'd wanna talk to her rival." Kenny explained.

"You know I never asked for an explanation." Misty said. Kenny dodged the question and changed the subject. "I just wanted to congratulate Dawn on her win today, she almost did well enough to reach my level." Kenny said cockily.

"Oh you did, did you? Well it may be a while before she comes out of the dressing room, that pretty pink dress she wears can be a lot of work. But she thinks it's worth it in the end." Misty said.

"Yeah, it sure is." Kenny replied. _"Ah ha! I caught you!"_ Misty thought. Kenny wished he could take back what he had just said; it just slipped out of his mouth like a Piplup sliding on ice.

"So you think so too eh?" Misty asked, putting Kenny on the spot. Kenny was now trying to hide the fact that his ears were turning pink. "Well I mean…yeah. After all, the coordinator has to look good too in order for the judges to appreciate the performance." Kenny said, trying to escape.

It didn't work. Misty was determined to keep Kenny in a corner, and she was determined to help Dawn with her wish for a boyfriend.

"And Dawn definitely doesn't have any trouble looking good, does she?" Misty asked. "I guess she's got a good sense of style." Kenny hesitated in his reply, and Misty could see Kenny growing more and more uncomfortable.

"Well anyway, give Dee Dee my congrats and I'll talk to you guys later." Kenny said quickly. Misty didn't want to let Kenny get away just yet, so she asked the one question that would surely keep him there. "Why do you call her Dee Dee?"

Kenny's blushing face soon turned back to normal, and a toothy grin spread across his face. "Well you see, it all started when…" That was as far as Kenny would get.

Almost like a magnet, Dawn charged in front of the screen and knocked Misty right off her chair. "If you tell anyone I will personally see to it that you will never win another contest again!" Dawn hissed.

"Ok ok, I'm sorry!" Kenny exclaimed defensively. Dawn was satisfied with that. "So, what's up Kenny?" Dawn asked cheerfully, almost as if she was never upset.

Kenny wanted to pass on his message, but Misty's previous interrogation had left him more than a little frazzled. Dawn's face seemed to sparkle in his eyes, and her long blue hair flowed down from her head like a waterfall.

"Uh, sorry, there's a glare on the screen." Kenny said, trying to hide his shyness and loud heartbeat. "Hey, are you alright Kenny?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah yeah! I'm fine! Just wanted to congratulate you on your win! You looked great – uh, you and your Pokémon that is!" Kenny said a little too quickly.

"Thanks Kenny! Buneary and Ambipom sure came through for me today, I owe it all to them." Dawn said.

"Well anyway, I'm gonna try to meet you at the next contest, but I may have to do some more training, you know? Of course, I can still beat you any day." Kenny said.

Misty, who was still lying on the floor, growled to herself when she heard Kenny using his and Dawn's constant rivalry to avoid talking sensitively. _"Men, they're all the same."_

"You really think so huh? Well guess what? The next time we have a contest battle, you're going down!" Dawn exclaimed determinedly.

"Yeah sure, Dee Dee." Kenny snickered. "Don't…call…me…Dee Dee!" Dawn growled through her teeth.

Misty saw this conversation crashing and burning, so she figured it was up to her to save it. She quickly got up and joined Dawn on the seat. "You know Dawn, I was just telling Kenny about how pretty you looked out there, isn't that right Kenny?" Misty asked.

Kenny's smirk quickly turned into a shy smile, and he refused to look Dawn in the eye. Dawn seemed to be a little pink herself. "Well uh, listen, nice job today, I'll talk to you later, bye!" Kenny hung up as fast as he could, leaving Dawn in a slight daze. "Bye." she mumbled.

Before either Misty or Dawn could say something, Ash and Brock walked in with Lila and her assistant. "Well Dawn, you were the spitting image of your mom out there. Well done." Lila said.

"Thanks so much Lila! I had a lot of fun battling you." Dawn replied. "Now if you don't mind, I would like you all to come with me back to my store." Lila said. "Sure." the group replied.

Ash and Co. followed Lila to her store, where she happily made an announcement. "Now Dawn, to celebrate your victory, you may pick out whatever you like! And of course, that goes for you three as well."

"Lila! Thanks so much!" they replied in unison. The group walked around the store and browsed, her store was filled with all sorts of things that would match any shopper. Lila and Misty went with Dawn to pick out dresses, while Ash and Brock just kinda had fun mixing and matching outfits.

Dawn's first target was a bright orange dress with long sleeves and white frills at the end. "Whaddya think of this?" she asked.

"It's really pretty, but it doesn't seem to match you." Misty replied. "Misty's right, orange doesn't compliment those beautiful blue eyes of yours." Lila added.

Dawn looked at the dress with disappointment and hung it back on the shelf. "Hey don't feel bad, listen, let's find you something that'll make Kenny squirm in his skin, ok?" Misty suggested with a wink.

Dawn blushed slightly and nodded. "What's this? Are we looking for something to impress someone?" Lila asked with interest.

"Uh…sure." Dawn replied shyly. "Girls, you come with me, and I'll give you dresses that'll make you look like supermodels!" Lila said excitedly.

Giggling, the trio of ladies went to the back of the store, where Lila began Misty and Dawn's transformation.

After a little while, Ash and Brock were starting to get bored of waiting. "Geez, what's taking them so long?" Ash groaned.

As if on cue, Misty and Dawn walked out, and the boys' jaws dropped to the ground. "Wow…"

Misty was wearing a strapless, cerulean blue dress that matched her eyes perfectly. It reached down all the way to her ankles, and when she twirled it flowed like water. And her short white heels had a water lily on the toe straps.

And Dawn wore a sea green dress with a strap on her left shoulder, and it had frills at the bottom. Her dress was a bit shorter than Misty's, allowing for a small bit of Dawn's legs to be shown. And her heels were taller and were a plain white, but it matched with the dress' design perfectly.

"I've done it again!" Lila said happily. Misty walked over to Ash, swinging her hips from side to side to add a little extra flirtatiousness to her appearance. And with the heels, Ash was no longer taller than her; they were eye to eye once more.

"You're lucky Lila didn't give me taller heels Ashy." Misty said flirtatiously. Ash gulped and gave a nervous chuckle. He had seen Misty in dresses before, but he had never seen her in one since he had known he was in love with her, and now Misty was blowing him away with the most gorgeous dress he had ever seen her in.

"I-I-I'm…I'm-I'm speechless." Ash managed to mumble, his blush furiously hot. Misty giggled at his flustered expression and gave him a soft peck on the lips. After that, Ash looked around for a chair so he wouldn't pass out from trying to stand in front of the girl he loved.

"You need to watch what you wear Misty, anything more than that and he'd pass out from lack of oxygen." Dawn joked. Misty giggled at that and Brock had a good laugh as well.

"And as for you Dawn, I'm willing to bet my reputation as a water-trainer that the next time you see Kenny, he'll be acting a lot shyer around you." Misty said.

"You really think so? I mean, he was acting weird on the phone but…that might not mean anything." Dawn replied.

"Trust me Dawn, how could he NOT like you, I mean, just look at you." Misty led Dawn over to a wall mirror, and the coordinator examined her reflection and smiled. "Just look at you Dawn, you're a beautiful girl that deserves the best. And I think Kenny wants to be that 'best'. You saw how he was on the phone, he even blushed." Misty said.

Dawn smiled and hugged the water-trainer in thanks, and Misty hugged back. "Don't you just love when the atmosphere feels light? You can feel the happiness in the air." Lila said.

"We can't thank you enough for this Lila, thank you SO much!" Dawn said blissfully. "It's the least I can do. Thanks to our contest battle I've re-experienced the enthusiasm and excitement that I haven't felt in a long time." Lila replied.

"And thanks to that battle, I think I may have figured out a thing or two about how to counter Fantina's 'Hypnosis'!" Ash exclaimed, getting back to his normal self.

"That's great! Let's all remember to work our hardest to achieve our goals, with Pokémon, and with life itself." Lila said.

The group cheered in agreement and they waved farewell to Lila as they headed back to the Pokémon Center with high spirits. Ash had finally figured out a strategy versus Fantina, and Dawn had another contest ribbon under her belt. And not only that, her spirits were lifted even higher at the notion of Kenny actually liking her past friendship.

_You wanna know something Kenny? I think I might just like you too."  
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**A/N: I would just like to apologize to my reviewers for not giving you a heads up on this chapter, but I just couldn't help myself! For some reason I couldn't wait to shoot this one out to you guys. In fact this chapter feels like some of my best work. I dunno if it is though until you guys give me some feedback. So make sure to review everyone!**


	34. A Tale of Two Orbs

**I know that some of you guys got a message saying I'd update on Wednesday, but the excitement was too much for me to handle! For some reason, I just can't wait to shoot these chapters out to you guys anymore! So, here I am updating right now! BTW, it's thanks to your reviews that I manage to get so pumped up about this! So just remember, the more reviews I get, the more excited I get and the better the chapters become! I own nothing but the story.  
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Chapter 34

Misty's POV

Operation: Penguinshipping is underway! I thought of that name after I realized that both Dawn and Kenny had members of the Piplup evolution set. Dawn had Piplup, and Kenny had Prinplup. Thanks to yesterday's conversation with Kenny, I managed to squeeze a little bit of information out of the boy.

What I picked up so far was that Kenny did have feelings for Dawn, but he was extremely shy about them. That was confirmed when I mentioned how pretty Dawn was in her dress and he blushed. I could already see a positive change in Dawn's attitude; she seemed so much more cheerful since she found out that Kenny liked her.

Now the hard part would be actually getting them together. Since every time they saw each other they were rivals, finding time for a tender moment would be tricky. But I swore to myself that I would get Dawn the person she deserved.

Dawn was really a pretty teenage girl; I couldn't understand why more boys didn't try to appeal to her. Of course, Conway and Kendall from the academy tried, and Dawn wasn't exactly thrilled about it either. Then again, those two were creeps to the extreme, so I couldn't blame her.

But Kenny was different. Kenny was to Dawn as I was to Ash. I could see there were a few sparks even before I caught Kenny in my trap, but now I was sure. But I couldn't think about that at the moment, I was outside the Celestic Town Pokémon Center with Ash, watching him test out his new "anti-Hypnosis" technique.

Normal POV

"Pikachu, spin and use 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu leaped into the air and launched the attack, but instead of heading directly for a target, it dispersed in all directions and spun like a carousel, completely surrounding Pikachu and protecting it.

"You're looking great Pikachu! Next time make it stronger!" Ash exclaimed. "I've gotta hand it to you Ash, if you can manage to hit a target with one of these, this may be your biggest success yet!" Misty exclaimed.

"Thanks Mist, I owe you for pointing out Ambipom's technique for me." Ash said. Misty smiled and held up her hand in a peace sign. "That's what I'm here for."

"Hey Ash! Misty! We're leaving now!" Dawn exclaimed, coming out of the Pokémon Center and waving her hand to get their attention.

"Dawn, can we wait a while longer? I feel like I'm onto something!" Ash said. "Really? You mean you found a counter for Fantina's sleep move?" Dawn asked. "Yeah, Misty pointed out one of Ambipom's moves in your Pokémon Contest yesterday and then the idea hit me like a ton of bricks." Ash replied.

"See, Ash's strategy so far is to use an attack move that causes damage AND blocks the opponent's attack. It's the best of both worlds." Misty explained.

"You mean like Ambipom's 'Double Hit'!" Dawn realized. Now Brock came out of the building, holding Happiny in his arms. "But Ash, haven't you used an attack move as a defense sometime in the past?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, but the thing is that Fantina's sleep moves are a whole different ballgame. Since her ghost-type Pokémon move in a really tricky way that's hard to get a grip on, the only thing to do is to attack and defend at the same time." Ash explained.

"I tell ya Ambipom, you sure showed me a lot yesterday." Ash pet the head of his former Pokémon, who chattered happily at the affection.

"But I would think that a technique like that would only work with Ambipom's skills, since it can be done because Ambipom's got two tails." Brock said.

"Ahh, that's where you're wrong Brock. Whaddya say Ash? Let's give 'em a sample." Misty said. "Sounds good to me! Buizel, let's show 'em what we've got." Ash said.

"Misty calls Vaporeon!" Misty called out her bubble-jet Pokémon, who stretched and yawned upon release.

It and its trainer then headed over to the end of the field, and waited for Ash's signal. "Alright Misty, call it off!"

"Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse'!" Vaporeon fired the energized ball of water, and it hurtled towards its target. "Alright Buizel, spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash countered.

Buizel leaped into the air and spun like a top. "That's the spin from the Oreburgh Gym!" Dawn exclaimed. Now in the air, Buizel activated 'Aqua Jet' and nosedived for the ground enveloped in a swirling vortex of water.

In doing so, Buizel deflected the 'Water Pulse' and sent it back to sender. Vaporeon dodged the deflection, but it got hit by the swirling remains of the spinning 'Aqua Jet'.

"By putting an attack into a spin, we can attack and defend at the same time. That way we should be able to beat those ghost-type Pokémon's sleep moves and cause a little damage while we're at it." Ash explained.

"Then that means our little spin move has evolved all the way up to an awesomely powerful attack!" Dawn squealed happily.

"So of course I really wanna master this move. You can understand why I don't wanna leave just yet, right?" Ash said.

"It won't matter Ash, I still haven't packed my things from the room." Misty said. "You what? I thought we were finally ready to go!" Brock moaned.

"Sorry Brock, I was so busy training with Ash that I forgot. But it works out since Ash still wants to keep working anyway." Misty said.

"Fine…I guess. But try not to take too long, we'll have to get moving soon." Brock said. "No problem, you can help me pack and speed things up. Just don't touch my clothes, I'll do that MYSELF." Misty warned.

Brock groaned and followed the water-trainer back into the Pokémon Center. "Alright Ash, now I'LL be your sparring partner for a while!" Dawn exclaimed. "Sure thing, let's see what you've got!" Ash replied.

So while Misty went back and forth packing up her clothes, Brock sat around waiting. "All Misty has is clothes, what does she expect me to help her pack anyway? Oh well…guess I'm better off waiting around here until she's done." Brock got something to do when Happiny playfully unloaded Brock's backpack.

"Happiny, don't do that." Brock said in his usual calm, breeder manner. Brock switched on the TV while he repacked his backpack, and what turned on intrigued both him and the redhead in the room. "What's Rhonda reporting on this time Brock?" Misty asked.

"We have some more information concerning this morning's theft of the Adamant Orb." Rhonda said, "Fortunately, the transport ship executed a successful emergency landing and it appears nobody was hurt."

"Whoa, serious stuff." Misty said. By this time, Ash had completed his training and had walked back into the room with Dawn. "What's serious Misty?" Dawn asked. Misty pointed to the screen, where Rhonda continued her report.

"We have just received a report from Officer Jenny who was actually ON the transport at the time of the incident! It was stated that the organization responsible for the theft calls themselves Team Galactic. They are reported to be a secret organization with operations all around the Sinnoh Region. They are also believed to have some connection to the recent meteorite theft in Veilstone City." Rhonda continued,

"However in this juncture their objectives continue to be unclear. At the time of the theft, the legendary Adamant Orb was in the process of being transported from the Eterna City Museum to the Celestic Town Historical Research Center. The Research Center is currently conducting research on the Adamant Orb's counterpart, the Lustrous Orb, and has tightened its security in light of the recent criminal incident." Rhonda continued,

"The Adamant Orb was en route so that both objects could be researched together. Now however, it is widely expected that this morning's incident will seriously impede the progress of the research." Rhonda concluded with that.

Just then, Nurse Joy walked into the room. She was on her way to check on the teens when the news bulletin started, and she managed to hear it from the hall. "This is quite a serious situation, and the champion is scheduled to return soon."

"Hey wait, are you talking about Cynthia?" Ash asked. "You mean the league champion that you guys met? She's here?" Misty added.

"Yes, she's coming to the Historical Research Center. Celestic Town is where she's from, and her grandmother is in charge of everything that goes on at the Research Center." Nurse Joy explained.

"I wanna meet this Cynthia for myself; it's not fair that you get to have friends in high places and not me." Misty said jokingly. "Good idea Mist, if she's here, we probably should go say hi." Ash replied.

The conversation was cut short when Brock leaped in front of Nurse Joy, knelt down on one knee and held her hand tenderly. "Nurse Joy, can't you see that you're my Lustrous Orb? I would do everything in my power to protect you!" Brock exclaimed.

"Um, thank you?" Nurse Joy stammered nervously. After noting that Croagunk still hadn't appeared, Misty took matters into her own hands.

Misty grabbed Brock by the ear and dragged him away. "That's nice Brock, but the only thing she needs protection from is you."

Just then, Brock realized something. "Hey wait a second; wasn't Croagunk supposed to do this?" Brock asked, still straining from the pain of having his ear pulled.

Once Misty decided they were a safe distance away, she released the breeder, who fell on the floor in pain. "Ok Croagunk, where are you? You were supposed to do this, remember?" Misty said.

They looked around and saw Croagunk staring out the window. "That's weird…what's up with Croagunk?" Ash asked. "It looks kinda tense if you ask me." Dawn said.

"Put Croagunk back in its ball Brock, maybe he needs a break or something." Misty suggested. Brock obliged and sent the frog back into its Pokéball. "Alright then, let's head over to the Research Center and see Cynthia!" Dawn exclaimed.

The group waved to Nurse Joy and exited the building, and in no time at all they found which building was the Research Center. "Check out all the police cars, that's gotta be it over there." Misty said.

The group agreed and headed over to where all the cars were. "Wow, it's gigantic!" Ash said. "Not only is this the Celestic Town Research Center, but the Celestic Ruins are right behind it." Brock explained.

"That's where they discovered the Lustrous Orb!" Dawn exclaimed. "How convenient to have the ruins right near the lab, saves money for expeditions I guess." Misty joked.

As they walked closer to the lab, they earned someone's attention. "Hey, it's Ash." Cynthia said.

"Hey Cynthia, long time no see." Ash said. Brock ran up to the champion with hearts in his eyes. "Wow! TOO long to see the champion!"

"It's good to see all of you again." Cynthia said. An elderly woman who was standing next to Cynthia spoke up. "Who are the children?"

"I told you about them, remember? They're the ones who love to challenge everything." Cynthia said. "Oh, the rebellious ways of impetuous youth." the woman said kind-heartedly.

"I've never met you before, who is this Ash?" Cynthia asked, obviously referring to Misty. "My name's Misty, former gym leader of Cerulean City." Misty replied.

"Former? What happened?" Cynthia asked. "Nothing really HAPPENED; let's just say I found a higher calling." Misty said, playfully bumping into Ash. Ash gave a light chuckle and smiled.

Cynthia smiled and looked at the couple. "See Ash? I was right." she said. "What do you mean by that?" Ash asked.

"When one life meets another life, something will be born'. This is your girlfriend, isn't it?" Cynthia said knowingly. Ash and Misty blushed and nodded.

"Ahh, young love. How innocent it is." Cynthia's grandmother chuckled. "Oh yes, allow me to introduce grandmother. Her name's Carolina and she's in charge of the research center." Cynthia said.

"Wow, it's an honor to meet you ma'am." Ash said. "Thank you. The pleasure's all mine, I've heard so much about you all. Except for this new girl that is." Carolina said.

"I'm not exactly new per say, I traveled with Ash in Kanto and Johto, and then I got called back to the gym when my sisters wanted to take a cruise." Misty said bitterly.

"I don't see anything wrong with a weeklong vacation." Cynthia said. "It was actually a YEAR long vacation, and then they loafed around the gym for a second year." Misty replied.

"Oh…" was Cynthia's short reply.

"Oh, never mind about the past, let's talk about now! Cynthia's told me about all of your rivalries Ash." Carolina said. "What ended up happening with Paul?" Cynthia asked.

"Well…we had a battle earlier; it wound up in a tie." Ash replied. "I would then venture to guess that you still can't beat my granddaughter either." Carolina chuckled.

Ash quietly growled at the elderly woman. "Grandmother, stop that." Cynthia said disapprovingly. Carolina giggled mischievously and backed off.

"The thing is, since we last saw you we've been training like crazy and made a bunch of new friends." Ash said. "Hey, I like your spunk! At least they can't take THAT away from you, can they?" Carolina said.

Ash scratched his head in frustration; Carolina really knew how to push his buttons. "Come on Cynthia, why don't you and I have a battle right now?" Ash asked.

"Ash, we're still working on beating Fantina, I don't think you're ready for the Sinnoh CHAMPION." Misty said. "That's alright. Now's not such a good time anyway." Cynthia added.

"You're quite the little challenge seeker, aren't you?" Carolina asked. "Grandmother isn't exactly shy with her words, is she Misty?" Dawn whispered. "I've seen movie stars with more subtlety than her." Misty replied.

Just then, a spiky haired man in a tuxedo came walking up to the group, laughing heartily at the amusement they were providing. "See, that's just Carolina's way of saying hi." the man said.

"Land there are a lot of visitors today, and here's one with a big mouth and blue hair." Carolina joked. "Oh my, you must be the world famous mogul of Sinnoh's industrial complex. Cyrus." Cynthia said.

"It's indeed an honor to make the acquaintance of a true champion." Cyrus bowed in greeting. "You see, Cyrus is responsible for building and library construction throughout Sinnoh." Cynthia said.

"Mark my words; Cyrus is quite a big deal around these parts." Carolina said. Cyrus put his hand behind his head with embarrassment, "Now stop that. You're all very kind."

"But at this point I'd rather be thought of as an amateur history scholar if you don't mind." Cyrus said. "Did your concern about the Lustrous Orb bring you?" Carolina asked knowingly.

"Exactly. When I heard about the Adamant Orb theft, I felt like I had to do something." Cyrus said. Out of nowhere, Brock got a hormone rush and grabbed the hand of the Sinnoh Champion. "I know just how you feel!"

Ash, Misty, and Dawn slumped with sweat-drops on their heads as they watched Brock make a fool of himself AGAIN. "I must protect the Lustrous Orb AND this lovely champion." he said with passion.

The trio groaned as they watched Brock ramble on, waiting for Croagunk to come and snap him out of it. Just as Misty was warming up her pacifying ear-grabbing skill, Brock snapped himself out of his trance when he didn't feel the sharp pain he was supposed to.

"Croagunk…? That's twice now…" Brock said. "I wonder what's up with Croagunk." Ash said.

"Has Croagunk ever acted like this before Brock?" Misty asked. "Not that I can remember." Brock replied.

"No doubt there's something on his mind." Dawn said. Croagunk was indeed acting out of the ordinary. Getting a chance to jab Brock in the back was an opportunity it NEVER passed up, but at the moment, Croagunk was merely staring off into space. "Croooa."

"Eh, what say we stop standing out here like a herd of Tauros and go inside? I'd much rather be where the air conditioning is anyway." Carolina said.

The group agreed. Brock returned Croagunk to its ball and followed the others inside the building. "Why don't you tell them why we're here grandmother?" Cynthia suggested. "Yes please! What's the mystery about?" Dawn asked.

"See, since ancient times, our town has had a deep connection with Dialga as well as Palkia. And all through my extensive research of the town's history, I've acquired mountains of material as a result." Carolina led the group into a room filled with research papers, books, artifacts and other items, all key components to her research.

One particular item caught the group's attention, and Dawn ran ahead to get a better look. "Wow! What an impressive piece!" As Dawn scanned closer, she came to a realization about one of the designs of the tablet. "Hey wait…that's it! I've seen that part before!"

This caught the adults by surprise. "You have?" Carolina asked in shock.

Ash and Misty now moved up to look at a different design. "Ash, do you see what I see?" she asked. "Yeah! I think we saw that one too!" Ash replied.

"Quite frankly…I'm speechless!" Carolina said. "Tell me where you saw them." Cynthia said, trying to remain calm.

Dawn was the first to speak up. "At Lake Verity…it was kind of hard to make out…but I'm sure that it looked just like that!"

"Misty and I saw ours at Lake Valor!" Ash exclaimed. "Me and Ash were just relaxing near the lake when we saw something hazy come out of the water, and now that I think about it, it looked just like that!" Misty added.

"I'm at a loss for words! There isn't a single example I can think of where people actually got a glimpse of Lake Guardians." Cynthia said.

"So we saw Lake Guardians?" Ash asked.

"Dawn, the Lake Guardian you saw was most certainly the being of emotion, Mesprit. Ash, Misty, you two must've seen the being of willpower, Azelf. It's rumored that there is one more Lake Guardian, the being of knowledge, Uxie, who lives in Lake Acuity near Snowpoint City." Cynthia explained.

"That sounds oddly familiar." Misty said. "Yeah, it sounds like the same legend Zoey and May told us about." Brock added.

"It's been said for countless generations that all three of those Lake Guardians live in Sinnoh Region lakes, but they've only existed in legend until now." Cynthia said.

"One of the legends states that only the spirits of the Lake Guardians emerge from their lakes, so that they're able to watch over and protect humankind. There's a distinct possibility that what you saw were those same spirits." Carolina said.

Ash, Misty, and Dawn exchanged glances with each other. "Spirits?" they said rather nervously. "I knew something weird was gonna happen." Misty said.

"Hold on a sec, what's the meaning of that thing in the middle of the tablet?" Brock asked.

"Our research says that it's either the Adamant Orb, or the Lustrous Orb." Cynthia said. After a long while of listening, Cyrus finally spoke up.

"Professor, if they've seen Mesprit and Azelf, perhaps you should show them the Lustrous Orb. Their reaction may be important to your research." Cyrus said.

"An interesting idea, come with me." Carolina led the group out of the research room and into a top security area.

"Ash, can I tell you something?" Misty whispered. "Yeah sure." he replied.

"Something doesn't seem right about Cyrus, I get a really bad vibe off of him." Misty said. "Well, Cynthia and her grandmother seem to trust him. Maybe it's just you?" Ash suggested.

"Maybe…still…I almost feel sick to my stomach when he gets too close to me, just try and feel that vibe the next time he talks to you, see what it feels like." Misty said.

"I'll try Mist, but I'm not sure how to do that." Ash shrugged.

As the group kept walking, they met up with Officer Jenny, who was in charge of security around the Lustrous Orb. "Identify yourself and state your business here." she said. Carolina showed Jenny her identification card as the head of research. "I'm here to see the Lustrous Orb; you're free to escort us if you wish." Carolina said.

"Very well ma'am, but I have bad news, due to our heightened security, I'm afraid I can't let you stay very long." Officer Jenny said. "Yes yes, of course, we know." Carolina said dismissively.

Officer Jenny escorted the group to a locked titanium door, where two guards, one male and one female, and a Meowth watched vigilantly over the artifact.

Officer Jenny saluted the guards. "Anything unusual to report?" she asked.

The guards saluted back, and the male responded. "No officer, status quo."

"I'll go ahead and open the door then, but you officers please keep a sharp eye out." Officer Jenny said. "Yes ma'am!" the guards stood at attention as Carolina inserted her identification card and placed her hand on the fingerprint analyzer.

Seconds later, the doors opened and the criss-crossing steel bars moved back into the wall, revealing the glorious Lustrous Orb.

"Amazing how it even has a strange glow." Dawn said. "Ah, its beauty is timeless." Cyrus said.

Cyrus gently pushed the trio of teens into the room, and was followed by the others. "Tell us what you feel, if anything comes to mind."

Ash, Misty, and Dawn carefully examined the orb, waiting for any sort of feeling or thought to make itself present to them. Cyrus leaned closer to the orb as well, giving Misty chills down her spine. Misty quickly stood up straight, which caused Ash and Dawn to as well.

"What is it?" Cyrus asked excitedly. "Mr. Cyrus, sir, could you please step back a little? You're making me nervous." she said without turning her head.

"Yes of course, of course." Cyrus stepped to the back of the room and allowed the trio to go back to staring at the orb. After a few minutes, Ash, Misty, and Dawn gave up.

"Nope, don't feel a thing." Ash said.

Same goes for me." Misty said.

"Me neither." Dawn said.

Enraged, Cyrus got up in the teens' faces and roared. "Impossible! You're just not looking at it carefully enough!"

The trio cringed at the sudden outburst, but then Carolina came to their rescue. "Now now Cyrus, no reason to be upset. Remember they're only looking at it for the first time."

"Oh…right…sorry, but when I'm standing in front of this treasure, it's so hard for me to try and be calm. You see, the Lustrous Orb is supposed to be directly connected to the Dawn of Time." Cyrus said.

"You study that stuff, don't you?" Ash asked.

"Cyrus has recently taken up the investigation of many myths that relate to the beginnings of time and our world." Carolina said.

"Cynthia, aren't you doing that as well?" Brock asked. "Yes. All to find where our world of people and Pokémon began." Cynthia replied.

Cyrus chortled quietly, and then roared out. "Yes!"

The teens cringed at the sudden outburst, and then Cyrus began explaining. "You see, the Sinnoh Region is said to have originated with Mt. Coronet, just try imagining the beginning of the world…a time of no war…a brand new paradise of peace."

"There you go again Cyrus. Our Cyrus is a real peacenik through and through." Carolina said.

Cyrus chortled again, but to Misty it sounded like an insane snicker. "Of course, the wars I'M talking about are different from Pokémon battles." Cyrus paused a moment to snicker some more.

"Hey Misty, I think I'm starting to understand what you meant." Ash whispered. Misty nodded, but then became nervous when Cyrus loomed over them with eyes that showed insanity. _"How can Cynthia not see how crazy this guy is?"_ Misty thought.

"As Pokémon trainers, you three owe it to yourselves to know the difference between battles and wars, you should never, ever forget that…especially since you've actually met two of the Lake Guardians, Mesprit and Azelf…now give thanks…for miracles." Cyrus discreetly looked at his watch, and Misty just barely caught that, but Ash and Dawn had other things in mind.

"Miracles…?" Ash said.

"I don't get why they went and chose us." Dawn said.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to hear more about what happened at those lakes." Cyrus requested. "Uh, nothing really happened, it just sort of appeared for no reason." Ash said.

"Well…one thing did happen before we saw it…" Dawn said. "Please, do tell." Cyrus said.

Before Dawn could explain her story, the building began to shake violently, forcing the group to try and keep their balance by pushing against the walls. "What is this? An earthquake?" Ash yelled.

Misty took one glance at Cyrus, and for a moment it seemed like he had an evil grin on his face, but with all the shaking she couldn't be sure.

After a few seconds, the shaking stopped, and Misty looked again at Cyrus, and he looked just as surprised as everyone else. _"There's something up with this guy, I just know it."_ Misty thought.

"Is anyone hurt?" Officer Jenny asked. The group answered with a fortunate "no". "You alright Mist?" Ash asked. "I'm fine Ash, but that earthquake seemed all too…" Misty was cut off by an officer shouting over the PA system. "There's been an explosion at the ruins! The entire area is overrun with Golbat!"

"Did he say Golbat?" Officer Jenny asked.

"An explosion at the ruins?" Carolina asked.

"It's just gotta be Team Galactic!" Ash growled.

Officer Jenny sprung into action, and began barking orders into her walkie talkie. "Squads Three and Five, blockade the ruins now! Squad Four, make sure you cover Area B at once! And Squad Six, you cover Area C and get on it immediately! Now go!"

Grandmother, lock up the orb and hurry!" Cynthia exclaimed. Carolina nodded and activated the fingerprint analyzer, but for some reason, the machine refused to take orders. "Carolina, what happened?" Ash asked.

"That's odd, for some reason these doors don't seem to want to close!" Carolina replied. "What did you say?" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

As if on cue, Officer Jenny's radio beeped, and an officer began talking through. "The research facility's security system has been taken over! We've completely lost control!"

Officer Jenny growled and put her radio back on her belt. "And that means we won't be able to protect the Lustrous Orb!" she exclaimed.

"Then we have to move it somewhere else, now!" Cynthia exclaimed. "We'll all help protect the orb!" Ash declared.

"We're lucky you all are here to help just like we were lucky in Veilstone City. So, are you ready to go?" Officer Jenny asked the teens. Ash and Co. saluted the officer, and replied with an enthusiastic, "Yes ma'am!"

Officer Jenny then turned to the two guards. "And what about you two?" she asked. They also gave a salute and responded, "Yes ma'am!"

"Alright then, grab that cart and let's move!" Officer Jenny ordered. The two guards gently placed the Lustrous Orb onto the wheeled cart and ran for an exit. Just then, an officer came over Jenny's radio once again. "Team Galactic incoming at 4:00!"

As soon as that was uttered, a white light flashed from Brock's jacket pocket, and Croagunk emerged, staring towards the ceiling. "Croagunk, what are you doing out of your Pokéball?" Brock asked.

Croagunk ignored its master and ran down the corridor that led to the stairs. "You guys go on ahead!" Brock exclaimed. "You want me to go with you Brock?" Ash asked.

"Stay with the others Ash, they'll need you. I'm grabbing Croagunk and I'll meet with you guys later!" Brock exclaimed.

"Alright then, move out!" Officer Jenny shouted. The group took off for the exit while Brock chased after his poison frog.

"We're almost out!" Carolina shouted. The group ran into the main hall, only to be stopped in their tracks by… "Team Galactic!" Ash roared.

"How about handing over that Lustrous Orb now?" Commander Saturn said, holding his hand out expectantly.

"I get it! Destroying the ruins was nothing more than a diversionary tactic to weaken our defenses!" Cynthia predicted.

"Perhaps you should concern yourself with what's happening now. The truth is, Bronzor's put all of the security forces outside this facility to sleep. And right about now, Toxicroak should be taking good care of everyone on the inside." Saturn said.

"That's it! Croagunk was acting weird because of Toxicroak!" Misty realized. "Brock's running right into a trap!" Ash exclaimed in horror.

Indeed it was true; Croagunk and Toxicroak were currently having a stare down in the corridor just as Brock ran up. "Toxicroak? That's it…Croagunk was sensing Toxicroak the whole time." Brock said.

Right then and there, Toxicroak bolted for the stairs to head to the roof, forcing Croagunk to follow. "Croagunk wait!" Brock yelled. Croagunk once again ignored Brock's orders and chased its evolved form up the stairs.

"Croagunk doesn't stand a chance on its own, this time I'm giving it some help…Sudowoodo, let's go!" Brock threw the Pokéball, and Sudowoodo emerged and saluted.

"Come on Sudowoodo, we've gotta help Croagunk!" Brock and his rock-type ran up the stairs to the roof, hoping that they would get there in time.

Meanwhile, the group was still blocked off by Team Galactic and the hundreds of Golbat. "You are now witnessing what is merely a small part of Team Galactic's brilliant plan!" Saturn exclaimed.

"I don't think so! We're not giving you the Lustrous Orb!" Ash yelled. Misty called out Corsola and flanked Ash and Pikachu on their right, and Dawn and Piplup flanked the Pokémon Trainer on his left. "Never!" the two girls shouted determinedly.

"Wow, such brave children and Pokémon." Carolina said to herself. "Alright then, Bronzor, 'Hypnosis'!" Saturn ordered. Bronzor backed up and began glowing in a red aura.

"Ash, I think now would be a good time to try out that technique we worked on!" Misty exclaimed. "Right. Get ready Pikachu!" Ash yelled. Pikachu's muscles tensed, as it awaited Ash's signal.

But suddenly, Cynthia threw out a Pokéball. "Now Garchomp, battle dance!" Cynthia's dragon/ground-type emerged and flew at amazing speed towards Bronzor. Slightly intimidated, Bronzor moved back further in hopes of getting the attack off in time.

"Brick Break', go!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp surged forward and slammed the steel/psychic-type with its claw before it could put everyone to sleep.

Saturn growled furiously. "Return!" Saturn sent the pained Pokémon back to its ball before Cynthia could cause any further damage to it.

"Check it out…it stopped the 'Hypnosis'." Ash said in awe. "That's just because Garchomp moved so fast that Bronzor didn't have a chance." Misty said.

"Well done, you definitely earned the title of Champion." Saturn said, trying to maintain his cool.

"If you don't mind Officer Jenny, we'll take care of this. You need to look after the orb." Cynthia said. "Alright then…you keep your guard up." Officer Jenny said. Cynthia smiled and nodded.

"Cyrus, and grandmother, you go with her." Cynthia ordered.

"Right." Cyrus said.

"Fine with me." Carolina added.

"I hope you'll forgive me Professor as this was my idea." Cyrus said. "My granddaughter will take care of everything, so don't worry." Carolina replied.

"Come with me!" Officer Jenny shouted. They started to head back into the corridor, but before they knew it, they had been blocked off by yet another Team Galactic commander. "Ah, Mars, excellent timing." Saturn said. "Phase Four complete: Reunion." Mars said.

The group turned around to see the female commander blocking the way. Ash, Misty, and Dawn had cold sweat on their foreheads, as the increasing pressure of the situation started to get to them. "I should've known…there WERE more of them." Ash said nervously, his fists instinctively clenched.

To make matters worse, Croagunk and Sudowoodo came crashing through the glass ceiling, and landed painfully on their backs. "It's Croagunk and Sudowoodo!" Ash exclaimed.

They looked up and saw Toxicroak plummeting down with its poisonous fist spikes outstretched to finish its murderous task.

Sudowoodo managed to block Toxicroak's spikes with its rocky body, but Croagunk was nowhere near as lucky. Toxicroak jammed its spike into Croagunk's abdomen and held it there, waiting for its poison to kill its devolved form. "No! Croagunk! Sudowoodo!" Brock yelled from the roof.

Croagunk gave one last shriek of pain and fell unconscious. Sudowoodo growled and kicked with its legs to knock Toxicroak off of the pained Croagunk before it was killed, but it couldn't stop Toxicroak from badly poisoning it.

Toxicroak decided that it wasn't worth pursuing, so instead of re-advancing, it jumped back to join its master. In a lot of pain, Sudowoodo got to its feet and held its arms outstretched to protect Croagunk from any further harm in case Toxicroak decided to attack again.

"You…you people are homicidal! You could've killed Croagunk!" Misty screamed furiously. "To be perfectly honest, we have no desire for excessive violence. Just give us the Lustrous Orb and we'll leave." Saturn said.

Enraged, Cynthia clutched another Pokéball tightly in her hand. "Not on your life! We know you've got something up your sleeve! You're not getting any of Sinnoh's treasures! Gastrodon, come forth from the seas!"

Her water/ground-type emerged, ready to battle alongside Garchomp and the other Pokémon. "I'll be right there!" Brock yelled from the roof. Brock ran off and disappeared from sight.

"Your move." Saturn said. "Gastrodon, 'Stone Edge' now!" Cynthia ordered. Gastrodon created a whole bunch of sharp pointed stones, and then launched them at the Golbat that one by one stared falling out if the sky.

"Whoa, check it out." Ash said. Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan Cynthia's Pokémon. "Gastrodon, the Sea Slug Pokémon, and the evolved form of Shellos. Gastrodon inhabits the shallow tidal pools of the ocean, and its sturdy shell serves to protect its body." her Pokédex said.

"Well now, that was pathetic." Carolina snickered, "Now get out of the way before we move you out!"

Mars flinched from Carolina's outburst, but Saturn kept a cool head. "I really don't like showing off, but I guess I've no choice. The burden of great power." he said coolly.

"Oh please. Well I'm just fine with showing off." Cynthia replied just as coolly.

"We're behind ya all the way!" Ash grabbed a Pokéball and tossed it out. "Come on Chimchar!"

Chimchar emerged and flanked Pikachu's right.

"Staryu, we need help!" Misty also tossed out a Pokéball, and her faithful starter Pokémon emerged with a loud "Hyahh!"

"Pachirisu, we need you too!" Dawn threw out a Pokéball as well, and her hyper, little electric-type emerged and joined the other Pokémon in the confrontation.

"Sudowoodo, pick up Croagunk and get behind us! I'll have Azurill do something about that poison." Misty exclaimed. Sudowoodo saluted the water-trainer and complied.

Misty placed a Pokéball on the floor, and her Azurill immediately popped out and tended to the pained poison/fighting-type.

"However, Mars had regained her cool thanks to Saturn's confidence, so she too sent out her Pokémon to battle. "Purugly, come out and use 'Shadow Ball'!" Her cat Pokémon emerged and launched a ghostly blob of energy at the small group of Pokémon.

"Toxicroak, 'Dark Pulse'!" Saturn ordered. Toxicroak fired its own attack, and now attacks were coming from both sides.

"Alright, Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'! And Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower' now!" Ash ordered. Pikachu and Chimchar complied, as the 'Thunderbolt' countered the 'Shadow Ball', and the 'Flamethrower' did likewise to the 'Dark Pulse'.

But now the battle was on full on, so the surrounding Golbat started firing 'Air Cutters' from every direction. "Misty, Dawn, cover us!" Ash yelled.

"Staryu, use 'Water Gun'! And Corsola, you use 'Power Gem'!" Misty ordered.

"Quick Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'! And Pachirisu, use 'Discharge'!" Dawn ordered.

The four Pokémon launched their attacks, and managed to counter the Golbat's moves. But with all the explosions taking place, it was getting hard to see. "I say we stop playing defense and take out those Golbat once and for all!" Misty exclaimed.

"Right! Everyone stand back!" Ash yelled. Cynthia gave a confused look to Ash, but his determined expression showed he knew what he was doing. "Garchomp, Gastrodon, back off!" Cynthia ordered.

The champion's Pokémon also gave looks, but nevertheless they obeyed. "What's this? Come to your senses have you?" Saturn asked.

"Alright Pikachu, spin and use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash roared. Pikachu started break-dancing, and sparks flew in all directions as the 'Air Cutters' were all countered at once. "It's working! Awesome!" Dawn cried.

"Keep it up Pikachu!" Ash cheered. Pikachu continued to dance, and sure enough, Golbat started falling out of the sky from the barrage of electricity. "Well now, that's impressive." Cynthia said sincerely.

"Oh please, you must be joking. Toxicroak, use 'Poison Jab'!" Saturn ordered coolly. Toxicroak surged forward and blasted through the small electricity storm, forcing Pikachu to stop and jump back before getting badly poisoned by Toxicroak's knuckle claw.

"Guess we'll have to work on that." Ash said nervously. More Golbat began firing 'Air Cutters', forcing the group to duck. "Where are they all coming from? It seems endless!" Misty cried.

"Then we'll just have to keep fighting! Garchomp, 'Dragon Claw'! Gastrodon, 'Muddy Water'!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp leaped into the air and started blocking attacks with its powerful claws, while Gastrodon surrounded itself with disgusting brown water to deflect the attacks.

"I'm breaking through all of that! Dawn, you cover me from above! Misty, you handle the front with Corsola's 'Mirror Coat'!" Ash yelled.

"Right Ash!" they replied.

"Piplup, Pachirisu, attack together!" Dawn ordered. The two Pokémon complied and fired 'Bubblebeam' and 'Discharge' respectively, knocking out the surrounding Golbat.

"Now it's our turn! Corsola, go on ahead and use 'Mirror Coat'!" Misty ordered. Corsola complied and hopped ahead to block and bounce back all incoming 'Air Cutters'. "Now Pikachu, 'Volt Tackle'!" Ash ordered.

Supported by Corsola in front, Pikachu charged ahead to slam into the poison frog. "Stop it now." Saturn said coolly. Toxicroak raised its claw to jab Pikachu with its seeping poison, but Chimchar saw that and quickly bumped Pikachu out of the way.

"Ash, look out!" Misty screamed suddenly. Thinking fast, Ash barked out an attack. "Chimchar use 'Flame Wheel' and hurry!"

Chimchar managed to get the attack started, but Toxicroak still landed a direct hit on the little fire monkey. "Chimchar!" Ash ran to catch the poisoned monkey and hold it close. He could feel Chimchar shivering in his embrace from the poison it had just taken.

"That does it!" Ash roared, "Now you've made me mad!" Before Ash could summon Charizard, everyone in the room was distracted when the two security guards and their police Meowth were caught trying to sneak away with the Lustrous Orb.

Shocked from getting caught, the guards quickly turned around and held their hands up in the air. The male guard had foolishly placed the orb on his head, so when he held his hands up, the orb had nothing to support it and it fell.

"It's falling!" Officer Jenny cried. "Not for long!" the police Meowth dove to catch the orb before it hit the ground, and succeeded in rescuing the priceless artifact from a perilous fate.

"That was some fancy paw work!" the male exclaimed.

"Time to breathe." the female sighed with relief.

"Wait a second, did I just hear that Meowth talk?" Carolina exclaimed in shock.

"Busted!" Their cover had been blown for sure.

"Oh no." Dawn moaned. "Afraid so Dawn, it's Team Rocket!" Ash growled.

"Who's Team Rocket?" Cynthia asked. "These three are a trio of pathetic thugs who've been making our lives miserable since day one of Ash's journey." Misty explained.

"Yeah? What lives?" Jessie hissed. "Whoever's got the orb is the one in control!" Meowth exclaimed. With that, Team Rocket tossed off their disguises to begin their motto.

Jessie: "Seems you want what we've got."

James: "Team Galactic's not so hot."

Meowth: "We grab the gusto cause we're Johnny on da spot!"

They were interrupted when Ash and Cynthia cut in. "You're not funny!" Ash growled. "Give us the orb while you can!" Cynthia added.

Jessie: "You're quite a champion at hurling empty threats too."

James: "Though I'd stick to Pokémon if I were you."

Meowth: "Zip it! We got woik to do!"

Meowth cut their motto short, realizing that at any moment either Ash and his team or Team Galactic could make an unexpected move, they had to get out of there as fast as possible.

"You dopes make one wrong move, and there'll be Lustrous linguini all over dis lobby, capiche?" Meowth threatened.

Team Rocket slowly began walking around the room, trying to find an exit while avoiding any unforeseen circumstances. Nobody moved, so the two humans felt comfortable heckling the Team Galactic goons.

"Good, you're only half as dumb as you look." Jessie snickered. "Although we'd love to stay and continue this fun fest, we do have a boss to tend to." James added.

Both Saturn and Mars growled angrily this time; they definitely weren't expecting Team Rocket to interfere with their affairs.

"There's gotta be something we can do." Ash whispered. "Maybe there is…" Misty replied. Misty slowly reached for her Pokéballs, shuffling around for Surskit's. "If I can call out Surskit, maybe it can sneak up on them and grab the orb." Misty suggested.

Unfortunately for the group, Saturn had already thought of a Plan B. He moved in closer to Team Rocket, provoking Meowth. "Freeze, weirdo." he threatened.

"I think you should leave." Saturn said coolly. That statement caught everyone in the room by surprise, but Team Rocket was never one to refuse an opportunity to bolt. "Excellent! Fashionable and generous to a fault!" James chortled.

The moment Team Rocket ran out the doors of the research center, Saturn snapped his fingers and all the Golbat swarmed the group and crashed through the windows of the research center. By the time they were all gone, they weren't the only ones.

"Where's Team Galactic?" Jenny exclaimed. "Probably going after the Lustrous Orb." Cyrus replied.

"Cynthia, we should go after it too!" Ash exclaimed. "Hold on Ash, what about Chimchar and Croagunk?" Cynthia pointed out.

Ash reeled back a bit, once again feeling the shivering monkey in his arms. He looked back and saw Sudowoodo kneeling over Croagunk, who despite slowly being healed by Azurill, was still feeling the effects of being directly poisoned by Toxicroak.

"I know how you feel, but right now, shouldn't you be helping out these brave Pokémon of yours who battled so hard for us all?" Cynthia said.

"Oh…Chimchar…" Ash gave the brave fire monkey a soft squeeze, and Chimchar gave a weak but grateful chatter in response.

"Of course Cynthia's right," Officer Jenny said, "Now you all just leave getting the Lustrous Orb back to us." the officer ran out the doors of the building, leaving the others alone.

"Ash, Misty, Dawn! Is everything alright?" Brock came charging into the room. He saw Croagunk lying unconscious on the floor with Azurill's tail on its head, and Sudowoodo looking down on him with a sorrowful expression.

"Oh no, Croagunk!" Brock kneeled down in front of his poison frog, and checked to see if it was even still alive. He was relieved to find a stable but weak pulse. "You put up a great battle Croagunk, and I'm so proud of you."

Brock took a glance at Sudowoodo, who seemed ashamed to even meet Brock's gaze. "Don't feel bad Sudowoodo, you did your best too." Brock consoled.

"If we wanna be totally honest, I don't think Croagunk would even be alive if it weren't for Sudowoodo knocking Toxicroak off it." Misty said.

"I'm proud of you too Sudowoodo, you can't imagine how grateful I am that you were there to help." Brock said. Sudowoodo looked up at Brock and gave a small smile.

"What happened to the orb guys?" Brock asked. "Team Rocket stole it." Ash replied. "As impossible as that seems." Misty added bitterly.

"We have everything under control here; you all should get to a Pokémon Center. Cynthia, you should go too." Carolina said.

"I will…Garchomp; I'd like you to handle everything with the orb please." Cynthia said. Garchomp nodded and flew off through the hole in the roof.

"Then I know just what to do too…Staravia!" Ash tossed up a Pokéball, and Staravia emerged with a shrill cry. "I want you to go with Garchomp and find Team Rocket, now!" Ash exclaimed.

Staravia nodded and took off through the same hole in the roof. "And this Pokéball is just for Team Galactic…Charizard!"

Charizard emerged from his Pokéball and gave a mighty roar. He glanced over at Ash who was holding the pained fire monkey in his arms. Charizard was taken aback my Chimchar's physical condition. The dragon was not one to show sympathy, but whether it admitted it or not, Charizard did have a soft spot for the small fire-type.

They shared a similar background after all. As a Charmander, it was abandoned by its trainer and was left to die in a rainstorm before Ash came and rescued it. And Chimchar was adopted by Ash when Paul abandoned it.

Ash nodded at the dragon. "Go get 'em Charizard." Charizard roared and blasted through the roof to get revenge on the butcher responsible for hurting its fellow fire-type. "I'm counting on ya Charizard."

"You know Cyrus, I'm so sorry that your visit had to turn out like this." Cynthia said. "Don't be. It's all MY fault for asking to see the orb. Forgive me." Cyrus replied.

"You're both wrong. The fault is mine. Don't forget I'M the one who took the orb out and put it in harm's way." Carolina said.

"Oh, never mind whose fault it was! We've gotta get to the Pokémon Center already!" Misty cried. "Right. Let's go everyone." Cynthia led the group out of the research center and to the Pokémon Center.

"May I suggest going to check on the ruins?" Cyrus said. Carolina nodded, and the two went to the destroyed ruins to check the damage.

Back at the center, Ash and Brock charged in first, holding their poisoned Pokémon. "Oh my, what happened to these Pokémon?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Team Galactic happened." Ash growled. "Chansey come quick! And bring a gurney!" Nurse Joy cried. The alarmed Pokémon rushed out of the office and grabbed a gurney for Chimchar and Croagunk.

"Nurse Joy and Chansey rushed the Pokémon into the emergency room, and hooked them up to life monitors. She soon came out again to meet up with the group. "What was it that poisoned them?" she asked.

"It was a Toxicroak using 'Poison Jab'." Brock said. "Jab? It looked more like stab to me!" Misty exclaimed. "Say that again!" Nurse Joy exclaimed.

"Their Toxicroak literally dug its claw into Croagunk! I don't know what would've happened if my Azurill hadn't of used 'Refresh' on it." Misty explained.

"This might be very bad. Directly taking the poison can lead to serious side effects. Did the same happen to Chimchar?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Yes, but to a lesser degree of intensity." Misty explained. "Ok, thank you for your help. Chansey! Get the anti-Toxicroak-venom, STAT!" Nurse Joy rushed back into the emergency room and closed the door, leaving the group to wait.

"I'm truly sorry Ash and Brock…is there…anything I can do to help…?" Cynthia asked. "No, no there isn't. I think I'll go sit down." Brock walked away and slumped into one of the Pokémon Center chairs.

"Brock must be really depressed if he turned down YOUR help Cynthia." Dawn said. "I know exactly how he feels. He's concerned for Croagunk." Cynthia replied.

"And what about you Ash?" Cynthia asked. "…What about me?" Ash replied bitterly.

"I'm sure you must be very concerned for Chimchar as well." Cynthia said. "Of course I am! Why would you even ask a question like that?" Ash growled.

"Ash, don't be rude!" Misty scolded. "Well how would YOU feel if it had been Corsola or Staryu…or Azurill that had gotten poisoned instead?" Ash replied angrily.

Misty wasn't quite sure how to answer that, but she had to say something. "I'd…probably feel just like you, but I wouldn't go biting people's heads off!" she hissed.

"Look, just leave me alone, alright? I'll feel better when Chimchar feels better." Ash turned his back to them and also trudged over to the chairs to wait. He was lucky enough to find the couch, and he buried his face into the cushions, to hide the tears that were begging to escape.

"Don't worry Misty; I know exactly what he's feeling in his heart. And I think I just might know why." Cynthia said.

"Well…if what he wants is to be left alone, I think the best thing we can do is to do just that." Dawn suggested.

Misty sighed and nodded. "So we just wait then?" she asked. "Unless you can think of something to stop Team Galactic, yes." Cynthia replied.

Just then, an idea popped into Misty's mind. "Maybe not something…maybe SOMEONE."

"What do you mean Misty?" Dawn asked. "Cynthia, can you try and take care of Ash for me? I need to make a phone call. Dawn, come with me." Misty said. The two girls ran for the videophones, leaving Cynthia to tend to Ash.

She sat down next to the weeping Pokémon Trainer and sympathetically stroked his hair. "Misty…please, I just wanna be left alone." Ash said.

Ash looked up and was surprised that it was Cynthia there, and not Misty. "Oh, hi Cynthia…listen, sorry about getting so mad but…" Ash was cutoff.

"Don't be. I would expect nothing less from a trainer that truly cares for his Pokémon." she said. Ash managed a small smile and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"So, when did you get a Charizard? It looked really powerful." Cynthia asked, trying to make conversation.

"Well, it was actually a long time ago. You see, Charizard was abandoned as a Charmander and I took it in. For a while we were friends, but when it eventually evolved into Charmeleon, it rarely listened to me. So you can imagine that when it evolved into Charizard it ignored me even more." Ash continued,

"Then one day in the Orange Islands, we met a guy named Tad who had a Poliwrath that had been dubbed 'the strongest Pokémon in the area'. After Pikachu failed to do any damage, I figured Charizard could handle it. Thing is, I couldn't handle HIM. Charizard wound up being frozen solid by Poliwrath's 'Ice Beam', and it naturally wasn't happy about that." Ash continued,

"Me, Misty, and another old friend of mine, Tracey, spent all night rubbing Charizard down to try and warm it up. I guess Charizard really appreciated it because he never disobeyed me again after that. Heh, but he did keep his habit of hitting me with a 'Flamethrower' every now and then." Ash concluded.

"Amazing Ash. You're one of the most dedicated trainers I've ever met. I wonder how many Pokémon's lives you've impacted throughout your travels." Cynthia said.

"Well I wish I hadn't just impacted Chimchar like this." Ash groaned. "It wasn't your fault Ash. Chimchar was just looking out for a friend, just as I'm sure YOU would've taken a hit for one of your friends, especially Misty." Cynthia said.

Just then, Nurse Joy came with Brock. "Your Chimchar is resting now. I must say, your little Chimchar fought the poison valiantly, I'm proud to say that all it needs now is a little medicine and a little rest." Nurse Joy said.

"Thanks Nurse Joy…would it…be ok if I saw Chimchar?" Ash asked. "By all means, come with me." Nurse Joy replied.

"Wait a sec; I wanna go get Misty and Dawn." Ash said. "They're making a phone call." Cynthia said. Ash ran for the videophones, happy that his little fire-type was alright.

"Ok thanks, we can use all the help we can get." Misty said, finishing her phone call. Misty hung up just as Ash came rushing over. He grabbed Misty by the wrists, causing her to squeal with surprise, and he twirled around and around with her in celebration.

"Ash, what are you doing?" Misty exclaimed. "Sorry Mist, but…Chimchar's ok! And so is Croagunk! That calls for a celebration!" Ash replied happily.

A smile quickly spread across Misty's face, and she hugged her boyfriend ecstatically. "Congratulations Ash! It's a huge relief." Misty said.

Dawn had stayed back, but she was smiling nevertheless. "Get in here Dawn." Misty said. Dawn's smile grew wider, and she leaped into the embrace to form a group hug.

"C'mon, let's go see them!" Ash exclaimed. They ran to join the others, and were led by Nurse Joy to the recovery room.

Nurse Joy quietly opened the door and led the group in to see their sleeping Pokémon. Ash quietly moved up to Chimchar, who stirred upon Ash's arrival. "Hey Chimchar." Ash said softly. Chimchar rolled over and gave its master a small smile.

"Now Ash, Brock, have them take these after breakfast, and after dinner as well." Nurse Joy said, handing the two trainers bags of prescribed medicine. "Right." they replied.

"If you need me, just call." Nurse Joy said. "Thanks Nurse Joy." Ash said. The pink haired nurse and her Pokémon nodded and left them to be alone with their Pokémon.

"Now Croagunk, I know you're still very upset, but you've got to rest." Brock said.

Croagunk wheezed out a weak reply, but its anger towards Toxicroak was obviously still burning intensely.

"Chimchar, thanks for looking out for Pikachu…if only I hadn't have said to use 'Volt Tackle' in the first place…" Ash said, more tears threatening to surface in his eyes.

"Come on, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself." Dawn said. "Why are you beating yourself up like this Ash?" Misty asked.

"Because Misty…I was so wrapped up in getting that orb back…I wasn't thinking about Chimchar at all…I acted just like…PAUL…I'm sorry Chimchar." Ash said sorrowfully.

Chimchar found the strength to sit up, and slowly raised its hand to Ash's face. Upon feeling Chimchar's hand, Ash opened his eyes and saw Chimchar smiling brightly at him. "Chimchar…" Ash was deeply moved by Chimchar's loyalty.

"You see Ash? Chimchar knows you'd never try to do anything to hurt it." Misty said soothingly. Ash choked out a relieved sigh.

"Ash, I've been meaning to ask you if your Chimchar was actually Paul's Chimchar once." Cynthia said. "Yeah, it was." Ash said, wiping away his leftover tears on his sleeve.

Cynthia sat down on the chair next to Chimchar's bed and held Chimchar's hand. "You've certainly been through quite a lot, haven't you my little sweetheart? I want you to remember that Ash and Paul have been through quite a lot of experiences with you. I know they walk different paths pursuing their dreams, but it's important to watch over them both as you all go into the future."

"Watch over us? What do you mean?" Ash asked. "Remember I said, 'When every life meets another life'…" Cynthia paused to let Ash finish.

"Of course, I remember. Something will be born." Ash said. "But what does that have to do with Ash, Paul, and Chimchar?" Misty asked.

"I think that's a question that only Ash can answer. So Ash, what do you think you and Paul have discovered by meeting and working with Chimchar?" Cynthia asked.

This was something Ash needed to think about. "It's alright if you don't know the answer now. One day you'll realize it." Cynthia said.

Just then, Nurse Joy came in with Chansey. "How's everyone doing?" she asked. "We're doing great." Ash replied.

"If you'd like, you can sign Chimchar and Croagunk out and be on your way." Nurse Joy said. They thought about it for a moment. "Not yet Nurse Joy, I think they need a little more rest here first." Brock said.

"Very well, have you all had something to eat?" Nurse Joy asked. No one in the group was really all that hungry. Even Ash's never-ending appetite seemed to have vanished. Team Galactic was weighing down too heavily on their minds.

"Well…if any of you are hungry, you're free to help yourselves in the cafeteria." Nurse Joy finally said. "Thanks Nurse Joy." Misty replied.

The nurse and her Pokémon reluctantly walked out once more. "I think she was trying to hint at something." Dawn said. "Yeah, like it's time to let these guys get some rest." Misty replied.

"You just rest up, ok Chimchar?" Ash said. Chimchar wrapped its arms around Ash's neck for a hug, and Ash gladly reciprocated the gesture.

"Come on, let's let them sleep." Cynthia said. Chimchar lied back down in its bed, and curled up into a ball to get comfy.

Soon after, the group walked out one by one, and sat themselves down in the waiting room. The room was tense for a few moments, as no one really had anything to say. Although Piplup did get a start when Dawn's grip on it tightened slightly.

"What's on your mind Dawn?" Misty asked. "Nothing's on my mind, what makes you think something's on my mind?" Dawn replied.

"Your little pressure gauge went off, that's what." Misty replied, pointing at Piplup. Dawn looked down and saw Piplup squirming uncomfortably in Dawn's arms. She loosened her grip and Piplup gave a relieved sigh.

"Sorry Piplup." Dawn said. "Now you mind telling us what's up?" Misty requested.

Dawn hesitated for a moment, but eventually gave in. "I don't know why…but I'm scared."

"Scared?" Ash inquired. "I mean…what is this 'new world' Team Galactic keeps talking about? And what are they trying to do?" Dawn replied.

The group grew silent once more, as they pondered that for a moment. Then finally, Cynthia spoke up. "I'll say this. Whatever it is, I'm fairly certain it'll mean nothing but disaster for all of us."

"And I'm fairly certain you're right." Ash replied. "Do we know anything about what's happening?" Misty asked.

"No, but although we don't know what their new world is, it's obvious they don't like this one. Of course, they're not the kind of criminals that are EVER going to give up without a fight. We saw now that Team Galactic's managed to steal the Adamant Orb, and now they're going after the Lustrous Orb with a vengeance." Cynthia said.

"I'll just bet they're targeting Dialga and Palkia! Through the orbs!" Brock realized. Ash, Misty, and Dawn gasped in shock at this new revelation.

"That's just what I'm thinking as well. Team Galactic has big plans for those two orbs, something that will affect the world of people and Pokémon. A challenge like none before." Cynthia said.

"We can't just sit here when there's stuff to do!" Ash stood up and was determined to somehow stop Team Galactic.

"Ash, calm down, we don't need to waste energy when we don't know where they are." Misty said. "But we've gotta do something!" Ash exclaimed. Misty grabbed Ash by the hand and gently pulled him back down to his seat.

"Just relax. Going out there without a plan is asking for trouble." Misty said. Ash grunted, but in his mind he knew she was right.

"Hey, look out the window!" Brock exclaimed suddenly. The group turned and saw a small black and white bird flying towards the center. "It's Staravia!" Ash exclaimed.

The group ran out the door to meet up with the small sentry. "Staravia, you found Team Rocket?" Ash asked excitedly. Staravia nodded and pointed in the direction it found them in.

"Great Staravia, let's go!" Ash exclaimed. "I'll call Garchomp and get the jeep; you should call your Charizard back too." Cynthia said. Cynthia grabbed a Pokéball and blasted its return light into the sky for Garchomp to see, and then she ran for the parking lot.

Ash did the same with his Pokéball, hoping that Charizard would see it. Within moments, Garchomp returned to where it saw the light flash. "Cynthia went to get the jeep; she'll be back in a minute." Brock said. Garchomp nodded and awaited its master's return.

"C'mon Charizard, where are you?" Ash wondered. He got his answer when he heard a victorious roar ring through the air. "Found him." Misty joked.

As if on cue, Charizard came over the horizon, holding a whole armful of fainted Golbat. "Same old Charizard. Never could resist a chance to kick some butt." Brock chuckled.

"I know you enjoyed that Charizard, but leave them in front of the Pokémon Center so Nurse Joy can take care of them." Ash said.

Charizard growled, but obeyed its master and dropped them, rather harshly, in front of the doors. "That's one way to do it I guess." Misty said with a sweat-drop.

Just then, Cynthia drove up in her jeep. "Hurry up and get in!" she exclaimed. The group hopped into the jeep, and Cynthia jammed down the gas-pedal and sped off.

Garchomp, Staravia, and Charizard took flight and followed them. After a few moments, Dawn was beginning to get kind of twitchy. "Wait a second, this can't be! Are we going to the research center?" Dawn asked.

"Maybe. Either that or to the ruins." Cynthia said, "Garchomp! Fly on ahead and make sure Team Rocket stays put!"

"Charizard, Pikachu, Staravia, I want you to go with Garchomp, ok?" Ash said. Pikachu hopped onto Charizard's back and looked on with a determined expression. "Be careful." Ash said.

Not one to be left out, Piplup hopped out of Dawn's arms and onto the back of the now startled Staravia. "Piplup, you too?" Dawn said.

"It looks like Piplup wants to help." Brock said. Just then, a white light flashed and Sudowoodo popped out of its Pokéball, and hopped onto Garchomp's back before anyone could comment.

"Alright then Sudowoodo, I know why you wanna help. Just be careful, alright?" Brock said. Sudowoodo saluted Brock and looked on as well.

"Ok, we're counting on all of you!" Ash exclaimed. The Pokémon surged forward with a burst of speed, and before they knew it, they were at the ruins where they saw a whole bunch of sleeping guards.

Pikachu pointed down and announced that that was where they had to be. The Pokémon agreed, and they headed for the opening in the roof. They weren't exactly surprised to see Team Rocket, but they were surprised to see Team Galactic.

After seeing Purugly and Bronzor ready attacks at the trio of bumblers, Pikachu said they had to protect Team Rocket, seeing as the orb would do less damage in their hands.

While everyone else just nodded, Sudowoodo leaped off of Garchomp's back and launched a mid-air 'Double Edge' attack that knocked Bronzor to the ground.

With the extra weight off, Garchomp swooped down as well, and knocked Purugly onto the floor with its 'Dragon Claw'.

Then, Garchomp landed and spread its arms in front of Team Rocket, it was followed by Charizard, Sudowoodo, Staravia, Piplup, and of course, Pikachu, thusly creating a wall of Pokémon to get through with two giants backing up the rear.

"It's Garchomp!" Carolina exclaimed happily. Carolina and Cyrus had gone inside and exposed Team Rocket before Team Galactic had even arrived, and were relieved to see the champion's Pokémon make an appearance.

"You can't do that to my Pokémon!" Mars exclaimed. After hearing that, Sudowoodo started shooting off infuriated comments at Mars in its own language. It basically said that she was a hypocrite seeing as they almost murdered its friend, Croagunk, and then complaining that they merely bounced Purugly back.

In the back of the Pokémon wall, Team Rocket watched in shock. "Dis scene reeks of twoip!" Meowth said. "But…that can only mean one thing…" Jessie paused. "We're under the Pikachu Protection Plan!" James finished.

As soon as he finished talking, the trainers of the Pokémon wall came rushing in. "Uh oh, Team Galactic!" Ash exclaimed.

"I would say that you all came just in time!" Carolina exclaimed. Their timing was perfect, but Team Rocket had just formed a totally different plan.

They leaped from behind the Pokémon wall and stood tall in front of the ruins' carving. "To prove it's not just word of mouth, focus your eyes on the Lustrous prize!" James said.

James' Carnivine opened its mouth, and the Lustrous Orb was revealed to everyone. "They're crazy!" Mars exclaimed.

"One wrong move and this Lustrous treasure turns into lunch!" Jessie threatened. "And I sincerely doubt dat Lustrous lasagna's gonna do you yo-yos any good." Meowth added.

"We win! Just like I knew we would." Jessie gloated.

Ash growled with frustration. The fact that they were helpless against Team Rocket of all people annoyed him to no end. "Cynthia, what are we going to do now?" Dawn asked worriedly.

_"Come on, where's that backup I called for?" _Misty thought nervously. "They're so desperate they just might go through with it!" Carolina exclaimed nervously.

Cyrus growled menacingly, "Don't you realize how important the Lustrous Orb is? Idiots!" he roared. Team Rocket flinched in fear of the infuriated man.

Everyone in the room looked at Cyrus questionably, caught off guard by his sudden tantrum. "Watch this Ash, watch his attitude." Misty whispered. Ash nodded and listened to Cyrus rant.

"You! Look behind you!" Cyrus, eyes flaming with fury, pointed towards the wall behind Team Rocket, "I trust you fools know that the Adamant and Lustrous Orbs give great power to Dialga and Palkia! But it is when the orbs are combined together with the three Lake Guardians that their full power emerges! To put it in simple terms even YOU can understand, the three guardians plus the two orbs will gloriously bring forth nothing less than legends!" Cyrus cackled maniacally.

Even Misty, who had been trying so hard to watch Cyrus' attitude instead of his words, was taken aback by Cyrus' speech. "Did he just say…bring forth legends?" Ash asked nervously.

"Cyrus, calm down!" Carolina demanded.

Cyrus growled and turned to Carolina with an intense expression. "Don't you see that if we don't make them understand what's happening, they'll do something foolish like shatter the orb? I refuse to let that happen at all costs!" Cyrus turned to Team Rocket again with clenched fists. "I'm sorry if I seem so upset, but when the stakes are this high, our strongest weapon is the truth! Now listen well…the Adamant Orb IS in fact Dialga, and the Lustrous Orb IS Palkia! The orbs will bring them to this world!"

The moment Cyrus finished, a swarm of Golbat flew through the roof of the ruins, giving the entire group a jumpstart. _"How ironic! I'll bet anything this guy is a PART of Team Galactic!"_ Misty had made up her mind. Cyrus wasn't just a creepy guy with a temper problem, he was a criminal.

"Listen up Pikachu! Use 'Thunderbolt'! And Charizard, use 'Heat Wave'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu's cheeks sparked madly as it launched its electric-attack, and Charizard launched a blazing wave of pure heat. Both attacks aimed at the swarm of Golbat and knocked a bunch out.

"Alright Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered.

"Sudowoodo, 'Double Edge'!" Brock ordered.

"Garchomp, 'Dragon Claw', let's go!" Cynthia ordered.

The other three Pokémon also fired attacks at the Golbat. Piplup fired a flurry of bubbles that shot the bat-Pokémon out of the sky, Sudowoodo tackled them in mid-air and knocked them down like they were bowling pins, and Garchomp slashed them down one by one with its mighty claws.

Meanwhile, Cyrus just stood in place, quietly snickering as he watched the battle take place. "Cyrus, don't just stand there, do something!" Carolina cried.

Cyrus snapped out of his haze, and pretended to pull out a Pokéball, but before anything could happen, a Skuntank jumped through the roof of the ruins and slammed down hard on the head of James' Carnivine.

Both surprised and hurt by the assault, Carnivine relinquished its item and fell to the floor, just as Skuntank took the orb for itself.

"Look Ash, the orb!" Dawn cried. "Who's that Pokémon?" Ash wondered out loud. "I dunno, but it's about to use 'Hyper Beam'!" Brock yelled.

The group hit the deck, as Skuntank's 'Hyper Beam' sent Team Rocket flying into the stratosphere. Skuntank then turned and ran for the exit, as the Golbat tried to block the group from pursuing. "It's getting away with the orb!" Dawn cried.

"I can't wait any longer! Time to take matters into my own hands!" Misty pulled out a Pokéball, and threw it over the Skuntank's head. What emerged from it forced Skuntank to stop in its tracks due to the exit now being blocked.

"Great timing with Gyarados Mist!" Ash exclaimed. "Whatever you do Gyarados, don't let it escape with the orb!" Misty ordered.

Gyarados complied, and matched every maneuver that Skuntank could pull off by moving its snake-like body in the way wherever it went.

"Now let's take the orb back! Go Charizard!" Ash yelled. Charizard flew low and fast and charged for the Skuntank. But the Golbat still in the area had different plans.

They flew up in front of the dragon and fired their 'Air Cutters' at point-blank range and knocked the dragon down. And to ensure that it wouldn't get back up to try again, one powerful Golbat landed on Charizard's stomach and dug its razor sharp teeth into its abdomen with a 'Poison Fang' attack.

"Charizard, no!" Ash cried. Charizard groaned from the poison it had taken intravenously, and struggled with all its might to get back up again, but all it could muster was to get on one knee before collapsing to the ground. "Charizard, return!" Ash recalled his mighty friend back to its Pokéball to avoid further pain and suffering on Charizard's part.

Now with Charizard out of the way, the Golbat targeted Gyarados. "Oh no you don't! Gyarados, use 'Hydro Pump'!" Misty ordered.

Gyarados fired and managed to knock a few back, but the swarm was too much to handle for the mighty water-dragon. Skuntank managed to find a crease in the doorway, and quickly jumped through. With the mission supposedly completed, the Golbat vanished along with Team Galactic.

"Oh no! If we don't get that orb back, we're all in trouble!" Cynthia said. "Come on, let's move!" Ash yelled.

The group ran out of the ruins, and found the final Team Galactic commander, the female Jupiter, congratulating Skuntank on a job well done. They quickly ran towards a van and prepared to speed off. "We're too late!" Brock groaned.

Just when all hope seemed to be lost, a voice yelled out from the sky. "Say cheese!"

_"Finally." _Misty thought.

A Pokéball was thrown from the sky, and a Luxray emerged from it, preventing Team Galactic from reaching their escape vehicle.

"A Luxray?" Cynthia asked.

"Hey Ash, you don't suppose…?" Brock asked. "Guess we'll find out now!" Ash replied.

"We can't fail now! Skuntank, use 'Flamethrower'!" Jupiter ordered. As Skuntank prepared to fire, a tall, blonde man in his early twenties leaped off from a Staraptor and landed behind Luxray.

"Just watch this! Luxray, use 'Charge Beam'!" The moment the order was uttered, Luxray launched the charged up attack and countered the fiery move.

"Didn't even break a sweat! Now Staraptor, grab that orb!" The Staraptor that was previously acting as transportation made the transition into a battler as it swooped down and snatched the orb in its large and sharp talons.

"All hail D. Shad!" the group cheered jokingly. "So you must be Darkness Shadow, you were in the Sinnoh Star for apparently saving the world." Jupiter said.

"It's always nice to be recognized by an admirer." D. Shad replied cockily. "Admire? No. PERHAPS, respect. But either way, we can't let you have the orb." Jupiter said.

"Naturally. But who said anything about letting me? Now we'll show you our ultimate power!" D. Shad roared, "Luxray, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

Luxray fired, and shocked Team Galactic down to the ground. "Hmmph! Pathetic thugs!" D. Shad gloated.

"We're not done yet!" Jupiter hissed. "Hmmph, there's no more time to play games." D. Shad looked towards Cynthia, who had been quietly watching D. Shad in action. "Would the champion care to finish the job?" D. Shad offered.

Cynthia smirked and summoned Garchomp to her side. "It would be an honor." she said.

Jupiter quietly groaned, knowing that there was virtually no chance for success now. "Garchomp, take it out with 'Brick Break'!" Cynthia ordered.

Garchomp charged ahead and knocked the skunk Pokémon on its back, leaving it fainted. Jupiter finally growled and was force to concede defeat. "G3…backup plan has failed due to unforeseen circumstance. We're returning to base to regroup." Jupiter said through her microphone.

Jupiter and her two cohorts ran towards the van empty-handed, but not before D. Shad gave one last comment. "You're lucky I let you escape."

Jupiter hissed loudly, and they drove away with nothing except their shattered pride. The group walked up to D. Shad, who was congratulating Luxray and Staraptor for a job well done.

"Well well, long time no see. Seems you just can't stay out of trouble no matter how hard you try." D. Shad joked.

"It's about time you got here!" Misty exclaimed. "Hey what can I say? There was traffic in the skies." D. Shad replied.

"How'd you know that we needed help D. Shad?" Ash asked.

"Well, I got a call earlier from a couple of young girls, they explained what was happening here and since I was dying of boredom anyway, I figured I'd come and kick a few cans just for laughs." D. Shad replied.

"Way to go Misty and Dawn!" Brock said. "Well it was really Misty's idea." Dawn admitted.

Just then, Carolina came out of the ruins after finally coaxing the supposedly depressed Cyrus to come out. "Did you get the orb back?" Carolina asked.

"Please. How could ANYONE fight against the overwhelming odds that were set against us? The orb is lost forever." Cyrus groaned.

"You might wanna rethink that." D. Shad took the orb from Staraptor and held it proudly in his hand. Carolina stared in awe, while Cyrus seemed to just be in shock.

"Thank goodness! And thank you young man, we would've never gotten the orb back without you. Isn't this wonderful Cyrus?" Carolina said.

"Y-Yes, it's…truly a…pleasant surprise to see the orb is in safe hands once more." Cyrus said with mild hesitation.

"That Luxray of yours is quite impressive." Cynthia said. "Well, me and my buddy Luxray have been through thick and thick together," D. Shad joked, "We got a lot of time to work on power and battling."

"Well we can't thank you enough…D. Shad you said?" Cynthia asked. "Most people call me Darkness Shadow, my friends call me D. Shad, but you can call me by my real name if you like." D. Shad replied.

"It'd be an honor. What IS your real name?" Cynthia asked. "David. My real name is David. But don't tell anyone else, only the people I want to be close to know my real name." D. Shad replied.

It was very slight, but Cynthia seemed to have a hint of blush spreading across her cheeks. "Your secret is safe with me…David." she replied softly.

"Now, what say we get to the Pokémon Center for a recharge?" D. Shad suggested. "Oh man! I forgot about Charizard! One of those Golbat got him with a 'Poison Fang'!" Ash exclaimed.

"Come on! We'll hop on Staraptor and get there in no time!" D. Shad said. Ash and D. Shad leaped onto Staraptor's back. "Meet you guys there!" D. Shad yelled.

Staraptor took off and headed into the sunset with its two passengers. "Well, he's really cute, isn't he?" Carolina teased. "Grandmother!" Cynthia hissed.

When Carolina saw that Cynthia was pink around the edges, she giggled mischievously. "And you seem to agree with me." she snickered.

Cynthia looked away from her grandmother and turned to return Garchomp to its Pokéball. "We should get going. Ash and Davi – I mean – D. Shad are probably waiting for us by now." Cynthia said without meeting anyone's gaze.

"Yes, I agree. I'm very eager to see the Lustrous Orb now that the danger has passed." Cyrus said, now apparently past his depressed state.

The group agreed and returned their Pokémon, and hopped into Cynthia's jeep and drove off. When they finally reached the Pokémon Center, the sun had set and night had fallen. They found Ash and D. Shad talking in the lobby.

Misty jogged in and gave Ash a surprise hug from behind. "How's Charizard, Ash?" she asked. "He's doing great, and now Chimchar has someone to talk to." Ash replied.

Cyrus came rushing in next, and he confronted D. Shad as soon as his eyes made contact with his form. "Please, show me the Lustrous Orb!" he exclaimed desperately.

D. Shad snuck a glance at Cynthia, silently asking if it'd be ok. Cynthia nodded at the guardian and confirmed it.

He threw out a Pokéball, and Luxray emerged holding it on its back. "Yes, the glory and beauty of the Lustrous Orb. What a relief to see it safe." Cyrus said, practically drooling.

Just then, Officer Jenny came in to see the group. "You've all done it again! Thanks to you the Lustrous Orb is safe and sound!" she said.

"Actually, if it weren't for D. Shad, they would've gotten away with it." Misty said. "Oh yeah, you're Darkness Shadow, right? You were in the Sinnoh Star!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

"Meh, no big deal. Cynthia, Ash, and everyone here did the dirty work, I just mopped up." D. Shad shrugged.

"Don't be so modest, you had a big part in this too!" Cynthia said. "Thanks Cynthia, but like I said, it's no big deal. I'm just a guy who likes to help." D. Shad replied.

"Well if you don't mind, I have to fill out the police report, so could I get a statement from you Carolina?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Yes, but I'll make it brief." Carolina said. Officer Jenny nodded and pulled out a clipboard and pencil. "Go ahead." she said.

"Even though we managed to keep the Lustrous Orb out of Team Galactic's clutches this time, it's still painfully obvious that Team Galactic know a lot more about Dialga and Palkia than we do. What could they be after knowing they stole the Veilstone City meteorites as well? Whatever it is, we must remain vigilant." Carolina said.

"If I may say something…" Cyrus said. Officer Jenny turned to the tycoon. "Since I was not of much help in retrieving the Lustrous Orb, I hereby offer my services to keep the orb safe in my own personal care." Cyrus said.

"No!" Misty exclaimed suddenly. All eyes fell on Misty, who was now blushing from extreme embarrassment.

"Is there a reason you feel that Cyrus should not keep the orb in his care?" Officer Jenny asked.

"Um…well…I…" Misty stammered, "I-I-Is this on the record?"

"It doesn't have to be." Officer Jenny said. "W-Well, it's just that…I…think that it'd be safer in…a safe…or something." Misty trailed off at the end.

"I assure you dear girl, my home has only the highest security measures in the whole Sinnoh Region, it wouldn't be safer anyplace else." Cyrus said.

"Then it's settled. Cyrus will take the orb home for safe-keeping." Carolina said. "Thank you for your time everyone. Now you all get a good night's rest." Officer Jenny waved farewell to the group and walked out the doors of the Pokémon Center.

"I think it's about time I got going as well. If you'll excuse me ladies and gentlemen, I shall take the orb and be on my way." Cyrus said.

Cyrus walked up to D. Shad, who after Misty's outburst had become a little wary of the tycoon. Luxray gave a low growl when Cyrus moved his hand to take the orb. "If you'll permit me." Cyrus said as gentlemanly as possible.

D. Shad hesitated, but he was forced to give in and allow Cyrus to take the orb. "Thank you. I assure you that the Lustrous Orb will be well taken care of." Cyrus walked out of the Pokémon Center without another word.

"Hey D. Shad, is something wrong?" Brock asked. "I'm not sure." D. Shad replied. Although they didn't notice, D. Shad wasn't the only one with a look of suspicion on their faces. Cynthia was just as perplexed.

"Well, I'd say that we should get some rest. You kids have a long trip ahead of you." Carolina said. "Yeah, and I've got a long flight back to Sonzonia City. I hope Staraptor can handle flying this late." D. Shad said.

"Why don't you stay here with us tonight? I'm sure you must be tired as well after all that's happened." Cynthia said.

D. Shad gave a small smirk. "Sure, why not? How'd you like to grab something to eat?" D. Shad said enticingly.

Cynthia smiled back. "I would love to…David."

So while Carolina escorted the teens to their room, D. Shad and Cynthia went to have dinner. "Looks like D. Shad's finally getting over J." Misty said. "And with Cynthia of all people!" Dawn exclaimed quietly. "I can't believe HE gets to go with my beloved champion!" Brock moaned. The group groaned incredulously at Brock's attitude.

After Carolina wished the teens goodnight, they started getting ready for bed. The extremely depressed Brock insisted on going to shower first to try and wash off his disappointment. Having one of the many loves of his life taken by D. Shad was something he really hated.

"I feel sorry for Brock, I really do." Misty said. "Hey Misty, do you really think that the orb will be safe with Cyrus?" Dawn asked.

Ash and Misty became forlorn at that question, which gave Dawn some discomfort. "Did we make a mistake?" Dawn asked.

"I don't trust him Dawn, I think he may be...one of them." Misty said. "Them? You mean...Team Galactic?" Dawn asked fearfully.

"I hope we didn't make a huge mistake. I really do." Ash said. "Ash...Misty...I'm scared." Dawn whimpered.

The couple glanced at each other, and invited Dawn in for a group hug in an attempt to comfort the frightened coordinator. As the three teens held each other closely, their nerves slowly began to settle down, but a certain amount of anxiety remained.

"We'll be alright, we always come out on top in the end." Ash said comfortingly. The two girls released the hug and nodded at the trainer. "I'm gonna go see what's holding up Brock." Ash left the room to enter the bathroom, which luckily was left unlocked, leaving the two girls to themselves.

"So...on a lighter note, have you thought about maybe giving Kenny a call?" Misty asked. "Well, to tell you the truth, I'm a little nervous, I mean, this is a whole new sort of situation for me! Kenny's never been anything more than just a friend to me." Dawn replied.

"That was the case between me and Ash, and even Pikachu and Buneary! Pokémon take on the behavior of their trainers, why not take a lesson from your Pokémon for a change?" Misty suggested.

Just then, a white light flashed from Dawn's backpack, and Buneary emerged from it. She hopped onto the bunk Pikachu was resting on, and the two happily cuddled up to each other for a well needed rest.

"You think the trainer should take on the behavior of the Pokémon?" Dawn asked. "Well, just don't start hopping around eating carrots, don't wanna go overboard." Misty joked. Dawn giggled and thanked Misty for the advice.

After everyone was clean, the group said goodnight and turned off the lights in the room. Pikachu and Buneary were happily snoozing on Dawn's bunk, while Ash and Misty shared the bottom bunk. But Misty had trouble getting her eyes to close.

Since she was in his embrace, Ash could feel that Misty was having issues getting to sleep. "What's on your mind Mist?" Ash asked wearily.

"Too many things Ash. Way too many things." Misty replied simply, "Just...hold me tight so I can try and relax." she whispered tenderly. Ash smiled and held the water-trainer closer to him. She nuzzled her head into his chest, and listened to his steadily beating heart. *Bum bum*

So many things were plaguing her mind this particular night. She had to try and find a way to get Kenny and Dawn together. But how would she do that when the two barely saw each other?

*Bum bum*

And what about herself and Ash? Was he being a good boyfriend to her? And more importantly, was SHE being a good GIRLFRIEND?

*Bum bum*

Brock was feeling so alone now. First it was Dawn, now it was Brock. But Brock would be so much harder to help because of his attitude. Would he ever find someone right for him?

*Bum bum*

And Team Galactic...what were they up to? Why were they so ruthless with their Pokémon? And what did the orbs have in common with Dialga and Palkia? Was Cyrus merely a criminal after a great treasure, or was he so much worse?

*Bum bum*

As much as she had on her mind, her thoughts were slowly becoming incoherent to her as the sound of Ash's heart tranquilized her troubled mind. In order to keep from losing it all, she quickly thought up some answers.

Dawn and Kenny would get together soon enough. All she had to do was make sure she could keep the rivalry to a minimum, and nature would take its course.

Ash was the perfect boyfriend to her. He loved her with all his immature but caring heart, and that was all that counted to her. And the fact that he was happily holding her in his arms proved that she was being a good girlfriend to him.

One day Brock would get a girl, all she had to was make sure to teach him proper manners. No one was totally unchangeable. Ash was perfect proof of that.

And Team Galactic would most certainly get their just-desserts. Now with Cynthia and D. Shad on the case, and even getting to know each other better, there was no way they could lose.

*Bum bum* Misty fell asleep with a perfectly content smile on her face. "G'night Misty." Ash whispered lovingly.

The next morning, Charizard, Chimchar, and Croagunk were back to full health, and the group was being sent off by D. Shad, Cynthia, and Carolina.

"So Ash, where are you all headed next?" Cynthia asked. "The Hearthome Gym. I've gotta battle Fantina."Ash replied.

"Well good luck, and remember I'm rooting for you." Cynthia said. "Same goes for me big guy, go win a couple of badges for me, and then me and Brad'll celebrate with a party." D. Shad added.

"Thanks Cynthia, thanks D. Shad." Ash said.

Just then, Nurse Joy came out with a message. "Excuse me, Cynthia? We've just now received confirmation from the office concerning related scheduling for all the upcoming title battles."

"So the next challenger has been decided." Cynthia said. "Next challenger? For what?" Misty asked.

"The next challenger for the title of Champion. Could be tricky getting back to regular living after everything that's happened…including…well, never mind." Cynthia took a glance at D. Shad before turning back to the group.

"And what about you D. Shad?" Dawn asked. "Well, seeing as I've got a new bunch of thugs to pick on, I figure I'll stick with Cynthia for a while and help her deal with them." D. Shad replied.

"But what about Sonzonia City?" Ash asked. "Meh, ever since the Giratina thing, the local crooks don't wanna tangle with me. So, basically it got real boring. I could use a challenge." D. Shad replied.

"Remember, while Team Galactic must be dealt with, it's important for you to live full lives and work hard to realize all your hopes and dreams." Cynthia said.

"I thank you all very much, so until we meet again, be well." Cynthia and D. Shad waved farewell to the group, and they parted ways with the traveling teens.

But somewhere in the Sinnoh Region, Team Galactic was busy initiating their brilliant plan to create a new world, and now they had both the Adamant Orb and the Lustrous Orb, thanks to their leader…Cyrus.  
_

**A/N: makes a cameo appearance! And not only that, could we be seeing some sparks flying between the guardian of Sonzonia City and the Sinnoh Champion? I sure think so! Not a lot of romance in this one, mostly action. But I did try to squeeze some in near the end! Remember to read and review everyone! I get better and better everytime I get some! And I get more excited too!**


	35. If The Scarf Fits, Wear It

**Well, here's another chapter for you all. By the way, thanks to all you readers out there, "A Tale of Two Orbs" got a personal record breaking, over 800 hits in one day! Thanks to you all for making that achievement possible! And now the drama slows down a little, as we stop off in Solaceon Town. Enjoy! I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 35

Misty's POV

After the Team Galactic thing, we kept on pressing on to Ash's next battle. We decided on a layover in Solaceon Town so we could take a break after a whole day of walking. The sun was setting and we were getting something to eat at a snack stand in the park.

Somehow I couldn't shake this feeling of anxiety that had come over me ever since we arrived in Solaceon Town. It felt like…something was about to happen and I couldn't figure out what.

"So the Scarf Monster is in Solaceon Town…" I heard Brock say. We walked back over to Brock with drinks in our hands. Brock was reading an article in the Sinnoh Star.

"Hey Brock, what're you reading?" Ash asked. "An article about a monster wearing a scarf spotted around town." Brock replied.

"Whoa! Let me see that!" Brock handed Dawn the article, and we scanned the fuzzy picture of what a photographer depicted as the "Scarf Monster".

"Oh please, you call THAT proof?" I said. "That picture's nothing more than a big blur." Ash added.

"Well, if you look really REALLY closely, you could call it a Scarf Monster I guess." Dawn said. "Don't fall for it Dawn, this is just another newspaper scam." I said.

"Misty's probably right. Keep in mind that the Sinnoh Star isn't exactly a very reliable paper." Brock said. Just then, the lights lining the streets snapped on, signaling that night had indeed fallen.

"Wow, where does the time go?" Dawn said. "Angie's family's daycare center is just ahead, so let's move." Brock said.

"Yeah, I wonder how Angie and her family are doing now." Ash said. That was it. There was the reason for my anxiety…Angie.

Normal POV

The group had to walk through a forest in order to get to Angie's daycare center, and while three out of four was happy to get there, one member was anything but thrilled.

"What's the matter Misty?" Dawn asked. "We're going to ANGIE'S place. I'll bet anything that she still likes him." Misty replied.

"You feel threatened by a twelve year old?" Dawn asked incredulously. "Well – uh, not exactly THREATENED, more like annoyed. I won't even be able to hug Ash without making Angie feel lousy." Misty replied.

"Hey, he's YOUR boyfriend. You should be able to do whatever you feel like regardless of who's around." Dawn said. "Oh, so now you're giving ME boy advice?" Misty asked.

"Hey, what goes around comes around." Dawn joked. The girls laughed at their banter, when suddenly they heard a rustling in the brush. "Did you guys hear that?" Ash asked.

They nodded in response, and they quietly peeked around the brush and gasped at what they saw. "You don't think that could be…the Scarf Monster?" Dawn squeaked.

"Only one way to find out! Come on!" Ash charged after the shadowy figure in the foliage, and was followed closely by his friends.

They reached a clearing in the trees, and they looked in all directions for the shadow. "Were we seeing things?" Misty asked.

"No way! I know what I saw!" Ash exclaimed. "Maybe next time I say I saw something, you'll believe me. See how it feels?" Dawn said.

Ash, Misty, and Brock chuckled nervously, knowing that they had had their skepticism thrown back in their faces by the coordinator.

"Come on, the daycare center should be right over there." Brock said. As the group trudged their way out of the forest, a pair of glowing eyes watched them leave.

"Guess our eyes must've been playing tricks on us or something." Ash said sullenly. "I think that article's got us nervous, that's all. I personally still feel it's all fake." Misty added.

"Hey look! Isn't that Angie's house?" Dawn asked, pointing out a fairly-sized house down the road. "Yep. That's it." Brock replied.

As they continued walking, they saw the door on the side of the house open, and Angie and her Shinx came out with two buckets.

Shinx sensed a presence by the fence, and it ran to greet its friends that were leaning over the fence. "Hey Angie!" Ash exclaimed.

"(Gasp) It's Ash!" Angie dropped her buckets in shock, and she ran to greet her friends. "Wow, it's great to see you guys again!" she squealed.

"It's great to see you too Angie." Misty said, trying to remain friendly. She seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it, as Angie gave her a sincere smile.

"Looks like you've got your hands full." Ash said. "Yeah, Mom and Dad are on a little trip right now, so now I've gotta take care of everything by myself and to tell you the truth, I've been running myself ragged." Angie said.

"Well, why don't we help you out then?" Misty suggested. "Oh no, I couldn't ask that." Angie replied.

"Don't worry about us Angie; we're giving you a hand, ok?" Ash said. "Have you eaten? You just leave the cooking to me." Brock added.

"You lead Brock to the kitchen, and you'll get a meal you'll never forget!" Dawn exclaimed. "Man! You guys are life savers!" Angie exclaimed gratefully.

Angie led Brock and Dawn to the kitchen, and pointed Ash and Misty to where she was finishing up her chores.

"So…Misty…you ok?" Ash asked rather hesitantly. "Yeah, why shouldn't I be?" Misty replied.

"Well, last time we saw Angie…you kinda…well…" Ash was cutoff. "Relax Ash, jealousy is no more." Misty reassured.

"So why were you upset about coming?" Ash asked.

"Well…it's just that…I don't want to make Angie feel bad…after all, she likes you too and all…and…we can't be…you know, together while we're here. We'd make her feel lousy." Misty explained.

"Wait, Angie likes me?" Ash asked. "…Ash, don't tell me that even after all the times she's blushed around you, you couldn't tell." Misty replied incredulously.

"Guess I never noticed…I-I was too busy…noticing you! Yeah!" Ash said, trying to escape Misty's heckling.

Misty smiled and batted her eyelashes at him. "Good answer Ashy…and you know…Angie's not with us right now."

Misty sauntered up to Ash and started drawing circles on his chest with her finger. "(Gulp) Misty, what if Angie walks in? Remember, making her feel bad?" Ash stammered.

Misty sighed and backed off. "Fine."

Ash exhaled with relief. _"Dang Mist, you sure know how to make a guy's heart race."_

Angie walked in a few moments later, and they finished up with the chores. "Thanks for your help guys; it would've taken a lot longer without you." Angie said.

"Glad to do it Angie. Now whaddya say we get some dinner?" Misty said. The trio walked out of the garage and headed to the dining room where Brock and Dawn had laid out a feast.

"Dig in everyone!" Brock exclaimed. Brock had laid out a platter of white rice, grilled chicken strips and mixed vegetables.

The group sat down to enjoy the great meal, and after they were finished, Angie's belly was bulging, proving that she had definitely enjoyed it.

Even the Pokémon were asleep due to overeating. "Ahh…phew, that was good!" Angie said, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her stomach with satisfaction.

"I know, isn't Brock like the best gourmet chef in the world?" Dawn said. "You bet, it's too bad I never got to try his cooking at the academy. Thanks for making all this Brock." Angie said.

"It was my pleasure." Brock said, "So Angie, what kind of Pokémon are you raising now?"

Angie suddenly sat upright in her chair. "Uh, well, to tell you the truth, all different kinds." she giggled nervously.

"Hey Angie, have you heard about the Scarf Monster everyone's talking about?" Ash asked. "Uh, yeah. But…those are just rumors." Angie replied.

"Well get this, we actually saw it in the forest on our way here!" Ash said. "You can't be serious!" Angie screamed, getting up in Ash's face.

Ash sweat-dropped. "I-It was more like a shadow of something wearing a scarf!" he said nervously.

"Relax Angie, I bet it's just a hoax anyway." Misty said. Angie apparently ignored Misty's reassurance. "Oh man, not again." she whispered to herself.

"Angie, what's wrong?" Ash asked. "Uhh…Oh, I just remembered I've got somewhere to go! You relax and I'll be right back!" Angie ran out of the room, leaving a very puzzled group to look out the window and watch her run off.

"Why'd she start panicking as soon as we mentioned the Scarf Monster?" Brock wondered aloud. "You don't suppose she's hiding something do you?" Misty asked.

"I dunno, but something's gotta be up. Let's go find out what." Ash said. The group ran out the building and chased after the twelve year old girl to a cave. "Hey Angie!" Ash called.

Angie turned around and pasted on a fake smile. "How nice, you followed me." she moaned. "Alright Angie, what's going on?" Ash asked.

"(Sigh) Guess I can't get anything past you guys…you see, it's about one of the Pokémon I'm raising…but…the thing is, it's actually inside that cave." Angie said. Angie switched on her flashlight and led the group through the cave.

"What's your Pokémon doing in a place like this?" Ash asked. "See for yourselves and then I'll explain the whole thing to you." Angie moaned.

The group walked into the main part of the cave, and found nothing. "Sooo, what exactly are we looking at here?" Misty asked.

"I knew it! Truth is – ok, you know that Scarf Monster you saw? Well that's the exact same Pokémon I've been looking after." Angie explained embarrassedly.

"What are you talking about?" Ash asked. "I'll explain everything later, for now I need you to help me bring it back here!" Angie exclaimed.

"Sure thing Angie." Ash said. Angie nodded and led the group out of the cave and back to her house, where she grabbed a huge bowl and a bag of Pokémon food.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Dawn asked. "You'll see." Angie replied. They walked into the park and watched as Angie laid down a trail of Pokémon food bits, and then put down the bowl and filled it to overflowing.

She then hopped into the bushes, and the others followed suit. After waiting a few minutes, Ash was beginning to grow impatient. "Angie, you don't really think this is the way to capture Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"I can't catch it in a Pokéball! It belongs to someone else!" Angie whispered. "But you must have the original Pokéball, maybe when you see it you could just return it." Misty suggested.

"That won't work either. I'll explain as soon as – there it is!" Angie whispered. The group looked into the shadows and saw a large figure walking up to them.

"That's it! That's the same thing we saw before!" Ash exclaimed quietly. It's the Scarf Monster for sure!" Dawn added.

"Not so fast, I recognize that shape." Brock said. As the figure came into the light, its actual identity was revealed. "It's a Lickilicky!" Brock exclaimed.

Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan it. "Lickilicky, the Licking Pokémon. Lickilicky can wrap its enormous tongue around anything. Getting too close to this Pokémon will result in a saliva shower." her Pokédex chirped.

"Oh, that's gross." Misty commented.

Lickilicky finished eating the Pokémon food trail, and then gulped down the entire bowl with one bite, and then spit the bowl back out, literally licked clean.

"Guys, I'm afraid that Lickilicky that I just happened to be raising is the very Scarf Monster that everyone's been making such a fuss about." Angie said.

"You can't be serious!" Dawn exclaimed. "I think it's time you told us what's going on." Ash insisted.

"You see, what happened was my parents decided to let me look after this Lickitung for a little while, just while they were away on vacation. But I guess I over-trained it. I even taught it 'Rollout'! The next thing I knew, it evolved into a Lickilicky!" Angie explained.

"It's never a good thing when a caretaker goes ahead and evolves another trainer's Pokémon." Brock said. "I know." Angie moaned.

"Brock, don't make her feel worse than she does!" Misty hissed. "No, he has every right to. I should've been more careful." Angie said.

"Do your parents know?" Misty asked. "No…and to make matters worse, it also happens to hate being stuck in its Pokéball!" Angie replied.

"That explains why said you couldn't use it." Misty said.

"Right. So I've been trying to keep Lickilicky in that cave I showed you, just to make sure my Mom and Dad don't find out what happened. But there's been the teensy issue of Lickilicky's appetite. It keeps sneaking out of the cave into town, searching around for food." Angie explained.

"That's awful." Ash said. "But why is Lickilicky wearing that thing that looks like a scarf?" Dawn asked.

"That…well, as you can see, Lickilicky's not the smallest Pokémon and it doesn't like being in its Pokéball…so…" Angie pulled out two helium tanks from her backpack and stuck the nozzle into the thing around Lickilicky's neck.

She turned on the helium and the thing began inflating into an enormous crescent-shaped balloon. Lickilicky was lifted up by the helium, and it floated in midair, held down by a rope that Angie was holding.

"I just blow up Lickilicky's collar and carry it around like a balloon." Angie said. "Angie…you've got quite an imagination." Brock said in shock.

"Cool. So let's get Lickilicky back to the cave." Ash said. "Hold on a second. Angie, there's the little matter of when you're gonna tell your parents." Misty said.

Before Angie could respond, three strangely familiar reporters came running up from behind. "Not so fast!" they exclaimed.

The group turned around in shock and panicked, fortunately, the reporters seemed just as shocked as they turned their backs and went into a huddle.

"Oh my gosh! What do we do?" Dawn squeaked. "We've gotta hide Lickilicky!" Angie replied.

"Here, you take Lickilicky and head into the bushes; me and Ash'll take care of them!" Misty said, thinking fast.

Strapped of time and options, the group complied and ran into the bushes, while Misty grabbed Ash's hand and stayed away from there.

"What're you doing Mist?" Ash asked with confusion. "Just play along Ash." Misty replied.

The reporters came out of their huddle, and they confronted the couple who were trying very hard to look natural.

"Being high-powered members of the mainstream media, I was hoping for a word." the female said, holding up a tape recorder to their mouths.

"Uh sure." Misty said, trying to act irritated.

"Which word do you want?" Ash added, imitating Misty's tone.

"Maybe you don't realize, we're Sinnoh Star reporters, we've got a super Scarf Monster scoop and we seem to have lost track of it somehow. Could you help us get back on track?" the reporter asked them, moving the tape recorder even closer.

Ash felt a little nervous, but Misty had her plan all thought out. "Listen, do you see our hands?" Misty held up her and Ash's hands to show the reporter what they were pretending to do, "We were kinda trying to enjoy ourselves."

"I can see that, and I feel so very bad for interrupting, but when we sniff out a story, we just can't lose the scent, so if you could tell us if you saw anything peculiar, we'll be on our way." the reporter said.

Now Misty was starting to get a little nervous. She wasn't planning on the reporter to be so persistent even after she showed her that they were supposedly on a date.

"Come to think of it, I did see a weird shadow earlier." Ash said. Misty shot a glare at Ash, telling him to shut up while he was ahead.

"Really? Well which way did it go?" the reporter asked with interest. "It went that way." Ash pointed in the bushes, but when he looked he saw that he had accidently pointed to where Dawn was shaking her head violently in a 'no' fashion and Brock and Angie were shooting him intense glares.

_"Crud! They really did go that way!"_ Ash thought.

The reporter looked in the bushes, but before she could get a good look, Ash and Misty jumped in her face and started pointing in all directions except for where their friends were. "Over there, no over there! There!" they exclaimed frantically.

The reporter became fed up with their outbursts and backed off. "Strange, even for them." the male reporter said.

"You said a mouthful." the short one added. "Well alright, but be sure to let us know if you get any leads, now won't you?" the female said finally.

"Whatever. Now if you don't mind, we have a date to finish." Misty said with irritation. "She changes moods faster than a Ninjask can fly." the male said. "We're wasting our time." the female added.

The trio of reporters took off down the dark path, leaving the group to catch their breath. "That was way too close." Ash sighed with relief.

"It wouldn't have been close AT ALL if you hadn't have pointed right to where they were." Misty hissed. "I panicked, alright? I forgot where they were for a second. We managed to lead them away anyway." Ash replied.

"Don't start arguing now. All's well that ends well, right?" Dawn said. Ash and Misty sighed and nodded. "Now don't apologize now, do that AFTER we take care of Lickilicky." Brock said.

"Right." The group grabbed on to the rope holding Lickilicky, and they started the walk back to the cave. When they reached the forest however, they heard a terrified scream coming from the nearby lake. "Oh no! Someone must've seen Lickilicky!" Angie cried.

"Quick, bring Lickilicky down!" Ash exclaimed. The group frantically pulled the rope and dragged the large Pokémon back to earth.

"Now what'll we do? Lickilicky definitely isn't going to walk back on its own." Dawn said. "Maybe someone carry Lickilicky." Brock suggested.

"Sure, any volunteers for a hernia?" Misty asked sarcastically. "I was referring to one of our Pokémon." Brock replied in an irritated tone.

"You think Charizard can carry Lickilicky?" Dawn asked. "I dunno, it's worth a shot." Ash replied. Ash called out his dragon who roared upon release.

"Shh! Charizard, we're trying to be stealthy here." Ash whispered. Charizard grunted to acknowledge. "You think you can carry Lickilicky?" Ash asked. Charizard glanced at the long-tongued Pokémon and raised an eyebrow at its master.

Ash shrugged. "Well, WE sure can't lift it."

Charizard rolled his eyes and set Lickilicky onto his back piggyback style. He accidently spewed a small flame with a strained exhale, but he eventually managed to straighten up and walk.

"Alright, let's get moving." Angie said. They began their walk again, but just five minutes before they would reach their destination, Lickilicky began to get impatient, and started squirming on Charizard's back.

Charizard struggled to keep Lickilicky on his back, but he was getting really angry with Lickilicky. Charizard finally snapped when Lickilicky licked his head with its long tongue.

Charizard bucked Lickilicky off of its back, and demanded that Ash return him, he had had enough of playing horsey with the bowling ball of a Pokémon.

"Alright, alright. You did your part. Sorry Charizard." Ash returned the peeved dragon to his ball, and hoped that the next time he called upon him, he wouldn't get barbequed.

"So, now what? We're almost there." Angie said. "Could Happiny do it?" Misty suggested. "Sorry, it's past Happiny's bedtime." Brock replied.

"Hey Misty, maybe Gyarados could give it a ride." Ash suggested. "Are you kidding? Lickilicky scared someone back there, what makes you think nobody will notice Gyarados?" Misty replied.

"She's got a point, but we don't really have a lot of options." Angie said. Misty sighed and called out her water-dragon, who also emerged with a roar.

"Gyarados, shh!" Misty hissed. Gyarados nodded and apologized for its outburst. "Put Lickilicky on your back and let's get to a nearby cave. We should be almost there." Misty said.

Gyarados complied without question and placed the licking-Pokémon on its back. "See that? Gyarados listens and doesn't complain." Misty gloated.

"That's because it knows Charizard did all of the work." Ash grumbled. "I heard that." Misty giggled.

The remainder of the trip went without a hitch, and Misty returned her dragon once they reached the entrance of the cave.

Once inside, they tied Lickilicky to a stalagmite to ensure it wouldn't escape again. "I know you don't like this, and I'm sorry. But you're just gonna have to lay low for a little while." Angie said.

"I made a little snack to tide you over." Brock said, holding up a huge bowl of his special food. Lickilicky stuck out his tongue sadly at them.

"You know Angie; you can't keep Lickilicky here forever." Misty said. "(Groan) I know…but…I just can't think of any other solution right now." Angie said sadly.

Misty would've kept pressing her, but Brock shook his head telling her to drop it. "Well, maybe we can think of something tomorrow." Brock said comfortingly.

The group said goodnight to Lickilicky, and trudged back to Angie's house. Angie led them to the guest rooms where they would spend the night, and then headed off to her own room.

"Angie's in trouble, isn't she Brock?" Ash said. "Well, she evolved another trainer's Pokémon, but it's not like she did it on purpose. Of course that fact won't make a difference when Lickilicky's trainer gets here." Brock replied.

"There's gotta be something we can do." Dawn said. "No. Once a Pokémon evolves, that's it." Misty replied.

"I feel really sorry for her. Her only mistake was that she tried way too hard. But that's what a trainer is supposed to do." Ash said.

"Being a caretaker must be a really rough job. Whenever you train a Pokémon there's a chance it might evolve, but how can you tell when it's about to?" Dawn asked.

"Angie should've stopped the moment Lickilicky learned 'Rollout', that's when a Lickitung can evolve into a Lickilicky." Brock replied.

"Well there's nothing that can be done now. All we can do is get some sleep and try to help Angie anyway we can." Misty said.

The group agreed, and slipped into their bunks. They were almost totally asleep when Dawn gave a shriek of terror.

The group jumped out of their beds in shock, and all eyes fell on Dawn, who was hiding underneath her blanket.

Angie came barging in the door; she was wearing her pajamas already and was ready for bed when Dawn shrieked.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Angie asked. The group waited for Dawn to stop shaking so she could answer. After a few moments, Dawn managed to gain enough composure to point towards the window. "T-The eyes are b-b-back." she stammered.

The entire group groaned at Dawn. "You're still seeing things? Every time I see you at night there's something out the window." Angie exclaimed incredulously.

"It went away for a while, but now it's back! You guys STILL don't believe me? Even after all that's happened?" Dawn squeaked. Pikachu rolled his eyes and started shuffling around in Dawn's backpack.

"What're you looking for Pikachu?" Ash asked. Ash got his answer when Pikachu grabbed a Pokéball and tossed it on the table next to him.

"Bun buneary bun?" (What's the matter?)

"Pika pika pika chu." (Dawn's seeing things again)

Despite the fact Dawn was HER trainer, Buneary couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that she and Pikachu would have to pull guard duty again.

She rolled her eyes and hopped onto Dawn's bunk with Pikachu. "Pika pi chu." (I'll go first.)

Buneary settled down, with Pikachu lying down so Buneary could cuddle into his side and relax. Pikachu turned back to Dawn and gave a thumbs-up, reassuring the trainer that there was no need to worry.

"Now that that's settled, can we please get some sleep?" Misty grumbled. Angie said goodnight once more, and the night went on without interruption.

The next morning, Misty woke up before everyone else and had gotten herself ready for the day. By the time she was dressed, the others were still asleep. "_What a bunch of lazy bums."_

Misty quietly snuck out of the room and bumped into Angie, who was already wearing an apron and gloves. "Why up so early?" Angie asked.

"I should be asking YOU that. You look like you've been up for an hour already." Misty replied. "Actually, an hour and a half. There's a lot involved in setting up for just one day here." Angie said.

"Well, the others are still fast asleep. Want me to help you out?" Misty asked. "Uh, that's alright…Misty…can I ask you a question?" Angie asked nervously.

"Uh, sure, what is it?" Misty asked. "Well…I'm sure you noticed that I might uh…have a crush…on Ash." Angie said nervously, trying to act timid to avoid Misty's rage.

Misty stiffened up. "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I kinda have." she said. Angie was starting to lose her nerve as she saw that Misty was getting tense.

"Well…you don't uh…mind…do you? I mean, I know that YOU'RE his girlfriend and all…and I've uh…tried to respect that fact…but sometimes…I…" Angie was cut-off by Misty.

"I-I get what you're trying to say. And you know what Angie? I appreciate that you came to me about this…I'll tell you the truth too then. I really didn't like when you were in Ash's arms at the academy, even though I knew he was just being nice…and uh…I get kinda upset when you blush around him…that's something I need to work on." Misty explained.

"Well uh…I suppose I could try and control myself around him…" Angie was cut-off again.

"Don't. If anyone needs to control themselves, it's me. I have to remember that just because he's my boyfriend; it'll stop other girls from liking him. I mean…Ash does have that…certain appeal." Misty said.

"So…what are you saying exactly?" Angie asked. "I'm saying that it's ok if you like him. And you don't have to worry about me getting mad. You can…" Now Misty was fighting every instinct she had now, but she couldn't turn back now, "Y-You can…hug him…if you want…don't feel threatened by me…you can do whatever…as long as you don't try to just steal him from me!"

"Wow Misty, I never thought you'd say that…" Angie said in shock, "I-I'll try to keep myself under control."

Uncomfortable silence then fell on the two love-stricken girls, as they studied each other's expressions carefully. Finally, Angie broke it. "W-Why don't you wake up the guys? I have to take some stuff to the garage."

"Y-Yeah, I'll…I'll do that." Misty replied awkwardly. Angie nodded and briskly walked away. "_Now THAT was unexpected." _Angie nodded.

_"I just told her that we could share MY boyfriend. Have I lost my mind?"_ Misty mentally slapped herself for what she had done, but then got second thoughts. _"Well, she is only twelve. And it's not like Ash is just gonna dump me for her; he's already made that perfectly clear. I suppose it wouldn't be so bad to let her have some happiness for a while. Besides, after this, we'll probably never see her again."_

Satisfied with the circumstances, Misty took a deep breath to reset her attitude, and cheerfully walked back into the bedroom where everyone was still snoozing. "Oh brother, it's not like they worked all day and night like Angie did." Misty said to herself.

A sly grin spread across the water-trainer's face as an idea popped into her head. She sauntered over to the window, and opened it nice and wide, letting the sun shine brightly in the entire room.

Ash: "Aww Mist, what was that for?"

Dawn: "Misty! What are you doing?"

Brock: "Oh come on Misty, couldn't you let us sleep?"

As the complaints were shot off simultaneously at the water-trainer, Misty stood her ground and just smirked at them. "Come on, get up you guys! The sun's shining and it's a beautiful day outside, just look!"

The three drowsy teens yawned and stretched as they joined Misty by the window. It really was nice out. It was a comfortable temperature of 73 degrees and there was a cool breeze blowing. The sun was shining brightly and there wasn't a cloud in sight.

They smiled at the sight and their attitude quickly changed to match the weather. Just then, Angie walked by the open window carrying a box.

"Morning everybody!" she said cheerfully.

"Morning Angie." they replied.

"Thanks again for all the great help last night." Angie said. "Hey, no problem. Glad to do it." Ash replied.

Ash's expression suddenly turned stern as he stared at the twelve year old. "So how are you gonna take care of this?" he asked.

"No matter what you do, your parents are gonna find out." Dawn added. "And it'll be worse if they find out that you lied to them by hiding Lickilicky from them." Misty added.

"Maybe you should bring Lickilicky out of the cave and tell them what happened. It'd be a big weight off your shoulders." Brock said, giving his usual wise advice.

"Yeah…" Angie looked to the ground and refused to meet their gaze. The thought of her parents getting home and finding out what she had done intimidated her and worried her. Facing the truth of the situation brought her down dramatically.

At this point, Ash's "nice guy" mode kicked in once more. "Hey, we'll go and apologize with you." he said reassuringly.

"Huh?" Angie looked up and stared Ash right in his chocolate-brown eyes and blushed slightly. "How nice…thank you Ash!"

Angie then quickly remembered her previous conversation with Misty, and she nervously glanced over at the water-trainer. Misty was looking at her, with an expression that showed neither happiness, sadness, nor anger or envy. She was totally emotionless, which seemed impossible to someone like Misty.

Angie relinquished a small smile and walked to the garage with her cargo in tow. As Misty watched Angie walked away, she mentally kicked herself again. _"Why did I make a promise I'm not sure I can keep? I'm practically handing Ash to her! (Sigh) Well it's too late now. I'm not one to break promises and I won't start now. But I've got to do a better acting job."_

Misty reset her mood again with a deep breath and went off to find Angie and get her assignment for the day.

However before she could exit the building, Angie had walked in with a flashlight. "What's that for?" Misty asked.

"We gotta head to the cave and feed Lickilicky. And I happen to feed it before every meal I have, just to make sure it doesn't get hungry and run off…of course…maybe I should feed it twice as many times since it never seems to be satisfied." Angie explained.

"I could make a special blend to be more filling for Lickilicky." Brock said. "Could you? That'd be so awesome!" Angie exclaimed gratefully.

"Just watch me work my magic!" Brock dashed into the kitchen, washed his hands, and grabbed a batch of Pokémon food mix, and a bunch of herbs and spices.

"A little bit of this, a little bit of that, mix it all together, put it in the oven, and in no time we'll have Pokémon burgers just for Lickilicky!" Brock took a bow as Angie and the others applauded his performance.

"Chef Brock does it again." Misty said. "Now while that cooks how about I make you guys some breakfast? Omelets sound good?" Brock asked.

"It sounds great! But I don't know if we have any eggs." Angie said. "No problem, I'll just use Pokémon food mix." Brock joked.

Brock laughed as "ews" and "yucks" and "Are you crazys" rang through the air simultaneously. "Just kidding you guys. Angie, go see if you have any eggs. And if you do, look for cheese, ham, and whatever else would look good in an omelet."

Angie nodded and ran to the fridge while Brock washed his hands again. She came back with all sorts of stuff, and Brock went food crazy as he flipped the eggs in the pan like a master chef and created an amazing breakfast.

"I sure wish my mom and dad could cook like you Brock." Angie said. "I could leave some recipes behind if you like." Brock suggested.

Angie nodded excitedly and scarfed her meal down in a matter of minutes. After the others finally finished, Brock took out the Pokémon burgers and the group headed for the dark cave.

They were surprised at first when Lickilicky wasn't in plain sight. "Lickilicky?" Angie called, "Lickilicky, where are you?"

The group gasped when they saw that Lickilicky had snapped the rope holding it back. Brock picked it up and examined the rope. "It must've wandered off after snapping the rope." he said.

"The Scarf Monster roams again." Misty face-palmed. "This is bad!" Angie cried.

Suddenly, Dawn's Swinub popped out of its Pokéball, and excitedly began looking around. "Brock, close up those burgers before Swinub eats them all!" Dawn exclaimed.

"I haven't even opened the container yet!" Brock replied, revealing a closed case of Pokémon food burgers.

"Ok, so what's Swinub so excited about?" Ash asked. Swinub suddenly ran out of the cave like a locomotive, and charged for whatever it was heading towards. "Swinub, come back!" Dawn cried.

"Wait a minute; if Swinub smells it, it has to mean food, right?" Misty said. "Right." the group replied.

"So if we follow Swinub, we'll probably find Lickilicky!" Misty exclaimed. "Hey yeah! But…what could Swinub be smelling all the way out here? There're no other houses around here except for mine, and the town's over a mile away." Angie explained.

"You don't think…?" Misty paused. "I wouldn't put it past them. Come on, let's go catch Swinub!" Ash exclaimed. The group ran out of the cave and followed the small and hungry Pokémon through the forest, as it weaved through trees and branches, pursuing its quarry.

After a long while of dodging trees, bushes, rocks, and whatever else could be imagined, the group finally found the source of Swinub's excitement.

"I thought so!" Ash growled. The group found Lickilicky pigging out on an enormous ball of Pokémon food that was as big as Lickilicky was. But Lickilicky was tied up in a tough rope that kept its arms held down.

Swinub groaned and started tearing up because its breakfast had been claimed by a slobbery Pokémon. "It's ok Swinub; I think that you'll probably get to eat Brock's burgers after it finishes with that ball of whatever it is." Dawn said, returning Swinub to its Pokéball.

After giving it a closer look, Brock figured it out. "This is made entirely of Pokémon food!"

"No wonder Lickilicky wandered off, it couldn't resist coming to eat this thing!" Dawn exclaimed. "Hey, who are those weirdoes?" Angie asked, noting the trio cheering behind the food ball.

Jessie: "Talk about the pod calling the kettle black."

James: "Twerps have that twerpish knack."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "And off my back!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace."

James: "Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place."

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet."

James: "When everything's worse, our work is complete."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "James."

Meowth: "Meowth's the name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "We're in your face!"

"Team Rocket?" Angie asked. "They're an evil gang of Pokémon thieves!" Dawn exclaimed angrily.

"Knock it off! That's Angie's Lickilicky, not yours!" Ash yelled. "You need an eye exam! It's as plain as the ugly on your face that this is the Scarf Monster!" Jessie replied.

"Don't confuse us with facts!" James added. "Summer School's over!" Meowth added.

"Oh, comedians." Angie sweat-dropped. "I've seen you guys come up with some weird ideas, but this one really takes the cake, or should I say the ball?" Misty said.

"Da fact is dat da Scarf Monster is now ours and ours alone, and as soon as we hand it over to da boss, we'll be rolling in a mound of dough as big as dat food ball!" Meowth exclaimed.

"There IS no Scarf Monster; it's just a plain old Lickilicky!" Ash roared. "The scarf around its neck says otherwise." James replied.

"Alright I've had enough! If they want proof, I'll give it to them! Quick Shinx, use 'Crunch' to knock some sense into those bozos' heads!" Angie ordered.

Angie's loyal electric-type leaped towards Lickilicky and ripped the scarf apart with its sharp teeth, finally destroying the Scarf Monster rumor along with it.

"Uh oh!" Meowth groaned. "That's just a standard issue Lickilicky like the twerps said!" James added.

"I don't care if it's a One-eyed Purple People Eater! Just catch it!" Jessie screamed. "Yes dear." James moaned sarcastically. "But why?" Meowth asked.

"Because it's the scarf that makes the monster!" Jessie hissed menacingly. James and Meowth didn't question further out of fear, and just followed orders.

"Pikachu, use 'Iron Tail' to take that robot down quick!"

"Shinx, 'Quick Attack', let's go!"

"Piplup, you use 'Peck'!"

Misty grabbed a Pokéball in hopes of joining the battle. "Alright Politoed, come out and…huh?" Misty turned around and saw that Psyduck had popped out and was examining Politoed's Pokéball like it had never seen it before. "Why now Psyduck? Why don't you ever come out when we're just relaxing?" Misty moaned.

The three Pokémon charged ahead with their attacks, but Meowth had other plans. "Go ahead twoips, have your kicks!" Meowth used the robot's metallic foot to smash up a huge boulder and sent the Pokémon flying back.

Meowth cackled, "No fuzz-balls are gonna fuss with OUR robot!"

"Now let's kick it up a notch." Jessie said sinisterly. "Okey doke. BAM!" Meowth kicked a few more boulders, and sent chunks of rock flying everywhere. "Pikachu!" Ash yelled worriedly.

Pikachu waved at Ash, assuring him that it could handle the job, and then dodged another low-flying rock before charging at Team Rocket once more with Shinx and Piplup.

"Guys, let's free Lickilicky while Pikachu and the others drive Team Rocket crazy for a while." Misty said. "Sounds good, but we gotta be careful. Let's go!" Brock replied.

The four teens, and one preteen, snuck over to Lickilicky and began untying its arms. Unfortunately, Psyduck got too close and bumped Lickilicky's favorite organ, its stomach, and angered it. Lickilicky grabbed Psyduck with its tongue and shook it, causing Psyduck to quack for help.

"Knock it off you two!" Angie hissed. "Psyduck, be quiet!" Misty added.

They finished untying Lickilicky, but not before Team Rocket had heard Psyduck's panic attack and spotted them.

"Look! Stage left! Twerps teetering close to tagging Lickilicky!" Jessie exclaimed. "Too late, they see us! Come on, let's go!" Brock shouted.

The group ran off with Lickilicky in hopes of making it back to Angie's house before Team Rocket caught them. "You can't beat a bot!" Meowth exclaimed.

The robot took off into the sky and flew overhead, and then landed in front of the group holding an enormous boulder that would crush them all at once.

"Dig it dimwits! Hand over dat tongue-meister or I'll convoit you into twoips unda glass!" Meowth threatened.

Ash growled and made a move for Charizard's Pokéball, but Team Rocket caught that movement. "No ya don't!" Meowth had the robot kick up some more rocks, and they flew straight for the group. Everyone ducked except for Angie, who was frozen in place.

"Angie, look out!" Ash got up from his ducked stance and leaped in front of the young girl whose fear had prevented her from dodging. Ash was lucky that most of the rocks were merely small pebbles that didn't do much damage, however one rock was substantially big, and it hit Ash squarely in the wrist, forcing him to drop the mighty dragon's Pokéball and hold his wrist in pain.

"Ash!" they cried. Team Rocket sneered at them, and Meowth used an extendo-arm to snatch Charizard's Pokéball.

"Give Charizard back!" Ash roared, still clutching his badly injured wrist. "Finders keepers, losers weepers. Now start weeping and hand over that Lickilicky!" Jessie demanded.

After realizing that Ash had once again saved her, she snapped out of her trance and growled furiously at the trio. "Man you guys are pushy! I'll show you what happens to people who hurt my friends! Lickilicky, use 'Rollout'!"

Lickilicky used the move that had evolved it in the first place, and completely smashed the boulder that the robot was holding. "Now follow it up with 'Wrap'!" Angie ordered.

Lickilicky swung its long tongue around the robot and completely engulfed it and the the three inside. "I'm feeling tongue-tied!" Meowth exclaimed.

"And we're wet too!" James added. "Now I know what suckers feel like!" Jessie added.

"Now top it off with 'Slam'!" Angie ordered. Lickilicky swung its tongue once more, and lifted the robot into the air and destroyed it upon impact with the ground.

Despite his busted up wrist, Ash's battling skills were still at full potential. "Pikachu, how about a 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu smirked mischievously, and summoned every ounce of electricity from its red cheeks to zap Team Rocket into the sky.

"I hate to admit it but those tongue towing twerps licked us but good!" Jessie said.

"All because of the silly scarf scoop." James added.

"Hey, cheer up! At least we're clean!" Meowth added.

"And we're blasting off again!" *PING*

The group laughed triumphantly, and Angie picked up Charizard's Pokéball. "I tell ya Angie, you did a great job raising Lickilicky." Ash said.

"Thanks, but I would've done a better job by not letting it evolve, you know?" Angie replied, "Oh here, this is yours."

"Give it to Misty. My wrist hurts too much." Ash said with a sweat-drop. Angie smiled guiltily and handed Misty Charizard's Pokéball. Misty graciously accepted, but then she saw a man and a woman gaping at Lickilicky in shock.

"What's wrong?" Angie asked. Misty discreetly pointed behind her, but Angie got the answer much more obviously when an angry voice shouted, "Angie!"

Angie stiffened up, and slowly turned her head around to see her parents standing there. "Mom! Dad!" she stammered.

They all just stood in shock for a few moments. Then Angie's father spoke up. "Angie, what have you done?" he asked angrily.

"I can explain everything!" Angie cried shamefully. "I certainly hope so. Let's go inside and get you and your friends all cleaned up, then we have to have a long talk." her dad said.

Angie hung her head low as she was escorted into the house by her father, and her mother tended to Ash's wound.

"Your wrist hurts?" she asked sweetly. "Yeah, a rock kinda banged into me, so that's where it hit." Ash replied.

"Well we have a wrist brace inside the house, come with me." Angie's mother led the group into the house, and then went to get the first-aid kit. As soon as she left, Misty took the chance to talk to Ash. _"Time to make good on my promise."_

"Hey Ash, I think you should go with Angie to support her." Misty said. "I was going to anyway Mist, but I thought we ALL were gonna go with her." Ash replied.

"We can't have too many people in there…besides…she probably would want you in there more than me or Dawn or Brock." Misty said.

"I guess I see your point." Ash said, "One question though."

"What is it?" Misty replied.

"I figured you wouldn't want me alone with Angie. Why are you suddenly shoving me towards her?" Ash asked.

"I'm not SHOVING. Believe me; I'd prefer if I could go in there with you and her. But…I made a promise that I wouldn't get upset with her because she likes you. The girl's in love, I can't get upset at her for that. It's just not something you can control. If she chose to fall in love with you, then…that's her choice." Misty said. Throughout her diatribe, Misty's voice began to crack near the end.

Ash smiled at her sympathetically, and reeled her in with his good hand, wrapping her into a tight, one-armed hug. Misty started to cry a little, as the small amount of tears in her eyes was loosened by the affection he was showing her.

"I love you Ash." Misty whispered. Ash smiled and softly moved her head from his shoulder to where he could see her face to face.

"Would it make you feel better if I made my own promise?" Ash asked. Misty wiped her eyes of the leftover tears and nodded.

Ash released her and started goofing off. He made a feeble attempt to raise his right hand, but since his wrist still hurt, he settled for the left. "I, Ash Ketchum, do hereby solemnly promise, that Misty Waterflower is, and always will be, my one and only girlfriend, no matter who or what may cross our paths."

Misty smiled and hugged him again after that. "It's 'whom' by the way." she giggled. "Ahh, whom has time for grammar anyway?" Ash joked.

"Ugh, that's awful." Misty giggled. They stood there for a few moments, before the silence was broken once more.

"So, do you feel better now?" Ash asked hopefully. "How can I not…? I've got the best boyfriend in the world…and he's all MINE." Misty sighed and embraced him tighter, now totally satisfied that NO ONE would ever get in-between them.

Misty leaned in to kiss Ash, but Angie's mother had finally returned with the first-aid kit. Rather abruptly, they broke apart and blushed madly, confusing the woman who had just returned.

"I'm so sorry it took so long, I had to make a phone call." she said apologetically. "No worries ma'am, you know…Angie's a really good trainer. You should've seen how she got us out of that jam we were in." Ash said.

Angie's mother said nothing, and just finished wrapping up Ash's wrist. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and talk to my daughter." she said seriously.

Ash stood up and glanced back at Misty once. She nodded her head to affirm Ash. "Excuse me ma'am." Ash said.

Angie's mother turned around to face him. "Yes?" she asked. "If you don't mind…I'd like to go in there too, to support Angie." Ash said.

Angie's mother thought about it for a moment, and then smiled and nodded her head yes. When they reached the room, Ash took off his hat and quietly entered.

When Angie saw Ash walk in, her heart skipped a beat at the gesture he was making by coming in to support her. But then she remembered why he was coming in the first place, because she blew it with Lickilicky.

Ash sat himself down on the chair next to Angie, while Angie's mother sat next to her husband. Angie made the first move as she suddenly got up from her chair and cried, "I'm so sorry!"

"Angie, didn't I tell you to be extra careful?" her father said angrily. "Dear, you don't have to get so angry." Angie's mother said.

"Honey, it's not like this is something that can just be undone!" Angie's father said. After seeing that Angie was on the verge of tears watching her parents argue about the severity of the situation, Ash decided to speak up.

"Excuse me?" Ash said, getting up from his chair, "I'm really sorry too."

"You're Ash, right? Sorry for what? After all, YOU didn't do anything wrong." Angie's father said. "WE'RE sorry you've all been dragged into this." Angie's mother added.

"Look, I want you to understand Angie didn't do it on purpose. It only happened because she was trying way too hard, that's all. All Pokémon trainers, myself included, train as hard as possible at all times. This time she just made a mistake." Ash said.

"Oh Ash…" Angie was touched by his attempt to get her out of trouble. But in the back of her mind, she knew that he was just helping a friend. Not that she would reject the assistance, but she couldn't help but wish that reality could be a little different.

"That's so sweet. We're both quite aware of that." Angie's mother replied.

"But the fact remains, since it's a care taker's obligation to take complete responsibility for her actions, we had no other choice but to request its trainer come here this afternoon." Angie's father said.

"Not that that's going to help. Because of course once a Pokémon's evolved, there's no turning back." Angie's mother said.

The four teens sighed, but then Misty came barging through the door. "Hey guys, you're not gonna believe this!" Misty exclaimed.

"What is it?" Ash asked. "Lickilicky's trainer is here!" Misty replied.

"I guess the trainer's gotten here early!" Angie's father exclaimed.

Ash and Angie gasped nervously, and then they followed Misty out the door, where Brock and Dawn were watching Lickilicky and its trainer interact.

"Oh yes! Bello bello! Such a magnificent creature like I've never seen before!" the trainer exclaimed happily, his voice carrying a thick Italian accent.

They couldn't believe what they saw. The Italian trainer was happily hugging Lickilicky, while the Pokémon used its tongue to reciprocate.

"You were right Misty, I don't believe it." Ash said. "Instead of being upset about it evolving, the guy seems thrilled." Dawn said.

The trainer walked up to Angie's father and shook his hand gratefully. "Ooh! Wow! I can't thank you all enough! Evolving my Lickitung into such a bello bello Lickilicky has made me the most happy trainer in the whole Sinnoh Region! Thank you!" the trainer exclaimed, his accent making him difficult to understand.

"Ok wait; you don't MIND that I evolved your Pokémon?" Angie asked. "Are you kidding? I wanted it to evolve as soon as possible, and you saved me the trouble! Graci!" the trainer replied ecstatically.

"What'd he say?" Misty asked. "I think he said 'thank you'." Brock replied.

"Well Honey, as long as he's happy…" Angie's mother said with relief. "Yes. It does look like we all got off easy this time. From now on, please make sure you're a whole lot more careful young lady." Angie's father said.

"I will Dad! Thanks!" Angie exclaimed with relief. "That turned out good." Ash said. "Yeah. Thank you too!" Angie embraced the trainer in thanks, and Ash, who couldn't resist his nice guy nature, reciprocated the gesture as a friend.

He nervously glanced over at Misty, but relief washed over him when Misty merely smiled at him. "Well, I guess you guys'll just be going now?" Angie asked, as she collected herself.

"Not just yet. I made a promise back at the academy, remember?" Ash replied. "Huh? What promise?" Angie asked.

"I said I'd battle you, and I meant it! Let's see what you got!" Ash exclaimed. "Oh yeah! You're on Ash!" Angie replied determinedly.

"Excuse me, but I would be most grateful if I could see my glorious new Lickilicky in action before I take it home, would you please use it in your battle?" the Italian trainer asked.

"Sure thing! Hey Dad, can I borrow one of your Pokémon?" Angie asked. Angie's father gave his wife a skeptical look, but his wife smiled at him, and so he agreed to let Angie battle.

"Alright then! It's three-on-three!" Ash exclaimed. "Come on, I'll show you where we battle!" Angie ran to the back of the building, where there was an open field that was perfect for battling.

"I'll be more than glad to referee." Brock said, taking his place on the side, "The battle between Ash and Angie will end when all three of either side's Pokémon are unable to continue!"

"You want a coin toss Ash?" Dawn asked. "You bet!" Ash replied.

"Alright, call it!" Dawn exclaimed. Angie made the first move. "I call heads!"

"Guess that leaves me with tails." Ash said. "Ok, coin toss!" Dawn pushed the button on her Pokétch, and the virtual Magikarp coin flipped and landed on heads.

"Yes! That means I get the first move!" Angie cheered. "Alright Angie, don't hold anything back, and may the best battler win!" Ash exclaimed.

"Alright Nidorino, come on out!" Angie threw out the Pokéball, and her father's poison-type emerged and readied itself for battle.

"A Nidorino huh?" Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan it. "Nidorino, the Poison Pin Pokémon, and the evolved form of the male Nidoran. Its highly developed horn is extremely powerful." her Pokédex chirped.

"Boy, that sure brings back memories." Misty said.

"It's my turn! Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash called out his fiery monkey, who was ready for a friendly battle after taking a long break from any training due to its previous poisoning.

"Alright Chimchar, let's start right where we left off!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar chattered determinedly, ready to do just that.

Brock called off the start of the battle, and the two trainers faced off.

"Nidorino, start it with 'Poison Sting'!" Nidorino fired the poison barbs, and they hurtled towards the fire monkey.

"Chimchar, use 'Dig' to dodge!" Ash countered. But Chimchar all of a sudden froze in place, chattering fearfully as the poisonous attack flew towards him.

"Chimchar, watch out!" Ash yelled. Chimchar still didn't move, and there was almost no time left as the attack was only a few feet away.

Realizing that Chimchar wasn't going to move, Ash quickly grabbed the Pokeball and fired the beam just a few split-seconds before Chimchar would've been nailed.

"Running away Ash? Pretty sad if you ask me." Angie snickered. Ash looked up and gave her a stern look, sending Angie a silent message to back off. Angie got it right away.

Looking back at the Pokeball, Ash gave it a soft toss, and Chimchar emerged, whimpering softly and refusing to meet Ash's gaze.

Ash kneeled down in front of the frightened fire-type and cupped its chin in his hand. "What's wrong Chimchar?" he asked softly.

Chimchar suddenly broke out into tears, as the flashback of Toxicroak stabbing it in the gut with its poisonous knuckle claw replayed in its mind. "I understand." Ash held the frightened close to his chest to comfort it, and eventually the shaking stopped.

"What's wrong with Ash's Chimchar?" Angie asked. Misty walked up to Angie and explained, "It's a long story. We had a little run-in with Team Galactic, and Chimchar took a huge blow from a Toxicroak using 'Poison Jab'. I guess a poison-type move scared it."

"Hey, just trust me Chimchar, ok? You just listen to me and you'll be alright!" Ash exclaimed, trying to spark a flame of optimism in the fire monkey's heart.

Chimchar smiled and nodded. "Alright then! Let's do it!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar made a fist and chattered determinedly.

"Ash does it again." Misty said. "Well he's done it, now he's gonna GET it!" Angie exclaimed determinedly.

"And that's my cue!" Misty dashed off the field and headed back to the sidelines. "I must say, that Ash boy is quite impressive with Pokémon." Angie's father said.

"No wonder Angie talked about him so much. I wonder if he'd be interested in a job here." Angie's mother added. After hearing that, Misty felt like she had gotten punched in the stomach.

_"I guess it figures that Angie told her parents about him." _But then Misty remembered the promise that Ash had made to her earlier, her heart swelled and she silently sighed with relief.

_"I, Ash Ketchum, do hereby solemnly promise, that Misty Waterflower is, and always will be, my one and only girlfriend, no matter who or what may cross our paths."_

She thought of that and all doubts left her mind. _"He's MINE. And that will never, ever change."_

"The battle's back on! Nidorino, use 'Double Kick'!" Angie ordered. The poison-type charged to attack.

"Alright Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash countered. "Chimchar launched the fiery attack, and kept the poison-type at bay.

"Don't give up Nidorino! Use 'Poison Sting'!" Nidorino fired again, and the poisonous barbs flew towards the fire monkey.

Chimchar tensed at the poison-type move coming towards it, but Ash was ready. "Stay cool Chimchar, use 'Dig' to dodge!" Ash ordered.

Chimchar hesitated slightly, but Chimchar followed orders and went underground, leaving the 'Poison Sting' to just fly by.

"Watch out Nidorino!" Angie exclaimed. Nidorino looked around nervously, unsure where Chimchar would emerge.

Finally, Chimchar popped out from underground and knocked Nidorino off its feet by sweeping its legs out from under it.

Chimchar hopped out of its hole and smiled victoriously. "Nice job Chimchar!" Ash cheered. "Ash, watch out for Nidorino's 'Poison Point', don't be too hasty!" Misty exclaimed from the sidelines.

"Right. You hear that Chimchar? You gotta be careful you don't touch that horn." Ash said. Chimchar nodded and stared down its opponent.

"Now, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar fired yet another flame at the Poison Pin Pokémon. "Use 'Dig' to dodge it!" Angie countered.

Just as Chimchar did, Nidorino dug underground to avoid the attack. "No ya don't! Chimchar, you use 'Dig' too!" Ash ordered.

Chimchar obliged and followed its opponent underground. "What's Ash up to?" Dawn asked. "My guess would be that Ash is depending on his relationship with Chimchar to be stronger than Angie's relationship with her dad's Nidorino. It could be a huge difference on the winner of the digging competition." Misty said.

After a few moments, a hole started to form, and out popped Nidorino, looking around for its opponent. "Now Chimchar!" Ash roared.

Chimchar threw Nidorino into the air by coming from underneath and heaving it with its shoulders. "Aah! Nidorino!" Angie cried.

"We've got it now! Chimchar, finish it off with 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash roared. Chimchar leaped out of the hole and charged towards the airborne poison-type who was flailing desperately.

Chimchar connected with a hard hit to its head, but Chimchar did not go unscathed. When the fire-type landed, he groaned a little. "Oh no, are you alright Chimchar?" Ash asked.

Chimchar kept its eyes closed in case it would see something it didn't want to. But it felt its hands to make sure they didn't get punctured by Nidorino's horn.

Meanwhile, Angie returned the fainted poison-type back to its Pokeball, and thought about her next choice.

"Chimchar, do you feel any pain or sickness?" Brock asked from the referee spot. Chimchar slowly opened its eyes, and stretched its body out to feel for any poisonous effects.

It sighed with relief when it found that it had gotten away with hitting Nidorino and not having any repercussions.

"Thank goodness." Misty and Dawn sighed.

"Alright Chimchar, I may need you later, take a nice rest." Ash returned the fire-type to its Pokeball, and waited for Angie to make her move.

"Alright Shinx, get out there!" Shinx leaped from its master's side and onto the battlefield.

"In that case, Pikachu, I choose you!" Pikachu also leaped onto the field, and the two electric-types stared each other down.

"Electric versus electric. What do you think Misty?" Dawn asked. "Pikachu's got the advantage here. Pikachu seems a lot stronger than Shinx does, plus Ash and Pikachu have been together for four years." Misty replied.

"I'll start! Shinx, use 'Crunch'!" Angie ordered. Shinx charged ahead to bite Pikachu with its sharp teeth. "Alright Pikachu, jump over and use 'Iron Tail'!" Ash countered.

Pikachu charged forward to confront Shinx, but at the last moment Pikachu jumped straight up, leaving Shinx to bite nothing but air. Then Pikachu turned around and slammed Shinx with a powerful 'Iron Tail'.

"Shinx no!" Angie cried. "Follow up with 'Quick Attack' Pikachu!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu charged at lightning speed and tackled Shinx to the ground. "Don't take that from him! Use 'Thunder Fang'!" Angie screamed.

Shinx recovered and bit down on Pikachu before the electric mouse could even react. "That's the way to do it!" Angie cheered. But then all of a sudden, Shinx started wincing. "Shinx what's wrong?" Angie asked.

"Shinx looks paralyzed!" Dawn said. "With Pikachu's 'Static' ability, any physical move has the chance of getting thrown back in the user's face because of the paralysis that might come with it." Misty said.

"Let's finish this here and now! Pikachu, use 'Volt Tackle'!" Pikachu complied and ran forward with a golden electricity aura surrounding it. "Quick Shinx, dodge it!" Angie cried.

But Shinx didn't move, as the sparks from the paralysis kept it still. "Oh no!" Angie cried.

Pikachu slammed hard into the small electric-type, who despite its resistance to electric-type moves, fainted from the sheer force of impact.

"Shinx is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu!" Brock announced.

"That's the way Pikachu!" Ash cheered. Pikachu held up its fingers in a peace sign.

"Guess that leaves Angie with just one Pokémon as opposed to Ash's three." Dawn said. "Oh yes! Finally my Lickilicky gets to battle!" the Italian trainer exclaimed with glee.

"Lickilicky, you're up next!" Angie threw out the Pokeball, and Lickilicky emerged, ready for battle. "Your trainer's here Lickilicky, let's make him proud!" Angie exclaimed.

Lickilicky stared Pikachu down in battle-ready stance. "What do you think Misty?" Dawn asked. "I don't know. Ash may have three Pokémon, but Pikachu and Chimchar have already come out, and Lickilicky's 'Rollout' sure packs a punch." Misty replied.

"My turn this time! Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu's cheeks sparked furiously, and a lightning bolt surged towards the Licking Pokémon.

"Hold your ground!" Angie ordered. "What?" Ash yelled in shock.

Lickilicky took the hit, and practically bounced it off its blubbery body. "It can't be." Ash said to himself in a hushed tone.

"That 'Thunderbolt' did absolutely nothing." Dawn said in awe. "I can't believe it either. Angie must've trained Lickilicky harder than we ever could've imagined." Misty added.

"Yes! Go Lickilicky go!" the Italian trainer cheered. Misty and Dawn sweat-dropped at that.

"Alright then Pikachu, try an 'Iron Tail'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu charged ahead and swung its now steel hard tail into Lickilicky's body.

But again, Pikachu's attack was repelled by Lickilicky's defense. "Ok Lickilicky, use 'Wrap'!" Angie ordered.

Lickilicky swung its tongue around Pikachu and squeezed it tight. "Pikachu, quick! Use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash yelled.

"Slam'!" Angie ordered. Just before Pikachu could launch the electric attack, Lickilicky threw Pikachu down to the ground.

Pikachu struggled to back to his feet, but he was determined not to go down. "Alright Pikachu, 'Volt Tackle'!"

Pikachu braced itself to run forward, and then once his strength was back up, he charged ahead. "Lickilicky, use 'Rollout'!" Angie ordered.

Lickilicky took a few bounding steps and then rolled up into a ball, and the two Pokémon charged for each other.

"There's no way Pikachu can fight that head on!" Dawn cried. "Pikachu, get out of there!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu heard Ash's cry and hit the brakes. But by the time he was ready to jump out of the way; Lickilicky rammed into the electric mouse and sent it flying like a bowling pin.

Pikachu landed with a painful thud and fainted on the spot. "Pikachu is unable to battle! The winner is Lickilicky!"

"Oh yes! You did a bello job Lickilicky!" Lickilicky's trainer exclaimed from the sidelines.

"You did great Pikachu." Ash picked up the electric mouse and placed it down on the sidelines next to Misty's feet. "Take a nice long rest."

Before Ash could turn and head back to the field, a white light flashed from Dawn's backpack. "Heh heh, you take good care of Pikachu for me, ok Buneary?" Ash said.

Buneary nodded with a smile, and began gently stroking Pikachu's fur. Pikachu smiled and closed his eyes, happily relaxing as Buneary massaged his aching muscles.

"That's sweet of you Buneary." Misty said with a grin.

"Come on! Let's get this battle up again!" Angie cried impatiently. "Alright! Chimchar, I need you again!" Ash called out his fire monkey once again, and it chattered determinedly at Lickilicky.

Lickilicky just ignored Chimchar, and awaited orders. "Lickilicky, use 'Rollout'!" Angie wasted no time sending Lickilicky out to use its most powerful attack.

The Licking Pokémon rolled like a bowling ball towards the fire monkey. "Alright Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash countered.

Chimchar unleashed a burning flame at its incoming opponent. Unfortunately, the attack barely did a thing as LIckilicky kept on rolling.

Chimchar took the hit dead-on, and fell to the ground with a painful thud. "C'mon Chimchar, don't give up!" Ash yelled.

Chimchar struggled to its feet and growled at Lickilicky.

"There's gotta be some way to beat that 'Rollout'." Dawn said. "I think there is…hey Ash!" Misty shouted.

Ash looked to the sidelines. "Remember Whitney and Miltank?" Misty exclaimed.

A light turned on in Ash's head, as he realized exactly what Misty was telling him to do. "Alright Chimchar, return for now!" Ash called back Chimchar and reached for his final Pokéball.

"Ok, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash called out his water-type who had his arms crossed and was ready for a battle.

"I don't care what type you throw out! Lickilicky, you just keep using 'Rollout'!" Angie ordered. Once again, Lickilicky went on the attack.

But this time, there was a smirk on Ash's face. "Alright Buizel, use 'Aqua Jetpack'!" Ash ordered.

"Aqua what?" Angie cried.

Buizel smirked and launched straight up into the air with 'Aqua Jet', and then it inflated its collar and fired 'Water Gun' to stay airborne.

"Now, make trenches in the ground with 'Water Gun'!" Ash ordered. Buizel obliged and used its high pressured attack to dig trenches all over the field. And at the same time, Buizel hit the confused Lickilicky a few times.

"This is pathetic! He's just making a mess! Lickilicky, use 'Wrap' to bring Buizel down!" Angie ordered. Lickilicky swung its tongue into the air, and forced Buizel to the ground.

"Now follow up with 'Slam'!" Lickilicky slammed Buizel multiple times into the ground, and a pained "Bui!" rung out with each impact.

"Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. Summoning all its leftover strength, Buizel activated 'Aqua Jet' and broke free of the attack, but Buizel was obviously in serious pain.

"Finish it off with 'Rollout'!" Lickilicky complied and started rolling once more.

_"Yes!"_ Ash thought, "Alright Buizel, into the trench!" Ash yelled.

Buizel struggled, but eventually dove into the nearest trench. And just as Ash planned, Lickilicky was forced to roll along the trench.

"Ready with 'Water Pulse' Buizel!" Ash yelled. Buizel formed an energized ball of water and held it in its hands.

Now Lickilicky would be right over it in a few moments. "Now Buizel! 'Water Pulse'!" Ash roared. Buizel unleashed the attack, and the water pressure from the attack sent the rolled up Lickilicky flying into the air.

"Oh no! Lickilicky!" Angie cried. "Alright Buizel, hit it with a 'Sonic Boom'!" Ash ordered.

Buizel swung its tail, and multiple waves of sound slammed into the body of Lickilicky, causing it to uncurl and flail desperately.

"Yeah, that's the way!" Ash cheered. Unfortunately for Ash, he hadn't taken into account Lickilicky's massive weight.

Lickilicky plummeted like a rock, and ironically was falling right where Buizel was standing. "Aah! Buizel, get out of there!" Ash yelled.

Buizel looked up in shock and tried to jump out of the way, but by the time the water weasel could get its footing, Lickilicky had landed and rose up a cloud of dust.

When the dust settled, Lickilicky had fainted from the battle damage, and Buizel had fainted from being crushed by a huge Pokémon.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle! And since Angie is out of usable Pokémon, the match goes to Ash!" Brock announced.

"You did it Buizel, you won." Ash returned the water weasel to its Pokéball for a well deserved rest.

"Oh, you were simply bello Lickilicky, I'm so proud of you." the Italian trainer said happily.

The two battlers headed to the sidelines and shook hands. "You were awesome Angie." Ash said.

"Thanks, but winning still would've been nice." Angie replied.

"What was it about what Misty said that made you turn the tables so fast Ash?" Dawn asked.

"While we were traveling in Johto, I battled a gym leader named Whitney, and her Miltank knew 'Rollout' and was knocking out my Pokémon before I could even react. Then I came up with the trench strategy with my Totodile. I just replayed history with Buizel." Ash explained.

"Hey guys, we probably should get going. The sun's going down." Brock said. "Oh man, time sure flew didn't it?" Ash said.

"Yeah…it sure did." Angie said, somewhat sadly.

The group quickly packed up their things, and met up with Angie and her parents at the front door. "Thanks a lot for letting us stay over." Ash said.

"Sure. Sorry things didn't go as smooth as I thought." Angie's father said. "No prob." Ash replied.

"And Ash, since I'm gonna work hard here at the center, YOU make sure to work hard on your battling, deal?" Angie said.

"You can count on it Angie." Ash replied.

"Well…I guess this is goodbye." Angie said sadly.

Ash glanced at Misty for a moment, and the water trainer nodded in understanding. Ash opened his arms for Angie, and the twelve year old girl gleefully embraced Ash for a goodbye hug.

After a few moments, Angie released Ash, and the group turned to leave, waving farewell to their good friends.

But just a few seconds after they were out of earshot, Ash sneezed for no reason. "Where'd that come from?" Ash asked, scratching his nose.

"You know, I once heard somewhere that if you sneeze for no reason, it's because someone somewhere is talking about you." Dawn said.

Misty looked up into the sky with a thoughtful expression. _"Ash probably made her day. Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with a goodbye hug. Good luck Angie, I hope you find someone else like Ash someday, we all need someone to care for us."_

And so the group headed back to Hearthome City for Ash's rematch, and that would surely prove to be a doozy of a battle._  
__

**A/N: And there you have it folks! That's the end of the Angie saga. I hope you guys thought it had decent humor along with the small bit of fluff here and there. And yes, Dawn's seeing things again lol. Don't worry, you'll get the explanation VERY soon. BTW, check out Midia-Melodramatic's dA account to see images of the first few chapter of the fanfic! Thanks a lot Mel! And I hope you stay on with me! Please review everyone, and I promise to start replying to your awesome reviews.**


	36. Aiding the Enemy

**Ok ok, so technically it's still half an hour until Sunday (At least here in the East Coast it is) but I'm singing in church tomorrow morning and I gotta get some sleep. So you're getting this chapter a little early. To answer a few anonymous reviews, **

**ultimateCCC - Yeah, Ash made a big promise to keep. But don't worry, he can handle it. And as for Larvitar, I don't have any real plans for it, but we'll see. Who knows?**

**mike - Yes I am! This is my mission! To do what Japan didn't and overall improve the series completely! It's amazing how one character can have such an effect on a plot, isn't it?**

**Anyways, on with the latest chapter! Oh wait! Before you get started, at one point in the story, the Pokémon will suddenly start speaking English. But don't freak out, it's just because the humans aren't really there since they're asleep, it's just a conversation between Pokémon, that's why. OK? OK.**

**I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 36

Misty's POV

The past few days have definitely been…interesting. First we run into Angie again, and we actually share a boyfriend! It was really torturous for me to have to watch Ash and Angie interact, but the one thing that kept me going the whole time was the promise he made to me that day.

Basically he said that no matter what happened, I would be his girlfriend and nothing would change that. A testament to his love for me! I just melted when he said that to me, how could I not? And when we left Angie's place, I somehow felt sorry for her, and in my mind I wished her the best of luck in life.

The next day was less Ash related, but much worse in my own opinion. We ran into one of the Sinnoh Elite Four! Now while that sounds exciting, which in some ways it was, I found it rather nerve wracking. Of all the types that Aaron specialized in, it was bug-types!

I was almost literally clinging to Ash every second we were there, the only time I loosened up was when Team Rocket came and snatched our Pokémon AGAIN. Then when we found them, we found our Pokémon in trouble, and they were rescued by a 'Solarbeam' that came from the wings of a Beautifly.

Turns out that that Beautifly was evolved from Aaron's first ever Pokémon, a Wurmple. Despite it being a bug-type, I was simply touched by the moment.

And just before we left, we found out that the challenger that Cynthia had for the Champion title was actually Aaron himself! We promised we'd watch and we went on our way.

Normal POV

"Come on guys, we gotta hurry!" Ash exclaimed. Ash was rushing the group to the nearest Pokémon Center, as Aaron's battle with Cynthia would soon be starting and he didn't want to miss it.

"We're moving as fast as we can Ash! SOME of us have to carry two ton backpacks, remember?" Misty replied.

Before Ash could retaliate, they found themselves in front of the Pokémon Center alongside the road. "There it is!" Dawn exclaimed.

The group rushed through the doors, and they found a whole crowd of people standing in front of the TV screen. They saw Cynthia's Garchomp facing off against Aaron's Drapion, and the announcer was still talking.

"They're just getting started!" Dawn exclaimed. "Looks like we got in under the wire." Ash added.

Just then, Misty tapped Ash's shoulder. "What's up Mist?" he asked.

"Jerk at 3:00." Misty whispered. Ash looked, and saw Paul watching the battle as well. "It's Paul." Ash said to himself.

"Drapion! 'Pin Missile'!" Ash turned back to the TV, where Aaron was calling out attacks. "Alright, this'll be a great match!" Ash exclaimed.

Ash would soon find that it wasn't quite as exciting as he thought it'd be. Cynthia completely dominated Aaron's bug-types and easily kept the title of champion.

As the two shook hands on the field, the camera followed Cynthia out of the arena, and found a blonde haired man congratulating the champion on her victory, and walking out hand in hand with her.

"Looks like D. Shad is just having the time of his life with Cynthia." Misty said. "Yeah, and not only does he have a beautiful girlfriend in Cynthia, but he has Sinnoh's most powerful trainer as a mentor and sparring partner too." Dawn added.

"I knew Cynthia was strong, but not THAT strong. Aaron was in way over his head out there." Ash said. "And he was so excited after having his Beautifly back." Dawn added.

"Cynthia sure is something. She just completely dominated Aaron. She deserves to be Champion, that's for sure." Misty said. "I don't think I see her losing that title for a LONG time." Brock added.

Just then, Paul walked up to the group, and the atmosphere around them became tense as Paul stared Ash down. You could actually feel the electricity that their eyes were shooting at each other.

"So how did everything end up?" Paul asked sternly. "With what?" Misty replied, boldly stepping up to the ruthless trainer.

Ignoring Misty's comment, Paul walked past her and confronted Ash directly. "I mean with Chimchar's 'Blaze'." Paul said.

"Look, lemme make this clear. I know 'Blaze' is a strong ability, but you'll never find me relying on something like that in the middle of a battle." Ash said.

Paul responded with a smug "Hmmph" and walked away. "Man, what's his problem?" Dawn hissed. "He was probably raised on hard candy and brick ice cream, since his heart is stone cold." Misty added.

"You know what? I'm in the mood to train, so whaddya say we do just that?" Ash said, lightening the mood. Pikachu gladly agreed, anything to get the image of Paul out of their minds.

"So who's gonna be your sparring partner today?" Brock asked. "I think I'm gonna use Misty AND Dawn. I'll start with Dawn and her Pokémon along with a few of mine, and once they get used to her Pokémon's power, I'll have Misty step in since her Pokémon have more experience." Ash explained.

"Sounds good, but you should probably do a little more training with those special moves you taught Pikachu, Buizel, and Chimchar." Brock said.

"Don't worry Brock, we will. But first I wanna build up some power with a little head-on attacking." Ash said.

So the group walked outside to the battlefield, and Dawn called out all of her Pokémon to be her battle team, and Ash gave her his. "Hey Ash, can I use your Charizard too?" Dawn asked hopefully.

Ash, Misty, and Brock took nervous glances at the currently snoozing dragon. They knew that Charizard would obey Misty, and Charizard had a certain amount of respect for Brock. But would Charizard obey orders with the much less experienced Dawn holding the reins? And was it worth the risk? If Charizard were to ignore Dawn, her confidence would go down the tubes once more.

"Uh, I don't think you're ready to handle Charizard yet. Stick with who I gave you." Ash replied. Dawn sighed with disappointment, but quickly shook it off and stood by with her Pokémon plus Turtwig, Staravia, and Gliscor.

"Alright, Pikachu, Chimchar, Buizel, let's run through our plan for the Hearthome Gym! I'm counting on you guys!" Ash exclaimed. The Pokémon cried out with determination, and the battle began.

"Alright everyone, let's go!" Dawn shouted. All the Pokémon on her side launched attacks at the three on the other side of the field.

Turtwig made the first move by launching a 'Razor Leaf'. Gliscor and Staravia launched 'Sand Attack' and 'Whirlwind' respectively. Piplup, Buneary, and Pachirisu fired 'Bubblebeam', 'Ice Beam', and 'Discharge'. Ambipom launched a 'Swift' attack, and Swinub closed it out with 'Ice Shard'.

All eight attacks landed a few feet in front of their targets; Ash and his Pokémon crossed their arms in front of their faces to protect themselves from the powerful barrage, and then it was their turn to fight back.

With the attacks on the other side still firing, Pikachu, Chimchar, and Buizel leaped up and launched 'Thunderbolt', 'Flamethrower', and 'Water Gun' to try and counter the attacks.

The resulting explosion kicked up dust and dirt all over the place, and needless to say, Dawn was getting a little rattled. "Awesome, but scary!" she exclaimed while covering her eyes.

"Now that's exactly the way you do it! You use everything you got to send their attacks right back at them!" Ash exclaimed.

"Uh, ok! I think I wanna switch out after that!" the nervous coordinator scurried off the field and pushed Misty onto the field in her place. And before Misty could blink, her army made mostly of Dawn's Pokémon were withdrawn back into their Pokéballs.

Ash sweat-dropped and chuckled. "Well Misty, you ready for us?"

"Just watch this! Staryu, Surskit, Vaporeon, Politoed, and Corsola, let's do it!" Misty called out her water-type team and readied for battle.

"Alright guys, this bunch is way stronger, so be ready!" Ash exclaimed. The three Pokémon in front of Ash braced themselves for the barrage about to be sent their way.

"Alright you guys, go for it!" Misty shouted. The barrage began with Staryu launching a 'Swift' attack. Surskit, Vaporeon, and Politoed followed with 'Ice Beam', 'Shadow Ball' and 'Water Gun', and Corsola fired 'Spike Cannon'. Ash's Pokémon merely repeated their previous attacks, with Turtwig using 'Razor Leaf', Gliscor using 'Sand Attack', and Staravia using 'Whirlwind'.

Again, Pikachu, Chimchar, and Buizel braced themselves and shielded against the barrage of attacks sent their way.

"Ok, let's do it!" Ash yelled. Pikachu, Chimchar, and Buizel once again leaped up and tried to counter the attacks with their own moves of 'Thunderbolt', 'Flamethrower', and 'Water Gun'. But just as Ash warned them, Misty's Pokémon were stronger than Dawn's, so instead of countering, they were knocked back and sent flying right into Ash, knocking the black-haired trainer over.

"Ash!" Misty ran over to Ash to check on him, and Brock and Dawn followed suit. "Everyone ok?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"We're fine." Ash replied, "Hey Misty, you call those attacks? That was nothing!"

Misty smiled and shook her head, "Nothing' doesn't put you on the ground Ketchum." she replied with a smirk.

"Using your own moves to defend against your opponent is a good strategy. But Ash, you've got to hold some moves back or you'll have nothing left." Brock said.

"Yeah. We've also got a lot of work to do on our timing." Ash added admittedly, "Ok, let's do it again!"

Ash ran back to the field with Misty, while Dawn and Brock went back to the sidelines, but Brock noticed that they weren't alone.

Brock walked up to the spy and confronted him with a friendly demeanor. "Paul, I thought you were already heading out of here."

Before Paul could reply, Brock's baby Pokémon hopped out of his arms and excitedly walked over to Paul's Torterra, who relinquished a small smile at the sight of the innocent baby. Happiny then waddled over to Magmar and Gliscor, who didn't show the same friendliness.

"If you've got something you wanna say to me, say it." Paul said coldly. "To tell the truth, your style of training is pretty interesting. I was wondering why you asked about Chimchar before." Brock replied.

Paul turned his head and grunted, which only delighted Brock to no end. "I'm starting to think Ash is getting to you." Brock said.

"I can't believe he won't use 'Blaze', that's all." Paul growled, still refusing to meet Brock's gaze.

"That's just Ash. It's how he operates. You see, Ash is trying to develop his own battling style. I talked to Reggie while we were in Veilstone City; he told me you were training hard and trying to come up with your own style of battling, is that true?" Brock asked.

This knowledge came as a surprise to Paul, but the purple-haired trainer remained stone faced. "That brother of mine's got a big mouth."

"He worries about you you know. But I was a little surprised when he told me he challenged his way around a lot of regions and gyms…let's see…I think he was missing the Battle Frontier Brave Symbol, right?" Brock said.

"Yeah that's the one. There he was winning symbol after symbol, until he loses ONE battle and gives it all up! Just like that! He should've been bitter, but NO, instead, he was always smiling, always happy, I'll never understand it. I'm NOT Reggie! I WON'T do what he did! And I will NOT make the same pathetic mistakes!" Paul growled furiously.

Before Brock could reply to Paul's tantrum, a loud bang was heard where Ash and Misty were battling. Misty and her Pokémon hit the dirt with a thud, while Pikachu and his two partners checked up on them. "Everyone ok?" Ash asked worriedly.

Misty's Pokémon plus Ash's three others nodded reassuringly. "Impressive Ash, you managed to stop us." Misty said.

"Not only that, you took it to a whole new level by actually knocking THEM back!" Dawn added in awe.

"You mean THEY took it up to a new level." Ash said proudly. Just then, Brock walked up to the group with a smile on his face, but his current company created tension.

"Paul." Ash said simply.

Charizard, who had been woken up by the previous training session, picked up the nervous fire monkey and perched it on his shoulder, shielding it from Paul and his cold gaze. The dragon growled lowly at the purple-haired trainer, who was much like his previous trainer that had ruthlessly left him for dead as a Charmander.

"Steady Charizard." Misty whispered.

"You're doing the exact same thing as ME when you train!" Paul said. "No way Paul, how's this just like you?" Ash snapped back.

"You're having other Pokémon attack you so you boost your Pokémon's moves. How is that any different?" Paul countered with a smug grin.

"Simple. He knows when his Pokémon have had enough and doesn't train to the point of practically killing them. He also doesn't make them do anything they don't want to!" Misty replied with just as smug a grin.

Ash's Pokémon shouted out their agreement in support of their master. "What about that Charizard?" Paul asked. Charizard growled lowly, but loud enough for Paul to hear, which answered his question immediately. Charizard shared the same support, just less enthusiastically.

Paul grunted and the grin he was wearing was immediately wiped off his face.

"For your information, he's training for his rematch at the Hearthome Gym!" Dawn added angrily.

"So you're going to battle at the Hearthome Gym?" Paul asked. "Right. Didn't you battle there Paul?" Ash replied.

Paul pulled out a badge and smugly held it up to Ash's face. "Sure did. And obviously I won. What about you? Rematch means you lost." Paul said.

Ash growled, "Ok, I did challenge Fantina and her ghost-type Pokémon before, but she kept hitting us with 'Hypnosis' and I couldn't do a thing about it…that is until next time."

"So you think this time's the charm?" Paul asked smugly, "All you have to do is keep hammering away and all her ghost-type Pokémon will fall over."

"I'll win it!" Ash was now becoming extremely stressed and agitated. "I happen to have faith in my Pokémon, and they've got faith in me too!"

"You're pathetic." Paul replied simply.

Ash growled furiously and almost raised his fist at the purple-haired trainer, but then he came up with a different idea. "Alright, we'll just show you what we've got! Let's have a battle!"

"All you had to say was that you were using Chimchar's 'Blaze'. That would've been enough." Paul said.

"Are you deaf or something? I already told you I don't mess around with 'Blaze'!" Ash roared.

Tense silence washed over the two trainers, and the three spectators watched for who would make the next move.

"Alright, I'll battle you. But only one Pokémon per side, and I do have a favor to ask." Paul said.

"Yeah? What's that?" Ash asked angrily.

"I want you to use that Charizard of yours since it's the only strong Pokémon you have." Paul said.

Ash was about to agree when Misty pulled him aside abruptly. "Ow Misty, what's your problem?" Ash asked, his anger at Paul leaking into his voice.

Misty ignored Ash's attitude. "If you agree to use Charizard, you'll only be proving him right. You have to use someone else."

"Right. Thanks Mist, and sorry." Ash replied.

"Don't worry; I'm just as ticked as you are." Misty said reassuringly.

"Are you two done with your little conference?" Paul asked with irritation.

Ash and Misty confronted Paul. "I'll use anyone except Charizard. I don't need him to beat YOU." Ash said insistently.

"It's just another mistake on your part. I don't care; I'll enjoy tearing you apart." Paul said smugly, taking his place on the field.

Just then, Turtwig started tugging on Ash's pant leg. "Hey Turtwig, what's up with you?" Ash asked.

"Looks like you've got an excited grass-type on your hands." Misty said. "I get it Turtwig; you wanna get in there too!" Ash added.

Turtwig nodded vigorously, and leaped onto the field. "Alright Turtwig, it's all you!" Ash exclaimed.

Paul smugly held a Pokéball, and tossed it out. "Now Honchkrow, stand by for battle!"

Honckrow emerged from the Pokéball and swooped down to the ground, upon landing, it puffed out its already large chest, making it appear even more intimidating and powerful.

"A flying-type." Ash pulled out his Pokédex to scan the creature. "Honchkrow, the Big Boss Pokémon and the evolved form of Murkrow. Honchkrow recruits many Murkrow to travel with it, and it spends much of its time at home preening its feathers." the Pokédex chirped.

"Sounds like quite a Pokémon to me." Dawn said with disgust. "Thing is, Turtwig's a grass-type. So Honchkrow will be a challenge. Ash will have his hands full." Brock said.

"You know I just noticed something about Paul. He keeps saying how much stronger he is than Ash, but then he always make sure to have the type advantage to whatever Pokémon Ash uses. And the fact that Ash is still able to hold his own proves that he's stronger than Paul is." Misty figured.

"That sounds good, but try explaining that to Paul." Dawn replied.

"Turtwig, when it comes to pure speed, NOBODY can touch you! So let's use that to our advantage and win this battle!" Ash exclaimed.

"Alright! Honchkrow, use 'Sky Attack'!" Paul ordered.

Honchkrow took off, and started glowing in a powerful white aura.

"Quick! Turtwig, 'Energy Ball'!" Ash countered. Turtwig jumped up and fired at the hovering Honchkrow.

"This is great! 'Sky Attack' takes some time to charge up! Turtwig will land the first hit!" Brock exclaimed.

While Turtwig did get the first hit, Honchkrow merely shrugged off the attack and aimed back at Turtwig. "Like that did anything at all. Go Honchkrow!" Paul roared.

Honchkrow swooped down, trailing white energy like a comet in space. "Heads up Turtwig!" Ash exclaimed.

Turtwig was ready for the attack, as it charged ahead and did a mid-air somersault to avoid the attack. "Awesome!" Ash encouraged.

"Even against Honchkrow, Turtwig's amazing speed can't be beat!" Dawn cheered. "Ash still might be in trouble though." Misty said worriedly.

"Use 'Night Slash'!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow's right wing glowed bright, and it swooped down towards Turtwig once more.

"Dodge it and use 'Razor Leaf'!" Ash countered. Using its trademark speed, Turtwig seemingly vanished and reappeared behind Honchkrow. Unfortunately, Honchkrow was ready this time and did an aerial loop to turn around and slashed Turtwig with the dark-type move.

"You're going too easy! Stop dodging!" Brock yelled.

"Come on! You can do it!" Dawn shouted.

"Remember that it's not as easy as just getting out of the way with flying-types! Keep focused!" Misty shouted.

Ash nodded and focused his attention back to the battle, where Turtwig was shaking off the previous blow to its small body.

"Use 'Aerial Ace'!" Paul ordered.

With a loud caw, Honchkrow swooped down to attack.

"Quick, use 'Bite'!" Ash countered. Turtwig ran up to bite the bird, but the 'Aerial Ace' easily overpowered Turtwig and knocked it back.

"Ash! You can't attack at the same time Honchkrow is! Look for an opening!" Misty shouted.

"It won't matter in a minute!" Paul said smugly, "Use 'Aerial Ace' once more!"

Honchkrow swooped down on the helpless grass-type, who was struggling to just stand up. "Come on Turtwig, get up!" Ash encouraged.

Turtwig heard its master's plea and stood, but by that time, Honchkrow was ready to deliver another blow to Turtwig.

Turtwig was sent tumbling across the ground, kicking up dirt as it slid. But the determined grass-type refused to go down nevertheless. "Can you still keep battling?" Ash asked.

Turtwig shook off its weakness, wincing at the pain it caused simply to stand, but a glimmer of hope shined in when Turtwig began to evolve.

"Could it be…?" Dawn asked in shock. "Turtwig's starting to evolve!" Brock replied.

The entire group watched on as the small, light-enveloped figure began to grow bigger and bigger, and two bushes grew on its now enlarged and hardened shell. When the light dissipated, Turtwig was no longer standing there. Turtwig had evolved into Grotle.

Ash took out his Pokédex to scan his new Pokémon. "Grotle, the Grove Pokémon, and the evolved form of Turtwig. Grotle lives near water in forests, and leaves the forest during the day to allow light to shine on the tree on its shell." the Pokédex chirped.

"Wow! Turtwig finally evolved! Great!" Dawn cheered. "That may not necessarily be a good thing at this point." Brock said seriously.

This caught the attention of Dawn, but when she glanced over at Misty, she too had the same worried expression as the breeder.

"Yeah! Alright Grotle, I say it's about time to fix it up!" Ash exclaimed. Grotle whole-heartedly agreed and stomped its feet, causing a small earthquake.

The purple-haired trainer was totally unfazed by Grotle's evolution, and merely continued his assault. "Use 'Aerial Ace'!"

Honchkrow charged forward once more, fearlessly attacking its now much larger opponent.

"Perfect! Now let's give them a taste of your new power by dodging and then using 'Energy Ball'!" Ash exclaimed.

Grotle acknowledged the order, but for some reason it couldn't pull it off before Honchkrow got there to take it down with the speedy flying-type move.

"I guess Honchkrow's fast after all." Dawn moaned. "It is NOW." Misty replied.

"What does that mean?" Dawn asked. "It's more than Honchkrow's current speed. It has something to do with Grotle evolving." Brock replied.

"Sky Attack'! Let's go!" Paul ordered, already sensing victory. Honchkrow got up high and began glowing once more.

"Now's your chance Grotle! Use 'Bite'!" Ash countered. Grotle attempted to take off running, but it merely fell over onto its side. "What's going on?" Ash wondered nervously.

"What's wrong Grotle?" Ash yelled worriedly. "Ash! Grotle's huge! It can't move like it used to!" Misty pointed out.

Ash's eyes grew wide when he heard that. _"Then…what do I do?"_

"Come on Honchkrow, get going!" Paul yelled impatiently. Honchkrow obeyed and swooped down on the still helpless grass-type.

_"If it can't move fast, there's only one thing I can do at this point."_ Ash thought. Ash took a brief breath of air. "Brace yourself Grotle!" he roared.

Grotle looked back at Ash with surprise, and that one look back would prove to be costly as Honchkrow made a direct hit with the ultra powerful flying-type move.

"Come on Grotle! You can't give up now!" Ash encouraged.

"Hmmph, a pathetic trainer and his equally pathetic Pokémon." Paul chortled. "What was that?" Ash roared angrily.

"Alright, so where's that faith? If you honestly think you can win with faith alone, then you're no better than any low life loser trainer out there because you don't know how to compensate for how Grotle's changed!" Paul exclaimed.

Despite how badly he wanted to ignore Paul's ranting, he couldn't stop himself from soaking in every word of Paul's venomous diatribe. Ash's fists clenched at his side, and he growled with pure rage.

"Come on Ash! Ignore that cold-hearted idiot and calm down!" Misty cried from the sidelines. Ash managed to reign in his temper enough to stop growling, but the amount of stress and pressure he was now under was taking its toll on the black-haired trainer.

"Honchkrow, 'Dark Pulse'!" Paul ordered. The bird launched rings of dark energy from its chest, and they hit Grotle directly in the head, amazingly enough though, Grotle managed to hold its ground and take the attack for a while before getting knocked back.

"Grotle hang in there!" Ash yelled. Grotle slowly got up, and looked at its trainer with astonishment, confusion, and shock. It gave Ash a look that said, _"What's wrong with me Ash?"_

Ash answered back with a worried look, as he honestly had no idea what to do with Grotle's sudden lack of mobility.

"Ash looks lost." Dawn said. "With Grotle's new size, its speed is almost completely gone, and Ash doesn't have a clue how to battle without it." Brock replied.

"Well Ash's entire strategy revolved around Turtwig's speed, but now that it's a Grotle, he doesn't have a strategy anymore. And with Paul on offense constantly, he doesn't have any time to think of a new one." Misty said.

"Let's finish it up Honchkrow! 'Aerial Ace'!" Paul ordered. Grotle braced itself for the incoming pain, and took the hit valiantly. But Grotle slammed painfully into a large rock when it was sent flying, which knocked it out, giving Paul an easy victory.

"Grotle!" Ash ran up to Grotle and held its head in his arms, and the injured turtle looked up at its master with a weak frown. Grotle wasn't upset at Ash though; it was upset at itself for not being able to get going.

Misty kneeled down next to Ash and gave him a soft and comforting embrace. "It's not your fault Ash, you just didn't have a strategy for a situation like this." she said softly.

Ash heard Misty's words and appreciated it, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the pained turtle. Tears were threatening to come to the surface now, as Ash began to shake from the emotional strain he was putting on himself via guilt.

Dawn and Brock joined them on the field and looked down sadly at the trainer and his Pokémon. "Come on Ash; let's get Grotle into the Pokémon Center." Brock said.

Ash briefly looked up at Brock and then back down at Grotle. "I'm sorry Grotle."

Grotle simply forced a weak smile, silently saying that it forgave Ash, even though Ash didn't really do anything, and Grotle knew that. The smile was for Ash's sake.

Then Paul came walking up with a smug grin on his face. Misty spotted this and stood tall to confront the ruthless trainer. _"If he even tries to say something now, I will beat him senseless!" _she thought viciously.

When Paul opened his mouth to say something, Misty made sure to beat him to the punch. "I think you've done quite enough. Get out of here before you do any more damage." Misty said warningly.

Paul opened his mouth to reply, but again Misty cut him off. "I said go! Don't make me knock you out again." Misty hissed.

Paul opened his mouth a third time, but Misty merely pointed in the direction of the forest where his Pokémon were, silently telling him to leave.

Paul finally gave up, shrugged, and walked away quietly, with Misty's eyes shooting daggers at him the whole way.

When he made it to the forest, Paul turned to look back. "I told you faith wasn't enough." he said smugly.

Ash growled with a rage never seen from him before, and he charged forward to punch Paul right in the mouth. _"He's…going…to pay!"_

Before Ash could swing his fist, Brock and Misty got in his way and stopped the raging trainer. "Let me at him! I'm gonna make him eat his words!" Ash roared furiously, flailing his arms desperately to try and get around the human blockade.

"No Ash! Cool off! This isn't you! That's your temper talking!" Misty shouted. Ash growled again, and slowly turned his back on them and walked over to Grotle again.

"You're lucky they stopped you." Paul called out. Ash growled again and stomped over to Grotle and Dawn, trying to cool off.

Misty and Brock turned around, and this time even Brock was frowning out of anger. "Wrong Paul. YOU'RE lucky we didn't let him kill you." Misty hissed venomously.

The two oldest teens turned their backs on Paul, and walked back over to Ash who was now on his knees once more.

Paul walked back into the forest where his Pokémon were, and his eyes fell on Torterra. "What's your problem?" Paul asked.

Torterra merely looked away and didn't reply. "Whatever. As soon as that idiot decides to stop whimpering, we have training to do." Paul said.

Torterra just nodded dismissively and allowed the three gardeners to finish trimming the tree growing on its back.

Meanwhile, Misty had put Ash back on his feet, and calmed him down enough for him to think clearly. "Alright Grotle, return." Ash sent the pained turtle back to its Pokéball, and then turned to walk back to the Pokémon Center.

"I can't figure it out. Grotle couldn't even move." Ash said on his way to the lobby. "You have plenty of time to figure it out Ash, let's take care of Grotle first." Misty replied soothingly.

The group walked up to Nurse Joy. "May I help you?" she asked. "I need you to take care of my Grotle, it took a serious beating." Ash said.

"You must be the trainer that other boy was talking about." Nurse Joy said. "Paul…" Ash growled quietly.

"Don't worry young man; I'll personally see to it that your Grotle gets the best of care. I'm sorry that you lost to someone with such attitude." Nurse Joy said sympathetically.

Ash handed Grotle's Pokéball to Nurse Joy, and the pink-haired nurse rushed to the examination room to tend to Grotle's wounds.

She opened the ball and Grotle emerged on the table, sprawled out with exhaustion, while Ash and Co. watched from the window.

"Ash, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Pokémon were supposed to get stronger when they evolve. So what happened to all of the speed Grotle had while it was a Turtwig?" Dawn said.

"Its body did get heavier. When Turtwig evolves into Grotle, its body gets ten times heavier, and all in a very short time. So even if Grotle WANTS to move quickly, its body just isn't able to follow along." Brock explained.

Ash turned back to the window and put his hands on the glass. "Oh man…I should've been able to figure out how to fight back without speed." Ash said.

"Don't blame yourself for this Ash. It's a lot to ask of any trainer to come up with a whole new strategy right in the middle of a battle." Misty said comfortingly.

"I guess…" Ash replied quietly.

Misty gave Ash a quick peck on his cheek, and he relinquished a small smile in return. "That's my Ash." Misty whispered.

"Come on Dawn, let's get a room for the night and leave them alone." Brock said, leading the coordinator away from the couple.

The two disappeared down the corridor, leaving Ash and Misty by themselves. "Sorry for being such a grouch Misty." Ash said.

"Don't be. All that junk Paul said to you was totally uncalled for, I'm actually proud of you for not running over to him and punching him in the mouth." Misty replied.

"Come on Mist, you and Brock had to stop me from fighting him!" Ash said. "Gimme a break Ash, you're a lot taller and stronger now than you were when you were a little eleven year old kid. If you REALLY wanted to go through with it, you could've run me and Brock over." Misty replied.

"I guess…but still…he was right you know…I had no idea how to deal with Grotle's suddenly getting slow. I was too busy being excited about its evolving." Ash said.

"Come on Ash, stop beating yourself up about it. You gotta cheer up for Grotle's sake. If you're upset when Grotle comes out of there, Grotle won't feel any better about itself." Misty replied.

"You're right Misty. I've…gotta snap out of it." Ash took a deep breath and pasted a smile onto his face. When Misty gently turned his head with her soft and tender hand and planted a soft kiss on his lips, the smile became sincere.

When their lips parted, they stood there just staring into each other's eyes for a few moments. "You feel better now, right?" Misty asked tenderly.

Ash just smiled and wrapped Misty into a tight hug. "I'll take that as a yes." Misty sighed happily.

Ash nuzzled his nose against her face, letting the weight of his self-inflicted guilt fall off his shoulders through Misty's love.

They sat down and leaned against the window of the examination room, and Misty nuzzled her head into the crick of Ash's neck, and Ash responded by wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in closer.

"I'm sure glad you're here to keep my temper in check Mist. I think that without you, I would've put Paul in traction by now." Ash chuckled half-heartedly.

"Really? Hmm…maybe I should let you have your way with him. It'd sure be satisfying to see Paul get what he deserves." Misty joked.

"No Misty. I don't wanna do that. It's just that Paul knows how to push my buttons to the point of me losing control of myself. But I don't wanna resort to violence." Ash replied seriously.

"The immature eleven year old Ash Ketchum wouldn't have any problem with it." Misty said. "Well I've learned a lot since then. Fighting doesn't solve anything, it just makes everyone angrier." Ash replied.

"It's ok Ash." Misty said, lightly patting Ash's chest in comfort, "Everyone's entitled to make a mistake. Especially when you have to deal with creeps like Paul."

Ash smiled and leaned his head on hers, relaxing in her warmth and comfort. But it wasn't long before Nurse Joy came out holding Grotle's Pokéball.

The couple got up from their comfortable positions and faced the Nurse. She handed Ash Grotle's Pokéball and nodded.

"It should be ok now. But Grotle seemed sort of sad, is everything alright?" Nurse Joy asked. "Don't worry Nurse Joy; everything will be alright in a bit." Ash replied.

The couple waved goodbye to the nurse and went looking for their friends. They found them in the room next to the battlefield; they had released their Pokémon and were ready to play comforters to Grotle.

"Hey guys." Ash said. The Pokémon smiled at Ash, and he smiled back at them. Then Ash tossed his other Pokéballs, and all his Pokémon emerged as well. Misty followed suit with hers.

Then Ash tossed out one more ball, and the depressed Grotle emerged from it, simply looking down at the ground and nothing else. "Hey Grotle, how you feeling?" Ash asked.

Grotle replied with a low groan. Not induced by pain, but rather sadness.

"Hey Grotle, in case you didn't know, I thought it was the coolest thing ever that you evolved right in the middle of our battle. It just felt like nothing could keep us from winning, you know? It's like when you got hit with that intense 'Dark Pulse' and you didn't even budge one bit! Man, you just stood there and took the whole thing! I'm sorry I didn't tell you to attack when I should've. Of course you're feeling a little off right now since you just evolved, I know that. But you're power's way up, and once we build your speed back up too, there'll be no stopping you!" Ash said.

Grotle just groaned sadly, Ash's pep talk wasn't helping at all. "I don't think Grotle feels so well." Dawn said.

"Don't forget Grotle, we're in this together." Ash said. Grotle just groaned quietly again, and lied down in the middle of the room.

"The best thing we can do for now is just let Grotle relax. It's getting late anyway, so why don't we get some sleep too?" Brock suggested.

The group nodded sadly, and took turns slipping into their pajamas. Then the group shut off the lights, and they settled down for a good night's sleep, but not before the humans and all the Pokémon still outside their Pokéballs gave Grotle a comforting pat on the back.

But one Pokémon was simply too restless to sleep. Grotle laid awake for more than half the night, just thinking about what it was going to do now that it wasn't a speedy little Turtwig anymore.

Then, Grotle made a decision. Slowly, it got up and quietly walked out the door, trying not to wake anyone. Unfortunately, Buneary, who was sleeping next to Pikachu on Ash and Misty's bunk, had heard Grotle moving around with her sensitive hearing.

"Pikachu. Pikachu, wake up." Buneary said, softly giving Pikachu a shove to wake him.

Pikachu stirred and slowly opened his eyes. "What's wrong Buneary?" he asked groggily.

"Grotle's leaving." Buneary replied.

Pikachu stood up on his hind legs and saw Grotle walking out the front door. By now, the other Pokémon had heard Grotle leaving, so they too woke up to see what was wrong.

"Grotle?" Chimchar said. Grotle turned around and faced its Pokémon companions. "Where are you going?" Pikachu asked.

"Outside." Grotle replied simply. Grotle walked out the front door and didn't look back, leaving the others by themselves.

"Should we go with him?" Chimchar asked. "Yeah. Staravia, Piplup, Azurill, and Croagunk, you wake up Ash and the others." Pikachu replied.

"But I'm tired." Piplup yawned. "Do it anyway. We're doing this for Grotle." Pikachu replied.

"Fine." Piplup said wearily. "Everyone else, come with me." Pikachu led the other Pokémon outside to the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Grotle was outside on the field, readying itself to charge ahead in an attempt to get its speed back. "I'm gonna do this no matter what." Grotle said to himself.

Grotle took off running, rather slowly though. "Ok, one two, one two. Whoa!" Grotle tripped over its own feet and slammed into a large rock. Its hardened shell kept it from getting hurt, but Grotle was severely depressed at this point.

"I…just can't give up." Grotle whimpered to himself. Grotle stood back up and tried several more times, but every time Grotle started running, he wound up on his back or on flat on his face.

Little did Grotle know that he had a trio of spectators hiding in the bushes. "Talk about burning the midnight oil." Jessie said.

"Now dat Grotle's king-sized it's on a trainin' mission ta get its speed up ta speed." Meowth said. "Everything did get crazy when it evolved. You know how twerps can slow you down." James added.

"Perhaps now is the time we take advantage and make a grab!" Jessie snickered. Before Team Rocket could do anything however, a pair of glowing eyes moved in front of them, forcing Team Rocket to run away screaming.

"What was that?" Pikachu wondered, "Oh well."

Pikachu and his Poképals found Grotle lying on the ground; it had given up all hope of ever moving fast again.

"You ok?" Pikachu asked. "Oh I um…" Grotle nervously stood up and tried to act natural. Then, from the nearby bushes, a rumbling sound was heard, like a giant's footsteps coming closer and closer.

"It's Torterra." Pikachu said nervously. Seeing Paul's Pokémon coming to confront them, Charizard stepped in front and acted as a shield in case Torterra decided to get hostile towards them.

Meanwhile, Staravia had flipped on the light switch, and was currently pecking Ash with her beak. "Waah!" Ash exclaimed with a start.

Azurill sprayed a soft 'Water Gun' into Misty's face, causing Misty to do the same as Ash.

Piplup pecked Dawn's face, and the coordinator also woke up with a start. But poor Brock had it worst of all, as he woke up to a stinging sensation in his side thanks to Croagunk's 'Poison Jab'.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Misty asked. "Hey wait a sec, where is everyone?" Ash asked.

Piplup pointed outside, where they saw all their Pokémon out on the battlefield. "Come on; let's go see what's happening." Ash said.

While the humans got dressed, the Pokémon were having a stare down with Torterra. "What do you want?" Charizard growled.

"I'm here for Grotle." Torterra replied. "Me?" Grotle asked.

"Please Torterra, we don't want any trouble!" Chimchar exclaimed, trying to send Torterra away peacefully.

Torterra merely glanced at Chimchar, not making any hostile movements. Then it spoke. "You don't know how to battle without your speed, right?"

"How'd you know?" Grotle asked.

Torterra merely took his eyes off of Grotle, and averted them to Gliscor. "You! Hit me with all you have!" Torterra said.

"Who me?" Gliscor asked.

"Yes you! Hit me with all your might!" Torterra affirmed.

Gliscor wasn't sure what was going on, but he readied himself for battle nevertheless. Meanwhile, the humans had been led to the battlefield by Staravia and Piplup.

"A Torterra!" Dawn whispered. "It's gotta be Paul's. Otherwise Charizard wouldn't be acting like a bodyguard." Ash replied.

"I wonder what it's up to." Misty said. "I dunno, but it looks like Gliscor's up to something. Look." Brock said.

No sooner had he said that, the other Pokémon moved to the sidelines to allow Gliscor and Torterra to battle. Gliscor flipped in the air and charged towards the Continent Pokémon with a powerful 'Steel Wing'.

"Whoa, there goes 'Steel Wing'!" Ash exclaimed quietly. Gliscor slammed right into Torterra's head, and the enormous turtle merely ignored the impact.

"Wow. It absorbed it." Brock said.

Then Gliscor launched an 'X-Scissor' attack, and again, the turtle ignored the attack like it was nothing. "Whoa, look at that. Torterra can't dodge a thing." Dawn said.

"No, it can dodge. It just doesn't want to." Brock replied. The three other teens glanced up at the oldest one. "It's choosing to just stand there and take it." Brock said.

"Stand there? But what for?" Ash asked.

The four teens watched as Gliscor slammed into Torterra with multiple 'Steel Wings', each one stronger than the last as Gliscor exerted more and more effort with each strike.

Finally, Gliscor charged forward with one last 'X-Scissor', and then Torterra made its move. It got up on its hind legs, dodged the attack, and then stomped down, pinning Gliscor to the floor with its enormous weight.

Then with a mighty battle cry, Torterra glowed in green, sending a powerful 'Frenzy Plant' at the Fang Scor Pokémon.

Gliscor braced itself for impact, and Charizard looked about ready to jump off the sidelines and stop Torterra from attacking. But that wouldn't be necessary as Torterra stopped the attack from hitting Gliscor at the last minute, and withdrew.

Gliscor opened its eyes and found Torterra staring at it, and Gliscor watched the vines withdraw back into the ground without so much as laying a thorn on its body.

"Torterra was just waiting for the perfect moment to attack. But why didn't Torterra go through with that attack?" Dawn asked.

"I don't think Torterra ever meant to hurt anyone. I think it was acting as tutor for Grotle." Misty suggested.

"Tutor? What for?" Ash asked. "I think Torterra's teaching Grotle how to fight like a heavy-weight boxer." Brock replied.

Ash gasped in realization.

"You understand Grotle?" Torterra asked.

"Yeah." Grotle replied gratefully.

Just then, the humans came running onto the scene. "Torterra!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pikapi! Pika pika chu?" (Ash! Did you see?) Pikachu asked.

"Yeah, I just saw the whole thing! And I know what Torterra was up to too." Ash averted his gaze to Torterra, "Thanks Torterra. You gave Grotle some serious pointers on how to battle, isn't that right?"

"Torterra." (Indeed.) Torterra replied.

"I know exactly what you were talking about. First you take your opponent's attacks, and then when the time is right, whammo!" Ash exclaimed.

"Terra." (Right.) Torterra then glanced over to Grotle, "Torterra tor." (Remember what I showed you.)

"Grotle." (I will.) Grotle replied.

"Terra." (Good luck.) Torterra turned and walked back through the forest, leaving Ash and Co. to stand on the battlefield.

"Using itself as an example was a great way to teach. Grotle may have lost some speed when it evolved, but the truth is, Grotle's power more than makes up for it by a long shot." Brock explained.

"And now Ash, it's up to you to embrace that fact and use that newfound power to your advantage." Misty added.

"Right Mist." Ash walked up to Grotle and kneeled down in front of it, "Grotle, you've got your very own battle style, and my job as a trainer is to help make it the best it can be."

"Grotle grot." (Thanks Ash.)

"Sorry I got kinda crazed. It's my fault for not realizing your battle style needed some adjusting. But from here on out, we're gonna work together to build your battle style from the ground up!" Ash said.

"Grotle!" (You got it!) Grotle relinquished its first real smile since evolving, and was now completely content with its new body. It would never be the speedster it was before, but Grotle was happy to know that its battling days were most certainly not over.

"Well now that that's settled, let's finish that night's sleep we left unfinished." Brock said with a yawn. The group chuckled and walked back to the room.

Meanwhile, Torterra had walked back to Paul's room, where Paul was outside waiting for it. It looked up and confronted its master, who merely stared at it for a moment before saying, "You're certainly a curious one."

"Say…do you think it was Paul that told Torterra to talk to Grotle?" Dawn asked. "I wouldn't bet on it, but it's a possibility." Misty replied.

"Well, Pokémon take on the behavior of their trainers, maybe Paul does have a soft spot somewhere?" Brock suggested.

"I dunno. But either way, I wanna thank Torterra again tomorrow; I sure owe it a lot of thanks for what it did for Grotle." Ash said.

"Gliscor gli gliscor?" (What about me?)

The group turned around and saw Gliscor holding its head with one of its claws. "Oh yeah, Torterra stepped on Gliscor during the spar." Misty said with a sweat-drop.

"Don't worry Gliscor, I'll get you all fixed up in a jiffy." Brock said. "Why not just tell Nurse Joy?" Dawn asked.

"Are you kidding? Why should I mercilessly wake that sleeping angel of a woman when I can do it myself?" Brock suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side, but it wasn't from Croagunk.

"Gliscor…" (Wake her…) The group looked down and and saw a frustrated Gliscor, holding his head with one claw, and using 'X-Scissor' with the other.

"On the other hand, I think we could both use her now (Groan)." Brock fell on the floor, and was dragged into the Pokémon Center lobby by none other than Gliscor.

"Poor Brock. Even when he tries to be noble, he loses in the end." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "You think Gliscor is bitter for what Torterra put it through?" Ash asked.

"Nah. Seems to me it just has a headache. I'm sure it's glad it could help Grotle out." Misty said.

"Grotle grotle grot." (I sure appreciate it) Grotle said.

Charizard grunted out a comment as well. (I'm kinda disappointed I didn't get to battle that guy.)

"Pika pika chu pi pika." (You're always disappointed if you don't fight.) Pikachu replied.

Charizard grunted a reply, (I'm a warrior, what do you expect?)

Pikachu just rolled his eyes and hopped back onto the bunk where Buneary was eagerly patting the spot next to her.

Pikachu smiled and curled up into a ball, and Buneary snuggled against the side of Pikachu's soft, furry body.

Charizard just rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. "Hey, come on now Charizard, it's not like you and Charla never did anything like they are." Misty said.

Charizard just grunted angrily and turned away. "Did I say something wrong?" Misty asked guiltily.

"Hey…Charizard, everything alright buddy?" Ash asked. "Charizard…did…something happen between you and Charla?" Misty asked.

"Who's Charla?" Dawn asked. "Charla was this Charizard that Ash's Charizard met in the Charicific Valley, Ash told me that they grew close, and they were really in love, but it looks like that's not the case anymore." Misty replied.

"Charizard, what happened?" Ash asked. Charizard just turned his head further to the wall.

"Did…Charla dump you for someone else?" Misty asked. That did it. Charizard snapped and roared fiercely in anger, his claws clenched and his sharp fangs gnashed in his gaping mouth, and the flame on his tails went from red to a bluish-white.

"So THAT'S it. Charla DID find another Charizard." Misty said sorrowfully.

"Hey, I'm sorry buddy. I can't imagine what that must've felt like. Is that why you decided to stay with me?" Ash asked.

Charizard hesitated, but eventually nodded. "Poor Charizard probably couldn't stand being in the same place as Charla anymore. You probably saved him and me all at the same time." Misty said.

"Wow…any Charizard would be lucky to have Ash's Charizard…what could've made – Charla was her name? What did her new boyfriend have that Charizard didn't?" Dawn wondered.

Charizard bitterly grabbed a black marker and drew a spot on his chest in an attempt to explain why Charla dumped him.

"He…had a spot on his chest?" Dawn guessed.

Charizard grunted incredulously and drew the spot larger.

"He was an artist?" Ash guessed.

Charizard shot him a glare that could melt an ice-type. Ash's guess was worse than Dawn's was.

"I think I get it. Ash, look up Charizard on your Pokédex." Misty said.

Ash shrugged and obliged. "Charizard, the Flame Pokémon. And the evolved form of Charmeleon. Charizard's powerful flame can melt absolutely anything." the Pokédex chirped.

"Now what?" Dawn asked. "Ash, do you remember your Noctowl?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, what about it?" Ash asked. "There was something special about it, something that made it unique; you know what I'm saying?" Misty replied.

Suddenly a light bulb went off in Ash's head, and after pressing a few buttons on his Pokédex, the answer became clear. "In some rare cases, Charizard's coloration is known to be a dark gray instead of the usual orange. Pokémon that have different coloration than normal Pokémon are known as Shiny Pokémon." the Pokédex explained.

"So that's it…a shiny Charizard…" Ash said in shock.

Ash looked up from his Pokédex and saw Charizard's back. He had turned away from the others in an attempt to hide his emotional weakness. After all, if there was one thing Charizard loathed with a passion, it was appearing to be vulnerable.

"Oh man…that must've been really rough." Ash said.

Ash, Misty, and Dawn walked in front of the mighty dragon, who was trying to scratch the marker ink off of his chest.

"Here Charizard, let me help you." Misty said softly. Charizard let his claws drop, and Misty called out Azurill to spray a soft 'Water Gun' to loosen the ink off of Charizard's body.

"But I thought Charizard were really competitive, why didn't Charizard fight for her?" Dawn asked.

Charizard turned its head away once more. "I think he did…and I think he lost." Ash said sadly.

At this point, Charizard could barely keep his emotions reigned in. If someone were to look very closely at the light blue irises of Charizard, they would find that the mighty dragon was on the verge of crying.

"You wanna know something Charizard? If looks are the only reason Charla dumped you, she isn't worth suffering over!" Misty said.

"Yeah, it takes a lot more than being handsome to be considered a good guy. It takes personality, character, the right attitude, and so much more!" Dawn added.

"If you ask me buddy, I say we completely forget about her and we get back to training hard just like old times! With you on my team, the other Pokémon are sure to get a lot stronger by battling you, and you'll get a lot stronger too! Whaddya say? Should we pick up where we left off?" Ash asked.

Charizard glanced back and forth at the three teens, and did something it would probably never do again for as long as it lived. "Hnngh! You're welcome Charizard, but don't hug us to death!" Misty strained.

Charizard released the three teens and stood tall, giving Ash a sincere thumbs-up, which made the quietly watching Pokémon all cheer with excited enthusiasm.

"Good to hear buddy. Now whaddya say we all just relax and get some sleep?" Ash suggested.

"We can't! We've gotta wait for Brock and Gliscor." Dawn said. As if on cue, Gliscor came in with a bandage on its head, and the moaning and groaning Brock in its claw.

"Geez Gliscor, how hard did you hit him? I figured he would've snapped out of it by now." Misty said.

"Gliscor gliscor gli." (I had to hit him again.) Gliscor replied.

"(Sigh) Brock, when will you learn?" Dawn asked in exasperation.

"Well, let's get him into bed." Misty sighed.

Ash and Gliscor lifted the pained breeder into his bunk. Before he fell asleep, Brock groaned out one last thing. "All I wanted…was to kiss her goodnight (Groan)."

"Oh brother." Misty said, shaking her head.

The group once again changed into their pajamas to try and finish the night with at least a few hours of sleep. "Ok, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna sleep in tomorrow." Dawn said with a yawn.

"We can't. Paul leaves first thing in the morning and I want to thank Torterra again." Ash replied.

"Oh come on Ash. What makes you think Paul will let you thank Torterra anyway?" Dawn whined. "He might not, but I wanna at least try." Ash replied.

Dawn groaned and wearily pulled the covers of her bunk up over her head, basically withdrawing from the world for the rest of the night.

Ash and Misty carefully slipped under the covers so as not to wake the two sleeping Pokémon at the foot of the bunk. "She's probably right you know." Misty said.

"About what?" Ash asked.

"Paul won't exactly be cooperative and call out Torterra just because you asked. If anything, he WON'T do it because you did ask." Misty replied.

"I'll take that chance. I really wanna thank Torterra again for helping Grotle. If someone can help me with my training and my Pokémon, I'll thank them." Ash said determinedly.

Misty smiled and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's body, gently laying her head on his chest, "What happened to the little Ashy boy I used to know that thought he knew everything?" she asked teasingly.

"He grew up a little." Ash wrapped his arms around Misty and held her close to him, copying her loving gesture.

And with that, Misty tenderly planted a kiss on his chest, and the two fell asleep in each other's warm embrace.

Early the next morning, Ash woke up with a devilishly sneaky idea. He glanced over at Brock, who still seemed to be crippled from Gliscor's 'X-Scissor'.

_"Yes! This is gonna be so much fun!"_ Ash quietly slipped out of the bed so as not to wake Misty or Pikachu, and dragged the practically brain-dead Brock into the shower with his clothes on.

Then he turned on the cold water and waited for the show. "Aah! AAH!" Brock leaped out of the shower shivering from the cold, causing Ash to double over with laughter.

"Funny Ash. Now you get to clean up this mess." Brock said bitterly.

"Me? I'm not the one dripping all over the floor." Ash replied with a snicker.

"If you want any breakfast, you'll grab a towel and clean this mess." Brock warned.

"Uh…no problem Brock, no problem! Actually, I have no idea where I got that idea. I woke up with it really." Ash began to wipe the floor with one of the towels in the bathroom while Brock walked back into the shower, closed the curtain, and started throwing his clothes out.

"Hey! Watch where you're throwing that stuff!" Ash exclaimed with a playful laugh.

"Hey you earned it Ash. As soon as you're done down there, you can get me a change of clothing too." Brock said, starting up the water

"What?" Ash shouted in shock, "No way!"

"Breakfast Ash…" Brock said warningly.

Ash's eyes widened and he ran out the bathroom door to get Brock his clothes. "I do love having him by the stomach." Brock chuckled.

"Seriously, WHY did I do that? I don't even remember planning that!" Ash asked himself. As if things weren't bad enough for the black-haired trainer, when he looked up, he saw Misty standing in front of him with her arms crossed and Pikachu on her shoulder with the same look.

_"Uh oh."_

"Hey Mist, hey Pikachu, what's up?" Ash asked nervously.

"What did you do to Brock?" Misty asked with one eyebrow raised.

"I – uh, gave him a shower?" Ash replied like a question.

"Well Pikachu, I found the immature Ash from a few years ago." Misty said teasingly.

"Pi pika chu!" (You said it!)

After Brock got out of the shower, the group got dressed and walked out the door of the room, and went on their way to return the room key to Nurse Joy.

Just before they reached the lobby, the inevitable happened as they ran into Paul, who was also on his way out.

"There he is." Misty pointed out.

"Hey Paul!" Ash exclaimed.

Paul halfway turned around, and faced the four teens, Piplup, Pikachu, Chimchar, and Grotle.

"Last night was really something! I wanted to thank Torterra for everything it did." Ash said with a smile.

Paul turned away before answering, "I had NOTHING to do with what Torterra did." Paul walked away harshly, and just as Misty and Dawn had predicted, Ash did NOT get to convey his gratitude to the Continent Pokémon.

"What's wrong with you Paul?" Dawn screamed furiously.

"Can't you see that Ash was just trying to be nice?" Misty added just as angrily.

Paul turned for a moment, but then turned away just as quickly and walked out the doors of the center. "That does it…I'm gonna drill him into the ground!" Misty charged ahead, but was stopped by Ash's hand grabbing hers.

"Let him go Mist. He isn't worth the trouble." Ash said softly. Misty's expression softened as she looked into Ash's sincere, brown-eyes, and her anger was soon quelled.

"Well Chimchar, guess you can't always judge a Pokémon by its trainer. Maybe not ALL Pokémon take on the behavior of their trainers." Ash said.

"Chim chim char." (Looks like it.)

Ash knelt down in front of Grotle, "And the next time we battle Paul, we're gonna win it, I promise!"

"First you've got the Hearthome Gym to deal with." Brock said. "And I know you're gonna be just great!" Dawn added.

"And when you win, I'm gonna take your badge and shove it right into Paul's face!" Misty exclaimed excitedly.

"Thanks everyone. It's about time we won our fifth badge, I can't wait!" Ash exclaimed.

And so with two members of Ash's team finally in the clear with their personal problems, the future looks bright for our heroes, as they continue their journey to Hearthome City, and Ash's rematch with Fantina.  
_

**A/N: Well, I hope you all enjoyed it. And lol at Ash's confusion to why he did what he did. I feel you all should know, my writing has become a huge comfort to me since my pet Sugar Glider died a couple of days ago. Houdini was known for escaping his cage, hence the name. Coming from youth group, we found him lying stiff in his cage. I'm sorry for this downer, but I feel my loyal readers should know. Don't worry about me though, the story will continue without a hitch, and I'll get over it in a few days. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter/s and don't forget to keep leaving them. (I could sure use the encouragement now)**


	37. A New Rival, and a New Badge

**Ohai everyone. Well, I guess I'll post this early again. You know what they say, the early bird catches the worm. Of course in this case, the early birds catch the chapter update lol. To answer one anonymous review, I say this.**

**lightningblade49: The whole point of my doing this story is that I'm changing it for what I think is for the better. Which means I decide whether or not Ash wins or not. But don't worry, I'm sure you'll be more than satisfied with what happens. And yeah, Charizard feels heartbreak. It's no fun believe me. But Ash will help him through it, just like he did with Sceptile. As for the eighth Pokemon, you'll be surprised I'm sure, but it won't be one of his old ones. Don't worry though, I guarentee you'll love it!**

**Anyways, everyone enjoy Chapter 37! And if you need help with the French, check "Playing the Leveling field for a possible translaton that Misty eventually provides.  
_**

Chapter 37

Misty's POV

Why do we always wind up running into Paul? The guy's such a jerk that my stomach gets into knots every time I see him! What I really can't believe is that Paul's Torterra isn't really all that bad. Ash's Turtwig had evolved into Grotle and had no idea how to battle anymore since its mobility was virtually gone.

But then Torterra came along and showed Grotle exactly how someone of its size should battle. Just stand there like a tank and take attacks until the opponent gets too comfortable. And then strike! Speaking of strike, Ash almost struck a blow on Paul.

But I don't blame him one bit. Every time we see the guy even I get closer to violence. I knocked him out once with my mallet but other than that, nothing. One of these days Paul's gonna get his just-desserts, and I'll make sure of it one way or another.

As of now, we had made it to Hearthome City once more, and Ash was more than pumped up about his rematch with Fantina.

Normal POV

"There'll be no more waiting around for me! That fifth gym badge is as good as ours!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

When Ash took off running for the gym, the three teens following him were caught off guard. "Come on Ash, wait up!" Dawn cried.

"Forget it, he's oblivious to us now, let's just go get him." Misty sighed. The three teens took off running after the Pikachu-toting Pokémon Trainer.

"Fantina! I'm back for our rematch just like I said!" Ash was just about to reach for the doors of the gym, when someone behind the door opened them first and Ash ran headfirst into the hard, wooden doors.

Ash landed on his back with a painful thud as he held his head in his hand, "Oh, my aching head."

Naturally, Misty was the first one on the scene, every time her boyfriend got hurt; she would be the first one there to help him. Of course this time she had no competition, since Brock and Dawn had decided to walk instead of running all the way there, but she had kept going. "You ok Ash?" she asked.

"Yeah Mist, I'm fine. How about you Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Pika." (For the most part.) Pikachu replied, also holding his head.

Then the boy that Ash had bumped into via the doors got up with frustration, "Why don't you two watch where you're going? I'm going to have to give you a fine! You've got ten seconds to pay up!" the boy looked at his Pokétch and actually started watching a countdown for Ash to give him money.

"Whoa, hold up a second, you seem a bit young to be collecting taxes." Misty said sarcastically.

The boy ignored Misty completely as he was totally wrapped up into his own little world. "Nine eight seven six five four three…(Groan) don't just stand there! I'm gonna be the strongest trainer in the world you know! You got that? Later!" the boy took off running down the street, leaving Ash and Misty alone and in a daze.

"What's his problem?" Ash wondered out loud. "World's strongest trainer? Pfft, not with that whiny attitude." Misty scoffed.

Ash got up and dusted himself off, when something on the ground caught his eye. "It's a badge case." Ash picked it up and peeked inside, revealing three badges, in less than mint condition.

"Must belong to the hyperactive blonde that just took off." Misty figured.

"Hey Ash!" By now, Dawn and Brock had finally made it to the gym, and needless to say they were a little frustrated.

"What's the big rush anyway?" Dawn asked.

"You may be prepared for your battle, but you don't have to wear all of us out first." Brock added.

"Sorry guys, got a little excited." Ash said with a sweat-drop. "Again." Misty added teasingly.

"Alor! It is Ash!" the group responded to the heavy French accent, and sure enough, in the doorway, stood Fantina in her usual purple dress with her Mismagius hovering next to her.

"Wow, Fantina!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Bienvenue mes amis!"

Upon seeing the beautiful, tall gym leader, Brock's heart went into overdrive, "It feels like forever since I've witnessed your graceful dancing so please won't you take my hand and let's trip the light fantastic!"

Fantina's cheerful little spin left Brock to hug nothing but air, and the saddened breeder just lied there on the floor.

"I've been waiting for your return!" Fantina exclaimed. "So have I." Brock said to himself sadly.

"Of course, all good things come to those who wait! Bon, allons-y mes amis." Fantina said, peppering her speech with French as usual.

"That's great Fantina, thanks!" Ash said. _"I sure wish I knew what she said."_

"Alor, what is that?" Fantina asked, referring to the orange badge case. "It belongs to my previous challenger."

"Challenger?" Ash asked. "You mean you just battled the guy we bumped into?" Misty added.

"Oui. Twinleaf Town is where he comes from, and I'll say this, he's a challenger who's full of life!" Fantina exclaimed cheerfully.

"You said he came from Twinleaf Town?" Dawn asked.

"Oui, Bien-sûr." Fantina said with a wink, "But make no mistake, he's no match for me."

"I think I am! How about a battle right now?" Ash asked excitedly.

"Quel dommage. Today is no good for me." Fantina said with disappointment.

For a moment, Ash just stood there in a daze. "Uh, Earth to Ash? Yoo hoo?" Dawn said, waving her hand in front of Ash's face.

"Is he alright?" Fantina asked.

"He's just a little shocked that you said no, I'll fix him." Misty said.

Misty stood in front of Ash's face, moved up close to him, and hit him in the head with her mallet, sending him to the ground in a confused haze.

"You know, I really thought you were gonna kiss him instead." Dawn said with a sweat-drop.

"How could I kiss him with his mouth hanging open? Besides, there was a distinct satisfaction in using this puppy again." Misty replied, happily swinging her mighty mallet around.

Ash got up holding his aching head. "Oh…what hit me?" he asked.

"Dawn and Brock both pointed at Misty, who shot them a glare in response. "I shoulda known." Ash said, rubbing his head with an annoyed smirk.

Misty just smiled and made an "I love you" sign with her hand. "Hey, it was well justified. After all, you were gaping at Fantina since she said no to a battle." she said.

"Wait a minute, why not?" Ash asked, focusing her attention back to the gym leader.

"Alor, once again my Pokémon are très fatigué. They have valiantly battled all day against all sorts of Pokémon, and a few days before this they battled one of the most difficult battles of all." Fantina replied.

"Wait; was that particular battle against a guy with purple hair?" Misty asked.

"Oui, how did you know?" Fantina asked in shock.

"Paul…" Ash growled.

"You know that particular challenger it seems." Fantina said.

"Paul's one of Ash's worst rivals. The way he treats his Pokémon is simply inexcusable." Misty hissed.

"Oui ma cherie Misty, I have to agree with you. His Honchkrow and Gliscor were amazingly strong, but when they lost to my Gengar and Mismagius, he scolded them! If it weren't for his Torterra finally beating my très fatigué Mismagius and my Drifblim, I would hate to think what he would've done to them." Fantina said.

"I'll bet you anything he did it anyway." Dawn said angrily.

"In any case, I'm afraid that today is impossible. But tomorrow I promise we'll battle, bien-sûr!" Fantina said.

"Oh…ok…thanks anyway." Ash said disappointedly.

And so the group waved farewell to Fantina until tomorrow, and they started wandering around Hearthome with nothing to do. "Man, after all this time, back to square one." Ash groaned.

"Not much you can do. Fantina said she's been fighting gym battles all day long." Dawn said.

"Gym Leader's Pokémon need to rest and relax too. We could do the same thing you know, at the Pokémon Center." Brock suggested.

"Or we could find that hyperactive trainer and give him back his badge case." Misty suggested.

"Oh yeah, Fantina said that other trainer was staying here too. I've gotta get this back to him soon." Ash said.

"Hey coming through!" Ash turned to the right and saw someone running down the path where Ash was standing, and Ash's friends closed their eyes to avoid seeing the inevitable collision.

After hitting the ground with a hard thud, Ash dropped the trainer's badge case, and ironically enough it landed right in front of the trainer, who was also sprawled out on the ground.

"Ash, are you ok?" they asked him.

Dawn and Brock helped Ash to sit up, while Misty glared angrily.

"ANOTHER dope not looking where's he's going." the trainer said, rubbing his head.

"YOU were the one not looking! Why the heck were you running down the street anyway? Something wrong with walking?" Misty screamed.

"Wait a minute, you two again? And who are these other two?" the trainer asked. Before anyone could reply, the trainer looked down and saw his badge case lying in front of him.

"Aah! My badge case!" the trainer stood up and stared them down, "I see…you're a klutz AND a thief!"

"I think you better take that back!" Misty threatened, wielding her mallet above her head.

"I'm not taking anything back! The fact that you had it makes you a thief!" the trainer replied.

"That's it! Misty charged forward with her mallet ready to swing, and the trainer ran around in circles with Misty swinging her mallet trying to hit him.

"Hey you dopey trainer! Control this chick will ya?" the trainer shouted in alarm, dodging mallet swings.

"Look, you've got it all wrong." Brock said, watching Misty chase the trainer in circles.

"Hey wait a minute!" the trainer stopped in his tracks, and the water-trainer chasing him was caught off guard and landed on her back with a thud after running into him.

"You were in that tag-battle contest right?" the trainer asked. "Yeah." Ash replied, walking over to Misty and helping her to her feet.

"Yeah I remember! You were teamed up with Paul! I watched the whole thing on the tube. Oh man, you couldn't even hold a candle to Paul. I was laughing out loud!" the trainer said.

"Oh yeah?" Ash growled. Ash would've continued, but Dawn had chimed in. "Now I remember! You're Barry aren't you? You must be!"

The trainer was caught off guard that Dawn knew his name. "How'd you know?" Barry asked.

"So who's Barry?" Ash asked.

"I'm from Twinleaf Town too! I know, you're the guy who did that duet with the Exploud at the town festival right? It's like it was yesterday!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That's me. But I really don't have a clue who you are…" Barry said thoughtfully, "Waaaait, I remember now. You've got to be that hopelessly geeky trainer who lost to Paul in the tag-battle contest of course!"

"Geeky huh?" Dawn hissed, "Misty, can I borrow your mallet?"

"Never thought I'd meet both of you in the same place." Barry said.

Ash, Misty, and Dawn growled at the blonde trainer. "Let it go, all of you." Brock warned. The three angry teenagers grunted, but they obeyed.

"For your information Barry, I was in the tag-battle contest too." Brock said.

"Wow. You? I don't remember you at all. What's your name?" Barry asked. "…It's Brock." Brock growled.

Barry tapped his head with his finger as if to jog his memory, "Brock, well that's not exactly ringing a bell…now I know! You're the one who couldn't keep up with Paul!"

"Well Ash is MY name!" Ash shouted suddenly.

"Ash, Ash, that's right." Barry said, tapping his head again, "Let's have a battle right now!"

"A battle?" Ash asked. "Come on! Let's see your Pokémon! You've got ten seconds! Nine eight seven six…" Barry was cut off by Dawn.

"(Gasp) Cool! It's the brand new Pokétch!" Dawn squealed, admiring the gadget on Barry's wrist, "I've just GOTTA have one of those!"

"Nice, isn't it? I got it over in Jubilife City just last week." Barry then suddenly gasped, "Hey! Now I've lost track of how much time's gone by!"

Barry jumped back so he could all four of them again, and pointed an accusing finger at the blue-haired coordinator, "Look you trainer geek, this is YOUR fault!"

Dawn certainly wasn't gonna take that lying down, "The only trainer geek is YOU! My name is Dawn! D-A-W-N!" Dawn spelled out.

"Yeah right, whatever you say, Dawn it is." Barry said, tapping his head again.

"I've got a question; do you always have to hit your hollow head to get info in and out of it?" Misty heckled.

"What? What's that supposed to mean hammer girl?" Barry asked.

"The hammer girl has a name you know! It's Misty!" Misty replied hotly.

"Misty, Misty, nope, no idea. Were you even in the tag-battle?" Barry asked, tapping his head again.

"I came a while after that, because while you were watching TV, I was battling challengers as the Gym Leader of the Cerulean City Gym in Kanto!" Misty replied angrily.

"Wow, a Gym Leader? You sure don't look like one." Barry said, "As long as you're here, who do YOU think is gonna be the strongest trainer ever?"

"It's not gonna be you, not with your attitude." Misty replied.

"What? But I'm trying to do things exactly the way Paul does things! And he's super strong!" Barry exclaimed.

"That's EXACTLY why you'll fail!" Misty replied.

"Wait a minute, why do I care what a KANTO Gym Leader thinks? We're all the way in Sinnoh for crying out loud! Stop stalling Ash, get the lead out and call your Pokémon!" Barry shouted, pointing a finger at Ash.

"What a pain in the neck! You're gonna be sorry for dissing MY friends! Chimchar, let's go!" Ash called out his fire-monkey, who chattered determinedly upon release.

"Hey! That looks like Paul's Chimchar! You guys trade or something?" Barry asked.

"Afraid not. Paul abandoned Chimchar so I took over." Ash replied.

"Puh-lease, Paul's too good a trainer for that nonsense. And you're lucky you got to make a trade." Barry said, "I know why! You're trying to be strong like Paul!"

"Strong, yes! Paul, no!" Ash replied. "You must be terrible at judging character if you think Paul is someone to look up to!" Misty added.

"Hey, Paul's a super strong trainer and I wanna be strong just like him! So I've been working like crazy and battling a whole bunch of trainers and gym leaders from all over the place! I've already got three badges. What about you?" Barry asked.

"Just three? I've got four." Ash said, satisfied that he could finally say something that Barry had no comeuppance for."

"Four huh?" Barry said in shock, "How'd you pull that off?"

"It helps when you've got awesome friends to support you." Ash replied.

"I bet you just got lucky, that's all." Barry said, "Besides, numbers don't mean a thing. When it comes to the stronger trainer, I'm the man!"

"As a Gym Leader, I beg to differ." Misty said.

"As a KANTO Gym Leader, you're out of line, don't make me fine you!" Barry said.

Before Misty could offer a rebuttal, Barry opened his mouth again. "It's battle time!" Barry reached for his Pokéballs, "Now…uh…aah!"

The entire group groaned, they were all tired of Barry's constant shifts in mood and the yelling he was doing with every other sentence. "Something wrong?" Ash asked.

"I kinda left my Pokéballs in storage. Chill and I'll be right back! Now don't move, or you'll be sorry!" Barry took off running up the path he came from back into the city.

"Hey! Hold on a sec!" Ash chased after the hyperactive trainer, and his three friends soon followed after. "That guy's got some nerve acting like you don't matter." Ash said while running.

"Just do me one favor, when you have your battle with this loser, blank him for me, not a single win for him! And throw in a little Charizard action for good measure!" Misty exclaimed mischievously.

Ash grinned from ear to ear and gave a thumbs-up. They finally caught up with Barry, who was talking to three booth attendants. "Um, excuse me? If you don't mind I'd like to get my Pokémon back?" he said.

The female attendant suddenly went into a temper tantrum. "Now hear this punk! Know what 'finders keepers losers weepers' means?"

The group sweat-dropped as the other two attendants held their female friend back. "It's obvious our busy schedule is wreaking havoc with her poor rattled brain." the lavender-haired attendant said.

"Look, I'm in a hurry so you've got ten seconds see? Nine eight seven six five four three…" Barry was cut-off once more, this time by the short attendant.

"We can count too ya know! Just cool your jets!" the three attendants went into the back of the building, and disappeared from sight.

"Good. Now we'll be able to battle already." Barry said with satisfaction.

"You know…there's something strange about this place." Brock said.

Just then, a familiar French voice piped up. "Alor, it is Ash, and the challenger from before."

"Oh hey Fantina." Ash said. "Doing a little shopping?" Dawn asked.

"Mais oui mes amis. I'm on my way to prepare a great feast for all of my magnifique, hard-working Pokémon. Oui?" Fantina then focused her attention on the storage building, "What kind of store is this?"

"It's a storage service." Barry answered.

"Now that is very strange. I've never even heard of a place like that." Fantina said thoughtfully.

The group gasped in shock. Barry ran into the booth to examine the Pokéballs on display more closely, but further examination revealed…

"This is made of wood! These aren't even real Pokéballs! Come on people! Come out with my Pokéballs whoever you are and make it quick!" Barry yelled.

The group jumped back from the shop, as the walls fell down suddenly and left a huge, empty spot where a store used to be, and just as suspected by Ash and his three friends, Team Rocket appeared in their Meowth balloon.

"Alright, who you are really?" Barry shouted angrily.

Jessie: "Another twerp who doesn't know what's real."

James: "You'd think by now this would be no big deal."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "Look at 'em squeal!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace."

James: "Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place."

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet."

James: "When everything's worse our work is complete."

Jessie: "Jessie."

James: "And James."

Meowth: "Meowth! Dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders…"

"Stop, enough already, I've got it. Jessie, James, and Meowth. Wow." the impatient Barry said with annoyance.

"Skipped manners class did we?" Jessie hissed, furious that her motto line had been cut off.

"And what exactly is it that those people do?" Fantina asked.

"Team Rocket is so nasty they actually steal other people's Pokémon!" Dawn explained. "No!" Fantina exclaimed in shock.

"Well that's a fair synopsis, since we'll be stealing all of yours." James said. "Upsy daisy!" Meowth sent the balloon into the air as the attempted their escape.

"You can't leave!" Barry yelled.

"They won't!" Ash reached for a Pokéball and tossed it into the air, "Go Gliscor!"

The Fang Scor Pokémon emerged and flew up towards the ascending Team Rocket balloon.

"Time for a face-off! Carnivine!" James threw his own Pokéball to counter Ash's Pokémon, but as usual, Carnivine turned around and latched onto James' head instead of attacking right away. "A battling face-off, not a biting head off!" James yelled.

"Quick Seviper! Let's right this wrong!" Jessie tossed out a Pokéball as well.

"I would be honored to handle this! Now Mismagius, use 'Psybeam' tout suite!" Fantina ordered, dancing along with the tempo of the battle.

Mismagius fired the Psychic-type move at the Poison-type snake, and Seviper fell to the ground in utter confusion from the attack. Now with Seviper out of the way and Carnivine still latched onto James, Gliscor had a clear shot at its target.

"Alright Gliscor, 'X-Scissor'!" Ash ordered. Gliscor's claws glowed brightly, and it swung its claws into the tarp of the Team Rocket balloon, popping it and sending Team Rocket back to the ground where they came from.

After the loud crash and the ground stopped rumbling, a brown mailbag full of Pokéballs landed on the ground in front of the group. "Oh no, my Pokéballs!" Barry literally dove headfirst into the bag, desperately searching for his Pokémon. "Where are you? I've gotta find you my dear Pokémon!"

Barry's voice was muffled inside the bag, and the group couldn't help but snicker a little at the hilarious sight of the bag bulging in various places as Barry's hands and elbows sifted through the Pokéballs in the bag.

"At least we know he cares about them." Brock said with a sweat-drop.

"Awesome!" Barry said with half his body still in the bag. The trainer crawled out of the bag holding six Pokéballs in his arms. "I found them!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

As the dust from the explosion settled, Team Rocket emerged from the wreckage, dusting themselves off after their crash. "We're not gonna let some large Gym Leader throw us off our game!" Jessie hissed.

Fantina merely laughed at the trio of criminals, "Your problem is this, it's obvious, you just don't know how to dance."

"I don't know how to dance either." Ash mumbled. "She meant the coordination of battling, Ash. You've got plenty." Misty replied.

"Now that's hitting me below the belt!" Jessie screeched. "We're stealing back our honor and your Pokémon!" Meowth added.

"Though we never had any honor!" James added.

"You've got that right!" Ash responded.

"Seviper, Yanmega, prove him wrong!" Jessie sent out her bug/flying-type to accompany her snake in the attack.

"Go for the assist Carnivine!" James ordered.

The three Pokémon charged ahead to attack.

"Stop them cold Pikachu!" Ash yelled.

"In their tracks Piplup!" Dawn shouted.

"Help them out Surskit!" Misty called out her bug/water-type, and the three Pokémon charged forward.

"Carnivine, 'Bullet Seed'!" James ordered. Carnivine complied and fired a flurry of seeds at the three Pokémon, who were forced to stop their momentum to avoid getting nailed.

"Quick Seviper, use 'Bite' full blast!" Jessie ordered. The poisonous snake leaped above the three small Pokémon to attack, and they were momentarily caught off guard.

"I'm on it! Empoleon, show them what for!" Using the form and stance of a baseball pitcher, Barry threw a Pokéball onto the field, and the large penguin emerged and stood tall. "Now 'Hydro Cannon' let's go!"

Empoleon opened its large beak, and a huge ball of water formed inside. With amazing effort and power, Empoleon fired and not only stopped Seviper's momentum, but actually knocked it back to its master with a painful thud.

"Don't let a twerp hose you down!" Jessie squealed. Seviper forced itself up, but it was obvious that that 'Hydro Cannon' had done some serious damage.

"Whoa, check out that power." Ash said. "Your Empoleon knows 'Hydro Cannon'?" Brock asked.

"Yeah! Pretty cool right? You see, that little gem of a move earned us the Forest Badge!" Barry replied.

"That means you've been to the Eterna Gym!" Fantina exclaimed. "So he battled Gardenia." Dawn added.

The mention of the grass-type specialist Gym Leader caught James' attention. "I gotta admit that Cacnea of hers was pretty strong. Dealing with its 'Drain Punch' was no cakewalk that's for sure. Isn't that right Empoleon?" Barry said.

Empoleon nodded to acknowledge, but never took its eyes off of its opponents.

"It must be…wow!" James ran up to Barry and dropped to his knees, holding onto Barry's hands, which needless to say made the blonde trainer nervous and freaked out. "That Cacnea's mine you see!" James exclaimed.

"Did my Cacnea seem happy and well-fed? Was it happy and making new friends?" James asked, shaking Barry's hands gleefully with his eyes watery with love for his former Pokémon, "Oh please…tell me more about my Cacnea."

"Thing is…I had stuff to do." Barry replied with his eye involuntarily twitching.

James released Barry and stood tall, his eyes still shining with affection for the Pokémon he left with Gardenia. "So Cacnea mastered 'Drain Punch'. With its talent and Gardenia's teaching skills they couldn't lose. I knew Cacnea was destined for greatness."

As James continued to reminisce on his old friend, Meowth and Wobbuffet came from behind him and dragged him back to their end of the field. "If you were any softer you'd be melted all over da ground." Meowth said exasperatedly.

James collected himself and faced off against the group with his two cohorts.

"Come on!" Meowth exclaimed.

"No more Mister Nice Crook!" Jessie added.

"So Cacnea, this one's for you! Carnivine old chum, use 'Bite'!" James ordered.

"Seviper, 'Poison Tail'! And Yanmega, 'Steel Wing'!" Jessie ordered.

The three Pokémon charged forward with their attacks, but this time the three trainers were ready with counter moves.

"Now Piplup, 'Bubblebeam'!"

"Surskit, 'Ice Beam'!"

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!"

The three Pokémon fired their attacks, and the three Rocket Pokémon were sent flying backwards. They knocked over the Rocket trio on the other side of the field, and that's when Barry made his move.

"Alright Empoleon, use 'Hyper Beam'!" Empoleon acknowledged, and the devastating beam formed in the large penguin's beak, and it fired with incredible power, sending Team Rocket and their Pokémon into the stratosphere, and the spectating Gym Leader had only one thing to say about that. "Bravo!"

"Those stinkers stole our storage and steal!" Jessie whined. "And no bucks and yuks for us clucks." Meowth moaned.

"But now that I can live vicariously through Cacnea's great success, who cares if life's a mess?" James exclaimed happily.

"We're blasting off again!" "Wobbuffet!" *PING*

"Not bad Barry." Misty complimented. "Thanks hammer girl, appreciate it." Barry replied.

"My name is Misty." she hissed to herself.

"Alor, it's time to give everyone back their Pokémon." Fantina said, picking up the bag of Pokéballs.

"Great Fantina, thanks." Ash said. "It looks like you've gotten much stronger Ash; I'm SO looking forward to our Gym Battle!" Fantina practically squealed.

"Me too! And this time, I'm gonna win it, no sweat!" Ash exclaimed determinedly. "Such spirit! But I won't take it easy on you." Fantina replied.

So the group waved farewell to the dancing Gym Leader, and they went sightseeing around Hearthome City with Barry.

"So Ash, you're gonna have a Gym Battle with Fantina?" Barry asked. "You bet. And you're gonna have a rematch with her too aren't you?" Ash replied.

"You bet Ash! If Empoleon's no good, I'll get a stronger Pokémon, and if IT'S no good I'll just get an even stronger one! Then I'll be able to beat ANY Gym Leader, you know?" Barry said excitedly.

Something about Barry's explanation caused a twinge in Ash's stomach. Barry seemed like an alright guy, but in Ash's point of view, Barry seemed to have the wrong attitude towards Pokémon.

"I wonder…you know Barry, just because you have a bunch of strong Pokémon doesn't mean you're always gonna win. I think it's just as important to train together with your Pokémon so you learn what makes them tick. You know, to bond with them." Ash explained.

"I'm not sure what you mean by 'bonding' with them." Barry said sincerely.

"Seems to me that no matter how weak a Pokémon may be now, if you work hard together you'll grow strong together, and win together. All it takes is a lot of effort, and a lot of love for your Pokémon. You follow those rules and there'll be no limit to how far you can go!" Ash explained.

"But I wanna win NOW! The truth is MY goal is to become as strong as I can, and as quickly as I can, as strong as Paul!" Barry exclaimed, eyes shining with admiration.

"Paul…that jerk…" Ash growled to himself.

"Paul is the coolest trainer ever! You must think so too right?" Barry asked expecting a yes.

Instead of responding, Ash just stared blankly as his mind was filled with wretched thoughts of the ruthless and vicious trainer who mercilessly beat on his Pokémon without a break.

"Earth to Ash…" Barry said, waving his finger in front of Ash's face, "Whoa…hey…why are you all spaced out like that?"

"See, Ash has battled Paul several times already." Dawn said. "And it's never been just a friendly battle either." Misty spat.

"You battled with Paul?" Barry shouted in shock, "What happened? Did you win or did you lose?"

Ash said nothing and continued to stare blankly, his anger was being withheld inside of his heart and mind, and it was practically paralyzing him. "Ash?" Misty's melodic voice brought Ash back to reality, and his anger melted away when he focused on the beautiful red-head smiling at him.

"I guess you lost. I should've known it from the start. I mean, after all, you were up against a giant." Barry said smugly.

"What was that?" Ash roared. Thanks to Barry, the tranquility in his heart had quickly vanished into thin air and was once again replaced by flaring anger.

"Oh please! Forget about it man! It's time to battle so come on, let's rock!" Barry exclaimed.

"Ok you got a deal! And I'll show you what making friends with Pokémon can do!" Ash quipped back.

So the group walked to the nearby Pokémon Center and headed to the battlefield, where the showdown between Ash and the Paul-admiring Barry would take place.

"Wow Misty, they're really into it." Dawn said. "I can actually feel the tension in the air, neither one of them wanna give in." Misty replied.

"Let the battle begin!" Brock roared.

"Alright Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash threw out his small fire-monkey, who stood in battle-ready stance upon release.

"You're up Staraptor! Let's show them what you're made of!" Barry threw out his own Pokéball like a professional baseball pitcher, and the bird emerged with an intimidating cry.

"Use 'Tackle' now!" Barry ordered. Staraptor folded in its wings and dove for the fire-monkey.

"Quick! Dodge it Chimchar!" Ash countered. Chimchar did a mid-air back-flip and left Staraptor to hit nothing but air. "Whoa! What the?" Barry exclaimed in shock.

"Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar launched a blazing inferno towards the swooping Staraptor.

"Man this is bad! Staraptor, do something!" Barry panicked. Staraptor barrel-rolled and dodged the flame, and then pointed down towards Chimchar like a compass pointing north.

"Awesome! Now it's our turn Staraptor! 'Close Combat'!" Barry ordered. Staraptor swooped down to hit Chimchar, but it stopped short and kicked up dust in Chimchar's face, then it started kicking with its sharp talons to hit Chimchar.

But the small fire-type used its speed and size to evade the multiple attacks. "Hang on Chimchar!" Ash yelled. Unfortunately, the small monkey was getting tired from dodging and was starting to resort to blocking with its arm in order to minimize the damage instead.

Finally Staraptor got in a lucky hit and knocked Chimchar back with a strong kick of its talons. "Now this would be a good time for 'Wing Attack'!" Barry ordered.

Staraptor flew low to the ground with majestic, glowing wings. "Yeah! This battle's as good as done!" Barry gloated.

"Barry's getting a little over-confident. He doesn't know Ash like we do, right Dawn?" Misty said. "Got that right." Dawn replied.

"Chimchar, use 'Dig'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar dug a hole and dodged the attack just before Staraptor could make contact.

"Huh? What was that?" Barry exclaimed in shock.

Ash smirked victoriously as the adrenaline in his body pumped through his veins like pistons. With a harsh swing of his toned triceps, Ash pointed towards the target. "Chimchar, 'Flamethrower'!"

Chimchar burst out of the ground with a small ember ignited in its mouth, and it fired the blazing flame that engulfed the Predator Pokémon and sent it plummeting to earth with a painful thud.

"Staraptor is unable to battle!" Brock announced.

"Alright Chimchar!" Ash cheered.

"Looks like Ash is off to a good start." Dawn said. "Yep. I told him I wanted him to blank this bozo, so he's trying extra hard to make good on that." Misty replied.

"You told him to use Charizard, didn't you?" Dawn asked knowingly. "Weeell…" Misty replied jokingly. The two girls giggled amongst themselves at their little back-to-back banter.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Barry returned the Predator Pokémon to its Pokéball, and reached for another one, "Now you're up Roserade!"

The grass/poison-type hit the ground running, not even waiting to get into battle-ready stance before charging towards Chimchar. "Roserade, use 'Poison Jab'!"

Roserade immediately made contact with the small fire-type who was knocked onto the ground by the sharp blow to its chin.

"Oh no, Chimchar!" Ash cried.

"Poison Jab'! More 'Poison Jab'! Keep them coming!" Barry exclaimed. As Roserade continued to take swings at the small fire-type, the frightened Chimchar desperately dodged as many attacks as it could, not wanting to take another hit by the poisonous move.

"Chimchar return!" Ash called back the small fire-type before it was totally worn out, much to the dismay of Barry.

"What'd you go and do that for? Me and Roserade were on a roll!" Barry complained. "I didn't want Chimchar to get hurt by poison, that's what." Ash replied.

"Well hurry up and pick another Pokémon!" Barry shouted, angrily stomping his feet.

Ash rolled his eyes in exasperation and glanced over to the sidelines. Misty smashed her fist into her palm and grinned almost evilly, and that was all Ash needed to know. "Now you're finished! Charizard, let's go!"

The giant dragon emerged with a roar, and the surprised Barry fell onto his butt and squirmed backwards in both shock and fear. "W-W-Where'd that Charizard come from? It wasn't in the tag-battle tournament!"

"Nope, Charizard's an old friend of mine, and we're gonna show you what friendship between Pokémon and trainers can do, right Charizard?" Ash exclaimed.

Charizard roared in agreement, spewing flames in the process.

Barry hopped back onto his feet and stomped with frustration. "Oh forget this! Roselia use 'Poison Jab'!" Barry shouted.

Roselia charged for the mighty dragon with poison seeping from its bouquet-like hands. "Alright Charizard, take off and then use 'Steel Wing'!" Charizard took off and dodged the swift grass/poison-type. Then it swooped back down with its wings glowing brightly.

"Watch out Roselia!" Barry cried out. Roselia jumped with all its might and managed to dodge the dragon's attack, and it wound up riding on Charizard's back. "Nice job! Now use 'Poison Jab'!"

Roselia cocked its arm back and punched Charizard squarely in the back, causing Charizard to roar in agony.

"Keep going Roselia! 'Poison Jab'!" Barry ordered excitedly. "No ya don't! Do a barrel-roll Charizard!" Ash countered.

Just before Roselia punched again, Charizard gracefully did a twirl in the air and sent Roselia falling. "Now follow it up with 'Heat Wave'!" Ash ordered.

Charizard pointed downwards and waves of pure heat poured from its gaping maw. Roselia had nowhere to go as it continued to fall, and it took the fire-type move full-on.

"Oh no Roselia!" Barry cried. "Roselia is unable to battle!" Brock announced.

"Yeah Charizard! Just like old times!" Ash cheered. The mighty dragon landed and roared victoriously. "Two down, one to go." Misty said.

"Roselia return!"

"Thanks Charizard, take a break. I may need you later."

Now with both Pokémon withdrawn into their Pokéballs, and Barry having only one left, the blonde-trainer was starting to feel the heat. "This isn't fair! You've gotta be cheating somehow if I haven't beaten you yet!"

"I don't cheat Barry! I always battle fair and square!" Ash replied.

"Then how come you're winning? After all I'm gonna be the strongest trainer ever!" Barry exclaimed.

"I always take time to make friends with my Pokémon, that way they trust me more and they wanna try harder and battle harder for me! Having strong Pokémon IS important, but what's even more important is having a deep connection with your Pokémon and being friends with them, and that's how I'll be able to overcome any challenge!" Ash explained.

"Oh never mind this gibberish! I'm gonna take out all three of your Pokémon right now! Empoleon, you're up last!" Barry threw out his final Pokémon, and the large penguin emerged in a flash of white light.

"Alright Pikachu, let's win this thing!" Pikachu scampered onto the field and stood on all fours with furiously sparking cheeks.

"A water-type against an electric-type? I think Barry's in over his head now." Dawn said.

"Oh yeah? Compatibility means nothing to me and my Empoleon! What matters is letting you all see how powerful Empoleon is!" Barry exclaimed.

"Hmm, that's a pretty good improvement on his attitude." Misty whispered. Dawn nodded in agreement.

"Pikachu, let's go! Use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu took off running with its red cheeks sparking madly with built-up electricity.

"Empoleon, 'Hydro Cannon'!" Barry countered. Empoleon opened its mouth, and an ultra-powerful sphere of high-pressure water was sent hurtling towards the electric-mouse.

"Dodge Pikachu!" Ash yelled. Pikachu jumped up at the last minute and barely dodged the move. "Phew, I felt the wind from that one!" Misty exclaimed to herself.

"It's the perfect time for 'Steel Wing'!" Barry yelled. Empoleon took a few lumbering steps forward and then started flying low to the ground with wings of steel.

"Hit right back with 'Iron Tail'!" Ash countered. Pikachu's tail started glowing, and the tiny electric-mouse swung its tail right into Empoleon's wings. Sparks flew as a result of the two steel-moves colliding.

"Attack and attack some more! Now use 'Steel Wing'!"

"We're gonna make sure we sweep you! Use 'Iron Tail'!"

Empoleon chopped downwards, but Pikachu jumped right over the large penguin just before contact could be made. Then Pikachu swung its tail to counter, but Empoleon was ready and blocked with its two wings. But Pikachu wasn't ready to give up on the attack just yet, as it did a few midair somersaults with its steel-hard tail. Unfortunately it backfired as Empoleon found an opening in Pikachu's defense and sent it sliding across the dirt.

"Oh no! Pikachu's starting to look weak!" Dawn cried. "Come on Pika-pal! Hang in there!" Misty screamed from the sidelines.

Pikachu's mind wanted to oblige to Misty's encouragement, but its body was making it very difficult for it to stand strong as it made a feeble attempt to get back to its feet.

"Let's wrap it up with 'Hyper Beam'!" Barry ordered. Empoleon charged an ultra-powerful beam in its mouth, ready to save Barry from the humiliation of a sweep.

"Pikachu! Get up and dodge!" Ash cried. Pikachu finally managed to get back to its feet, but it was already too late as the 'Hyper Beam' was already heading towards it.

Pikachu took the hit dead-on, and its small body was sent flying into the air through the smoke. "Bingo!" Barry cheered.

Ash watched his best Pokémon friend soar helplessly in the air, which encouraged Ash to shout with all his might, "You can do it Pikachu!"

That small and frivolous demonstration of faith would prove to be the turning point, as Pikachu blinked and gained a second wind.

"Yeah! Empoleon can't move right after 'Hyper Beam'! We'll use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash yelled. Pikachu's cheeks sparked wildly, and the powerful electric-move hit Empoleon right on target. The now charred penguin fell to the ground with a loud thud, and weakly got back to its feet.

"Ok Pikachu, wrap this up with 'Volt Tackle'!" Ash roared. No longer feeling any of its previous fatigue, Pikachu charged ahead at full speed and slammed right into Empoleon's stomach with the ultra-powerful electric-move.

"Hey come on Empoleon! Stand up!" Barry exclaimed. Unfortunately for Barry, Empoleon had taken more than it could handle, and just lied there on the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Empoleon is unable to battle! The winners are Pikachu and Ash!" Brock announced.

"Alright!" Ash cheered. Pikachu ran up to its master and jumped into his arms for a post-battle embrace, and Ash was more than happy to oblige.

Meanwhile Barry had fallen to his hands and knees in shock. "…No way…"

"Wow! I knew you'd win this! Great battling Ash!" Dawn exclaimed.

"You and Pikachu really demonstrated just how important bonding with your Pokémon is." Brock added.

"Thanks a lot. Both of you." Ash said, "Hey, where's Misty?"

Ash got his answer when he was glomped from behind by a pair of familiarly feeling hands. "Way to go Ash! That was totally awesome!"

"You see Mist? I did what you said, I blanked him!" Ash said proudly.

"Oh gimme a break!" Barry exclaimed suddenly. The group turned to look at the blonde-trainer who was sulking over his loss.

"What are YOU so happy about? I just lost because I was totally off my game since I lost to Fantina earlier!" Barry exclaimed, walking over to the group.

"You're not gonna admit that Ash is a better trainer than you are you?" Misty asked knowingly.

"Heck no! I'm oh so much stronger than he's ever gonna be! I just need to beat a Gym Leader first to get my head back in the game! Hey wait a sec! YOU'RE a Gym Leader, right Hammer Girl?" Barry asked.

"If you call me 'Hammer Girl' one more time I'm gonna use my mallet to knock your block off and put it back on upside-down to fix your backwards thinking!" Misty threatened, holding her mallet and ready to swing.

Everyone around the fired up water-trainer sweat-dropped and backed up a step, especially Barry who knew he was the target of Misty's wrath. "Ok ok I'm sorry! But I'm not good with names!" Barry yelled, holding his hands over his head for protection.

"Then I'll tell you again and you better remember this time! My name is Misty Waterflower!" Misty took a step towards Barry, "I specialize in water-Pokémon!" Misty took another step, "I'm one of the Gym Leaders of Cerulean City!" Misty took one last step and was now standing over the cowering Barry, "And I can beat you in a battle anytime, anyplace, and with any Pokémon!" To add insult to almost-injury, Misty grabbed Barry's hand with her free hand, uncurled one of his fingers, and tapped his head with his own finger to mimic Barry's previous mockery.

"You go Misty." Ash snickered to himself.

"Alright! I got it! I got it!" Barry practically squealed in fear, "But I still have to beat a Gym Leader in order to redeem myself!"

Misty stepped back and put her mallet away, "Ok, all you gotta do is say so."

"Ok! I challenge you to a battle!" Barry exclaimed determinedly.

Misty stood there with a blank expression on her face, which confused the blonde-trainer. "Well? Aren't we gonna battle?"

"Say my name! I won't battle you unless you say my name!" Misty screamed furiously.

Barry backed up in fright once more, and put his memory to work. "Ok ok! It's uh…Misty! That's right! Uh, can I call you Mist?" Barry asked, trying to get on Misty's good side.

"He would find that plan would backfire as Misty ran up to him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and shook him violently. "There's only one person in this whole world who's allowed to call me that and YOU'RE not him!"

"Did anyone else besides me know this was coming?" Dawn asked. Ash and Brock both raised their hands and watched the amusing show of Misty abusing Barry.

"Ok I'm sorry!" Misty released Barry and the blonde-trainer fell to the ground once more, "Now…can you PLEASE go back to your end of the field?"

Misty nodded satisfactorily and sauntered over to the others, purposefully swinging her hips from side to side to exaggerate her leaving.

"You sure did a number on him." Dawn giggled. "Well he had it coming, don't you think?" Misty replied.

Despite being taller and stronger than the water-trainer, Barry was legitimately terrified of the violent Gym Leader, but he was still determined to get his battle, so once Misty was a safe distance away, he stood tall once more. "Misty Waterflower! I challenge you to a battle!"

Misty cringed, and then turned around to face Barry once more. "You're still on that huh? You know what? Fine. I think I'll blank you like Ash did just to teach you a lesson."

"Awesome! I've got three more Pokémon here who are just itching to battle!" Barry exclaimed.

"Good luck Mist, now you kick his can!" Ash said encouragingly.

Misty wrapped Ash into a quick, one-armed hug for good luck, and then jogged over to her side of the battlefield.

"The battle is between Barry from Twinleaf Town and Misty from Cerulean City! Both trainers are able to substitute Pokémon, and the battle is over when all three of either trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle!" Brock announced.

"I'll say it now! My Pokémon and I have been together for a long time, so you'll be battling more than just Pokémon, you'll be battling an unbreakable bond of friendship!" Misty exclaimed.

"I'll take that chance! There's no way I'm gonna go down one-two-three like that twice in a row, I'm too good for that!" Barry replied.

"What do you think Ash? You think Misty can blank Barry?" Dawn asked.

"Well Barry's a decent trainer, but he doesn't like playing defense. If Misty can get an opening barrage on him, I'd say it's all over." Ash replied.

"Now Rapidash, let's show them what you're made of!" Barry pitched out a Pokéball, and the flaming stallion emerged, dragging its hooves against the dirt awaiting the signal to charge.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Dawn exclaimed quietly, pulling out her Pokédex.

"Rapidash, the Flame Horse Pokémon and the evolved form of Ponyta. It gallops at nearly 150 mph. With its mane blazing ferociously, it races as if it were an arrow." the Pokédex chirped.

"Whoa, that's fast." Dawn said.

"My Rapidash will run circles around any of your Pokémon so bring it on!" Barry exclaimed cockily.

"Fast or not, water and fire don't mix! Misty calls Surskit!" Misty summoned her water/bug-type, and the tiny pond skater stood battle-ready on the field.

"Using a fire-type against a water-type? Barry doesn't exactly go by matchups does he?" Dawn said.

"Like I said before, it makes no difference!" Barry replied.

"Let the battle begin!" Brock roared.

"Ok Rapidash, let's start with 'Sunny Day'!" Barry ordered. Rapidash's horn formed a white orb, and it shot it into the sky, making the sunlight grow harsh. The horse reacted to the increased sunlight, and the flames from its body grew more powerful and fierce.

"Uh oh, that's not good." Misty mumbled to herself.

"Doesn't 'Sunny Day' make fire-moves grow stronger and water-moves grow weaker?" Dawn asked. "I think so; Misty might be in a jam." Ash replied.

"Alright then, we'll just counter with 'Sweet Scent'!" Surskit emitted a sweet-smelling odor from its antennae, and the flaming stallion took it in like roots absorbing water.

"Hey Rapidash! Snap out of it!" Barry shouted with frustration.

"Now Surskit! Use 'Bubblebeam'!" Misty ordered. Surskit leaped up and fired a stream of bubbles at the fiery horse.

Due to the distraction of 'Sweet Scent', the 'Bubblebeam' hit dead-on and the horse whinnied in agony. "Oh no! Rapidash!" Barry cried.

"Do it again Surskit!" Misty ordered. Surskit leaped up and fired again, but it was obvious that the effects of 'Sunny Day' were severely weakening the power of the move.

Rapidash took another hit, but this time it mostly ignored the damage. "Now it's our turn! Use 'Bounce'!" Barry ordered.

Rapidash finally snapped out of its 'Sweet Scent' induced daze, and leaped high into the air. Misty and Surskit had to squint their eyes to see Rapidash in the blazing sunlight, but they managed to find the shape of a horse when it blocked the sun a little.

"Quick Surskit! Use 'Bubblebeam' on the ground!" Misty ordered. Understanding the plan, Surskit fired and made a tiny film of water on the ground and skated out of the way of the flying-type move.

"Now up the ante with 'Quick Attack'!" Misty ordered. Surskit turned around and its hydroplaning went faster as it charged for the fire horse.

"No you don't! Rapidash, quick! Use 'Fire Blast'!" Barry countered. Rapidash's eyes glowed in a fierce orange, the flames on its body grew in intensity, and flames started shooting out from its body in five different directions, completely engulfing the battlefield in flame.

Surskit squealed in pain from the sheer intensity of the ultra-powerful fire-move, and despite its slight water-type resistance, the added power from 'Sunny Day' left Surskit severely depleted.

"Another hit like that and Surskit's gonna go down like an anvil." Ash groaned nervously. "Come on Surskit, you can do it!" Misty cried.

But just when things seemed hopeless, Surskit got back to its skinny legs and stood tall, and a ball of water started forming on its antennae. "What's that?" Misty wondered.

Surskit fired the ball into the air, and storm clouds rolled overhead, and just like that, it started to rain. Rapidash's flames went from blazing infernos to smoldering embers in a matter of seconds, and it seemed that the tables had turned dramatically thanks to the change in weather.

"Awesome! Surskit, you learned how to use 'Rain Dance'!" Misty cheered. "This isn't fair! Rapidash, use 'Sunny Day' again!" Barry countered.

Rapidash fired the ball of light once more, and the storm clouds vanished and the sun began shining brightly once more, causing Rapidash's flames to flare up to full power once more.

"Oh yeah? 'Rain Dance'!" Misty ordered. Surskit fired a ball of water into the air, and the storm clouds rolled in again and the rain started.

"Sunny Day'! 'Sunny Day'! 'Sunny Day'!" Barry stomped his feet with frustration. Rapidash repeated the previous move and the sun came back once more.

"Come on Misty! Do something before Rayquaza thinks Groudon and Kyogre are fighting again!" Ash exclaimed with annoyance.

Misty too was becoming annoyed by the ongoing battle for weather advantage, so Misty came up with a plan. "Alright Surskit, use 'Sweet Scent'!"

Surskit emitted the smell once more, and just as before, Rapidash fell for it hook line and sinker. "No not again! Focus Rapidash!" Barry whined.

"Now use 'Rain Dance'!" Misty ordered. Surskit fired one last ball of water into the sky, and the rain began to fall again.

"Come on Rapidash, use 'Sunny Day'!" Barry yelled. Barry's order fell on deaf ears as Rapidash was still totally oblivious to what was going on because of the smell.

"Finish this up with 'Bubblebeam', full power!" With the weather finally on its side, Surskit fired the stream of bubbles at double the normal power, and that was all the flaming stallion could handle as it fainted.

The weather cleared and the sun came back out at its normal intensity just as Brock announced Surskit the winner.

"You were awesome Surskit! I'm proud of you!" Misty hugged the small pond skater in congratulations, and Surskit happily squealed at the affection.

"Rapidash, return!" Barry reached for another Pokéball, "I've got all these strong Pokémon and they're dropping like flies! Do I need to go out and get a whole new team?"

"You still don't get it! It's not how strong they are that matters!" Misty shouted angrily.

"I'm not giving up by a long shot! Heracross, you're up next!" Barry pitched yet another Pokéball, and the bug/fighting-type emerged ready for battle.

"Surskit, return." Misty recalled her bug/water-type and reached for another Pokéball. "Now Misty calls Gyarados!"

The giant water-dragon emerged with a roar, intimidating Heracross to the point of cringing in fear. "I thought strength didn't make a difference!" Barry yelled angrily.

"It doesn't! Gyarados and I are really good friends, and we train together and work hard together, and THAT makes us strong!" Misty replied.

Barry pulled at his hair in frustration. "Heracross, start off with 'Double Edge'!"

Heracross charged forward to hit the dragon-like Pokémon with a hard shoulder-tackle.

"Use 'Protect' now!" Misty countered. Gyarados enveloped itself in a green force-field, and it completely blocked the tackle of the large horned bug/fighting-type.

"Oh come on! I just want one lousy break!" Barry complained. Heracross cringed at the recoil from the 'Double Edge', which opened up a window of opportunity for Gyarados.

"Quick! Use 'Flamethrower'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados fired the flame and it hit Heracross dead-on, forcing the bug to relinquish a cry of pain.

"Oh no!" Barry cried. "Oh yes!" Misty countered.

"Come on Heracross, don't give up!" Barry exclaimed. Miraculously, Heracross fought the pain and stood back to its feet.

"Hmm, not bad." Ash said to himself.

"How in the world does a Gyarados learn to use 'Flamethrower'? It's a water-type!" Barry exclaimed.

"Through friendship and a LOT of hard work! Speaking of which, you seem to be pretty good friends with your Heracross, just look how it's fighting to stay up!" Misty said.

"My Heracross is a real tough fighter! Now Heracross, 'Horn Attack'!" Heracross charged forward once more, this time with a brightly glowing horn.

"Use 'Hydro Pump' on the ground!" Misty countered. Gyarados obliged and fired a high-powered stream of water all across the battlefield, turning the ground into slippery mud.

"I see where this is going! Use your wings Heracross!" Barry ordered. Heracross had lost its balance on the mud, but then it took off using the strong wings underneath its shell and hit Gyarados with its horn.

"Yeah Heracross! Keep the attacks coming!" Barry yelled excitedly. Heracross kept swinging with 'Horn Attack', as Gyarados moved its snake-like body around to dodge.

"Quick Gyarados, use 'Hydro Pump'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados waited until it found an opening in Heracross' defense, and then fired the attack at point-blank range, sending Heracross sliding through the mud.

"Now finish it with one more 'Flamethrower'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados' gaping maw once again released a blazing flame that headed for the weak bug/fighting-type.

"Hurry Heracross! Fly up and dodge it!" Barry yelled. Heracross attempted to comply, but the 'Hydro Pump' from before had left its wings soggy and damp, rendering them useless.

Heracross had no choice but to stand and take it, and after the attack was finished, Heracross fell face first in the mud, fainted.

"Heracross is unable to battle! The winner is Gyarados!" Brock announced.

Gyarados roared victoriously, ultimately drowning out Misty's cheers.

"Two down, one to go. Barry's on his way to being blanked two times in a row!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Keep it going Mist! Make sure he never forgets your name again!" Ash added.

"Heracross return!" Barry hastily called back the fainted Pokémon and began stomping with frustration, "Come on! Friendship can't be the deciding factor in EVERY battle! It's not like I hate my Pokémon either!"

"I realize that. But I've just bonded more, that's all." Misty replied calmly.

"Well you know what? I'm not gonna stop until I beat one of your Pokémon! Snorlax, you're up last!" Barry pitched out his final Pokémon, and a huge Snorlax emerged with a loud yawn.

"Let's start this round off with a 'Hydro Pump'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados fired a high-powered torrent of water at the Sleeping Pokémon, and it took the hit with some difficulty.

"Not bad! Alright Snorlax, use 'Crunch', let's go!" Barry ordered. Snorlax lumbered forward and bit down on the water-dragon's body with sharp teeth.

"Gyarados, knock it off with 'Hyper Beam'!" Misty countered. Gyarados managed to stop roaring in pain long enough to fire the hyper-powered beam at point-blank range and knock the Sleeping Pokémon off.

"Oh man…wait a sec! 'Hyper Beam' means you can't move right away! Quick Snorlax, use 'Rest'!" Barry yelled.

Snorlax had NO trouble following that order, as it lay down to rest and recover its health.

"Looks like Barry's finally getting into a comfort zone." Dawn said. "Yeah, but Misty's not done yet." Ash replied.

"Alright Gyarados, hit it with 'Hyper Beam' again! Full blast!" Misty ordered. Gyarados charged its attack once more, and the hyper-powered beam hit the Sleeping Pokémon dead-on.

"Come on Snorlax, you gotta wake up! You've got ten seconds!" Barry shouted desperately. "This battle's over! Gyarados, one more 'Hyper Beam' with everything you got!" Misty ordered.

The blast was fired once more, and Snorlax fainted in its sleep after being nailed by 'Hyper Beam' for the third time.

"Snorlax is unable to battle! The winner is Gyarados and the match goes to Misty!" Brock announced.

"You did it Gyarados! Two for the price of one, you kicked butt!" Misty hugged the neck of her mighty dragon, and Gyarados smiled to the best of its ability.

"…Again? I got swept again?" Barry fell to his knees in utter shock.

Misty returned Gyarados to its Pokéball, and then was immediately hugged by Ash. "You did it Mist! Your Gym Leader skills kicked his can all over the place!"

"Oh please, that was a piece of cake!" Misty giggled.

"Oh come on, why are you all cheering? It's obvious you both just got lucky. I'll let you off just this once." Barry said.

"You'll what?" Ash asked incredulously.

"Like I said, I'm oh so much stronger than either of you will ever be." Barry said with a smirk.

"You seem to have already forgotten that you didn't win a single battle between the both of us." Misty said.

"I didn't forget, but how do you fight against luck?" Barry replied.

"Ok that's it, why don't you come to the gym tomorrow? You can watch me beat Fantina, the leader you lost to!" Ash exclaimed.

"I'll come see your little rematch Ash, I'm sure I can find the time to watch you go down!" Barry replied with the same tone.

"The only thing that's gonna go down is your ego!" Misty quipped.

"Alright alright, settle down everyone. I think we've all had enough of this whole 'I'm better than you' stuff." Brock said, exercising his role as responsible adult.

"You're right, I'm not gonna stand around here and argue when I know what the truth is. Now if you all will excuse me, I'm gonna have Nurse Joy heal my Pokémon!" Barry ran off towards the Pokémon Center, leaving Ash and Co. alone at the battlefield.

"Wow, Barry sure is something." Dawn said with a sweat-drop. "You know what? I think we should do a little more training before we call it a day." Ash said determinedly.

"You sure that's a good idea? After all, you got yourself all flared up thanks to Barry." Dawn said.

"That's exactly why I wanna do some training now! To be totally honest, training is a good way for me to cool off after a battle like that." Ash replied.

"Well alright then, you stay here and do some last minute training, we'll go inside and get our rooms for the night." Brock said.

"I'll stay here and spar with you Ash; I need something to drain this adrenaline going through me." Misty said.

Dawn and Brock rolled their eyes at Misty's obvious excuse and walked into the Pokémon Center while Ash and Misty stayed outside to do some more training.

"Alright Mist, I wanna work on my anti-Hypnosis technique a little more, I don't want Fantina to be able to break through it somehow." Ash said.

"So you want me to try and break through?" Misty figured.

"You got it! And don't hold anything back!" Ash replied.

So Ash and Misty battled through all sorts of scenarios, trying to plug up any holes that Ash's strategy may have had, and before they knew it, it had gotten dark outside.

"Guys, you've been training for hours, why not come inside?" Dawn suggested, bored from watching the two train all day.

"What do you say guys? You ready for tomorrow?" Ash asked his three Pokémon. Pikachu, Chimchar, and Buizel all agreed with much enthusiasm, and they, minus Pikachu of course, happily returned to their Pokéballs for a much needed rest.

"I really think you've nailed that anti-Hypnosis defense Ash." Brock said.

"You think THAT'S impressive, wait'll you see what we practiced with Chimchar." Misty said.

"Yeah! One thing's for sure, we're not only gonna win that fifth gym badge, but we're gonna show Barry what's REALLY important!" Ash replied.

"You know what else is important? Sleep. I tell ya Ash, I don't think me or my Pokémon can keep up the pace you set. The adrenaline in me just drained and now I'm exhausted!" Misty said wearily.

"Sorry Mist, but I'm totally psyched! Once Barry sees Fantina giving me my fifth gym badge, he's gonna have a huge slice of humble pie!" Ash said excitedly.

The group walked into the center and headed up the stairs into their room. "You know Barry isn't really all that bad." Dawn said.

"He's just a little confused that's all. He has the makings to be a really good trainer; he just has to learn that it's not all about strength. But he's off to a good start with his Empoleon and that Heracross we saw." Brock added.

"I guess. I know this much, he's nothing like Paul." Ash said.

Just then, the door to their room burst open, invoking screams of terror from the two girls. "I heard that Ash! My room is next door! What do you mean I'm nothing like Paul?" Barry yelled angrily.

At this point, whatever anger Barry had, it was dwarfed by what Misty felt. She did NOT appreciate Barry intruding. "You have until the count of three to get your butt out of this room!" she screamed furiously.

"One!"

"But I wanna know what he meant by that!" Barry said.

"TWO!"

"Look, all I want is an answer and I'll leave you guys alone!" Barry shouted nervously.

"GET OUT!" Misty charged towards the door with mallet in hand, and the terrified trainer scrambled back to his room, tripping over his own feet on the way out their door.

Misty slammed the door closed, and crossed her arms in frustration. "How do ya like that guy? Barging in like he owns the place?"

"You know you didn't have to be so harsh with him." Dawn said with sympathy for the trainer Misty had just chased out.

"And if we had decided to get undressed before he came in?" Misty asked, forcing Dawn to imagine the scenario.

"Then me and Brock wouldn't be here either, we'd probably get kicked out too." Ash joked. The two guys laughed at their joke, and the two girls had suddenly gained mischievous smirks on their faces.

Ash and Brock immediately stopped laughing when they saw the devilish gleam in the two girls' eyes. "Uh oh."

In the blink of an eye, Brock was thrown out of the room and he landed face first in the hallway, and a few seconds later Ash was thrown out, and he landed on top of the breeder just as he was getting up, and they both gave an "oof" of pain when they collided with the floor.

"Now if you'll excuse us, we have girl stuff to do." Dawn giggled. The door was slammed in the two boy's faces, leaving them confused and bewildered. "Sooo…what do we do now?" Brock asked.

"Well we could…" Ash was cutoff suddenly.

"Anything but training Ash! Have you eaten yet?" Brock asked.

"No…heh, guess I forgot I was hungry." Ash chuckled.

Brock rolled his eyes, "Come on, I'll treat you to a quick dinner in the cafeteria."

The two males headed down the hallway to get something in their stomachs, while the girls did their thing. "Why are you so sympathetic towards Barry anyway?" Misty asked, making sure to speak softly enough so that Barry couldn't hear.

"Well…we're both from Twinleaf Town, and he's seems like an ok guy. I just didn't think you had to be as rough on him as you would be on Paul or someone like him." Dawn replied.

Misty got uncomfortably close to the coordinator's face, causing Dawn to back up a little, "What?" she asked nervously.

"You like Barry don't you?" Misty asked knowingly.

"Well…I wouldn't say THAT much, but…he is kinda…well…cute, I guess." Dawn trailed off near the end.

"I KNEW there was a real reason. What? Did you think that I wouldn't approve?" Misty asked.

"Well since you're working so hard to get me and Kenny together, I thought you might be angry since you don't even like Barry anyway." Dawn admitted.

"Well hold on, hold on, just because you think Barry's cute doesn't mean that you throw Kenny away like a tissue you know. I see cute guys all the time but that doesn't mean that I dump Ash for one of them." Misty said.

"But what if I decide I like Barry better than Kenny?" Dawn asked.

"Well, have you told Kenny that you like him?" Misty asked.

"No not yet. I haven't talked to him since the Celestic Town contest. It's kinda hard to get a hold of him since he's always training somewhere." Dawn replied.

"Well take my advice. As a fellow girl, I personally think that Kenny would be better for you since you're both coordinators and you've known each other for a long time. Barry seems like he still has a lot to learn about Pokémon and he doesn't seem like the right type for your personality. Plus the fact that he must be at least two years older than you. He's Brock's height, so I'd guess he's like sixteen or seventeen." Misty explained.

"But there is one kind of…awkward drawback about Kenny that I never really mentioned before." Dawn said.

"And what's that?" Misty asked.

"Well…it's kinda weird that…well…you know…I'm – uh…well…" Dawn's stammering was cut-off by an impatient Misty. "Spit it out already!"

"…I'm taller than him."

Misty just stood there in silence, blinking occasionally as she processed what Dawn had said, "And…that's it?"

"Well…yeah…I mean, it's no big deal or anything, I'm only taller by like half an inch, but wasn't it weird for you to look down on Ash when YOU were taller than him?" Dawn asked.

"Admittedly I did find it a TAD awkward, but I always reminded myself that physical appearance wasn't too important. Take me for example. If you had seen me while I was travelling with Ash in Kanto, you'd know why my sisters called me scrawny. But look at me now, I've grown and filled out a lot since then." Misty said.

"But that's YOU. What about Ash? And more importantly, Kenny." Dawn said.

"Well how old is Kenny?" Misty asked.

"Same as me, thirteen. I think maybe a few months older if that means anything." Dawn replied.

"Well there ya go. The fact is, girls mature faster than boys, so for a while at least, a lot of girls wind up taller than the male population. But if Kenny's height REALLY bugs you, don't worry. In a year or so, maybe even a few months from now, Kenny will start hitting those growth spurts Ash is going through." Misty said reassuringly.

"Well…if you say so. But I still think Barry's cute." Dawn said.

"That's fine; I'm just giving you my opinion and a few facts. If you still think Barry's better, then go for it. But don't throw Kenny under the bus just yet, you owe him a chance. Promise?" Misty asked.

"Ok, I promise." Dawn said.

"Good." Misty replied, "Now, how about a quick manicure while we have a little privacy?"

"Sure…one question though Misty." Dawn said.

"What's up?" Misty replied.

"Where'd you learn all this stuff anyway?" Dawn asked.

"When you're not battling challengers, a Gym Leader needs to find a way to pass the time. So, I read just about every book in the gym, including one about health. It's amazing what you learn when you're bored." Misty giggled. The two girls laughed gleefully, and then Misty went into the bathroom to grab some nail polish, leaving Dawn by herself.

"You wanna know something Ash?" Brock said, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"What Brock?" Ash replied.

"That's the fifth time now I've seen you pull your shirt down tonight. I think you're getting too big for your clothes." Brock said with a mouthful of ham and turkey.

"I guess it has been bugging me for a while now, but I've been so busy training lately that I forget to notice. And then when I DO notice it bugs me more than it should." Ash replied before taking a slurp of his soda.

"When was the last time you called your mom? Maybe she can get you some new clothes." Brock suggested.

"(Sigh) The last time I called her was when I told her that Misty was my girlfriend. But now I'm not so sure I even WANNA call her since she gave me 'the talk' that last time. She'll probably want to know everything me and Misty have been doing for so long." Ash replied.

"Uh, Ash, HAVE you and Misty 'done' anything?" Brock asked.

Ash suddenly grew wide-eyed, "No Brock! I mean, we've kissed a few times but nothing like THAT! I mean hello! We're not even adults yet! I would never even THINK of (shudder) THAT."

"Then what's the problem?" Brock asked.

"Well…I guess I don't want ANOTHER 'talk'. You know my mom, she cares about me a lot, and she wants to make sure that I'm behaving even all the way out here." Ash replied.

"That's what a mom does Ash, she loves you." Brock said, finally finishing off his sandwich.

"I guess so." Ash finally said.

"Now why don't you call your mom and ask for another set of clothes? One more growth spurt and your ankles will get cold." Brock joked.

"I think I will Brock…tomorrow." Ash replied.

"Fair enough." Brock shrugged.

So the two guys walked back to the room and knocked on the door. "Come on Mist, can't you and Dawn let us in now?" Ash whined.

"Sorry Ash, we're doing each other's nails, we're having a girl's night and YOU'RE not invited." Misty teased from the other side of the door.

"Pikachupi!" (Misty!) Pikachu exclaimed from Ash's shoulder.

"Oh! Pikachu's invited for sure! Buneary wants someone to hold her foot while we do her paws!" Dawn exclaimed.

The door opened just a crack, and the electric mouse scampered into the room, leaving Ash and Brock in shock. "You know we need to get in there at some point right?" Brock asked.

"Why not ask Barry if he has room?" Misty suggested. "Are you nuts? I don't wanna bunk with him!" Ash yelled.

"Oh you won't be out there forever, just until our nails dry." Dawn said.

"Oh really? Staravia! I know you can hear me! Come out and use 'Whirlwind'!" Ash yelled through the door.

Misty and Dawn ran for Ash's backpack, but they were too late to prevent Ash's bird to emerge from her Pokéball. "Now now Staravia…" Dawn said fearfully. "No need to listen to Ash now, he's barking out orders in frustration and anger and…" Misty was cut-off by the hard flapping of Staravia's wings.

From the other side of the door, it was Ash and Brock's turn to laugh out loud as they heard the panicked screaming of Misty and Dawn over the wind Staravia was making.

Ash and Brock stopped laughing momentarily when the door whooshed open and Pikachu came flying out in a rush of wind. Ash caught his electric mouse, who gave an annoyed "Pika" upon being caught.

"Sorry Pikachu, I wasn't expecting Staravia to make that much wind. Guess all that training's making her a lot stronger." Ash said.

Ash and Brock walked into the room and looked around in shock, the room had been turned to shambles by Staravia's 'Whirlwind', and the worst was yet to come.

Ash and Brock screamed in terror when they saw the sorry shape they had left the girls in. Their hair was sticking out in all directions and their pajamas were all wrinkled from the wind attack. But as bad as they looked, they felt even worse.

"Well…I bet your nails are dry." Ash said nervously.

"Oh yes Ash, our nails are quite dry, along with your sense of humor." Misty said, trying desperately to keep from exploding.

"Well, you're in Ash; I think I'll go see Nurse Joy!" Brock attempted a hasty retreat, but the door was quickly slammed shut by Dawn.

"Not so fast Brock, you were a part of this too." Dawn said.

"Well boys, you got what you wanted, you're in. And now that you are, you get to clean up the mess you made." Misty said insistently.

"But wait a minute! I didn't…hold on, I'M the oldest! Why are YOU telling ME what to do?" Brock asked, standing up to the water-trainer.

"Because WE'RE the ones who were victimized." Misty said, stepping up to Brock.

"WE'RE the ones who were here first." Dawn added, also stepping up to Brock.

"AND…I'M the one with the mallet-power to MAKE you do it." Misty grabbed Brock by the ear and dragged him down to the floor, while Dawn watched.

"NOW what do you have to say?" Dawn asked.

"I say…why isn't Ash helping me clean up? Move it Ash!" Brock yelled.

After returning Staravia to her Pokéball, Ash began scrambling along with Brock, picking up fallen objects, wiping off any spilled liquids, and remaking the ruined beds.

After a few moments, the two panting males stopped and looked on their job with a satisfied smile. "Guess we did a pretty good job." Ash said.

"You'd think so wouldn't you?" Misty asked.

The two boys turned around and remembered that it wasn't just the room they had messed up. "Now you get to brush our hair back EXACTLY the way it was." Dawn said.

"What's the point in arguing?" Brock said.

The two boys moaned and grabbed a brush while the two girls sat themselves down on a bed. "How long do you think we can keep this going?" Dawn asked quietly.

"We'll let them off the hook after this; after all, it WAS us who pulled the first prank." Misty replied.

So while Brock brushed Dawn's hair out of fear of Misty's wrath, Ash was brushing Misty's. Although Ash didn't seem to be suffering all that much.

"You're slowing down Ash, something wrong?" Misty asked.

She didn't get a reply, since Ash was off in his own little world. _"Her hair's so soft…" _At this point, Ash was brushing Misty's silky, long hair mindlessly, he didn't snap out of it until Misty turned around to see what was up.

"Yoo hoo, Ash?" Misty said.

Ash blinked a few times and blushed when he realized what had happened to him. "Heh, sorry Mist. I dunno what came over me."

Misty blushed as well. _"I've got a pretty good idea. (Giggle)" _

So after Misty and Dawn thanked the boys for their job well done, they took their showers and headed to their bunks.

Misty was already asleep when Ash cautiously shuffled his way under the covers, and snuggled into his head pillow for a well-deserved rest. Before Ash's consciousness left him however, he heard a soft whimpering coming from above him.

"Dawn, you ok?" he asked tiredly.

After hearing that Dawn was having fears again, Pikachu and Buneary hopped up to her bed and looked around vigilantly. "I know I saw something." Dawn whispered fearfully.

Pikachu gently pet Dawn's cheek, and walked over to the foot of her bunk for guard duty once more. Buneary walked over as well, and cuddled up next to him for some rest until it was her shift. Pulling what seemed like unnecessary guard duty had become routine for the two Pokémon, and they enjoyed the time it gave them together.

"Thanks you two." Dawn whispered, finally settling down.

From below, Ash smiled and closed his eyes once more, and a few moments later he felt a soft hand trying to gain access to his fingers. Ash smiled to himself once more as he allowed the hand to entwine its fingers into his own.

He opened his eyes a slit and saw Misty's sleeping form, happy even in her sleep, as she unconsciously gave his hand a squeeze. "G'night Mist."

Early the next morning, Misty woke up to find that Ash had actually beaten her to the wake-up call, and was already outside with Pikachu, Chimchar, and Buizel.

She yawned and stretched as she forced her body to its feet, still tired from the intense training session Ash and his Pokémon had put her and her Pokémon through. _"I'm getting stronger being Ash's sparring partner out here than I ever would've in Cerulean, but he's definitely not making it easy." _She thought, as she did a few neck rolls to get the aches and pains out of her.

She quickly got dressed and went out to the battlefield where Ash was training yet again. "Alright Pikachu, spin and use 'Thunderbolt'!"

Pikachu jumped up, and the carousel of electricity started up again as the electric bolts shot off in all directions. "Yeah Pikachu! I think we've got it nailed!" Ash exclaimed.

"Geez Ash, no good morning kiss? Not even a hug? What kind of a boyfriend are you?" Misty asked teasingly, making sure to smile so Ash didn't misinterpret.

"Morning Mist, sorry about that but I'm just really psyched! My rematch with Fantina will be here in a little while and I want my Pokémon to be ready to go!" Ash replied determinedly.

Now Dawn and Brock came out as well, they were woken up by Misty's shuffling around. "Training again? Come on Ash, take a break already." Dawn whined.

"I know you wanna be ready, but you've gotta give your Pokémon a rest or they won't have energy for the battle against Fantina." Brock added.

"It won't matter how ready he thinks he is!" a voice exclaimed.

The group turned around and saw Barry, wearing a smug grin on his face. "So Ash, ready to lose again?"

"Nope, I'm ready to win it! And I'll show you what's really important about Pokémon!" Ash quipped back.

"Yeah sure, whatever. I do have one question though." Barry said.

"What is it?" Ash replied.

"What was all that noise about last night? For some reason I felt like a hurricane was blowing next to my room." Barry said.

Ash face-faulted and quickly recovered. "That's personal, don't worry about it." he said.

"Fine, whatever. Hey wait a sec! Why are we stalling! Let's hurry to the gym so I can see Fantina take you down!" Barry took off running, persuading the others to do the same.

Before they knew it, they had reached the gym once more, and they entered inside to be greeted by rows of pink seats and glass stained windows surrounding them.

"Welcome to the Hearthome Gym." a man said.

The group was greeted by a young man in a white dress shirt, a light blue dress jacket, and a bowtie to match. "I gather that you are the challenger our Gym Leader has been so excited about?" the man asked.

"I guess so! I'm ready to give it my all, that's for sure!" Ash exclaimed.

"Excellent. If your friends will kindly take their seats in the stands, we will begin. Fantina is waiting." the man led Ash to his end of the battlefield while the others filed into the stands to cheer their friend on.

The man took his place on the side of the field and set the mood, "Now brace yourselves for unparalleled grace and charm as we call in our fabulous Gym Leader and elegant dancer, Fantina!"

The doors on the other side of the gym burst open, and in a bright white light, Fantina emerged. "Ahh, bienvenue mes amis to the Hearthome Gym!" Fantina began dancing in circles as the excitement built in the air, "And rejoice mes amis as this exciting day has FINALLY come…for my rematch with Ash! (Giggle)"

"You're not beating me this time Fantina!" Ash yelled determinedly, "Soon I'll be holding my fifth badge!"

"(Giggle) I'm not one to give up the Relic Badge easily!" Fantina replied.

"Well WE don't battle easily!" Ash quipped back.

"Boy, Ash looks totally pumped up about this!" Dawn exclaimed. "After all that training we did, did you think he wouldn't be?" Misty added.

"But don't forget Fantina's a Gym Leader, and their job is to be able to beat all kinds of strategies that their opponent's throw at them. Ash can't get overconfident." Brock said.

"Oh please, confidence is half the battle!" Barry exclaimed.

"Hush Barry. Unless you have something positive to say, don't say it." Misty warned.

"But HE didn't say something positive!" Barry complained.

"Ok fine, unless you have something USEFUL to say." Misty corrected herself.

Barry crossed his arms and frowned, he wanted to keep arguing on the inside, but his outside was scared of the pain Misty could inflict.

"Hey Barry, watch and learn!" Ash exclaimed, snickering as he wound up Barry's ego and temper for kicks.

Barry stood up and formed a mini-megaphone with his hands. "Come on Ash, I don't need to LEARN what a loser you are, I already know that!"

Ash growled a bit when Barry said that, but his anger quickly vanished when Misty grabbed Barry by the wrist and forced him to sit down. Misty then blew Ash a good luck kiss, and the black-haired trainer immediately felt energized.

"What's with you anyway?" Barry mumbled. "He's my boyfriend if you must know." Misty hissed.

_"How does a loser like Ash make a catch like her? Whatever, that mallet of hers probably gave him brain damage."_ Barry thought.

"The Hearthome Gym battle rematch between Ash and Fantina will now begin! Each trainer will use three Pokémon, and when all three of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to continue the battle is over, and only the challenger may substitute Pokémon at any time." the man announced.

"Allons-y Gengar! Battle position tout suite!" Fantina called out her first Pokémon, and the ghostly Pokémon emerged and hovered over Ash and Pikachu with a menacing look in its eyes.

"A Gengar." Ash mumbled.

From the stands, Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex to scan the ghost/poison-type Pokémon. "Gengar, the Shadow Pokémon, and the evolved form of Haunter. Gengar hides in the shadows. If a Gengar is nearby, it is said to feel ten degrees cooler than normal." the Pokédex chirped.

"Ugh, no wonder the Lavender Tower felt so cold." Misty shuddered.

Ash was about to throw out a Pokéball, but Gengar suddenly started looking around with curiosity. "Que se passé Gengar? What's wrong?" Fantina asked.

After a few moments, Gengar just shrugged and gave its master a thumbs-up to show it was ready to go. "Very well, ok Ash, choose your Pokémon!" Fantina exclaimed.

"I wonder if they're gonna use 'Hypnosis' soon…ok Buizel, I choose you!" Ash's water-type emerged with its arms crossed, and the two Pokémon stared each other down fiercely.

"Alright Buizel, let's show them what special training can do!" Ash exclaimed. Buizel turned to Ash and gave a determined thumbs-up.

"Oh! I love the sound of special training! So let's not waste a moment and get going tout suite!" Fantina exclaimed excitedly.

The hovering Gengar descended down to Buizel, and made a "bring it on gesture" with its cold and dark hand.

Buizel took that like a slap in the face, as it growled angrily at the Shadow Pokémon. "Buizel looks ready for anything now." Dawn said in awe.

"The challenger claims the first move. Battle begin!" the man turned referee roared.

"Ok! 'Aqua Jet', go!" Ash ordered. Buizel charged upwards at the floating ghost at incredible speed, but the Shadow Pokémon merely floated out of the way, giving both Ash and Buizel a shock.

Barry stood up suddenly once more, "I've seen that! The way Fantina's Pokémon keep floating all over the place like that makes it nearly impossible for a challenger to land an attack!"

"That special ability 'Levitate' sure works. Ash's strategy needs to deal with Fantina's Pokémon's unpredictable movements if he wants to defeat her." Brock said, as they watched Gengar float around Buizel in circles.

"You see, this is how a ghost-type Pokémon moves," Fantina said, doing various dance moves and poses, "The question is, how do you handle it Ash?"

"Just you wait and see!" Ash quipped back, "Sonic Boom', go!"

Buizel launched a blast of sound with a swing of its tail, but again Gengar just floated out of the way like it was nothing.

"(Giggle) There won't be much of a battle to see if this keeps up." Fantina began dancing once more, "It's showtime! Starring the one and only Gengar the Great!"

Gengar moved back, and then charged forward with blinding speed. Using its ghostly powers, Gengar moved from place to place, totally disorienting Buizel. Then Gengar seemingly vanished into thin air.

"Buizel, look up!" Ash yelled. The water-weasel whipped its head up, and there was Gengar hovering up above. "Now! 'Shadow Punch'!" Fantina ordered.

Gengar cocked back its fist, and its hand crackled with an eerily dark energy. Buizel jumped back to dodge the initial strike, but it was hit by a shadow of the Shadow Pokémon's fist.

"Uh oh, hey Buizel, you alright?" Ash asked.

"What move was that?" Dawn asked.

"A really scary move, that's for sure." Barry replied.

"Shadow Punch' is not only fantastic, but it is also a ghost-type Pokémon move that NEVER misses. What a way to begin! Next up, 'Hypnosis'!" Fantina exclaimed. Gengar formed two red balls of light, and red beams fired from them.

"Here it comes Ash!" Misty shouted from the stands.

"And we're ready for it! Ok Buizel, spin and use 'Water Gun'!" Ash countered. Buizel started break dancing while attacking, and just as they practiced, the resulting spray of water knocked out the 'Hypnosis' AND hit Gengar as well.

"So much for their 'Hypnosis'!" Ash cheered.

"Perfect!" Dawn exclaimed. "Just like we practiced!" Misty added.

"Whoa, I don't believe it…they really stopped it!" Barry said in shock.

"Don't move Gengar or you'll take damage!" Fantina exclaimed worriedly, "And don't let your body touch the water!"

"Amazing! Not only did they stop the 'Hypnosis', but they're attacking as well!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That was what we worked on! The whole point of that is to block the opponent's move while making sure that they land a hit one way or another. No matter where Gengar goes, there's no escape!" Misty added.

"As long as Buizel's water barrier stays up, Gengar can't move the way it wants to, and that gives Ash a huge advantage since the battle's a little more evened out." Brock added.

Barry stood up once more, "Hey listen up Ash! If that's your strategy, you better stick with it!"

"Will you sit down?" Misty dragged the hyperactive Barry back to his seat and gave him a stern look.

"What? I said something useful!" Barry whined. "He doesn't need your approval you know." Misty replied.

Barry crossed his arms in frustration once more and pouted. _"What a grouch." _

Buizel finally stopped spinning, and Gengar fell like a brick and hit the ground. Enraged, Gengar stood up, but did not get airborne again out of not wanting to get hit by Buizel's spinning move again.

"Guess all our special training proves that the strongest defense can come in the form of an attack too." Ash said cockily.

"Ooo la la Ash, laying down an attack and defending all at once? I think we should call your technique the 'Counter Shield' oui?" Fantina said.

"Counter Shield' huh? That's got a nice ring to it!" Ash replied.

"Now we'll see how you like 'Night Shade'!" Fantina ordered while doing a graceful dance step.

Gengar jumped back into the air with sinisterly glowing, red eyes. "(Gasp) That's what it is I see every night!" Dawn squealed in fear.

Misty glanced over at Dawn for a moment, but her attention was quickly diverted back to the battlefield where Ash was calling out his counter move. "Water Pulse', go!"

Buizel leaped into the air and launched an energized ball of water towards the ground just as black beams shot out of Gengar's eyes.

Both attacks hit their respective targets, and the two Pokémon both fell to the ground with a thud. When the dust cleared, Buizel was still standing, but Gengar had officially fallen.

"Is it over?" Dawn asked fearfully. While the referee made the announcement, Misty took another glimpse at Dawn, who was seemingly starting to relax after being scared by Gengar for some reason.

She was about to ask Dawn what was wrong, when Fantina gave a shriek of shock. "NOOOOOOOOO!"

"Hey, we did it Buizel!" Ash cheered, giving a thumbs-up to his tough guy water-type. Buizel responded with a thumbs-up of its own.

"Buizel sure put up a good fight; all that training seems to be paying off." Misty said with satisfaction.

"Wow, guess the best attack after 'Counter Shield' is a fast one. What a strategy." Brock added.

Barry was growling with frustration the whole time. "Man! I can't believe Ash didn't even break a sweat when I ended up not beating ONE of Fantina's Pokémon!"

"Maybe that's because you're not as strong as you think perhaps?" Misty suggested.

"Or…maybe because Barry just didn't have the same strategy that Ash has." Dawn suggested.

"Why don't you both just knock it off?" Barry said with frustration.

"I'm trying to defend you!" Dawn exclaimed angrily.

"I don't need defending! I need to beat Fantina!" Barry replied just as angrily.

Dawn pouted and crossed her arms and legs in frustration; she caught a glimpse of Misty who was giving her an "I told you so" kind of look.

Dawn was also beginning to think as well._ "I think Misty's right after all. Barry's cute alright, but his attitude needs some SERIOUS adjusting."_

"Buizel, return." Ash recalled his fatigued water-type, "Buizel I'm gonna need you a bit later, so take a good rest."

"Alor, merci Gengar, return." Fantina returned her fainted Shadow Pokémon, "You're quite the challenger formidable Ash."

Barry stood up again in anger, "Hey! What did she just say to him? She didn't say anything nice to me at all!"

Misty, Dawn, and Brock sweat-dropped at the trainer, and then Misty yanked him back down once again. "Honestly, I will glue your butt to the bleachers if you get up again." Misty threatened.

Barry decided then and there to move over from where Misty was sitting to sit next to Brock. "I'm sitting over here where it's safer and I can heckle all I want!" Barry exclaimed.

"You'd be surprised how well I can aim my mallet!" Misty threatened.

Ash just chuckled at his two friends' argument. "Alright Mist, let him off the hook, all that matters is that we stay sharp and this is in the bag!" Ash exclaimed from the stands.

Misty smiled and calmed down almost immediately when she heard that. She pumped her fist and Ash did the same, as Ash felt energized once more by Misty's support.

"You know you owe him for that right?" Brock said. Barry slumped in his seat and tried extremely hard to sit quietly, but the constant temptation to say something, anything, was eating away at him.

"Alright Pikachu, what say we make quick work of her other two Pokémon?" Ash said determinedly.

"Oh, I've never had so much fun! (Giggle) So you can guess who's next." Fantina clutched another Pokéball and threw it out, "Mismagius! Battle position!"

The ghost-type Pokémon emerged and began floating similarly to how Gengar did. "Now Ash let me tell you something up front. Please keep in mind that Mismagius cannot learn 'Hypnosis'." Fantina said, "And now it's time for me to ask you something…exactly how are you planning to deal with this?"

"Boy, she's sure not keeping any secrets." Brock said.

"But why? All she's doing is putting herself at a disadvantage, right?" Barry asked.

"Actually, it's common for Gym Leaders to share their strategies with challengers. I know I did it enough times in Cerulean, it helps the challengers to stay on their toes." Misty replied.

"And it's technically the Gym Leader's job to share their techniques since they're supposed to provide a broad range of challenges to up and coming trainers." Brock added.

And sure enough, down on the field, Ash's gears were turning in his mind as he brought back any memories he had of Mismagius. "Ok, let's figure this out." he said to himself, "I'm pretty sure when Zoey battled Mismagius; it used Psychic-moves and 'Magical Leaf'…"

Then Ash suddenly realized what his strategy should be. He grabbed for a Pokéball and held it tightly, "Then WE'RE gonna have to deal with 'Magical Leaf's' power as well! Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash threw out the Pokéball, and the small fire-monkey emerged with a determined chatter.

"Let's see what you've got Chimchar." Fantina said. Mismagius added onto that in its own language.

"Flame Wheel', now!" Ash roared. Chimchar formed into a wheel of blazing fire, and charged straight for the floating Mismagius. Initially, Mismagius managed to dodge in the exact same way that Gengar had, but Chimchar was determined to hit its target as it turned its attack around and jumped for Mismagius.

"Wow! I had no idea Chimchar could jump!" Fantina exclaimed in awe.

"Oh man, that must take a lot of power!" Barry said.

"Are you kidding? That agility comes naturally for Chimchar!" Misty exclaimed.

"Go!" Ash roared. Chimchar was quickly closing the distance between itself and Mismagius, and was ready to strike, but then Fantina made her move. "Hmm…alor Mismagius! 'Psywave'!"

Mismagius emitted waves of psychic energy, and the charging Chimchar was knocked out of its 'Flame Wheel' and it hit the ground with a painful thud with the waves still hitting it even after collision.

"That looked like it hurt." Misty cringed. "I'll bet it did! I think Chimchar just took some serious damage. Psychic-moves sure are something to behold." Brock added.

"Hey Chimchar, are you alright?" Ash asked worriedly. Chimchar slowly got back to its feet, but Ash could tell by the groaning Chimchar was doing that it was in pain.

"Does this surprise you Ash?" Fantina said, "Well hang on because there is much left I have to show you."

"Man, that 'Psywave' sure can be a pain…I think it's time for a little 'Counter Shield' action." Ash said to himself.

"Alright Chimchar, spin and use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash yelled. The fiery primate felt a sudden burst of energy flow through it, and it leaped into the air and began spewing flames in all directions.

"So, this time it's going to be a 'Fire Counter Shield', bien fait!" Fantina said.

Just like before with Gengar, the 'Counter Shield' threw off Mismagius' style of movement, and the flames hit with every move the ghost-type made.

"Use 'Psywave'!" Fantina ordered. For a brief moment, the psychic waves of energy held off the 'Counter Shield', but it didn't hold long as Mismagius was knocked back by a flame.

"No not again!" Fantina cried despairingly.

"Yeah, we held that off too!" Ash cheered.

"Awesome! Ash is kicking!" Barry exclaimed excitedly.

"I saw him counter moves other than 'Hypnosis' in a sparring battle, but who knew it would work in an actual battle?" Dawn said in awe.

"We practiced this stuff for a long time in practice battles and we tried it on every move my Pokémon knew, and it worked almost every single time! Ash has gotten so good at using defense as offense that I can't even tell which is which anymore!" Misty exclaimed.

"Ok Ash, let's see how you deal with this! Mismagius, 'Magical Leaf'!" Fantina ordered. Mismagius spun and glowing leaves shot out and broke up the 'Counter Shield', causing leftover embers to fall all over.

"It…can't be." Ash said in shock.

"I don't understand how Fantina's already managed to break through!" Barry exclaimed.

"Chimchar's moves are supposed to be powerful against grass-type attacks!" Dawn added.

"And we trained an entire day straight on making sure something like this DIDN'T happen, so what gives?" Misty asked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say she's hammering Chimchar with 'Magical Leaf' to break the 'Counter Shield'." Brock explained.

"Now that you said it, it makes sense." Misty commented, albeit sadly.

"Quel dommage Ash, the truth is I learned everything about the 'Counter Shield' when you used it before on Gengar, oui?" Fantina said.

Ash clenched his fists in frustration, "Oh man and after all our hard work…just like a Gym Leader."

"So what's Ash gonna do now that Fantina's busted his strategy wide open?" Barry asked.

Just then Misty realized something. "Hey Ash! I think it's time to use what we worked on with Chimchar!"

Ash looked to the sidelines when she started talking, and when she finished Ash realized what she meant by that. "Alright Chimchar, use 'Flame Wheel' again!"

Chimchar charged forward in a wheel of fire, just as Fantina called out a counter move, "Mismagius, 'Dark Pulse' tout suite!"

The three gems on Mismagius' body formed rings of dark energy, and they fired directly at the charging monkey, but this time Ash was ready.

"Chimchar, 'Flamethrower' and keep it up!" Ash yelled. Still charging under the influence of 'Flame Wheel', Chimchar began spewing flames as it advanced towards its target, and the ;Dark Pulse' was soundly countered, which left Fantina in shock.

"Look! Now he's using 'Flame Wheel' as a 'Counter Shield' this time!" Brock exclaimed. "That's awesome! Ash's battling-style just seems to get more and more amazing!" Dawn added.

"I told you you'd be impressed with what Ash and I practiced with Chimchar! Now watch what he does next!" Misty exclaimed.

"Mismagius, 'Psywave' s'il vous plaît!" Fantina ordered. "Yeah, I thought so!" Ash exclaimed suddenly.

Fantina suddenly regretted calling out that move, but it was too late for regrets now. Mismagius emitted waves of psychic energy and knocked out the 'Counter Shield' once again.

"Here it comes!" Misty squealed in anticipation. "Here what comes? Wait a sec; was only the 'Flamethrower' hit?" Barry asked.

Barry's question was quickly answered when Chimchar came flying out of the smoke and nailed Mismagius with a direct hit from 'Flame Wheel'.

Unprepared and off-guard, Mismagius fell to the ground with a dull thud and stayed there. It was quite finished. As Chimchar landed, it looked back on its fallen opponent and chattered with satisfaction.

"Mismagius is unable to battle, Chimchar is the winner!" the referee announced.

Now in complete and total shock and awe, Fantina screeched in despair once more. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Yeah! We did it Chimchar! That extra training we did paid off!" Ash cheered. Chimchar chattered happily as it walked over to where Ash was standing.

"Now with Ash and all of his Pokémon left, it's a three on one battle!" Dawn exclaimed.

"I figured if I blocked your 'Dark Pulse', you'd follow up with a 'Psywave' and I was right!" Ash exclaimed from his end.

"No sense trying to pull the wool over YOUR eyes, is there?" Fantina replied, I am très impressionné."

"First off he knocked out that 'Psywave' with a 'Flamethrower' and then he hit his opponent where it REALLY hurts with a powerful 'Flame Wheel'. That's got Ash written all over it." Brock said.

"You wouldn't believe how impressed I was when he came up with that idea, I'm thinking of trying to use the same strategy with Staryu somehow since it's turning out to be such an effective move." Misty added.

Barry's insides were now eating away at him, he yanked at his hair in frustration and roared out, "Ash is too much I can't take it!" After throwing his tantrum, Barry crossed his arms again and frowned.

Misty, Dawn, and Brock sweat-dropped once more at Barry, who was extremely frustrated that Ash was making him eat his words.

"You did exactly what you needed to do. Thanks Chimchar, take a good rest." Ash returned the celebrating fire-monkey back to its Pokéball for a well-deserved break.

Barry then seemed to lose frustration as something popped into his mind. "Chimchar seems a lot different from back when Paul had it. I saw the two of them competing a while ago, and even though they won the thing, Chimchar didn't seem nearly as happy as it is now."

"Now are you willing to listen to reason? Misty replied, "Paul doesn't treat his Pokémon like companions, like friends. If you had a choice, would you rather be friends with your Pokémon, or have them as your servants like Paul?"

This gave Barry something to think about for a while, and Dawn noticed that by watching Ash battle and the way he interacted with his Pokémon, a change, albeit a slight one, was starting to become evident in Barry's views towards Pokémon. _"Maybe he'll turn out ok after all."_ She thought hopefully.

By this time, Fantina had called back Mismagius and was ready to call out her final hope of victory. "And now for my third Pokémon, voilà, Drifblim!"

The Blimp Pokémon that had previously defeated two of Ash's Pokémon, finally being defeated by the mighty Charizard, emerged and floated freely. "Whoa, it's Drifblim." Ash said, slightly intimidated.

"Now Ash, I am certainement that you remember Drifblim, and as you can plainly see it has gotten much even stronger and more beautiful than before." Fantina said confidently.

Ash looked down beside him to make his final choice. "It's up to you buddy!"

Pikachu nodded and scampered onto the field with furiously sparking red cheeks. And when Pikachu jumped onto the field, Dawn's Buneary popped out of her Pokéball to cheer on the electric-mouse.

"Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu wasted no time activating his version of the 'Counter Shield' as the carousel of electricity nailed Drifblim in no time at all.

"What a hit! Drifblim can't move!" Dawn cheered.

After seeing that Pikachu had paralyzed the Blimp Pokémon, Ash's confidence level went way up. "Fantina, you may have countered our flame shield with 'Magical Leaf' but what are you gonna do about our electric shield?"

Fantina smirked. "You certainly didn't waste any time paralyzing Drifblim now did you? But perhaps you forget that Drifblim can use Psychic-moves as well, like 'Psychic'."

Drifblim's eyes had been closed from the pain of being paralyzed, but when it opened its eyes, they glowed light blue and the paralysis literally became a victim of mind over matter as Drifblim used its psychic powers to shake off the paralysis.

Ash and Pikachu both gasped in shock and the spectators in the stands were just as shocked that Drifblim had such power.

"Yes, your 'Counter Shield' is an effective strategy. But please remember that all good things must come to an end, n'est-ce pas?" Fantina said coolly.

Ash growled, he was getting really intimidated by Fantina since it seemed that the 'Counter Shield' he had worked so hard to perfect wasn't going to work anymore.

"I think your strategy has sprung a leak! So perhaps the time has come for you to do some retooling while I do a little myself, voilà! 'Will-O-Wisp'!" Fantina ordered.

Drifblim formed blue, ghostly flames and awaited further orders. "Now use 'Psychic' to control the 'Will-O-Wisp'!"

Drifblim complied, and the blue flames began spinning faster and faster around the Blimp Pokémon, and a rotating shield was created by Fantina's creativity. "Pikachu, knock it away with 'Thunderbolt'!"

Pikachu jumped and used his 'Counter Shield' against Fantina's, but Fantina's shield didn't budge, and Pikachu ran out of stamina before any ground could be gained. "Oh no, it's sealed up!" Ash cried.

"As you can plainly see, my Drifblim is sealed into the 'Counter Shield'. It's like a 'Counter Counter Shield'." Fantina giggled.

Pikachu jumped back and put distance between himself and Drifblim, awaiting further orders from Ash.

"Drifblim's 'Psychic' maintains the powerful rings of the 'Will-O-Wisp', and it will last much longer than any move of yours!" Fantina exclaimed, "Alor, on we go!"

Drifblim took off the shield like a piece of clothing, and threw it down to where Pikachu was standing. Caught off guard, Pikachu was now trapped within Drifblim's shield, and the Blimp Pokémon descended and grabbed Pikachu's cheeks, ready for its grand finale.

"This is exactly what happened in their last battle!" Dawn exclaimed. "Ash, get Pikachu out of there and fast!" Misty cried.

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash roared. Pikachu obliged, but Drifblim's shield kept Pikachu's electricity sealed up with nowhere to go.

"Now 'Hypnosis'." Fantina ordered.

Knowing Pikachu had only a few seconds to react, Ash thought quickly. "Pikachu, try using 'Volt Tackle' to burst out of there!"

Pikachu tried with all its might to start up its electric veil without a running start, just as Drifblim launched the sleep-inducing attack.

Pikachu somehow managed to knock away the 'Will-O-Wisp' prison and even managed to graze Drifblim with some electricity from the 'Volt Tackle', but the moment Pikachu started running forward, it slowed to a halt, and fell to the ground asleep.

"No way!" Ash exclaimed in worry. "Now, 'Ominous Wind'!" Fantina ordered.

Shaking off what little damage had been done from getting grazed by 'Volt Tackle', Drifblim hovered over to where Pikachu was fast-asleep, got up close, and launched the ghostly attack at point-blank range.

Pikachu was sent flying, and Ash managed to catch the fainted Pokémon and hold it tightly in his arms, "Oh man, Pikachu." he mumbled.

"Pikachu is unable to battle, Drifblim's the winner!" the referee announced.

"Oh man, Ash managed to break free with that 'Volt Tackle', but it was too late for him to avoid 'Hypnosis'." Misty said sadly.

"Pikachu, that was an awesome job…thank you." Ash placed the saddened Pokémon onto the ground and kneeled down in front of it, "Hey, your hard work's gonna pay off I'm sure of it."

Barry watched as Ash consoled the small Pokémon, and he started thinking again. _"He doesn't look angry at all; in fact…he seems happy. But that doesn't make any sense, he lost! Why is he happy?"_

"Hey, you wanna go up to the stands and take a rest?" Ash asked. Pikachu look past Ash, and saw Buneary who was waving at him invitingly. Pikachu smiled, nodded, and scampered up to the stands, where the small rabbit treated Pikachu to a back massage.

"Alor, such a touching moment indeed." Fantina gushed.

Ash smiled and watched for a moment, then got back to the matter at hand. "I gotta do something about 'Will-O-Wisp'. Now Buizel, you're up again!"

The water-weasel emerged a second time, and looked up at the shield enveloped Blimp Pokémon that was hovering over it.

"So Ash, how are you going to attack this time?" Fantina asked with some excitement and anticipation.

"Like this! Spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!" Ash ordered. Buizel torque its waist to gain some extra power into 'Aqua Jet', and charged forward just as Drifblim threw its shield away to hit Buizel.

But just as Ash expected, the 'Aqua Jet' extinguished the flames, and the Blimp Pokémon took a direct hit from Buizel's empowered 'Aqua Jet'. Unfortunately, Drifblim did not go down like Mismagius did, it was determined to hang on and stay strong.

"Ahh, so you brought out a water-type Pokémon to extinguish the flames did you? Alor, 'Ominous Wind'!"

Drifblim recovered and launched a ghostly wind at the water-weasel, and Buizel's 'Aqua Jet' was stopped dead in its tracks by it.

"Come on Buizel, 'Water Pulse', go!" Ash yelled. Buizel quickly recovered and threw the energized water ball down to the ground, causing a large wave to head for Drifblim. "Will-O-Wisp'!" Fantina countered.

This time Drifblim formed the flames without turning them into a shield, and the fire and water collided creating an extremely bright light to flash all around the field.

Buizel instinctively covered its eyes, but that would prove to be a costly mistake. "Not again!" Ash cried.

"Use 'Hypnosis'!" Fantina ordered. Drifblim put Buizel to sleep, and the battle could be considered over then and there. "Now use 'Psychic'!" Fantina ordered.

Drifblim held Buizel suspended in midair, and then threw it down hard to the ground, fainting Buizel and making the battle officially over.

"Buizel's unable to battle, Drifblim's the winner!" the referee announced.

Ash growled nervously, he was quickly running out of options and Drifblim's 'Hypnosis' was starting to drive him crazy.

"Fantina beat Buizel too." Dawn said sadly.

"That Drifblim sure is strong. Knocked out two Pokémon in the blink of an eye." Barry said in awe.

"Ash practiced the 'Counter Shield' technique specifically for Drifblim's 'Hypnosis', but since Fantina saved Drifblim for last, the 'Counter Shield' doesn't work anymore since Fantina figured out how to beat it already." Misty said sadly.

"I wouldn't dismiss the power of 'Hypnosis' if I were you, n'est-ce pas?" Fantina said coolly.

Ash returned Buizel to its Pokéball, "You were great Buizel, thank you." Ash grabbed his final Pokéball and threw it out, "Ok Chimchar, guess you're the last up. I'm counting on ya!"

The fire-monkey emerged for the second time, and was determined to make Ash proud.

"So come and get it!" Fantina exclaimed, as Drifblim formed 'Will-O-Wisp' once more.

"Flame Wheel' now!" Ash roared. Chimchar charged forward with all its might.

"Sorry, but that move's still the same." Fantina said coolly. Drifblim threw down the flames and the fire-monkey was knocked out of 'Flame Wheel', but no damage had actually come to it.

"Flame on flame…" Ash suddenly smirked as a brilliant idea popped into his head, although Fantina was a bit confused.

That's strange, is something funny?" Fantina asked, curious about Ash's sudden change of attitude.

"What's up?" Dawn asked.

"I'd know that sparkle in his eye any day! Ash has an idea!" Misty said excitedly.

"But it's gonna take more than to break their 'Will-O-Wisp'." Barry said.

Upon hearing the negative comment, Misty hopped to the row behind them, and gently whacked Barry on the head with her mallet.

"What was that for?" Barry asked angrily. "I told you to say useful things." Misty replied with a satisfied smirk.

Dawn and Brock rolled their eyes and diverted their attention back to the field. "If they wanna see flames, we'll show 'em flames! 'Flamethrower', go!" Ash roared.

Chimchar fired, and Fantina confidently ordered her 'Counter Shield'. "My 'Counter Shield' works against any move!"

Drifblim launched the 'Counter Shield' down, and it collided with the 'Flamethrower'. But instead of countering it, the 'Flamethrower' merged with the 'Will-O-Wisp', turning it into a purple color and nailing Drifblim with an extra-powered attack.

"They did it! It broke the shield!" Barry exclaimed in shock.

"It didn't just BREAK the shield! That 'Flamethrower' absorbed the 'Will-O-Wisp' like I thought it would, and made it even more powerful! Guess you don't know everything about 'Counter Shields' after all Fantina!" Ash exclaimed.

Fantina giggled with some embarrassment. "I guess I spoke too soon. Your Chimchar's power is vraiment magnifique. But I'm afraid your rematch road ends here! 'Ominous Wind' Drifblim!"

Drifblim launched its most powerful 'Ominous Wind' in hopes of ending the battle before it got out of hand, but Ash was officially on the offensive and there was no turning back now.

"Chimchar! 'Dig', let's go!" Ash yelled. Chimchar dug into the ground and dodged the 'Ominous Wind' and popped out of the ground behind the Blimp Pokémon. "Chimchar, grab a hold of Drifblim, quick!"

Chimchar grabbed onto one of Drifblim's arms and forcefully threw it to the ground. The balloon-like Pokémon bounced like a ball, and Chimchar followed it with extreme determination.

"I've never seen 'Dig' used like that before, go figure!" Barry exclaimed.

"That's because you've never seen Ash use 'Dig' before! Finish it off Ash!" Misty cheered.

"Quel surpris! But now it's time for 'Hypnosis'!" Fantina ordered.

"Chimchar, 'Flamethrower'!" Ash roared.

By the time Drifblim turned around to attack, Chimchar was already there spewing flames at point-blank range. Drifblim took the hit at its full power and hit the ground with a ball-like bounce. But instead of bouncing back up into the air, Drifblim stayed on the ground, fainted.

"Drifblim is unable to battle, so Chimchar wins! And the match goes to Ash the challenger!" the referee announced.

"We did it!" Ash cheered.

Ash's friends in the stands leaped up and celebrated, although Barry was more in shock than happiness.

"Wow! They actually beat Fantina!" Dawn squealed.

"Was there ever any doubt? I knew Ash could do it!" Misty added.

"Things were shaky there for a while, but Ash pulled it off in the end. What a great battle!" Brock added.

"Well that's just great! Now I have to live life knowing Ash did what I couldn't!" Barry groaned. Misty, Dawn, and Brock sweat-dropped at Barry once more.

"Merci beacoup Drifblim, you a truly hard worker." Fantina said, consoling her Pokémon. Drifblim gave a small smile and returned to its Pokéball just as Ash's friends rushed from the bleachers to congratulate him on his victory.

Misty was the first one down and she embraced her boyfriend tightly, laughing happily as she did so. Ash reciprocated exactly the same way, hugging her tightly and laughing with joy.

"You were incredible Ash! Even when the chips were down you pulled it out of the fire with fire!" Misty exclaimed.

"I owe it all to Chimchar; he went all out for me today." Ash replied, petting the fiery primate's head. Chimchar chattered happily in response.

"What an amazing battle! That 'Counter Shield' technique was totally awesome!" Dawn exclaimed.

"And the way you battled with just the right balance of offense and defense was something to watch, way to go." Brock added.

"Hey, thanks guys. But like I said, this victory goes to my Pokémon." Ash replied.

Finally it was Barry's turn to comment. "Well Barry, what'd you think?" Ash asked.

"Well…I guess you were pretty good." Barry replied, although hesitantly.

Ash shrugged and took the comment as a compliment, and then Fantina came up to him. "If you would all follow me please." she said.

Fantina led the group outside the gym, where the sun was already setting after a long and intense battle. "Congratulations Ash, you and all your Pokémon are truly magnifique. S'il vous plaît, take the Relic Badge."

"Wow, thanks!" Ash graciously accepted the badge, and did his signature victory pose. "Alright! We got the Relic Badge!" Pikachu, Chimchar, and Buizel also did their own poses, and the group chuckled at Ash's excitement.

"Merci Ash for a truly incroyable battle, I've never gotten so much enjoyment out of any battle before this. But now I'm afraid it is time for us to part ways." Fantina said somewhat sadly.

"Wow Fantina, thank you. I had a great time too." Ash replied.

"And don't worry ma chéries Misty and Dawn; I have not forgotten my promise to battle you as well. One day our paths shall cross again, and we too shall have a battle incroyable!" Fantina exclaimed.

"Thanks so much Fantina!" Dawn exclaimed. "And when we do have our battle, we'll be ready for you!" Misty added.

Au revoir and adieu mes amis! And good luck out on the road!" Fantina exclaimed.

And with that, the group waved farewell to Fantina and headed back to the Pokémon Center for a well-deserved rest.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, the group, along with Barry, headed to their balcony to enjoy the beauty of the night sky.

"So Barry, where are ya gonna go now?" Ash asked.

"It's a no-brainer. I'm going to Iron Island." Barry replied, not looking back.

"Iron Island?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. I trained there for a while and won at the Canalave Gym. I figure it'll be a good idea to train there again." Barry turned around to meet the group's gaze. "And that's my strategy."

Dawn pulled out a map and pointed out Iron Island to everyone. "See? Iron Island's over there." Dawn said, pointing to a spot on the map, "It's a boat ride from Canalave City."

"So maybe my next gym battle should be at the Canalave Gym. Hey! Why don't we all go there together?" Ash asked.

"Yeah! It'll be fun hanging out together!" Dawn agreed whole-heartedly.

Barry ignored Dawn's comment and leaned on the table looking directly at Ash. "Ok. If you win THERE maybe I'll start thinking of you as a REAL rival." Barry said, apparently getting his smugness back.

"What?" Ash asked in some shock.

"See, the Canalave Gym's main focus is on Steel-types, so give it a shot if you dare! I kinda doubt you can." Barry said with a smug look on his face.

"I'm so sure badge number six is gonna be mine; they might as well give it to me up front!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

Dawn sweat-dropped when the two rivals had a stare-down with each other. "Well, you can't accuse them of not getting into it." she said.

"And no doubt our trip to Canalave City won't be dull in the least." Brock added.

"I'll see to that personally." Misty added with a grin, pulling her mallet out halfway.

And so, filled with confidence after his fifth Sinnoh Gym victory, Ash and the others are headed to Canalave City with the feisty Barry along for the ride, and the group would be moving on the next day on the road to Sinnoh.  
_

**A/N: Well I hope you guys liked it! And uh oh, does anyone smell a love triangle forming? And Misty doesn't like that either. What will happen with Dawn and Kenny/Barry? You all will have to find out later. And lol, Barry abuse. xD If anyone still needs a translation, check chapter 32. All credit for Fantina's French goes to RaianOnzika of dA. Speaking of dA, I wanna give a shout out to Midia-Melodramatic for helping me with bringing my story to life! If you haven't checked yet, she's drawn six images for the first six chapters! Go check her out! One final note, all signed reviews will automatically be added to my self-made notifications list, and you will get messages from me letting you know when the next update should be expected! So make sure to leave a review!**


	38. Sleepless Souls

**Yeah yeah. For those of you who got messages, you're thinking. "Why did he update early?" Well, we're doing a Live Nativity at church and I dunno if I'll have time to do it. It's almost 2:00 A.M. here and I'm pushing myself to the limit to get this out. I do have a couple of anon reviews to reply.**

**Aditya Shukla: Thanks! Here you go! xD**

**Andrew: Don't worry, I already have a plan for Arceus! And I'm glad you like D. Shad too! ^^**

**Tray125: Well I dunno about Max. May already made her cameo, maybe if I decide to bring her back later.**

**lightningblade49: I can only update so fast, sorry. :( And nope, it ain't Luxio. :P**

**So anyways, this one I spent a LOT of time working on, so please tell me what you guys think! I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 38

**Misty's POV**

Well, the past few days have definitely been interesting. We ran into this hyperactive Pokémon Trainer named Barry who actually thought that Paul was someone to look up to! Barry also pushed me to the limit with his wrong attitude towards Pokémon. I mean, he wasn't as bad as Paul, he didn't scold his Pokémon, but he thought that the only thing that mattered was having strong Pokémon, and he didn't even know what bonding with them meant!

So Ash gave him a lesson in Pokémon battling and swept him in a battle, but he hadn't had enough, so he challenged me since I was a Gym Leader. Not only did I sweep him too, but Surskit learned 'Rain Dance' during the battle! After all that, Barry still didn't have much respect for Ash, so he told Barry to watch his rematch with Fantina.

The next day Ash battled with Fantina, and the move that Fantina had dubbed the 'Counter Shield' dominated with its versatility and power. Although Drifblim gave Ash a little trouble near the end, Chimchar pulled it out of the fire and they came out on top, earning Ash the Relic Badge, and earning Barry a kick in the ego.

But even then Barry hadn't had enough, as he challenged Ash to win at the Canalave Gym, the gym he won at, apparently Ash beating a Gym Leader he LOST to wasn't good enough for Barry. And if that weren't enough, Ash invited Barry to come with us to Canalave City, and that proved to be VERY stressful.

Not only did we get separated from our Pokémon thanks to Team Rocket, but Dawn told me that she thought Barry was cute! Even after all the advice I gave her to stick with Kenny she was still hanging on to hope for Barry!

I mean, Barry's way too crazy for her! And he seems like he has an "all about me" attitude since all he cared about while we were hunting for our Pokémon was his Empoleon. And every time Dawn tried to get close to Barry, he ignored her. I guess to each her own, but I really don't see what Dawn sees in Barry. She promised me she wouldn't ditch Kenny just because of his height, but I was starting to wonder whether or not she'd make good on that promise.

But I couldn't worry about that now. We had said farewell to Barry, much to Dawn's dismay, she had even suggested that we follow him to Iron Island. But Ash was determined to get to the gym, so with a sad sigh, Dawn said bye and we moved on to Ash's next gym battle.

**Normal POV**

"We made it guys! Check out the Canalave Gym!" Ash said excitedly.

"You ready for this Ash?" Misty asked.

"No sweat! Versus steel-types, all I need is Charizard and Chimchar and they'll never know what hit them! They might as well give it to me now!" Ash replied.

Ash took a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs. "Hello!"

A familiar silence answered back, and Ash's spirits immediately began to fall. "Uh oh."

"You don't think no one's here?" Dawn asked. "Well according to you guys it wouldn't be the first time." Misty replied.

Just then, an ear-piercing scream came from inside the steel-plated gym. "What was that?" Ash shouted in shock.

Ash and his friends backed up in fear, "Man…that was…some kind of creepy scream." Ash said nervously.

Just then, the doors to the gym eerily opened, and the entire group cringed in fear of whatever was about to walk, or maybe even float towards them. "Whatever made that scream is coming." Misty whimpered.

Misty was now cowering behind Ash for protection, just as Dawn was doing the same with Brock. They braced themselves as something slowly made its way towards them from the shadows, but they then felt extreme relief when it was just a normal human. But by the bags under his eyes, he kind of looked half-dead. "Boy, talk about scary." he said.

He slowly trudged his way over to them, hunched over like a question mark with his eyes barely open a slit. "Excuse me, but was that you we heard screaming just a minute ago?" Dawn asked nervously, still hiding behind Brock.

"Sorry if I scared you." the man said, rubbing his heavy eyelids, "But I was an awful nightmare."

"Well, I guess that's reason enough for the scream." Misty said with relief, finally coming from behind Ash.

"Yeah, and I've been having these terrible nightmares ever since I first arrived here, and I honestly haven't gotten a good night's sleep in ages." the man stretched and yawned, and since the group was still a little jumpy, they ducked upon hearing it.

After their nerves were calmed, Ash issued his challenge, but with a lot less extremity in his voice. "Well my name's Ash, and I'd like to have a gym battle."

"Not possible. You see, right now the Gym Leader's doing some training on Iron Island." the man said with a yawn.

"You know, I'm pretty sure that's where Barry went." Brock said.

"Oh man, not again. How many times are we gonna go to a gym with no Gym Leader?" Ash face-palmed in exasperation, and Misty and Brock sweat-dropped at that.

"See? I told you guys we should've stayed with Barry, but noooooo, you wanted to move on and go without him." Dawn pouted and crossed her arms in frustration.

"Chill out Dawn, it's not like we knew this would happen. And besides, it's not like you wanted to stay with Barry for Pokémon-involved reasons." Misty replied.

Unnoticed by everyone but Misty, Dawn blushed slightly and muttered something to herself, "I think he's cute, of course I wanna stay with him."

"Don't worry about it." the man said, starting to nod off to sleep, "He'll be back in a few days and I'll be sure to let him know that you're looking to have a battle with him." the man started snoring after he finished his sentence.

"I didn't think it was possible to fall asleep standing up." Misty said. "This guy must be tired beyond all reason." Brock added.

But after studying the man's face for a moment, the group noticed that he seemed to be in agony in his sleep. Suddenly, the man woke up screaming, and the group jumped back in total shock. "Stop doing that!" Misty cried in frustration.

"I'm so sorry, I've gotta try harder to stay awake." the man seemed on the verge of tears as he turned to trudge back to the gym, muttering to himself in desperation, "No falling asleep, no falling asleep, (sob) no falling asleep."

"What…was that?" Ash said in confusion. "The poor guy looks like he's on the edge of a nervous breakdown." Dawn added.

"I wonder what's causing all those nightmares." Misty wondered. "Could be what he's eating, some foods don't agree at night." Brock suggested.

Satisfied with that conclusion, the group moved on to sightsee around the island. "I can't believe the gym's empty again. Hey Mist, think you could tell the guy you're a Gym Leader and I could battle you?" Ash said.

Misty giggled. "That's a good one Ash."

"I was half-serious." Ash chuckled.

"Well the fact remains that the Gym Leader's out of town and that's that." Dawn said, "You know it's times like these that I would try and take my mind off things so how about some shopping?"

"That sounds like a good idea, anything but training, I'm still sore from Ash's last training session." Misty joked.

"Hey, that's weird." Brock said. "What's weird Brock?" Dawn asked.

"The guidebook says this is the island's busiest shopping district, but look around." Brock said.

The group did, and they noticed the same thing that Brock had. "The place looks deserted." Dawn said.

"There isn't even a stray Pokémon running around, you'd think there'd be that much at least." Misty added.

"Look a police station! Officer Jenny will know the perfect place to shop! And I can't wait to ask her where!" Brock mindlessly skipped towards the police station, "Jenny, Jenny!"

The group sweat-dropped at that. "Brock's the only person I know who gets excited about going into a police station." Misty said with some disgust.

"Hey, maybe Officer Jenny can tell us what's going on around here." Ash figured. "Right." Misty and Dawn agreed.

So they ran after the lovesick breeder, who was just catching the apparently surprised Officer Jenny and stopping her from falling from her chair. "I trust you're alright now?" he said chivalrously.

"Has there been an incident?" Officer Jenny asked groggily."Uh no, not exactly." Brock replied, still holding Jenny up. The officer's face bore the exact same dark circles of exhaustion that the man at the gym had, proving that she too was being plagued by nightmares.

Jenny yawned and stretched, "Oh good…then good night, sweet dreams." Jenny fell back to sleep with Brock still holding her up.

"But Jenny, you've gotta tell us what's going on around here." Brock said.

"Ok this can't be a coincidence. It seems like everyone around here is suffering from insomnia." Misty said.

All of a sudden, Jenny's face scrunched up in agony, and the officer woke up with a terrified scream. "Jenny? Did you have a nightmare?" Brock asked.

"How'd you know that?" Jenny asked.

"We just came from the Canalave Gym; the caretaker there woke up from a nightmare too." Ash explained.

"That just adds another person to the already long list." Officer Jenny grumbled.

"I'm afraid I don't follow you." Brock said.

"Does anyone here know how to make coffee? As soon as I get some caffeine in my system I'll explain everything." Jenny said, starting to doze off again.

"Officer Jenny no! Don't fall asleep!" Dawn exclaimed.

The exhausted officer fell back to sleep again, and wanting to avoid another ear-piercing scream, Dawn sprang into action. "Alright Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam' and wake her up, quick!"

Piplup fired a soft stream of bubbles that splashed onto Jenny's face, and the officer woke up with a start, but not nearly as bad as before. "Thanks, I needed that."

Brock sat Jenny back up, and he ran to find the police station kitchen to make some coffee. In the meantime, Ash, Misty, and Dawn kept making conversation with the officer to prevent her from falling asleep again.

"What's your favorite color?" Misty asked.

"Red." Jenny replied.

"Have you ever seen a Pokémon Contest?" Dawn asked.

"Yes, one or two." Officer Jenny replied.

"What's your favorite Pokémon?" Ash asked.

"Favorite Pokémon? At the moment, my favorite would be a Cresselia." Officer Jenny replied with a weary chuckle.

"A Cresselia?" the group said in wonder. They didn't think that such a simple question would yield such an interesting answer. They had forgotten to keep talking and Jenny was beginning to doze off again, but luckily Brock came in just in time with a cup of strong coffee.

"Here you are my darling Jenny." Brock said passionately, presenting her the cup on one knee. "Oh, thanks." Jenny replied, ignoring Brock's outburst and just gulping down the caffeinated beverage.

Brock moaned sadly and trudged over to the others. "Let's go over there so we can all sit down." Jenny said, finally seeming to wake up.

The group nodded and sat down at a bean-shaped table, and patiently waited for Jenny to finish drinking her coffee and explain what was going on. "Ahh, I needed that so badly."

"So Jenny, can you tell us what's going on?" Brock asked.

"Well the thing is, for some reason, for the past couple of days, every single person on this island have been having nightmares." Jenny explained.

"So that's why you screamed when you woke up, you must be having them too." Misty figured.

"Right, and the reason why this island is so deserted is because everyone's gone to different islands to get some sleep." Jenny almost dozed off again, but then the coffee apparently kicked in as she got a jumpstart. "Phew, that's some strong coffee you made."

"It's my special recipe, guaranteed to give you energy no matter how tired you are!" Brock exclaimed proudly.

"So Officer Jenny, do you have any idea why this is happening?" Ash asked.

"Yes. The truth is we have a Darkrai in our midst." Jenny replied.

"A Darkrai?" the group exclaimed in shock.

"Yes. You see, every year at this time, A Darkrai pays a visit to our island, bringing nightmares along with it for everybody." Officer Jenny explained.

"Oh man…EVERY YEAR?" Dawn asked in horror.

"Yes. However a Cresselia that lives nearby on Fullmoon Island shows up at the same time, warding off Darkrai's nightmarish dreams with its mystical powers." Jenny explained.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned a Cresselia when I asked you what your favorite Pokémon was." Ash said.

"Did I? I'm so tired I don't even know what I'm saying half the time." Jenny chuckled wearily.

"So if Cresselia's supposed to act as Darkrai repellant, why is everyone here having nightmare problems?" Misty asked.

"Well for some reason, Darkrai decided to show up early this year, and so far since there have been no signs of the Cresselia, everybody's been having nothing but nightmares! (Sigh) And of course it's obvious that no one's been able to get any sleep." Jenny explained.

"Well a dream can last a few hours before it turns into a nightmare, how come people don't just try to wake up before it gets bad and start over?" Ash asked.

"I sort of see your point, but there is a legend around here that scares the people around here and keeps them from even wanting to fall asleep." Jenny explained.

"A legend?" the group asked.

"Yes. You see, there's a legend around here that a young boy once fell victim to one of Darkrai's nightmares and just wouldn't wake up. He was literally locked into his nightmare." Jenny explained.

"What happened to him?" Misty asked.

"Well as best to my knowledge, his father was a sailor and he went to Fullmoon Island and found a Lunar Wing, which is supposed to protect people from nightmares. However I think there was a catch to using the Lunar Wing while actually trapped in the nightmare, but it's just legend. However it's more than enough to scare the natives into staying awake." Jenny explained.

"That sounds just awful." Misty shuddered.

"In desperation I went out and bought my own Lunar Wing to protect myself from Darkrai's nightmares, but I'm afraid it hasn't been working all that well." Jenny pulled out the unique item and showed it to the group.

"I've seen those before, they're actually Cresselia feathers." Brock said.

"As you can see they're very pretty, but the nightmares just go on and on!" Jenny said.

"I've actually got my own Lunar Wing pendant that I got a while back, and I've been wearing it for a while now." Dawn said, pulling out the item from her blouse.

"But what I wanna know is, why isn't Jenny's Lunar Wing working?" Ash asked.

"You know the thought just occurred to me, what if Jenny's Lunar Wing isn't a REAL Lunar Wing?" Misty suggested.

"You might be onto something Misty. Jenny, do you mind if I have a quick look at your Lunar Wing?" Brock asked, grabbing a magnifying glass from his backpack.

"No, not at all." Jenny replied, handing the breeder her special feather.

"Thank you." Brock took a careful look through his magnifying glass, and gasped at what he saw. "Jenny! This looks like nothing more than a Pidgey feather that's been painted with lacquer! Misty was right! This thing's a forgery!"

"What? I paid good money for that thing! Nobody tricks me…NOBODY!" With flames in her eyes, Jenny charged out of the police station, "It's arresting time!"

The group sweat-dropped. "I say we follow her and give her a hand!" Ash exclaimed.

"Right!" the group charged out as well, and followed the enraged officer to where she had bought the fake feather. "Over there! That's where I got this piece of junk!" Jenny hissed.

"Something's not right, that's for sure." Ash said.

"Hey guys, you don't suppose Team Rocket's behind this do you? After all, we haven't seen them for a few hours." Misty suggested, somewhat sarcastically.

"Somehow I wouldn't be surprised if they are." Dawn said.

Jenny and the others snuck behind the large tent, and listened in on the conversation going on inside.

"Our nightmare maker has exceeded my nightmarish expectations. A pleasant but sleepy surprise." A female voice said.

"A nightmare maker?" Ash whispered in shock. "Shh!" Jenny hissed.

"While everyone puts the blame squarely on Darkrai's shoulders, the masses are going loony for our phony Lunar Wings!" a male voice said.

"The only problem being our nightmare maker works so well that we've been having nightmares too." the female said while yawning.

"All da better for pullin' all nightas, and makin' Lunar Wings. Just take a Pidgeyfeatha and bend it, lacquer it up to make it nice and shiny, and ya end up wit a beautiful green money-makin' machine!" a third voice said.

That was all Jenny needed to hear. "So that's how you did it!" Jenny opened the tent, revealing three very shocked business workers. "I heard every word!"

"Busted!" they exclaimed in fear.

"I'm placing you three under arrest!" Jenny growled furiously.

After that, the three salespeople threw off their disguises, and revealed themselves to be none other than Team Rocket; they also had the black circles of exhaustion around their eyes.

Jessie: "Is that arresting development I hear?"

James: "Her inner rage rings loud and clear."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Laying down the law at a breakneck pace."

James: "Dashing due process, putting fear in its place."

Jessie: "A Jenny by any other name's just as bad."

James: "In the name of OUR law, it looks like you've been had."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And James!"

Meowth: "Sleepy Meowth, that's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting law abiders in their place."

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash growled.

"The jig is up!" Jenny added angrily.

"Your plan to make everyone have nightmares and trick them into buying fake Lunar Wings is over!" Brock also added.

"Why don't they ever learn?" Dawn mumbled. "They've been doing this at least four years; they've lost the ability to learn." Misty replied in the same tone.

"Why do you twerps always show up and manage to turn our dreams of fame and fortune into REAL nightmares?" Jessie stomped in frustration.

"We've pulled more all-nighters in order to build this baby than you've been alive!" James added.

"Then when we're done, da woist nightmare toins out ta be you!" Meowth added.

"Save your whining for jail!" Ash exclaimed, "Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

The electric mouse launched a furious bolt of lightning right at Team Rocket's nightmarish machine, and the resulting explosion blew their tent away and sent them blasting off.

"It seems a little early for them to be blasting off, don't you think?" Misty joked. "I know, right?" Dawn replied with a giggle.

"To think that all of those nightmares were Team Rocket's doing all along." Ash said.

"Which unfortunately means that Cresselia won't be paying us a visit." Brock said. "Oh yeah, I had forgotten about that." Dawn said sadly.

"Well at least people will finally be able to get some sleep again. I can't wait to finally have some good dreams." Officer Jenny said.

"Why wait?" Brock got down on one knee in front of the officer, "A dream you dream at night can also come true during the day! So if you'll only agree to take my hand…" As usual, Brock felt a certain poison stinging his side, "Then I'll…give back Croagunk's…(Groan)."

"Just like Team Rocket, Brock will never learn." Misty sighed.

"Well I guess I'll call someone to get rid of this hunk of metal, and then you're all invited back to the police station where I'll make us a celebratory dinner!" Officer Jenny said.

"Gee, thanks so much Jenny!" Dawn exclaimed.

So while the officer pulled out her walkie-talkie, the group did a little thinking of their own. "I kinda wish I knew how this thing worked. I mean, how does a machine make people have nightmares?" Ash wondered.

"Somehow I feel that even if you knew how this thing ticked, you wouldn't understand why it did what it did." Misty teased.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Don't EVEN go there again." Dawn warned.

"Aww come on Dawn, we were just letting off a little steam." Ash chuckled. "Yeah, it's not like we're mad at each other." Misty added.

"I'm not talking for your sake, I'm talking for MINE. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to watch you two gripe at each other? Even if you don't mean anything by it." Dawn said.

"Yeah we do. Brock tells us all the time." Misty playfully stuck her tongue out at the younger girl, who just rolled her eyes in response.

"Ok, here's the deal. The trash folks wound up leaving the island too, so they won't be able to make the pickup until tomorrow, so I say we get the heck out of here and go to the police station for that dinner I promised!" Officer Jenny said.

The group cheered and followed the officer back to her station, where she and Brock got to work on an amazing feast. "You're pretty handy in the kitchen Brock." Officer Jenny had said. An apparently obscene remark had earned Brock another 'Poison Jab', and forced Jenny to finish dinner alone.

Before they knew it, Officer Jenny had laid a feast down in front of them, and they quickly devoured it with much enthusiasm. "Thanks for dinner Jenny!"

"Was that good or what? I tell you Jenny, you're one amazing chef!" Brock said.

"Well since you solved the case of the phony store and the nightmares, it's the least I could do. I'm glad you all enjoyed it." Officer Jenny replied.

"Oh man, I'm stuffed." Ash said, chewing down on the last bit of his dinner roll.

"I don't know why, but I'm real tired." Dawn said, rubbing her weary eyes.

"Must be because we ate until we couldn't eat anymore. (Yawn) I feel I could use some sleep myself." Misty said.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could rest here a bit?" Brock exclaimed excitedly.

"Cool it Brock, I'm sure Croagunk's all warmed up and ready to jab you again." Misty warned.

"No no, it's quite alright. I'd be honored if you all would stay here! I've got a comfortable room in the back and you're welcome to make yourselves feel right at home!" Officer Jenny said.

"That's great Jenny, thanks a lot!" Ash exclaimed happily.

"Not at all, now you all get yourselves settled and don't worry about the cleanup, I'll take care of everything." Officer Jenny said.

Brock leaped out of his chair and took Jenny by the hand, "My darling Jenny, how could you even suggest that I could leave a beautiful woman such as yourself to work your soft fingers to the bone? No force on this planet could EVER stop me from protecting these soft hands!"

Misty warned Brock, and sure enough, Croagunk appeared and jabbed him in the side once more, "Except…for Croagunk's…hard ones. (Groan)"

Brock fell to the floor and was dragged to the back by the poison/fighting-type frog. "Does he do this often?" Jenny asked.

"Once or twice a day at least. Going to the beach is murder for him." Misty joked.

"Don't worry about Brock; we'll take care of him. Are you sure you don't want any help?" Dawn offered.

"No no, I insist. Go on and make yourselves comfortable, it's getting late and I owe you for helping me expose those dirty crooks." Jenny replied with a smile.

Finally giving in to Jenny's persuasion, the remaining three walked into the backroom and gasped in awe. The room was completely laid out with a pair of top and bottom bunk beds, a couch, a bathroom, a computer with a videophone function, and a television.

"Wow!" Dawn squealed, "I've seen worse accommodations in four-star hotels! Officer Jenny sure knows how to treat her guests!" Dawn bounced on the bed with joy and eventually settled down after she exhausted herself.

"You know what I just remembered? Dawn, you were kinda freaked out when Fantina'sGengar used 'Hypnosis', is there a reason?" Misty asked.

Dawn shrunk back a little as she remembered. "Well…it kinda looked like what I was seeing every night. Those red eyes were…(shudder) horrible."

"You don't think you'll see it again tonight do you?" Ash asked, jumping into the conversation.

"Well I sure hope not, I've been having real issues getting to sleep now because of whatever it is I've been seeing. What I CAN'T figure out, is why it only bugs me and leaves you guys alone." Dawn replied.

"Maybe it's because you're too energetic." Brock said, somewhat bitterly, "Can you guys get ready for bed already? My side is aching from all the 'Poison Jabs' and I'd really like to get some rest."

"You wouldn't be aching from 'Poison Jabs' if you would learn a little self-control." Misty quipped back.

"You. Shower. NOW." Brock said lowly, pointing towards the bathroom.

Misty put up her hands in annoyed self-defense. "Alright, alright, sheesh, no need to get huffy Brock." The water-trainer grumbled to herself on the way to the bathroom, and left Ash and Dawn to deal with the disgruntled breeder.

"Brock…is something wrong?" Ash asked nervously. "(Sigh) No I guess not, I'm sorry guys, but something's bugging me for some reason." Brock replied.

"You wanna talk about it?" Dawn asked. "Nah, I just want some time to think and then a good night's sleep." Brock replied.

The breeder opened the door which would lead to the back where there was a patio, before leaving, Brock turned to the two with an apologetic expression. "Hey guys, tell Misty I'm sorry for snapping at her."

"No prob Brock." Ash replied. "I'm sure she'll understand." Dawn added.

Brock relinquished a small smile and stepped out. The two watched through the glass door as Brock called out Happiny, cradled it in his arms, and sat down.

"I wonder what's bugging him." Ash said thoughtfully.

Then Misty came out of the bathroom in her pajamas, letting the next person go in. "So, who's next?"

Ash and Dawn looked at each other expectantly, each expecting the other to go in first. "Well? What are you waiting for?" they asked simultaneously.

"Me? I have to talk to Misty!" they said simultaneously again.

"(Sigh) The price of being in high demand." Misty said with a shake of her head,

"Look, I need to talk to Misty about something really important, and I don't want any boy to hear it!" Dawn exclaimed.

"But Misty would much rather talk to me, since I'M her boyfriend. Tell her Misty." Ash said expectantly.

Misty smirked and pointed towards the bathroom, causing Dawn to smile victoriously, and Ash's jaw to drop in disbelief.

"I should've known better. If there's one thing I've learned about girls, it's that they stick together. And I have no chance." Ash grumbled.

Ash stopped on his way past Misty and frowned at her, trying to maybe gain some sympathy from his red-headed girlfriend. It worked.

"Aww, don't worry Ashy, I still love you even though you don't understand us girls." Misty said teasingly. The water-trainer planted a soft kiss on Ash's cheek, and the black-haired boy rolled his eyes with a smile and walked in.

"So what's up Dawn? What's SOOO important that I had to abuse my boyfriend?" Misty asked jokingly.

"Remember when Fantina's Gengar used 'Hypnosis' and its eyes glowed? Well I said then that that was what I was seeing every night." Dawn said.

"Yeah, you said that earlier too. What's your point?" Misty asked.

"Well…what if it comes back? What if…that Darkrai comes for some reason and it just gets even scarier?" Dawn asked fearfully.

"Oh come on Dawn, you can't really be scared of that Darkrai can you? Don't you remember what Jenny said? She said that Cresselia would come and scare Darkrai off." Misty replied reassuringly.

"I guess…but still, there's gotta be something I can do to make the thing go away!" Dawn said.

"Well Dawn, all I can suggest is that you don't sleep, but you can't do that so, I really don't know what to do." Misty replied with a shrug.

"Gee, thanks for the help." Dawn whined.

Just then, Ash walked out with his hair dripping wet. "So, what'd I miss?"

"Ash, that was way too fast, did you even use soap?" Misty asked accusingly.

"Of course I did! What? You think I'm a Grumpig or something?" Ash quipped back.

"Do you want an honest answer or a girlfriend fudge?" Misty countered.

"If you don't believe me you can give me a sniff." Ash quipped back.

That did it for Misty. "Ok, that's disgusting. I'll take your word for it."

"Thought so. Dawn, you're up." Ash said pointing behind him.

"You did that on purpose you…you…" Dawn was cut-off.

"Who're you calling a 'you you'?" Ash quipped back.

Dawn groaned and stomped into the bathroom, angrily muttering to herself. "Can't even have a girl to girl talk anymore, one of these days Ash…"

"Boy, she sure gets excited doesn't she?" Ash asked with a smirk. Ash's smirk vanished when he studied Misty's frustrated expression. "What?"

"We were having a totally private, girl to girl conversation, and you ruined it." Misty said with her arms crossed.

"Don't even go there Mist. The only thing you were talking about was Dawn's hallucinations again. Nothing private about it." Ash replied.

"But the fact remains Dawn was telling ME and not YOU. You can't just try and squeeze into…wait a minute, you were eavesdropping?" Misty screamed once she realized Ash was listening.

"Well I didn't think it was such a big deal, I mean I'm her friend too!" Ash screamed back.

"But she didn't WANT to tell you! Don't you get it? It wasn't any of your business, that's why she waited for you to go shower! And you purposely hurried so you could come and listen! Don't you realize how rude that is?" Misty screamed.

"Misty I'm just as concerned about Dawn as you are! And I wanna help her too!" Ash replied.

"Well that's fine! But then YOU talk to HER one on one, and not try to horn in on a private conversation!" Misty screamed.

"And if I were talking to Brock about something that was bothering me, wouldn't you want to know?" Ash asked angrily.

"Yes I would! But I would wait until you were done with Brock and then ask you myself! Not eavesdrop on a private conversation!" Misty replied, starting to tear up.

"Pikapi! Pikachupi!" (Ash! Misty!) Pikachu zapped the arguing couple hard, and they lost a little bit of steam, but were still considerably miffed at each other.

"I'm going for a walk." Ash grumbled. Ash stormed out and used every ounce of self-control he had to NOT slam the door as hard as he could.

Misty stood stiff-lipped for a moment, but then Dawn walked out from the bathroom in shock. "That…wasn't a teasing argument, was it?"

Misty broke down, dove into her bed, and started crying into her pillow, of all the arguments she and Ash had had over the years they knew each other, the one they just had hurt the most.

"Are you ok Misty?" Dawn asked gently.

"(Sniff) I'll…I'll be ok. (Sniff) Please, just leave me alone for a while." Misty sobbed.

Dawn started walking out to the patio, but turned at the last minute, "I'm sorry I caused this." she said sadly.

Misty took her face out of her pillow for a moment, and turned to Dawn with puffy, red eyes. "It's not your fault." she hiccupped.

Dawn finally walked out to join the not nearly as depressed breeder, and the water-trainer sobbed herself to sleep, with the sorrowful electric mouse keeping her company. _"Why Ash? Why? Why do you have to be so stubborn?"_

Meanwhile, Ash was sitting in the kitchen with his head on the table and a glass of water in front of him. "Geez Misty, why are you making such a big deal about this? Are you REALLY that worried about privacy? It's not like I would've done anything, and I wanted to spend a little time with you too you know. Why do I always have to take the backseat to Dawn?" Ash pondered this for a while, until he exhausted himself to the point of falling asleep on the kitchen table.

"Dawn…" Brock moaned.

"Oh, what's up Brock? You can't sleep?" Dawn asked, stopping her pacing to look at Brock for a moment.

"Not with the one girl light parade going on in the room I can't." Brock grumbled, pulling the covers back over himself.

"Sorry Brock, I'll try to be quiet." Dawn apologized, turning her flashlight back on, "Boy, Misty sure sleeps soundly huh?"

"Mhmm." Brock mumbled.

"I mean, I've been pacing for a really long time it seems, and she just sleeps and sleeps and sleeps, while you've been stuck awake for the past fifteen minutes. Of course she's…not real happy right now, and she doesn't look too relaxed, anyways I might be able to go to sleep if I didn't think that something was gonna jump out at me at any moment…" Dawn was finally cut-off by an annoyed and sleepy Brock.

"Hey Dawn, see me in my bunk? See that darkness outside? Those are the unmistakable signs of night. Why don't you leave the talking to the Kricketot outside?" Brock pulled the covers over him once more.

"Sorry Brock, my lips are sealed." Dawn paced back and forth a few more times, before flinching when she thought she saw something floating in the air. She scrambled to the lamp on the desk and turned on the light.

"I don't believe this…" Brock sat up in his bed again with frustration, "Who told you that you could rehearse the Lanturn drama?" he grumbled.

"I thought I saw something, I'm sorry Brock." Dawn said fearfully, still scanning the room for anything that could be considered malevolent.

Brock once again pulled the covers over him, grumbling incoherently as he tried to fall asleep once more.

Dawn reached for her flashlight, and slowly climbed up into her bunk. When she got there, she began whispering to herself, "No stupid monster is gonna scare ME tonight. If I see something I shouldn't, I'll blast it with the flashlight and it'll run for the hills!" What Dawn didn't realize was that she was getting progressively louder with each word uttered, and Brock was now at his breaking point.

"Dawn! On behalf of Misty, the Pokémon, and myself, SHUT! UP!" he roared, waking up all the Pokémon in the room. Brock pulled the covers up over his head, grumbling once again, "Geez Misty, I wish I could sleep as well as you do."

"Ok Brock, sheesh, I'm sorry." Dawn finally settled down and closed her eyes, but a few moments later she felt a sudden chill in the air. Having a pretty good idea what just happened, Dawn opened one eye a slit, and sure enough there was the freaky hallucination that was harassing her for far too long.

"Ok whatever you are…TAKE THIS!" Dawn shined the flashlight right for the thing, and Dawn's monster panicked and started flying all over the room, waking all the Pokémon and Brock.

"I told you I told you I told you!" Dawn squealed. Quickly jumping into action, Piplup fired a 'Bubblebeam' to knock the crazed being out of the sky. The water attack hit dead-on, and the thing fell to the ground with a wet plop.

"What…is it?" Dawn asked nervously. "It's a Haunter." Brock replied.

"Pika pika, pika chu." (Ok then, what's with you?) Pikachu asked the soaked Pokémon.

"Haunter haunt haunt!" (Good to see you again!) The Haunter licked Pikachu playfully, and the electric-mouse made a HUGE sweat-drop at that. "Pi…pika?" (Eh…again?)

"Why does this Haunter look so familiar?" Brock wondered. The Haunter floated up and made a funny face, and that automatically answered Brock's question.

"Wow! You're the Haunter from the Lavender Tower! What are you doing here instead of with Sabrina?" Brock asked.

Before Haunter could respond, they heard a shriek coming from Officer Jenny's room. "That must be Jenny! I must go and see what's wrong!" Brock leaped out of his covers and ran for the door, but just then the door burst open with Jenny clutching her pillow, and poor Brock was smashed into the wall behind the open door.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who's had a nightmare!" Jenny exclaimed. "I'm having one right now." Brock groaned as he sunk to the floor.

"Well Brock and I haven't really gone to sleep yet, since this Haunter here has been bugging me for whatever reason it had." Dawn said, shooting a glare at Haunter, "But Misty's been sleeping ever since she first fell asleep."

Jenny went to examine Misty, whose face was extremely stressed for some reason. "Have you tried waking her up at all?"

"No, now that you mention it, I was wondering why all this noise wasn't bothering her." Dawn said.

"She doesn't look too good; did this Haunter do something to her?" Jenny asked, also giving Haunter an accusing glare.

"No way, we know this Haunter. It may have a weird sense of humor but it's not a jerk." Brock assured.

"Yeah, weird is a nice way to put it." Dawn grumbled.

"Then we may or may not be in serious trouble. The nightmare I just had what looked like a Darkrai in it and then I woke up screaming!" Jenny said.

"Darkrai? Oh no! No wonder Misty's in agony! Quick Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn exclaimed.

Following its master's orders, Piplup fired, and the stream of bubbles hit Misty squarely in the face, but to no avail. "Oh no!" Dawn cried.

"Pikachupi!" (Misty!) Pikachu gave it a shot as well, and unleashed a blast of electricity that would've been able to wake up a Snorlax from its slumber. But all that happened was that Misty stopped stirring.

"Did the nightmare go away at least?" Dawn asked worriedly. "Here, let me check something." Brock said.

Getting up close to the water-trainer, Brock grabbed her wrist and carefully felt it. "Her pulse is steady but weak! Someone call Nurse Joy!"

Jenny immediately ran for the videophone and dialed the Pokémon Center. "(Yawn) Can I help you?" the apparently weary Nurse Joy answered.

"We've got a human emergency! I have a young girl here approximately fourteen or fifteen years old, her pulse is steady but weak, and she seems to be totally unconscious!" Jenny reported.

"I'll be right over!" Joy quickly hung up and got her stuff together, and before long she and her faithful Pokémon Center Chansey were on the way.

"So what'll we do until then?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"All we can do is hope that Nurse Joy can do something. And if not…well…we'll have to try something else I suppose." Jenny replied.

"Pika pika chu." (It's all my fault.) Pikachu said sorrowfully.

"Don't beat yourself up Pikachu, there's no guarantee it was your fault, it might've been something else, like Darkrai." Dawn said.

"Pika chu…" (But still…)

"Haunter haunt haunt." (Aww cheer up.) Haunter made a few funny faces at the electric mouse, and Pikachu wiped its damp eyes and relinquished a small laugh.

"Someone should probably tell Ash…" Dawn realized.

"I'll do it. Where is he anyway?" Brock asked.

"He's sleeping at the kitchen table, come to think of it we should check on him too." Jenny said.

"Let me go alone, Ash must not be too happy if he's outside." Brock said.

Jenny nodded and let Brock pass by. Brock found Ash with his head face down in his arms on the kitchen table, and he moved closer to examine the trainer.

"Ash?" Brock asked cautiously.

"What?" Ash growled, not raising his head.

"Oh good you're up." Brock said.

"How can anyone sleep with all that noise you guys are making?" Ash said bitterly.

"Uh, sorry. Listen, Ash, there's something you should know about Misty…there's…something wrong with her…" Brock said hesitantly.

"Why should I care? Let her talk to Dawn about it, she'd rather talk to another girl than me anyway." Ash replied bitterly.

"She can't Ash…Misty's unconscious." Brock said.

Ash raised his head and stared right into Brock's face. "Say that again."

"Misty won't wake up, and her pulse is weak, we don't why or what's wrong with her…we already called Nurse Joy but, we're not sure if there's much she can do." Brock repeated.

Ash looked worried for the faintest moment, but then went back into anger. "You're just saying that to make me not mad at her, Misty was just fine when we were fighting, she's fine now."

"Ash you…you're being stubborn and stupid! You…" Brock was cut-off by Nurse Joy and Chansey, who had just arrived.

"Nurse Joy! She's in here, hurry!" Brock rushed towards the room with Nurse Joy and Chansey carrying portable life-monitoring equipment and pretty much anything else she could carry, and that finally convinced Ash.

_"He didn't even bother to hit on her, something must be wrong after all!"_ Ash got up from his chair and rushed to the room as well, and what he saw made his heart skip two beats. Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny were hooking Misty up to wires and checking her vital signs.

Slowly the trainer walked in, and examined Misty's seemingly lifeless face, the color of her skin had paled considerably, and her face was scrunched in pure agony and misery. "Misty…wha…what happened to you?"

"How is she Nurse Joy?" Dawn asked worriedly. "Her pulse is steady, but very weak, and she seems to be under some sort of stress, but I won't be able to find the cause until I run a few more tests." Nurse Joy replied.

"You know something? The more I think about it, the more things turn out to look like the Darkrai legend." Jenny said.

"You know you're right! We need to call an expert on Pokémon legends and such." Joy agreed.

"That's perfect! I know just the man to call!" Ash exclaimed.

"Me too!" Dawn added.

"I'll call Professor Oak/Rowan!" Ash and Dawn exclaimed simultaneously.

"Before you two decide to argue about which one you should call, I'll say that you should call them BOTH. The more minds working on this the better." Brock said.

Ash and Dawn nodded and ran for the videophones in the police station.

"Hello? Professor Oak?" Ash exclaimed through the phone.

"Oh, (Yawn) Ash, it's a little late to be up, isn't it?" Professor Oak replied.

"I'm sorry I had to wake you up Professor, but I've got a major problem over here!" Ash exclaimed desperately.

"You sound like you're on the verge of a nervous breakdown Ash, what is it?" Professor Oak asked worriedly.

"It's Misty! There's something wrong with her!" Ash said.

"Well, Ash I may be a professor, but I'm not a doctor, I don't know if I'll be much help." Prof. Oak replied.

"Misty doesn't need a doctor! Look, have you ever heard of the legend of Darkrai?" Ash asked, his voice growing even more desperate.

"Unfortunately no, but my old friend and colleague Prof. Rowan would probably know something, I'm sure you've met him by now." Prof. Oak said.

"You know Professor Rowan?" Ash asked in shock.

"You know Professor Oak?" Dawn asked in shock.

"Of course, Professor Oak is the world's leading authority on Pokémon. We and all our other colleagues used to joke saying, 'Where there's Pokémon, you'll find Oak'." Prof. Rowan said.

"Gee, I never knew. But anyway, what about the Darkrai legend? Have you ever heard of it?" Dawn asked.

"Well I have heard many stories of your particular situation being true, but never any actual proof. However I would be more than happy to work on it with Prof. Oak and try to help you all in any way I can." Prof. Rowan replied.

"Thanks Professor! Don't hang up, I'll be right back!" Dawn exclaimed.

Dawn ran for the room where Nurse Joy was still monitoring Misty's vitals, and she found Ash there already fiddling with the videophone. "Alright Professor, you're on!" Ash said.

"Not fair Ash! Professor Rowan is waiting for me!" Dawn whined.

"I'm through with arguments." Brock said sternly, "Look, all you have to do is hit this button and it becomes a conference call."

Brock pressed a button on the videophone, and the screen split in two with Professor Oak on one side and Professor Rowan on the other.

"Well well, Professor Rowan, how nice to see you again." Prof. Oak said cheerfully.

"Indeed, it has been a while Professor Oak, how is your research going?" Prof. Rowan asked.

"Quite well actually, Ash's Pokémon have been amazing research subjects." Prof. Oak replied.

"Professors!" Ash exclaimed, "I'm sorry for being rude, but you've just gotta try and help Misty! Please!" Ash exclaimed desperately.

"I'm sorry Ash; I know how much she means to you. Well Professor, shall we get started?" Prof. Oak said.

"Yes. Let's start with her condition, is she stable?" Prof. Rowan asked.

Nurse Joy was about to respond, but Ash beat her to the punch. "Nurse Joy says that her pulse is steady, but it's really weak!" he exclaimed worriedly.

"Are there any other symptoms?" Prof. Rowan asked.

"Yeah! She's really pale! And her face looks like she's in a lot of pain! And she won't wake up no matter what we do!" Ash exclaimed, once again beating Nurse Joy to the punch.

"Well, I can't think of any other reasons except that Darkrai legend you mentioned." Prof. Oak said.

"We must find something to counteract the hold that Darkrai has on Misty's mind." Prof. Rowan added.

Just then, there was a loud knocking on the door outside the police station. "Open up! This is an emergency!" the voice demanded.

"Alright, let's go see what's up." Jenny said.

"I have to get some more equipment from outside, would you mind coming with me to help lift it Brock?" Nurse Joy requested.

"Of course. Ash, stay here with Misty. Dawn, let's go." Brock said.

Dawn picked up on the message and quietly walked out, leaving Ash with Misty, and the two professors who were throwing ideas around over the phone.

"Misty…oh Misty…why did I yell at you? I'm so sorry Mist…I…I-I'm so scared, I wish you were awake and you could tell me that everything would be ok." Ash whispered.

Ash grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly, and as he held it, he noticed that Misty's pulse seemed to grow slightly stronger, and her face relaxed the slightest bit. "Mist, your pulse!" Ash got excited and a weird thought crossed his mind, _"If holding her hand did that, then…man this is corny, maybe a kiss would wake her up!"_

Ash gently planted his lips onto Misty's, and when Ash looked back to the vitals, he didn't see any change, although Misty's pulse had kept its elevated strength, and her face was a bit more relaxed. "Well, it was just a thought." he shrugged.

"Ash, you still there?" Prof. Oak asked.

"Yeah Professor, I'm here. You got something?" Ash replied.

"Well we've thrown some ideas around, and it seems the most logical thing to do would be to go along with the legend's path. If you could maybe find a Lunar Wing somewhere, you might be able to wake her, but like we said, it being only a legend, there's no way to tell for sure." Prof. Oak explained.

"However there may be a side effect to this. If you notice the way she seems to be under intense pressure, we theorize that waking her up while she's in that state would cause her to have major cases of paranoia which might possibly be permanent, she may not be able to function in regular society ever again." Prof. Rowan explained.

"Oh man…Misty." Ash groaned.

"We'll work on a way to calm her, in the meantime, stay cool Ash." Prof. Oak said.

So while the two professors started throwing ideas around again, Ash was beginning to lose hope again. He tenderly stroked Misty's silky hair, just wishing Misty would smile at him again. "What am I gonna do?" Ash let his head droop, as he closed his eyes to block the tears threatening to pour out at any moment.

Ash opened his eyes for a split-second, and he noticed a purple Pokémon staring at him with a ghostly smile. "Waah!" Ash leaped from his spot and saw Haunter laughing at him. "A Haunter…what's the big idea scaring me like that?"

Haunter made a funny face, and Ash suddenly realized who the Haunter was. "Hey, you're the Haunter I gave to Sabrina, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Haunt haunt haunt." (I got bored.) Haunter snickered.

"Well it's nice to see you again; we sure had a lot of fun scaring Misty and Brock when I was a ghost." Just then, Ash got an idea, "Hey…Haunter, I'm desperate, I need your help!"

Haunter made another funny face and then vanished from sight. "Haunter, I mean it! I REALLY need you! Please…you're my only hope." Ash broke down onto his knees; the pain he was feeling inside was practically killing him.

Haunter popped out from behind Ash, and scared Ash onto his butt. Haunter laughed heartily at Ash's reaction, but the black-haired trainer wasn't amused. "Haunter, please. I need you to be serious, for Misty's sake."

The ghost/poison-type glanced over at the unconscious girl, and then back at Ash, whose face had desperation written all over it. Haunter then gave Ash a thumbs-up with its disembodied hand, which gave Ash a boost of confidence.

"Alright, remember when you made me and Pikachu ghosts at the Lavender Tower?" Ash asked. Haunter nodded.

"Well you're gonna do it to me again, and then…please tell me you can use 'Dream Eater'!" Ash exclaimed desperately. Another thumbs-up from Haunter.

"Ok then, let's do this." Ash said determinedly.

"How do you like that? Whoever made that prank emergency call must be drunk if they wanted to mess with me!" Jenny hissed.

"What I can't believe is that you made us look around when there's a patient who needs my help." Joy said bitterly.

"Alright Haunter, use 'Dream Eater'!"

"Ash, no!"

"Did you hear that?" Dawn asked. "Let's hurry!" Brock exclaimed.

The group rushed into the room, and saw Ash lying on the ground, unconscious. His face was pale and his body was beginning to lose body heat.

"What happened?" Jenny asked loudly.

"Ash had that Haunter use 'Dream Eater'! I think he wanted to try and cure Misty from the inside out!" Prof. Oak replied.

"Hurry Chansey! Let's get them both to the Pokémon Center! We've got to hook Ash to our life-support systems!" Brock and Jenny picked up Ash's now cold and clammy body, cringing at the feeling.

"Come on Ash, stay with me, wherever you are." Brock said.

**Ash's POV**

"Whoa…where am I?" I woke up from what seemed like a long sleep, and I found myself floating freely in empty space. I looked at myself and saw that my body was see-through. "Oh yeah! Misty! Hey Haunter, where are you?"

Haunter appeared behind me with a freaky face, which scared me again. "Come on Haunter, we don't have time for this, we've gotta find Misty's mind and Darkrai in here…wherever she is."

I was already accustomed to floating around like a ghost, so it didn't take long for me to get the hang of it. Me and Haunter went flying around Misty's mind, looking for signs of her anywhere. "Whoa, what's this?" I floated down to a floating bubble, which seemed to be replaying memories of her life.

"Wow, this must be Misty's memories, all the things she's done and what's happened to her all her life." I watched for a few moments, I saw Misty when she was just a three or four year old girl, learning how to talk and already loving water-Pokémon even from early childhood. "Aww Mist, you were born to train water-Pokémon."

I was just about to leave when something caught my eye. It was an eight year old Misty, wearing a small black dress along with her three sisters, and they were all crying. "A funeral?"

Then the young memory Misty walked up to the closed coffin, and placed a white tulip on it. Misty's cerulean blue eyes were red and puffy from a lot of crying, and then Ash realized why she was so sad. "Oh…Mist." The coffin read: "Leslie Waterflower", which I figured was her mother.

"I'm so sorry Misty." I said, not realizing that I was just a spectator of this scene, and the memory wouldn't change no matter how loudly I spoke.

The memory changed again to when Misty was ten, and she was living with her sisters in the gym. Misty looked more like recognizable now, with her side ponytail up and her usual yellow top with red suspenders and tight blue jean shorts.

Misty was apparently arguing with her three sisters, who were getting ready to do yet another water show. I wished that there was sound so I could listen and find out what was going on in this particular memory. Unfortunately, the memory didn't last long as Misty stormed off and her sisters merely shrugged off her ever being there.

Then I began recognizing memories as Misty had now turned eleven. "I don't believe it." I saw Misty fishing by the riverside, and she fished me out of the river with Pikachu in my arms.

I felt a tug at my heart as the two memory kids looked at each other in shock. "I remember that day, the day I met you…the day that you and I started travelling together."

Then "I" grabbed Misty's bike and rode off, and she watched in shock for a while until she started chasing after me, probably yelling at me to give her bike back. "Heh, you definitely weren't happy about that."

**Normal POV**

"Nurse Joy, PLEASE tell me they'll be alright!" Dawn begged.

Nurse Joy's head drooped slightly. "Misty is still under the influence of Darkrai, and until Darkrai releases her I can't do anything. And as for Ash…I can keep his body running artificially for a few hours, but…there's no soul for it. Our soul is one-third of our entire being, that's why Ash's body was the way it was when Haunter used 'Dream Eater'."

"Well, what about the Lunar Wing? Maybe that could save them!" Dawn exclaimed.

"I'm afraid not Dawn." Prof. Oak said over the ER videophone, "If Ash's soul is indeed inside of Misty, waking her up while Ash is in there would almost guarantee that Ash would die."

"There must me SOMETHING we can do. ANYTHING!" Dawn cried.

"Dawn, relax, there's nothing we can do right now." Brock said.

Dawn's head drooped in sadness and sorrow, and the coordinator slipped out of the emergency room to wallow in pity. She found that she was dragging herself to the videophones. "What am I doing here?" Then something in the back of her mind whispered, _"Kenny…Kenny…"_

Her mind was basically telling her that she needed to talk to someone, but what she couldn't figure out was why she had the urge to call Kenny in particular. "Why not Mom? Or Zoey or Leona? Maybe Barry! I'm sure Barry would try and comfort me." she told herself.

But still the voice in her head yearned, practically begged for Kenny. _"Kenny…Kenny…" _Dawn felt her face heat up a little as her mind and heart forced her to the videophone and had her dial Kenny's number.

"Hello?" a female voice said.

Dawn jumped a little at the female voice. "Oh, I'm sorry ma'am, I was looking for Kenny and I forgot he's on the road."

"That's quite alright Dawn." Kenny's mom replied.

"Um…d-do you know where he is right now?" Dawn asked.

"I believe he's headed towards Sandalstraw Town for an upcoming contest. But I can give you his Pokétch contact if you like." Kenny's mom said.

"I can do that?" Dawn asked in shock.

"Oh yes, Kenny called me and said he had managed to download an all new Pokétch application that allows communication via other Pokétch users. Here, I'll call him and tell him to call you." Kenny's mom said.

"Thank you ma'am. I would really appreciate that." Dawn replied.

Kenny's mom hung up on the coordinator, and just a few seconds later, Dawn heard a ringing on her Pokétch. "I didn't download the application, what's up?"

Dawn pressed the main button, and Kenny's face appeared on the screen. "Hey Dee Dee!" Kenny said smugly.

"K-Kenny! Uh, I don't remember downloading the application, how am I talking to you?" Dawn asked.

"The application sends a temporary file to the Pokétch so I can talk to you. You jealous?" Kenny snickered.

"Kenny, I was actually trying to get a hold of you." Dawn admitted.

This caught Kenny off guard. "You were? What's up Dawn?"

"Well…I…I-I just wanted someone to talk to and for some reason I thought of you." Dawn said, starting to choke up a little.

Kenny noticed Dawn's change of expression. "Hey Dawn, are you alright?" he asked, starting to grow concerned.

"Kenny…it's Ash and Misty, they're both unconscious, and I don't know what to do!" Dawn's sky-blue eyes started releasing tears as the full weight of the situation finally came out through her.

"What happened to them?" Kenny asked, trying to invoke as much sympathy into his voice as possible.

"Well…we're in Canalave City and we ran into Team Rocket. They had this…(Sniff) nightmare machine that they were using to make everyone buy fake Cresselia Lunar Wings. Ash took them out and we thought that was that." Dawn explained.

"So…what happened?" Kenny asked.

"Well…Ash and Misty got into a huge fight, and…(Sniff) I dunno…the point is that Misty is trapped in a nightmare by a Darkrai! And…and-and Ash got help from a Haunter to go into her mind and now he's unconscious! Oh Kenny, what am I gonna do?" Dawn broke down crying, while Kenny thought about what he could say next.

"And…and I was thinking about going to Fullmoon Island and getting an authentic Lunar Wing. But I don't wanna go alone! Without Ash and Misty, that leaves Brock, and he needs to stay here and help Nurse Joy! I can't handle it by myself; I'm just not strong enough." Dawn sobbed.

"Aww Dee Dee…" Kenny said.

Dawn snapped her head up and wiped her eyes, "Don't call me Dee Dee!" she snarled.

"I knew that would get you." Kenny said with a smile.

Dawn choked out a giggle and smiled. "Thanks Kenny."

"Listen up Dawn, I've seen you in contests, you're strong! And you can only get stronger from here. Trust me on this one Dee Dee, you go to that island and you get that Lunar Wing! And if you need help, why not call some friends to go with you? Maybe I can get there if I can find a Fearow to rent!" Kenny exclaimed.

"No thanks Kenny, you've already done enough. Thank you so much!" Dawn nuzzled her Pokétch against her face, which somehow made Kenny blush all the way from where he was.

"No problem Dawn, anything for a friend." Kenny said with a shy smile.

"Talk to you later!" Wiping away the last of the tears from her bright blue eyes, Dawn hung up and got up with a totally renewed confidence. Boldly dialing a number on the videophone, Dawn face-palmed when she got an answering machine.

"You've reached D. Shad, sorry I'm not here to talk to you in person, but I'm with another person! Leave a message and I'll get back to you ASAP."

"Hey D. Shad, hope you're having a good time training with Cynthia, listen, when you get the chance can you call here? It's kind of an emergency." Dawn hung up with that.

She then dialed once more, "Not here!" and then the answering machine beeped. "Hey Brad! It's Dawn! Why don't you have an actual answering machine message? Never mind, call me here!"

Dawn hung up once more, and she sighed exasperatatedly. "Great, I'll have to go alone."

Her confidence started to drop for a moment, but then she remembered what Kenny told her._"You're strong! You go to that island and get that Lunar Wing!"_

"Barry may be cute, but Kenny's a lot nicer. I think Kenny wins the battle of the boys." Dawn nodded to herself and jogged back into the ER, where the group was still thinking.

"Hey guys! No need to worry! I'm gonna go to Fullmoon Island and get that Lunar Wing! And then all we have to do is wait until Ash comes back to his body!" Dawn exclaimed determinedly.

"Your attitude is really refreshing! I like it! I'll go with you!" Officer Jenny exclaimed determinedly.

"One problem, how are you gonna get there?" Brock asked.

"With me!" a rough voice roared.

The group shouted in shock at the old man who had just walked in on them. "I am Sailor Eldritch. My son is the one in the Darkrai legend that looms over all of Canalave City."

"How did you know to come?" Brock asked.

"I recognized the dark feeling that came when Darkrai tortured my son all those years ago. When I felt it, I just followed it here. Once you come close to a Darkrai's power, you never forget how it feels." Eldritch explained.

"So you'll take us to Fullmoon Island?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"I made a promise to the Pokémon Trainer that saved my son that I would repay my debt. Even now, years after that event, I intend to repay that debt. You are a Pokémon Trainer are you not?" Sailor Eldritch asked.

"Yes I am!" Dawn exclaimed determinedly.

"Then let's go!"

Dawn and Jenny followed the sailor to his boat, and in a matter of minutes, they were on their way.

**Ash's POV**

"Wow Mist. You're more amazing than I ever realized. Now that I've seen everything you've gone through in your life, I wonder how you managed to stay sane." I finally left the memory bubble once it started replaying from start once more, and amazingly Haunter had watched quietly next to me the entire time.

"I just realized something; we've gone through Misty's mind and haven't found anything. Where could she be?"

I started rattling my brain trying to figure out what was wrong, and then it hit me. It wasn't my mind probing Misty's mind, it was my SOUL.

"That's it…I'm looking in the wrong place! I don't need to find Misty's mind, I need to find her soul! Haunter, let's go!" Haunter nodded at me, and together we flew through her mind once more, trying to find a doorway to her soul.

But after a while, I had found everything except her soul. Her intellect, her logical thinking, but no soul. I finally stopped and just broke down onto my ghostly knees. Of course since I was floating, I wasn't really on top of anything.

I closed my eyes and thought hard. _"Please Misty…I don't know what else to do…if you're in here somewhere, let me find you, please…"_

After a few moments, I opened my eyes once more and saw what looked like a path that wasn't there before. "Thanks Misty!"

Me and Haunter took off down the dark corridor, and as I scanned the walls, what saw me shocked me. I saw pictures everywhere of things Misty was scared of. Carrots, peppers, and pictures of bug-Pokémon everywhere I turned.

As me and Haunter continued on, I found that the corridor was growing darker by the minute, and the pictures were gradually changing. I saw as the pictures of peppers, carrots, and bug-Pokémon turned into storms of lightning, specifically the one from when we were in the Orange Islands.

"These must be Misty's fears. Oh man, they'll probably get worse as we keep going." I pondered why these weren't part of Misty's mind like her memories were.

Then the biggest shock hit me. The corridor was almost pitch black now, and I could barely see where the path was, but the pictures were still as bright as ever. I stopped and looked in awe at what I saw.

"It's me…and May? And Dawn?" I looked on the other side of the wall and saw other photos. "And here's me and Anabel, and Angie too. Why are these in Misty's fears?"

Then it hit me. "All this time, Misty's biggest fear…was that I would like someone else?" I tried to shake that off, but I was never prepared for what was the last thing to come.

"Oh no…" The room was now pitch black, I could barely see Haunter's purple glow anymore, and above, was the biggest picture I had seen yet.

It was a picture of me and Misty, and we were fighting with each other; similarly to how we were fighting with each other earlier in the night. The background was blood red, and then it changed right before my eyes.

The picture now showed me and Misty with our backs turned to each other, and a large crack separating us. "Her biggest fear…is that we'll hate each other one day…"

I went blank for a moment, just blinking a few times before I forced myself back to reality. "No way…Misty! If you can hear me, I swear that your biggest fear will NEVER come true!"

I charged past the large picture, and just as I thought, there was Misty, kneeling down with her head in her hands, sobbing at what Darkrai was showing her.

There was the reason Misty looked like she was hurting on the outside, she was hurting on the inside. Darkrai was showing Misty a nightmare of her biggest fear, and trapped inside it, the torture would never end, unless I did something about it.

"Misty! Misty, don't listen to that nightmare! I'm right here!" I shouted.

I saw Misty take her head out of her hands for a moment and she looked around. She had heard me, barely, but she heard me!

I floated closer to her, and tried to speak as clearly as I could in her ear. "Misty, try to listen. It's me, Ash. Listen CAREFULLY, try hard."

Again Misty took her head out of her hands and looked up, but this time she stood tall and shouted into the dark sky of her mind. "Haven't you done enough already Darkrai? Ash doesn't care, why are you tormenting me with his voice?"

That hurt. Darkrai convinced her that one little fight and I didn't love her anymore. Speaking to her wasn't working, so I called for Haunter.

"Haunter! Haunter I need you!"

Right then and there, Haunter appeared in front of me, wearing the serious expression that it had worn for most of the mission. "Alright Haunter, I need you to try and tell Misty I'm here, she can't see me, but she can kind of hear me!"

Haunter saluted me with its disembodied hand, and appeared in front of the now startled Misty. "Not another dream attacker, Darkrai is enough!" Misty whimpered in fear.

Haunter made a funny face in front of Misty, and I gave a sigh of relief when Misty seemed to calm down. "It's you! The Haunter from Lavender Town!"

Haunter licked Misty's face, and as Misty laughed, the world around us seemed to be growing brighter. "Yeah Haunter, keep it up!" I said.

Haunter continued joking around, and I started laughing along with Misty, as the world went from a dark and gloomy black, to a cheerful sky-blue.

"Thanks Haunter, I feel a lot better, but what happened to Darkrai?" Misty asked.

I suddenly felt a chill go down my spine, as the world quickly turned black once more, and there, enraged, floated Darkrai.

"Aah! Haunter, help!" Misty squealed.

I grabbed for my Pokémon, but then I felt my ghostly skin crawl as I realized something horrible. "I'm a ghost…I don't have my Pokémon!"

Darkrai took a swing at me, and I quickly floated down to where Misty was and wrapped my ghostly arms around her waist, but I quickly jumped back when Misty gave a frightened yelp.

"Haunter, don't mess with me now! We have a situation here!" she cried.

Haunter put up his hands, and started drawing letters with his purple claws. "A…S…H…" Misty spelled out.

Then to really clinch it, I gave Misty a quick tickle to her sides, and after she was through laughing, it hit her. "Ash, you're here too? Where are you?"

Now was my chance. "I'm right here Misty. Right in front of you. Do you feel me holding your hand?"

"Ash…yeah, I do." Misty replied in shock.

"Don't listen to Darkrai Mist; no fight will EVER stop me from loving you. I swear it. You can throw all your fears away because they'll NEVER come true."

Misty began tearing up, and with my ghostly hand I wiped away a teardrop from her cerulean-blue eye. Then slowly, I wrapped my arms around her, and she very carefully felt around for my waist, so she could hug back.

But before we knew it, Darkrai was coming at us at full steam, and it was infuriated by my presence. Quickly I grabbed ahold of Misty and floated away, trying to dodge 'Dark Pulses'.

"Haunter, we need help!" I cried.

Haunter flew out of nowhere at amazing speed and swiped its tongue against the furious dark-type's body. Enraged, Darkrai slowly turned to attack Haunter, but it was then stopped by an unseen force.

"Darkrai's paralyzed! That 'Lick' must've done it!" Misty cheered.

But our celebration was premature, as Darkrai shook off the paralysis and fired a powerful 'Dark Pulse' at the ghost/poison-type.

Haunter took the hit dead-on, and fell limp onto a nonexistent floor. Then Darkrai turned back towards us. "Oh crud."

**Normal POV**

"Ahh, there it is. Fullmoon Island. I remember it like it was yesterday, unfortunately." Eldritch said bitterly.

"Cresselia lives here. If we're gonna find a Lunar Wing, we'll find it here." Jenny said.

Dawn, Jenny, and Sailor Eldritch sailed into the canal that led to the island, but Dawn was beginning to get worried. "The whole island looks like it's surrounded by cliffs, how are we gonna get in?"

"Have a little faith in this old sailor's directional skills lassie, look up ahead and you'll see our entrance." Eldritch said.

"A cave! Perfect! We can get in through there!" Dawn exclaimed.

The trio sailed into the cave, and found a spot to dock the boat. "Wow, would you look at that." Dawn said in awe.

"The entrance to the island should be right over there!" Jenny said.

"Great! Now we just gotta find that Lunar Wing!" Dawn exclaimed.

The trio started walking up the mountain, where Officer Jenny further explained the legend of Cresselia. "When it comes time for Darkrai's visit, it is said that Cresselia will perch itself on a little shrine on top of the cliffs."

After climbing a little higher, Jenny's lantern shined on something behind a rock. "Hey, what's that?" Dawn asked.

Dawn dashed over to where the bright green glow was coming from, and picked up the strange item. "Officer Jenny! Mr. Eldritch! Is this what I think it is?" she asked excitedly.

"Aye! This is the real McCoy alright! It looks just like the Lunar Wing the other Pokémon Trainer gave me when he saved my son. Cresselia must've dropped it here, and it looks like it was recent too." Eldritch said.

"That means Cresselia must've already come to the island!" Dawn exclaimed.

"In that case, we should keep pressing on until we find Cresselia, then we can ask it to take care of Darkrai once and for all!" Jenny exclaimed.

"Aye! I like the sound of that! Except how will we find the Cresselia?" Eldritch wondered.

Piplup had the answer to that. Climbing off of Dawn's head to sniff the Lunar Wing, Piplup caught a scent and led the way. "Piplup's got the scent!" Dawn cheered.

The trio followed the small penguin to a small pile of rocks, where Piplup stood proudly. "Over there Piplup?" Dawn asked.

Piplup nodded to acknowledge, but what Piplup had REALLY found drew sweat-drops from everyone. "That's just a Psyduck." Jenny moaned.

"If you don't mind me saying so lassie, but do you have any other Pokémon with a decent sniffer?" Eldritch asked.

"Hey yeah!" Dawn reached for her Pokéballs and tossed one. "When it comes to tracking scents, Swinub rules." Dawn bent down and held the Lunar Wing in front of the pig-Pokémon. "Swinub, I need you to use the scent of this Lunar Wing to find Cresselia."

Swinub sniffed it a few times, and then snorted out smoke as it picked up the scent. "Swinub's hot on the trail!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Aye! So what say we stick close to the little beastie?" Eldritch said.

Unfortunately for the trio, that was easier said than done, as Swinub hopped ahead and up a rocky hill. They struggled to climb up the rocky hill, and finally pulled themselves up. "Aye, these legs of mine aren't as young as they used to be." Eldritch said.

Swinub hopped up the slope, and then stopped in front of a crescent shaped pedestal. "I think Swinub found something!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That's it! We're standing in front of Cresselia's shrine!" Jenny exclaimed.

Almost as if on cue, the sky opened up with a rainbow aurora shining down from above. And then a shining white sphere slowly floated down, and then revealed itself as Cresselia.

"Aye, there's the Pokémon responsible for saving my son all those years ago." Eldritch said.

"What a beautiful Pokémon." Dawn said in awe, pulling out her pink Pokédex. "Cresselia, the Lunar Pokémon, shiny particles are released from Cresselia's wings like a veil, and it is said to represent the crescent moon." the Pokédex chirped.

Just as Dawn and her two escorts started moving in closer, a net appeared from above and knocked Cresselia to the ground. "What's going on here?" Jenny hissed.

"Never mind that, we've got to help Cresselia!" Eldritch exclaimed.

The trio charged to assist the Lunar Pokémon, but they were cut off from their target by a huge Magikarp tank, driven by none other than Team Rocket.

"Well take it from here twerpette, by the way, where's Pikachu?" Jessie asked.

"You creeps! You never give up! Ash and Pikachu aren't even here, so let Cresselia go and scram!" Dawn screamed.

"You apparently didn't learn the first time, why don't you ever change?" Jenny hissed.

"We do! Now WE'RE beatin' YOU!" Meowth pushed a button on his remote control, and the Magikarp tank launched out two more nets that trapped Dawn, Jenny, and Eldritch.

"Ahh, catching old and new friends warms my heart." Jessie snickered.

With another press of a button, the Magikarp tank's fins extended into two arms to take the frightened Cresselia away.

"Why don't you let me out of here and I'll show you how fast my Pokémon can make you cry?" Eldritch growled.

"Not a chance! Past experiences have taught us one thing! It's best you keep your Pokémon's attacks to yourself!" James exclaimed.

As the tank moved in to grab Cresselia, the still free Swinub surged forward with a 'Take Down' attack. Unfortunately, the pig-Pokémon wasn't strong enough to do damage, and wound up on its back after the attack. "Swinub no!" Dawn cried.

Undaunted however, Swinub hopped back to its feet and snorted smoke. "Great! Alright Swinub, go in with 'Take Down' quick!" Dawn ordered.

Swinub charged ahead again, but the Magikarp tanks merely bounced it off once more. "Naughty pudgy Pokémon." James snickered.

Swinub once again hopped to its feet and attacked again, but with the same result. As Swinub continued to ram its head against the Magikarp tank, each impact hurting more than the last, Dawn was beginning to tear up as she watched her Pokémon hurt itself on their behalf. "Stop! Swinub, that's enough! Please!"

But Swinub refused to stay down, as it once again struggled to its short and stubby legs and crawled forward. Now enraged by the annoyance, Meowth made his move. "Hey! since ya don't wanna listen to da twoipette I'll help ya do it! With THIS gentle pat!"

Meowth had the Magikarp tank ball one of its metallic hands into a fist, and it struck the already pained pig-Pokémon with a vicious right-hook. "Swinub!" the trio cried.

At first it seemed that Swinub was down for the count, but then the unthinkable happened as Swinub stood up under its own power, and started glowing white.

"Swinub's evolving!" Jenny exclaimed.

The white light more than doubled in size as it finally finished its evolution and roared mightily. "Wow, amazing!" Dawn exclaimed in awe.

"THAT'S a twerp Pokémon?" Jessie said nervously.

Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex to scan her newly evolved Pokémon. "Piloswine, the Swine Pokémon, and the evolved form of Swinub. Piloswine's entire body is covered with fur, which makes it hard to see, so it uses its nose to sense its environment instead."

Piloswine slowly turned towards Team Rocket, the ground rumbling with each step it took. With a loud battle-cry, Piloswine charged forward with a 'Take Down' that obliterated the front of the Magikarp tank and sent it flying, and Team Rocket blasting off.

"So is this the real blast off or is it only a dream?" James wondered.

"A dream? Who knows? Perhaps it would help if Meowth and I pinched a few cheeks." Jessie said.

"I'm game." Meowth added.

After they pinched each other's cheeks, it was clear to them that they weren't dreaming. "We're blasting off again!" *Ping*

The trio freed themselves from the nets, and Dawn immediately ran to embrace her newly evolved Pokémon. "Piloswine! I can't thank you enough for saving us!"

Piloswine grunted happily at the affection, and nuzzled up against Dawn. "No matter what lies ahead, we'll all face it together." Dawn said.

"So whaddya say we go help Cresselia now?" Jenny suggested.

"Aye lassie, and it's about time too." Eldritch replied.

The trio pulled the net off of the Lunar Pokémon, who after being freed, shined brightly in a rainbow aura and perched itself upon its shrine. "It's so pretty…" Dawn said in awe.

"Cresselia, I'm begging you to please help our friend and also free all of Canalave City from all their awful nightmares!" Jenny pleaded.

Cresselia squealed and began glowing brightly once more, and then it flew off. "It looks like it's headed for Canalave City!" Jenny exclaimed.

"Well come on then! We gotta take the Lunar Wing to Misty before Cresselia gets there or it won't be able to find Darkrai!" Dawn exclaimed.

"And we better hope that Ash is out of her mind too, or it'll be pointless." Jenny added.

**Ash's POV**

"Ash, we can't keep this up forever!" Misty cried.

We were still being chased by Darkrai, it seemed hopeless since my ghost-self and Misty's dream-self didn't have any Pokémon to battle with. Darkrai finally nailed by ghostly form with a 'Dark Pulse', and I fell to the non-existent ground with Misty still in my invisible grip.

"This isn't over." I growled. Darkrai loomed over us and seemed to chuckle evilly, as it charged another 'Dark Pulse' to obliterate me for good and get back to tormenting Misty.

Just before Darkrai fired, it was hit in the back by a 'Shadow Ball'. It turned around and there was Haunter, challenging the dark-type to a battle. "Haunter haunter!" (Come and get me!)

Enraged, Darkrai surged forward to attack, but Haunter vanished at the last minute and appeared behind it, making a funny face in the process. "Haunt haunt haunt!" (You're too slow!) Haunter laughed.

This infuriated Darkrai, as it used 'Psychic' on the ghost/poison-type and held it in place while Darkrai moved in and fired 'Dark Pulse' at point-blank range.

Haunter fell down once more, and struggled to get back up into the air, as Darkrai slowly moved close to finish Haunter off. "Haunter no!" we both cried.

Haunter turned to us and winked at us, just as Darkrai fired 'Dark Pulse' once more and knocked Haunter out.

Then if things weren't bad enough already, I realized something else horrible. "Without Haunter, I'm trapped in here too!"

Then Darkrai moved in on me and Misty again. "Well then again, I don't think I'll be here long enough to be 'trapped'."

Darkrai was about to use 'Dark Pulse' and destroy my ghostly form, when all of a sudden Darkrai started growing weaker for some reason.

We looked behind the dark-type and there, coming out of Haunter's unconscious body, were two purple orbs coming out of its eyes. Darkrai seemed alarmed by this as it veered off and started flying around trying to avoid the two orbs.

But whatever it was, it was determined to nail Darkrai, as it eventually hit, and Darkrai seemingly vanished from sight. The world around us went from the eerie darkness, to a cheerful sky blue once again.

"Is…Darkrai gone?" Misty asked.

"I guess so. But I'm trapped in here until Haunter wakes up." I replied.

As if on cue, Haunter woke up and laughed heartily, but weakly. "Haunter, you schemer, what did you do to Darkrai?" I chuckled.

Haunter just laughed again and motioned for me to come along, it was time to return apparently. "Well Mist, I gotta go now, but don't worry, you'll wake up soon, and I'll be there waiting for you."

"Oh Ash…I wish I could see you, I could just kiss you to death!" Misty sighed.

"I'll hold you to that." I chuckled.

I gave Misty a quick embrace, and then followed Haunter outside of Misty's mind and back into the real world.

As I watched the faces of my friends, I was surprised and shocked to see who else was there with them. "What's she doing here?"

Haunter then became visible to the group of the living and scared them, as it alerted them to my return to my body. "Ash must be ready to go back into his body!" Brock exclaimed.

"Ok Chansey, be ready to deactivate the life-support systems, we have to time this perfectly!" Nurse Joy exclaimed.

"What would happen if you timed it wrong?" Dawn asked nervously.

"I've done a little research on the new life-support systems being developed. Should they be deactivated too late, the body could virtually overload and the heart would literally beat itself to death." Prof. Rowan explained.

The entire group's eyes grew wide at that, which included mine. I had no idea that my plan was so risky. "Ok Haunter, let them know, I'm going in on three."

"One…"

"Two…"

"THREE!"

I charged into my body just as Haunter signaled them to shut down the system.

**Normal POV**

The room was silent for a moment, as the group awaited to see if Ash was even still alive after that frightening ordeal. For a moment, it seemed that Ash was dead as the monitors remained silent.

But a few seconds later, a steady beat was found, as Ash slowly woke up, holding his aching head. "Oh man, what a trip."

Ash quickly found himself being held by a pair of gentle arms, as the woman holding him sobbed uncontrollably. "Mom! It's great to see you too, but what are you doing here?" Ash asked, trying to get his mother to control herself.

"Well, I was flying here to Canalave City to visit a friend of mine. I have to do something while you're out travelling you know." Delia said, wiping tears from her eyes, "But when Brock tracked me down and called me, telling me that…you and Misty were unconscious and…oh I just had to come and make sure my little boy was alright!"

Delia began hugging Ash once more, and the trainer happily hugged back to comfort his mom. "Well, Darkrai's gone. Did you guys find a Lunar Wing?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, it's right here! And as soon as Cresselia gets here, Darkrai won't just be gone from Misty; Cresselia will chase Darkrai right off Canalave City!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Professors, what do you say?" Ash asked.

"I say go for it Ash. Misty looks very relaxed now. Waking her up shouldn't have any repercussions now." Prof. Oak said.

Dawn handed Ash the Lunar Wing. "Here Ash, you'll be the first one she wants to see, not me." Dawn said with a smile.

Ash smiled back and walked up to Misty, unsure of what to do exactly. "So…what do I do?"

"Just hold the Lunar Wing up to her face lad, it'll do the rest." Eldritch said.

"Who are you?" Ash asked.

"Just a rusty old sailor repaying a debt. Sailor Eldritch at your service." Eldritch replied.

"Well go on Ash, wake her up, I'm anxious to see the two of you reunite." Delia teased.

"Mooom." Ash whined playfully.

The mother and son smiled at each other, and then Ash moved close to Misty and held the Lunar Wing to her face. The item began glowing in a rainbow aura, and it covered Misty's entire body in a beautiful aurora of colors.

When the glow diminished, Ash placed it into his pocket and awaited Misty's return. As if on cue, the red head slowly opened her eyes, blinking a few times to get used to the lights in the room.

Before Misty could even sit up, Ash was already embracing her tightly, invoking "Awwws" from everyone in the room except for Prof. Rowan and Sailor Eldritch.

Misty had no trouble hugging her boyfriend back despite the audience. At this point, she was just happy to feel his presence after the terrifying ordeal she had just been put through. She pulled his face close and whispered in his ear so that only he could hear, "I love you."

Ash smiled and nuzzled his face against hers, until finally Delia semi-broke it up. "Ohh, my two favorite kids are alright!" Delia exclaimed wrapping them into a group hug.

"What about me Mrs. Ketchum?" Brock moaned to himself. "Oh relax." Dawn rolled her eyes at Brock.

"It would seem that everything has worked out alright. And I've gathered some very interesting theories from this experience as well." Prof. Rowan said.

"So have I, I hope you don't mind if I want to compare notes with you sometime Professor." Prof. Oak said.

"Not at all Professor Oak, it will be quite enlightening I'm sure." Prof. Rowan replied.

"There is one thing about all this that confuses me though." Ash said.

"What's that Ash?" Brock asked.

"I went into Misty's mind and saw her memories, her intellect and her logic skills. But I couldn't find a way into her soul, why did I have to go through her fears to get into Misty's soul where Darkrai was bugging her?" Ash asked.

"Oh Ash, all those things you saw were a part of her mind, everyone has those things. But your fears, your passions, your likes, they're your soul, they're what makes you different from everyone else, your soul makes you unique, and that's why you needed to find her there." Delia explained.

"When you put it that way it makes sense." Ash said.

"I'm your mother; it's supposed to make sense." Delia laughed.

"What are you doing here anyway Mrs. Ketchum?" Misty asked.

"My maternal senses were tingling, I felt something was wrong." Delia joked.

The group laughed at the joke, "There is one more thing. Haunter did something to Darkrai that made it leave, what was it? I mean, Haunter fainted! How did it still win?" Ash asked.

"It was probably a move called 'Destiny Bond'." Prof. Oak said, "You see, when 'Destiny Bond' is used, the Pokémon using it will drag the Pokémon that knocked it out down with it. Basically Haunter just took Darkrai down by letting Darkrai knock it out."

"Wow Haunter, thanks a lot! I mean, you have no idea how much I appreciate your help." Ash said.

"Haunt haunt haunt!" (That's alright!)

Then they heard a squeal outside. "Is that Cresselia?" Brock asked.

"It must be! Come on, let's go see!" Dawn replied.

Saying farewell to the two professors on the phones, the entire group ran outside to see Cresselia shining brightly to expose Darkrai. Forced into the open by the shining light, Darkrai emerged from the treetops and faced off against Cresselia.

"It's Darkrai!" the group exclaimed. Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan the monster that almost destroyed her two friends. "Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon. Legend has it that on a moonless night, Darkrai will lure people to sleep and unleash nightmares upon them." the Pokédex chirped.

"Legend my foot! My son and now Misty is living proof that that cursed beast has that evil ability!" Eldritch exclaimed bitterly.

"So here's the million dollar question, what's Darkrai doing here so early?" Misty asked.

They were answered by Darkrai itself as it hovered over a nearby wreckage. "Look at that! It's what's left of Team Rocket's Nightmare Machine!" Jenny exclaimed.

"It's all starting to make sense! Darkrai's here now at such an unusual time because the electromagnetic waves from the Nightmare Machine must've lured it here!" Brock figured.

"That sounds so complicated, how do you know all these things?" Delia asked.

"When you've been on the road as long as we have, you learn things pretty quick." Brock replied.

"But that only explains why Darkrai's here, what's the explanation for Cresselia being here?" Dawn wondered.

"Aye! The Cresselia shouldn't be here yet, so what's it doing here so early?" Eldritch added.

"There's only one reason I can think of. Cresselia must've sensed that the island was in danger and it came to help!" Ash exclaimed.

"And it's a good thing it did or we both would've been history!" Misty added.

The group watched as Darkrai and Cresselia exchanged blows, but Cresselia seemed to have the obvious advantage as Darkrai was already fatigued after battling with Haunter inside Misty's nightmare.

Cresselia then loomed above Darkrai and shined as brightly as it could, driving Darkrai away from Canalave City for yet another year.

As soon as it sensed its departure, Cresselia floated down to the group and confronted them. "Thank you Cresselia! If it weren't for you I might still be trapped in that awful nightmare!" Misty exclaimed.

"Aye, I wanna thank you too. Your wonderful feather saved my son years ago and now you've allowed me to repay my debt to that Pokémon Trainer that brought it to me." Eldritch added.

"I also want to thank you Cresselia, you've saved Canalave City from all of those awful nightmares again." Jenny added.

Cresselia shined brightly for them, giving them one last thing to look at before it eventually flew away into the moonlit sky.

"Wow, I wonder where Cresselia's heading to next?" Dawn wondered, waving goodbye to Cresselia along with the rest of the group.

"Yeah, me too. Probably somewhere we've never even heard of." Jenny said.

Cresselia vanished before their eyes in a sparkling display of shining particles, leaving the group alone. "And thanks to Haunter, I was able to help Cresselia before it got here." Ash said.

"Speaking of Haunter, where is it?" Misty asked.

Dawn turned around and saw a pair of glowing eyes staring at her, "Oh, here it is." she said calmly.

Haunter reappeared; disappointed that it couldn't get a laugh out of Dawn anymore.

"Haunter, I just wanted to thank you again. If it weren't for you, we would've never been able to save Misty from whatever Darkrai was doing to her." Ash said.

Haunter licked the two trainers playfully, its way of saying "You're welcome."

"Hey Haunter, I know last time I asked this you didn't want to, but would you like to come and join my team? It'd be great having you as a Pokémon." Ash asked.

Haunter seriously pondered it for a few moments, before finally nodding yes. "You mean it?" Ash asked excitedly.

Haunter gave a disembodied thumbs-up, and allowed Ash to touch it with an empty Pokéball, making the capture official at last. "Alright! I just caught…a Haunter!"

The group then went back to Jenny's police station after waving farewell to Nurse Joy and Sailor Eldritch. "Well Mom, I really appreciate you coming here to see me." Ash said.

"Oh, anything for my little boy!" Delia said, hugging her son tightly once more.

"Little nothing. Mrs. Ketchum, take a look at his clothes." Misty snickered.

Delia released Ash from the embrace and saw that her "little" boy was outgrowing his clothes. "Well, it's a good thing I bought you bigger sizes then. See? A mother is always prepared." Delia said.

"Great! So where are they?" Ash asked excitedly.

"I wasn't prepared. I don't have them with me, they're at home." Delia admitted.

Ash face-faulted while the others sweat-dropped. And so, with a new Pokémon at his belt, and a now even stronger relationship with Misty, Ash and his friends would continue their training, after they all got a good night's sleep that is.  
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**A/N: Well, after reading this you can understand why I changed the name of the episode. And yayz for Haunter officially joining! That also means no more of Dawn's hallucinations. I'll have to find something else to joke around with. xD Also a lot of guest appearances in this one. Delia, the professors, and the Sailor from Platinum! Oh, I am so awesome. *shot***

**Anyways, all signed reviewers will get messages from me saying when I will update, so make sure to review!**


	39. Keep Your Rotom Running

**Well it certainly has been a while hasn't it? Well, to all my loyal readers, I extend a hearty and sincere Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! This chapter was kinda rough for me when I started it I'll admit, but thanks to a little advice from my friend Texas Longhorn (and I hope he thinks of me as a friend too ^_^U), I was able to get through it. And also, with the addition of this chapter, I will have passed the 400,000 word mark! Yayz for me! xD Anyways, before we get started, it's time for review replies!**

**Aditya Shukla: Thanks! ^^**

**lightningblade49: Maybe, maybe not. Haunter needs to get broken in first. xD**

**darky/Darkness Shadow: Yeah D, now everyone who read this knows who you are. =P And btw, thanks for reviewing! Here's to many more future appearences by the guardian of Sonzonia City. xD**

**Trayton125: Thanks for the compliments, I'm glad you liked it. And you're welcome about Max. ^^**

**Airoh: So you figured it out eh? lol. I was wondering how many people were able to figure it out ahead of time. xD**

**pidgeotexpress: Well we'll see. A lot can happen before then. ^^**

**Anyways, it is now 12:00 A.M. here in Florida, which makes it officially Wednesday! Which means I updated on the right day this time! xD Enjoy everyone! I own nothing except the story.**

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Chapter 39

**Misty's POV**

It seems that every day I'm out here in Sinnoh; things get more and more stressful. After going to the Canalave Gym, we found that the Gym Leader had ironically, no pun intended, gone to Iron Island to train his Pokémon, and we had gone all that way for nothing.

We also found a strange phenomenon where everyone in town was having nightmares thanks to Team Rocket's stupid plan to make money. Little did we know that their weird machine would attract a Darkrai that showed up once every year. And it picked me as its victim!

Me and Ash had had a fight before bed, and we were both upset. Darkrai trapped me in a nightmare and convinced me that Ash didn't love me anymore! But then the unimaginable happened, the Haunter from Lavender Town appeared in my mind! And it brought Ash with him!

Haunter had taken Ash's soul out of his body and placed him into my nightmare so he could help me. I couldn't see his soul, but I could feel it. Ash's soul grabbed my hand and held it tightly, and I could actually hear him, faint as he was.

In my mind I put together the pieces of the puzzle that back in Lavender Town, Ash was the one that lifted me into the sky. But what I couldn't figure out was why I heard Ash when Brock didn't. I figured that I'd figure that out later.

When Haunter miraculously made Darkrai leave my mind, it and Ash left next, and the next thing I knew I was waking up with Ash's arms tightly wrapped around me. I loved, loved, LOVED the feeling. More so than ever since we had just gone through our first real fight as a couple. It only further proved to me that Ash and I were truly meant to be.

Then Cresselia appeared and chased Darkrai away from the island, and then we got a well needed night's sleep. And boy, did it feel good to be able to close my eyes and feel Ash's love wash over me again.

**Normal POV**

Misty woke up in her bunk and found herself still secure in Ash's arms. After the terrifying ideal from the night before, she found herself enjoying her time with Ash even more than usual. Being the romantic she was, she imagined Ash as her knight in shining armor over and over again, with love conquering all in the end.

Of course, love never would've been able to predict what was about to happen. "Rise and shine kids! It's a beautiful d – ASH KETCHUM!"

The entire group woke up to see a furious Delia staring down into Ash and Misty's bunk. The key word being "and".

"Uh…h-hi Mom. Had a good night's sleep?" Ash stammered, his face tomato red with blush.

"Ashton, come with me please." Delia said, trying with all her might to keep her voice level.

Ash quickly got up from under the covers and stepped outside, with his mother closely trailing him. When the door closed, Misty got up as well and looked at the two other humans who were also watching in shock. "Who told her?" Misty asked.

The two humans shook their heads in confusion, until they heard a laughing coming from nowhere. "Haunter! Come out wherever you are!" Misty screamed.

Haunter came out of hiding, laughing uncontrollably at its joke. "Why would you do that? Because of you I may have just lost my boyfriend!" Misty screamed angrily.

Haunter stopped laughing and looked at Misty's face, which was threatening to let loose hot tears of anger. "Haunt haunt." (It was just a joke.) Haunter replied.

"Look, Misty, I'll talk to Ash's mom, maybe I can cool her off a little after she's done with Ash." Brock said reassuringly.

Outside, Delia was having a discussion with Ash. "Ashton Ketchum, did all the things I told you when you told me she was your girlfriend go in one ear and out the other?"

"Mom, we didn't do anything! And we've been sleeping together for a while now anyway! We're not doing…THAT…we just enjoy…you know…being close to each other." Ash said awkwardly.

Delia put her head in her hand and sighed. "Ash, I understand your wanting to be close to Misty, you're growing up and you have those urges now, but there are some things that can be considered inappropriate. Sleeping together in the same bed is one of them."

"But Mom!" Ash was cut-off before he could protest.

"No buts Ash. Either you and Misty separate your sleeping arrangement, or I'm ending your journey early." Delia walked out of the room, leaving a very sad and disappointed Ash behind. "What am I gonna do?"

As Delia went to pack up her things and head out, Brock came walking into her room. "Oh, hello Brock."

"Hello Mrs. Ketchum. Um, listen…correct me if I'm wrong, but the reason you were so upset earlier was because you caught Ash and Misty in the same bed, right?" Brock asked.

Bringing up the subject brought a frown to Delia's face. She turned her back to Brock and started packing again. "Ash is only fourteen, it isn't right for them to be sleeping together, and come to think of it, you knew they were sleeping together, did you not?" Delia said, suddenly turning back to Brock.

Brock sweat-dropped nervously, having Delia getting mad at him wasn't part of the plan. "Well…yeah…but see, I knew that Ash and Misty would never do anything that you'd really disapprove of, and I consider them to be trustworthy." Brock said hesitantly.

"Well I do disapprove of them being in the same bed." Delia huffed.

"But Mrs. Ketchum, don't you trust Ash? After all, you raised him yourself, didn't you? I'm sure deep down you know that Ash would never do…THAT…with anyone until after he got married." Brock said.

Delia's anger simmered down, but her face still bore a frown. "Of course I trust Ash, he's my son, how can I not? But he has to learn that he can't just do whatever he feels like doing. Especially with a young lady."

"But Mrs. Ketchum, Misty wasn't exactly upset about it. You know, if you had been here with us while we were travelling, you may not think it was so bad." Brock said.

Delia started to boil up again. "Do moral standards lower on the road Brock?"

"N-No! That's not what I meant. You see, we've gone through a lot lately, that includes last night. Ever since Ash and Misty became a couple, things have been getting a lot rougher out on the road, and at the same time, a little easier. They don't fight nearly as often as they do, but with more people comes more drama. Ash and Misty have gone through quarrels, misunderstandings, and most commonly, hurt and angst." Brock said.

"You're very eloquent Brock, but is there a point in all this?" Delia asked, growing rather impatient with the breeder who was rebelling against her parental decision.

"I'm saying that…well…Ash and Misty have been so much happier ever since they got together. Splitting them up like that might make them sad again. Think of it this way, if Ash was in emotional pain and he needed comforting, would you be willing to lie down and comfort him?" Brock said.

"Yes of course, he's my son." Delia replied.

"Well…what makes Misty any different? The only difference is that Misty's the one doing it and not you. They find love and comfort sleeping in each other's arms that…certain people would absolutely envy to the point of torment!" Brock exclaimed dramatically.

Delia silently chuckled at Brock's outburst. "You're one of those people aren't you Brock?"

"…Yes…yes I am. Please Mrs. Ketchum, in the name of true love! Let them stay with each other." Brock practically begged.

Delia pondered it for a moment. She did trust Ash, and her job in raising him, and she practically considered Misty her daughter, she trusted her as well. "Very well Brock, on one VERY SPECIAL condition."

"Name it!" Brock exclaimed.

"If Ash OR Misty do ANYTHING that I would frown upon while they're…together…YOU will take full responsibility for their actions, and you will personally tell me if they do, you're the responsible adult of the group, and you will be expected to act as chaperone. Is that understood?" Delia said.

"It's a done deal! Thank you Mrs. Ketchum! So…do you wanna tell them the news, or should I?" Brock asked.

"You're the one responsible for them now. You go tell them, I'll be there soon to say goodbye." Delia replied.

Brock grinned and ran out the door, leaving Delia to finish packing. "(Sigh) I suppose Ash needs a little bit of leash. Choking him with it certainly won't help…besides, it's not like he's the first one to do it." Delia continued her packing as replays of her past played in her mind, boyfriends of old that she had never admitted taking a peaceful nap with.

"I guess that's it Mist. Mom won't budge on this." Ash groaned sadly.

"I guess it's to be expected. Moms generally have that maternal instinct. I just can't believe Haunter pulled such a 'joke' and ruined everything!" Misty hissed at the ghost/poison-type.

Haunter's face drooped as Misty spat at it furiously. Ash understood Misty's rage, but Haunter was already feeling genuine guilt, Misty didn't have to make it feel worse.

Ash stood up and walked over to Haunter, who seemed ashamed to meet Ash's gaze. "Hey Haunter, I know you didn't mean any harm. But you've gotta know when it's time to stop joking around and be serious."

Haunter groaned and fell to the floor. It felt just awful for what it had done. None of the jokes it had ever played on anyone had any lasting damage, but it was now responsible for ruining its new master's relationship.

"Brock's talking to Ash's mom now? Dawn asked. "Yeah, but I wouldn't get my hopes up." Misty sighed.

Just then, Brock came into the room. "Well Brock, what's the verdict?" Misty asked, somehow already knowing the answer by the frown he was wearing.

"You two can be together." Brock said. Upon hearing that, Ash and Misty leapt from their respective seats and hugged each other gleefully. "It's a miracle!" Misty squealed.

"However there is one condition." Brock said. The mention of a condition quickly brought their tender celebration to an abrupt halt. "What's the condition?" Ash asked somewhat nervously.

"I will have to take full responsibility should you two do anything bad. In other words, I am now your appointed chaperone." Brock said.

Ash and Misty smiled at the breeder. "There's no problem then! You know you can trust us Brock." Misty said.

"I sure hope so; I really don't wanna take the fall if you two do something stupid." Brock said seriously. "Brock, you can trust us, I swear it." Ash reassured.

"That's good to hear." Brock nodded.

"Well Haunter, looks like you're off the hook this time." Ash said. Haunter floated back into the air and cheerfully flew around the room.

"Alright Haunter, return." Ash sent the ghost/poison-type back to its Pokéball, and turned to Misty for yet another hug.

"You know what I just realized? You should probably give Sabrina a call since you caught Haunter officially, she'd like to know don't you think?" Brock suggested.

Ash was disappointed that Brock interrupted his tender moment with Misty, but then realized that he was right. "Yeah, I guess I should give her a call."

"I'll go with you Ash. You'll need to know the number of her gym anyway." Misty said. The couple walked out of the room with Brock's eyes watching them until they turned the corner.

"That was a close call." Dawn sighed with relief. "Why were you worried?" Brock asked. "Well, they would've been impossible to live with!" Dawn replied.

Brock chuckled and nodded as he packed up his stuff to get back on the road.

"Ok Mist…you ready?" Ash asked, slightly nervous. "Not really. But let's do it anyway." Misty replied.

The couple dialed the number to the Saffron City gym, and a few moments later, there was Sabrina. "Ahh, Ash and Misty, the happy couple. It's been quite some time indeed."

"Hey Sabrina. Man, I'll never get used to how you can tell who it is before you answer." Ash said, "Hey wait, how'd you know about…" Ash was cut off.

"When the Cerulean City gym's rating went down, I called and found out that Misty had gone travelling with her boyfriend, who I predicted would be you Ash. I also predict that you called about Haunter." Sabrina said.

"Uh, as a matter of fact, yeah. Um, I hope you don't mind that Haunter's…officially my Pokémon…I mean, he came all the way to Sinnoh after all…" Ash began growing nervous that Sabrina would do something bad to them.

"I have no problem with it. Haunter was a free roamer and would come and go as it pleased. It wasn't reliable as a Pokémon, so if you captured it, I am pleased that Haunter finally found someone who would take care of it." Sabrina said.

"So…you're not mad?" Misty asked.

"I owe my sanity and my life to Haunter, and I shall never forget it for that. As long as Haunter is happy, I wish it the best." Sabrina relinquished a small smile, and Ash and Misty were more than happy to smile back.

"Well Sabrina, thanks a lot, and good luck in your gym!" Ash said. "And good luck to you on your journey." Sabrina replied.

Sabrina was about to hang up, when Misty spoke up. "Wait Sabrina! Remember you said that the gym's rating went down when I left? Well…has it gone up any since then?"

"I suppose I could check." Sabrina closed her eyes and concentrated, "Yes. It has gone up one slot. It has passed the Erika and the Celadon City gym, but it has a long way to go before it once again reaches the level of Lt. Surge and of course mine."

"Way to go Daisy." Misty whispered proudly. "Alright Sabrina, thanks a lot!" Ash exclaimed.

Sabrina nodded and hung up the phone, leaving Ash and Misty to themselves. Out of nowhere, Misty embraced a very surprised Ash. "What's this for?" Ash asked with a chuckle.

"Oh Ash, it's just that…everything finally seems to be going right! Your mom is ok with our relationship, WE'RE happy in our relationship again, Daisy's doing an awesome job running the gym, I just feel like I'm on top of the world!" Misty exclaimed happily.

Ash hugged Misty tightly, invoking a happy squeal from the red head. After a few moments, they moved their faces in for a blissful kiss, but they were suddenly interrupted by Brock and Dawn. "Break it up! Here comes Mrs. Ketchum!" Dawn exclaimed in a hushed tone.

Ash and Misty quickly broke apart, and sure enough, Mrs. Ketchum came in carrying her suitcase. "Well, I suppose Brock told you the news." Delia said.

"Uh…yeah Mrs. Ketchum. Listen, I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate you letting me stay with Ash, and…you can trust me, ok?" Misty said.

"You can trust me too Mom, and it goes double for me!" Ash exclaimed.

"Oh yeah? You can trust me triple!" Misty quipped back.

"Quadruple!" Ash yelled.

"Octuple!" Misty exclaimed, "Top that Ash Ketchum!"

"Uh…shoot! I can't think of anything else!" Ash grumbled.

The entire group, including Delia laughed at Ash's misfortune. "Ahh, now this is how I remember my two favorite kids! Arguing!" Delia laughed.

"Don't worry Mom; we just do this for fun now." Ash chuckled. "Yeah, I'd much rather do this now." Misty kissed Ash's cheek, causing Ash to blush out of embarrassment.

"How sweet." Delia gushed.

"Yeah…" Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Hey Mom, I just realized, when are you gonna get me those clothes?"

"Oh, you'll get them when I get home to send them to you. But for now, I have to go and visit my friend on another island. That reminds me, Misty may I talk to you for a moment?" Delia asked.

Misty nodded and walked over with Delia to a corner. "I got you some brand new clothes too, I wanted to surprise you, but as long as I was here I wanted to tell you." Delia said.

"Um, thanks Mrs. Ketchum, but I didn't ask for any new clothes." Misty said, adjusting her yellow top and suspenders.

"Well…just between us girls, I thought it'd be nice if you had something to 'grow' into, you get it?" Delia said with a wink.

Misty blushed with embarrassment as she realized exactly what Delia was referring to. "Right…well…I guess I…could use something for…that." Misty stammered awkwardly.

"Oh don't worry Misty; all girls go through the same thing around your age. I actually have some clothes on standby for Dawn in case she goes through a growth spurt of her own. Her clothes seem rather tight as it is." Delia noticed.

"Well…actually, her mom bought her clothes that way; she has this thing for really short clothing." Misty snickered.

"I noticed. If that skirt were any shorter…well, never mind. Maybe I should call Dawn's mom and ask her if it would be ok for me to give her clothing." Delia said with a sweat-drop.

Misty nodded and rejoined the group, leaving them wondering what they had talked about. "What was that all about?" Ash asked.

"Nothing you need to hear." Misty snickered. "Aww, why not?" Dawn whined.

"YOU I'll tell later." Misty said with a wink. Ash's jaw dropped when he heard that. "Not again Mist! Geez!" Ash grumbled.

"Trust me when you hear this Ashton Ketchum, you don't need to hear what we said." Delia warned with an eerie smile.

The smile plus the use of his full name discouraged Ash from questioning further. "I think I'll go pack up my stuff."

Before Ash could walk away, the videophone began ringing again. "You think it's Sabrina again?" Ash asked.

"I sure hope so!" Brock exclaimed excitedly. "Brock, calm yourself." Misty warned. Brock cooled off after realizing that Delia was still there.

They answered the phone and there stood Prof. Oak and Tracey. "Hey guys!" Tracey exclaimed.

"Hi Tracey!" Ash, Misty, and Brock exclaimed. "And this must be Dawn. Nice to meet you." Tracey said.

"Now I remember! You're the drawing guy that they keep talking about! It's nice to meet you too!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Now that we've all been introduced, I called to check on you all since last night's ordeal was very stressful for all of us." Prof. Oak said.

"Oh yeah! Professor Oak told me all about what happened to you guys. Are you two alright?" Tracey asked.

"Yeah Trace, we're cool." Ash said. "Ash and his new Haunter came and rescued me from Darkrai's nightmare, and that was that." Misty added.

"Well that's nice to hear. But I was actually referring to you two and your relationship." Tracey said with a smirk.

Misty rolled her eyes and huffed. "Everybody knows about us Ash! Why don't we just put it on the internet and get it over with?"

"Hey relax; it's just me, your faithful drawing pal." Tracey chuckled.

"Well as long as you're here Tracey, how's Daisy doing as the gym leader?" Misty asked. "What would make you think I know what your sister's are up to?" Tracey asked back.

"Don't play dumb Tracey. Daisy told me how you asked her to pose for one of your sketches. How long have you two been going out huh?" Misty asked with a sly grin.

"…Two weeks." Tracey mumbled, "And to answer your question, I went over there yesterday and battled her. She beat me. But I would've won if your Horsea hadn't evolved right before the match ended."

"Horsea evolved into Seadra?" Misty squealed, "Oh wow! Daisy must be doing an awesome job! I've gotta give her a call and thank her!"

"If you all don't mind, I'd like to get a word in myself." Prof. Oak said, growing impatient with the teens. "Sorry Professor, it's all yours." Tracey stepped back and let the Professor take the screen again.

"So, you all are alright right?" Prof. Oak asked. "Yeah Professor, we're great, and so are our Pokémon." Ash replied.

To agree with that statement, Grotle popped out of his Pokéball and tackled Ash playfully. "Well, Grotle looks especially healthy!" Prof. Oak said.

"Yeah, ever since Grotle evolved we've been working on a brand new battling style." Ash said, trying to coax Grotle off of him and Pikachu. "Ok Grotle, return." Ash grabbed Grotle's Pokéball and returned the large turtle.

"Delia you should be very proud of this boy, every Pokémon he's ever sent me simply love Ash!" Prof. Oak said.

"I am proud Samuel. If Pikachu is any proof of my boy's training skills, he'll be the greatest trainer to ever train Pokémon!" Delia said. Pikachu hopped into Delia's arms to thank her for the compliment.

"As long as we're talking about Pokémon, my Swinub evolved into Piloswine too!" Once again to agree with the statement, Piloswine popped out of its Pokéball and tackled Dawn to the floor. "Hey! Come on Piloswine! Get off please!"

"Say, Piloswine looks as healthy as Grotle! I think it's time for a poem." Prof. Oak said, "A toast…may good health be a sign of great success with Piloswine."

With strength gained by fan girlish enthusiasm, Dawn got up with Piloswine still hanging on top of her. "Wow! I can't believe you came up with a poem about my Piloswine just like that!" she squealed.

"Mhmm. After a bit of poetry, there's nothing like a bite of Gateau." Prof. Oak took a piece of a pastry on a toothpick and ate it. "Hey, as long as you all are in Canalave City, you should try some Old Gateau at the Old Château!"

"The Old Château?" Ash asked.

"It's where they make a special type of Gateau that's out of this world! I'll tell you I've eaten just about every kind of Gateau there is. Gateau aficionados call it the Mirage Gateau!" Prof. Oak explained.

"Whoa, I've GOTTA try that!" Ash said, practically drooling. "Typical Ash, his stomach talks louder than his brain." Misty teased.

"Oh yeah, because you NEVER get hungry. I haven't eaten all morning!" Ash exclaimed. "I gotta side with Ash on this one, I really wanna try that the stuff!" Dawn added.

"You said it's made at the Old Château?" Brock asked. "Old Gateau at the Old Château. You see, the plain and simple fact is that they make Old Gateau at the Old Château in Canalave City." Prof. Oak said.

"You said that already Professor." Misty said with a sweat-drop, "But will we have time? We don't wanna get too far away from the gym, and we do have some training to do."

"Hold on, let me check something." Brock pulled out his Sinnoh tour book, "Here it is, check this out!" Brock showed the group a piece of paper with a picture of what Old Gateau looked like, and needless to say, it made them all the hungrier. "Wow, that looks delicious!" Dawn squealed.

"I gotta admit, that does look tasty." Misty said admittedly. "I say we head over there and taste this stuff!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

"I second that!" Dawn squealed. "Very well then, please let me know what you think of it!" Prof. Oak said.

"Alright Professor, thanks for the tip!" Ash said. "Nice talking to you guys again!" Tracey exclaimed from behind the Professor. "Bye Tracey!" the group exclaimed.

Prof. Oak and Tracey hung up, leaving the group by themselves. "Well Mom, you wanna come with us?" Ash asked.

"I'd like to Ash, but I did have a previous engagement, and I have to get there." Delia planted a kiss on her son's head and said farewell to everyone. "Well at least she forgot to…" Ash was suddenly cut-off.

"I almost forgot! Don't forget to wear…" Delia was cut-off next. "MOM!" Ash yelled embarrassedly. Delia giggled and left the Center, leaving the others by themselves.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "Cool your jets Ash; we still gotta pack up our stuff too." Misty said.

"Aww, well how long will that take?" Ash whined. "What do you think Dawn? An hour or two?" Misty asked jokingly. "Well I was thinking more along the lines of three hours. After all, we have to fix our hair too." Dawn joked.

Ash groaned loudly. "Look, you both look great! In fact, Dawn, if I weren't dating Misty, I'd wanna date you! I-I mean, not that I don't wanna stop dating you Misty, but what I mean to say is…" Ash was suddenly cut-off by a stinging sensation in his side.

"Hey…what'd you do it to me for? (Groan)" Ash was dragged by Brock's Croagunk, leaving the other three to laugh at his expense. "Poor Ash is talking through his stomach." Misty laughed.

"Seriously though, how long will it take for you two to pack?" Brock asked. "Ten minutes tops." Misty reassured.

The two girls rushed to the bedroom while Brock tended to Ash. "Not so funny when it's you getting jabbed, is it?" Brock snickered.

Ash was lying down on the Pokémon Center couch, clutching his side. "Pikachu, how about a small shock to ol' Brock's toes?" he whispered.

Pikachu smirked as its cheeks sparked playfully. "Uh oh." Brock turned and ran, but Pikachu aimed a perfect 'Thundershock' at the breeder, and he fell to the floor as well. "So there Brock." Ash stuck his tongue out at Brock, who was too crippled to retaliate.

After the girls packed up, they walked to the island that had the Old Chateau, and it wasn't long before they reached their destination. "Well guys, feast your eyes on the lovely Old Chateau!" Brock said.

"Wow, it's so stately and pretty!" Dawn said in awe. "I suppose it has a certain…appeal to it." Misty said with a sweat-drop.

"Well whaddya say we go check it out?" Ash suggested. Before the group could continue, a man in a hard hat came up to them. "Hey you kids! You young people aren't planning a visit to the Chateau are you?"

"Yeah, that was the plan actually." Ash said. "Well, it's closed. There was a storm that came through about a week ago that took out all the power lines." the man explained.

"You've gotta be kidding." Misty said in disbelief. "Nope, I'm dead serious. Although I do think we'll get the power up and running sometime today, there are these rumors." the man said.

"What kind of rumors?" Dawn asked.

"The rumors of a ghost haunting the empty halls of the Chateau!" the man said eerily, "They're alive with shadows that seem to moan 'Give me more Gateau!'" the man made his voice normal again after he got the result he was looking for, "Of course, that's just a silly old rumor. Take it easy!" the man walked away and went back to work, leaving the group to just stand there in a petrified state.

"Of for – not another ghost story!" Misty said in exasperation. "It seems that everywhere we go we run into some creepy legend." Dawn added.

"I guess that Gateau is so good that even ghosts can't get enough of it." Brock said. "Yeah, that makes loads of sense Brock." Misty said sarcastically.

"So what do we do then? Turn back?" Dawn asked. Ash's stomach growled. "Since we've come all this way, I say we ignore the rumor and eat some of that Gateau ourselves!" Ash exclaimed.

"The hunger is mightier than the fear." Misty laughed. "I haven't eaten anything all day! I'm starving!" Ash whined.

"Well the sooner we get inside, the sooner we eat, so let's go." Brock said. The group walked up to the Old Chateau, only to find that not even a housekeeper was walking around the lawn. "I guess it really is closed." Dawn said.

"That means we all just made a really long trip for nothing." Brock said. "Man, and I'm starving!" Ash whined.

"Quit your bellyaching Ash! It's not like you're the only who's hungry." Misty grumbled. "I can't quit my bellyaching! My belly IS aching!" Ash retaliated.

Just then, the door of the Chateau opened in front of them, seemingly all by itself. The group nervously walked up to the door and peeked inside. "If no one's here, who opened the door?" Brock asked nervously.

"Y-You don't think a ghost did it, do ya?" Ash asked. "D-Don't be silly." Dawn replied.

Just then, a purple figure appeared, screaming like a banshee at the group, utterly terrifying them. "Haunt haunt haunt!" (I got you!) Haunter laughed.

"Haunter? YOU opened the door?" Ash asked. Haunter snickered and flew around the room. "Yeah, great Haunter, you're hilarious." Misty said sarcastically.

Now regaining their cool, the group walked inside with Haunter still laughing at them. But suddenly, the door behind them closed with a loud slam, and the group tried opening it to no avail. "Very funny Haunter, now open the door." Misty said with frustration.

But Misty's frustrated expression changed when she noticed that Haunter had stopped laughing when the door closed. "Haunter haunt." (It wasn't me.)

"Well if it wasn't Haunter then…who was it?" Ash asked nervously. Pikachu looked around, and noticed a strange looking object walking down a stairway. Curious, Pikachu ran down the stairway and looked around for the object, but it had somehow vanished.

Pikachu crossed his arms and looked around, but found nothing. The humans, Piplup, and Haunter followed Pikachu down. "Pikachu, you can't just go rushing into rooms like that." Ash scolded.

"Pika pika chu!" (But I saw something!) Pikachu made the shape of what he saw with his body, trying to get the message through to the humans. "Did you see something Pikachu?" Ash asked.

Just then, Haunter piped up, as if he had felt something. "What's up Haunter?" Ash asked. Haunter quickly turned around, and there on the floor, was a microwave. "Pika pika… (That can't be it) Pikachu hopped over to examine the object, confused as can be.

"Is that what you saw Pikachu?" Misty asked. "Pika pika pika chu." (I'm not sure anymore.) Pikachu replied. "Just be careful not to break it." Ash said.

The group looked around the room, and noticed a large machine against the back wall of the room. "Check that out." Ash said. "Looks like a generator. So they could make electricity when the power goes out." Brock said, as they walked over to examine the machine.

"But if that's the case, why didn't they fire this thing up to begin with?" Misty wondered. "Well it's real dusty down here, maybe they forgot about this room." Dawn suggested.

As Pikachu continued to rattle the microwave, Haunter again felt that same feeling, this time it went unnoticed by the humans who were too busy examining the generator. Haunter looked down and saw that Pikachu had stuck his head inside the microwave in curiosity, and the microwave had suddenly changed shape. "Haunter haunt haunt!" (Get out of there!) Haunter warned.

"Pika?" (Why?) Pikachu replied. Pikachu would get the painful answer after the microwave somehow tried to trap Pikachu inside of it. However the electric mouse was too big to fit completely inside, so Pikachu instead instinctively launched a 'Thunderbolt' that barely missed the humans and wound up hitting the generator instead.

Pikachu was suddenly released from the rogue microwave, which was now crackling with electricity from the 'Thunderbolt', and Haunter noticed that it was back to normal. "Pikachu!" Ash ran to check on his Pokémon partner, "You ok buddy? What just happened?"

Pikachu hopped back to his feet, angrily pointing at the microwave that had just been fried by his 'Thunderbolt'. "Pika?" (Huh?)

"Pikachu, it's just a regular old microwave." Ash said. "Haunter, you didn't pull another prank did you?" Misty asked accusingly. Haunter waved its hands back and forth in defense. "Haunt haunter haunt!" (It wasn't me!)

Pikachu added onto that by mimicking Haunter's hand movements. "Pika pika chu pi pika!" (Haunter tried to warn me!)

"Oh, sorry Haunter." Misty said somewhat shamefully. Haunter nodded at the red head. It could understand that for a while at least, the group would have trouble trusting it because of its past practical jokes.

"But if it wasn't Haunter, then does that mean that Pikachu's paranoid or something?" Dawn wondered. Ash didn't take kindly to Pikachu being tagged as paranoid, but before he could retaliate, the 'Thunderbolt' that had previously hit the generator powered the machine up, and the Old Chateau once again was up to power.

"The power's back on!" Dawn exclaimed. "Looks like Pikachu's 'Thunderbolt' gave the generator a jumpstart." Misty added.

Then a bell chimed, and a voice started speaking over the intercom. "Sounds like an automated voice message that must've kicked in when the power came back on." Brock said.

The message continued, and explained that they could try and make Old Gateau on their own. "You hear that? We get to try and make the Gateau ourselves!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

"What's so exciting about that Ash? Anything YOU make will make us sick." Misty teased. "Oh yeah? What about your lame poffins?" Ash countered.

"I seem to recall you eating one of YOUR disgusting poffins and then passing out on the floor. Who's the worse chef, you or me?" Misty asked.

Ash grumbled in defeat, he knew the answer to that one. "That's more like it." Misty said with satisfaction.

"Well if anyone has the recipe, they do. I say we do it!" Brock exclaimed. "So let's find the kitchen and get started!" Dawn added.

The group began to walk back up the stairs, but they stopped when they noticed that Haunter was staying back. "Hey Haunter, you coming?" Ash asked.

Haunter stayed floating in place, it was slowly scanning the area with its eyes, as if it was looking for something. "Haunter, everything alright?" Ash asked.

Haunter finally snapped out of its trance and looked down at Ash. "Haunt haunt haunt!" (Yeah I'm fine!) it cackled. "Well let's go then." Ash replied.

Haunter shook its head at Ash, and used its hands to ask if it could go and explore on its own. Ash thought about it for a moment, and nodded. "Just don't pull any jokes on us ok? You promise?" Ash asked.

Haunter gave a thumbs-up and floated through the ceiling. "Wonder what was up with Haunter." Ash wondered. "It's a ghost-type Ash, who knows what was on its mind?" Misty replied.

"As long as it's not another prank, after all that nighttime joking around, I've had enough." Dawn said. The group looked around the Chateau, until they finally found two doors that needed to be pulled open. "Looks like a kitchen to me." Dawn said.

Ash went up and pulled the doors open, and they gasped in awe at the amazing kitchen. "Gateau Corner! What a kitchen!" Brock exclaimed.

Everywhere they looked there was equipment that a master chef would feel right at home with. Whisks and measuring cups of the finest quality, Teflon stick-free pans, stainless steel pots, a huge kitchen sink with one side for clean and one side for dirty dishes, A dual fridge and freezer that held food to make anything imaginable, a marble countertop, and an oven that had every setting a chef could think of. Brock's second favorite fantasy come true. His number one favorite fantasy being him surrounded by girls who liked him.

As they walked into the kitchen, another automated voice came on, "You'll find everything you need to make your Gateau!" There was a hole on the countertop where the ingredients to make Old Gateau rose up from inside, and Chef Brock was starting to get really pumped.

"Wow! Now we've got the ingredients AND the recipe! They're begging us to make the stuff!" Brock exclaimed excitedly. "And that means we'll all get to try the Old Gateau after all!" Dawn squealed.

"Great! Let's get started!" Ash rolled up his sleeves and headed for the ingredients, when Brock got in his way. "Why don't you leave the preparation to ol' Brocko? I'll take care of everything." he said.

"That's ok Brock; I wanna try and help you." Ash replied. "Hey Ash, we have to go and do a little training for your gym match, whaddya say we go out to the backyard?" Misty suggested.

"Oh yeah! Thanks Misty, we could use a little workout." Ash said. Ash walked out with Misty following him, but before she walked out, she turned her head and gave a thumbs-up to Brock. "Thanks Misty." Brock mouthed.

"So what do you want me to do Brock?" Dawn asked. "Well I can handle things here, if you wanna train for your next contest you can." Brock replied. "I guess. It has been a while since we did any real training." Dawn said.

"Then go and do what you gotta do. And I'll go and get you when the Gateau is ready to eat!" Brock said.

Dawn nodded and left the kitchen as well, leaving Brock by himself. He cracked his knuckles and eagerly grabbed the ingredients. "This will be my greatest dish ever!"

Out in the backyard, Ash and Misty were getting ready for a training session. Misty called out Vaporeon and Staryu to face off whoever Ash chose. "Alright, Chimchar, Charizard, let's go!" Ash threw out two Pokéballs, and the two fire-types stood ready for battle.

"Since we'll be up against steel-type Pokémon at the Canalave Gym, this is your time to shine!" Ash exclaimed. The two fire-types announced their approval with determined battle cries.

"You ready for us Misty?" Ash yelled. "Bring it on!" Misty replied. "Alright, Chimchar, Charizard, use 'Flamethrower'!" The two fire-types fired a blazing inferno at the two water-types.

"Dodge it!" Staryu managed to spin out of the way with its impressive speed; however the slower Vaporeon wasn't so lucky and got nailed by Charizard's blast.

"Way to go Charizard!" Ash cheered, "Ok, Chimchar, make sure to watch how your opponent's moving so you can nail it this time!" Chimchar fired again, and the speedy Staryu managed to dodge each one. "Keep trying Chimchar!" Ash encouraged.

Chimchar fired one more blast from its mouth, and this time Chimchar's attack did make contact. However, it wasn't Staryu that it hit. "Aah! Chimchar, timeout!"

"Nice shot, wrong target." Misty said. Ash, Misty, and their Pokémon walked over to the lawn mower that had been the unlucky recipient of Chimchar's flame. "Oh man, what did we do now?" Ash groaned.

"Well hold on, hold on, maybe it's ok. Try to start it." Misty said. Ash walked over and pulled on the cord a few times, and then it finally got started. "Phew, that was lucky." Ash sighed, wiping nervous sweat off his forehead.

But then something strange started happening. The lawn mower suddenly changed shape, and it turned orange with green eyes and sharp teeth. "What's going on here?" Misty asked nervously.

The living mower charged, and the group took off running away from it. "How do ya upset a lawn mower?" Ash shouted. "Quick! Let's head inside!" Misty screamed.

They charged for the chateau, but the mower cut them off and looked ready to attack again. Just then, the lawn mower backed off when a flame blasted towards it. "Thanks Charizard! Let's go, quick!" Ash exclaimed. With the lawn mower caught off guard, they ran inside the chateau and left the freaky machine outside.

"What the heck just happened?" Ash ran for the nearby window and looked outside, but what he saw shocked him even further. "It's just a normal lawn mower!"

"We couldn't have been imagining it. It was too real to be fake if that makes any sense." Misty said. "At this point, I'm not sure what's real or fake anymore. That was way spooky." Ash replied.

"Spooky…hey Ash, have you seen Haunter lately?" Misty asked. "No, why?" Ash replied. "You don't suppose Haunter pulled that off somehow do you?" Misty suggested.

"Maybe…but Haunter promised not to pull any jokes, you don't suppose it broke its promise?" Ash asked. "I say we find Haunter." Misty replied. Ash nodded and returned the giant dragon to its Pokéball to speed up the search a little.

Meanwhile, Dawn was practicing with Piplup and Buneary in some sort of music hall. "Buneary, use 'Dizzy Punch'!" The small rabbit softly punched the air using its ears, making small little stars with its graceful movements. "Awesome! Looking good!" Dawn exclaimed.

But then, Dawn felt a strange breeze that seemingly came from nowhere. She turned and saw an electric fan blowing, which puzzled her. "I don't remember a fan being there." Dawn walked over to the machine and switched it off. "Conserve energy. Alright, let's keep it going! Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!"

Piplup fired into the air, and at first the bubbles were forming into a shape, but the bubbles suddenly popped as a strong wind blew them around. Dawn turned around and shrieked when she saw that the fan she had just turned off had not only turned itself back on, but it had changed shape and was moaning like a banshee.

"Aah! I'm sure I turned that fan off! I KNOW it!" Dawn and her two terrified Pokémon took off running, as the floating fan chased them around the chateau. "AAAH!"

"Haunt?" (Huh?) The ghost/poison-type heard a shriek on the floor below, and looked down through the floor to see what was up. "Hey Dawn, what's wrong?" Ash yelled.

Ash and Misty had heard the poor girl shriek as well, and were running towards her to check and see what was up. "Ash! Misty! There's this crazy fan!" Dawn turned around and looked on the floor, and there was the fan, but it was inanimate as before. "B-B-But…it wasn't a regular fan a second ago!" Dawn said.

"It's true then Ash, we weren't imagining things." Misty said. "What do you mean?" Dawn asked. "We were just being chased around by a lawn mower." Ash replied.

"You don't suppose what that construction worker said was true, do you?" Dawn asked fearfully. "You mean that ghost story? Maybe. Or it might be Haunter playing a joke on us, either way, it's not funny." Misty replied.

"But it didn't look anything Haunter…wait a minute…where's Brock?" Dawn asked. "Oh man, we gotta warn him!" Ash exclaimed. The trio took off towards the kitchen to find their eldest friend, while Haunter floated back up to its floor.

"Haunter haunt…" (Something's up…) Haunter looked around and caught a glimpse of something small zipping around the corridors, snickering mischievously as it went. "Haunter." (Gotcha.)

Haunter stealthily followed the strange creature, making sure to not be detected by whatever it was. And the more Haunter thought about it, the more this creature felt like exactly what it had sensed from the very beginning of their Old Chateau visit.

The strange creature turned a corner, and just when Haunter turned the same corner, the sneaky little monster had disappeared, forcing Haunter to once again track it down.

Ash, Misty, and Dawn were running for the kitchen, when suddenly a lawn mower appeared in front of them. "What's a lawn mower doing in here?" Dawn asked nervously. "No…it can't be…" Ash said. The lawn mower changed shape and started chasing them. "IT IS!"

As the lawn mower chased them, Misty spotted a stairwell. "Quick! Up there!" Ash and Dawn followed the red head up the stairs, and caught their breath as the lawn mower kept going since it couldn't climb up.

"I guess we're safe for now." Dawn panted. "The more I think about it, the less I think it's Haunter." Misty admitted. "Then if it isn't Haunter, then we really need to get to Brock, he's down on the first floor all by himself!" Ash exclaimed.

"Well why don't we go out the back w-…" Dawn cut herself off. "Where'd a washing machine come from?" she screamed fearfully. The mysterious machine changed shape and came alive, and blasted a spray of water at the group.

"Let's get out of here!" Ash yelled. The group took off running once again, as the living washing machine hopped after them. "That settles it! Haunter definitely isn't behind this!" Misty cried.

"Guys look! An elevator!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash practically smashed the elevator button with his palm, and the door immediately opened for them. They looked back to see if the washing machine was still following them, it was. "Come on!" Ash shoved the two girls into the elevator and closed the door behind them, just before the washing machine reached them and wound up smashing into the closed door.

They took a moment to catch their breath as the elevator slowly carried them to the first floor. "Anyone hurt?" Misty asked. The Pokémon shook their heads, but Buneary was the most frightened by the ordeal. The small rabbit leaned into Pikachu for comfort, which Pikachu tried to provide with a soft embrace.

As they finally reached the first floor, the group braced themselves. "Alright, it'll be looking for us." Ash said. "Be careful everyone." Dawn added. The Pokémon nodded, but needless to say they were still a little nervous, Buneary more than the others.

Pikachu made sure to stand in front of Buneary to protect her in case the thing was there, but for the moment it seemed that they were safe. "Looks like the coast is clear." Ash said. "For the moment at least." Misty added.

"We've gotta get to Brock and quick!" Dawn exclaimed in a hushed tone. But just before they got moving again, a fan appeared and started chasing them down the corridor. "We've gotta lose this thing somehow!" Misty cried. "Look, it's the kitchen, hurry!" Ash yelled.

They poured on the speed to try and escape, as the fan was quickly gaining ground on them. Luckily they made it into the kitchen in time. Misty and Dawn shut the door behind them, but Ash had unfortunately tripped over his own feet and slid across the waxed kitchen floor and slammed his head into a cabinet. "Ouch."

"You ok Ash?" Brock asked. "For the most part." Ash replied. "Hey, what's up with you guys? You look like you've seen a ghost." Brock said.

"Y-Y-You don't know how right you are!" Ash exclaimed. "That's just what we saw!" Dawn added. The Pokémon hopped onto the counter to fortify this statement, and the still frightened Buneary was still hiding behind Pikachu in fear. "Sounds to me like your imagination's at work." Brock said with a sweat-drop.

Misty grabbed Brock by the collar, pulled him down to her level and stared him down. "Look me in the eyes Brock; does it look like I'm kidding?" Misty stared at him with the most serious expression she could muster. "No. But still, it seems a bit farfetched." Brock replied.

"We're serious Brock! We were being chased by a ghost fan and a ghost washing machine!" Dawn exclaimed. "We gotta get out of here fast!" Ash added.

"This is no time to leave, especially when the Gateau's almost ready to eat." Brock opened up the fridge and pulled out the French pastry he had worked so hard to make. "Done. Presenting the famous Old Gateau."

When Brock turned his back to the fridge, the trio facing him cried out in fear. Brock turned around to see what they were scared of, but all he saw was the fridge. He turned back to them and raised an eyebrow at them. "Hey, what's wrong?"

The fridge behind Brock transformed again, causing the trio to once again cry out in fear. "Look behind you Brock!" Ash exclaimed fearfully.

Brock turned back again, and again he saw a regular fridge. "It's a fridge, what's your point?" he asked. "Brock look! Quick!" Misty cried.

Annoyed, Brock refused for a moment, but when he eventually did look, he caught a glimpse of a weird glow. Brock turned back to the trio and their Pokémon, they were shuddering in fear. _"Ok, I must be missing something."_

Brock looked back and forth a few times, and then finally decided to try and trick the weird thing that he wasn't even sure was there. He waited a second, and then looked. "Ah ha!" Brock indeed caught the thing that was scaring his friends, but now he regretted even noticing. "Eh…" Brock sweat-dropped at the fact that the fridge had grown a face.

"You believe us now?" Misty whimpered. The jig was up on the freaky fridge, so since it couldn't hide anymore, it advanced to attack, causing the group to take off running while the fridge chasing it blasted a freezing wind towards them.

"W-What is that?" Brock yelled fearfully. "I dunno, but whatever it is it ain't friendly!" Ash replied. Seeing that it wouldn't be able to chase them, the fridge lumbered through the kitchen and came through the door as a microwave, blasting a flame at the group of teens and Pokémon.

"AAAH!"

"Haunt?" (Huh?) Haunter had been looking for the strange creature that had eluded it, and judging by the screams coming from the first floor, Haunter knew now where it was. Haunter slipped through the floors with its ghostly powers, and saw a microwave attacking its new master and his friends.

Before the microwave could fire another blast of flame, Haunter formed a 'Shadow Ball' and blasted it at the fridge. "It's Haunter!" Ash exclaimed. "Then that means Haunter really is innocent!" Misty added.

Haunter blasted another 'Shadow Ball', and knocked the strange creature out of the microwave. "Haunter haunter haunt haunt haunter!" (I like jokes too but you're going too far!)

When the humans saw exactly what was chasing them, they gasped in shock. "That doesn't look like any ghost I've ever seen." Misty said. "Maybe it isn't one, hold on." Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the creature. The Pokédex's explanation confirmed their suspicion. "Rotom, the Plasma Pokémon. Rotom plays practical jokes, which it carries out by embedding its plasma body in electronic devices."

"Devices? Like…appliances?" Dawn asked. "That means everything that's been happening has been the work of that one Rotom." Ash added.

Its cover may have been blown, but Rotom was determined to get all the fun it could out of Ash and his friends. It zipped around the corner and came back as a lawn mower, and once again the group took off running and screaming as Rotom chased them. Haunter had stayed back; it was snickering a little at the whole thing. But while it admitted to itself that Rotom was indeed a master at practical jokes, it was taking the joke too far by actually doing something that could hurt them.

Haunter regained its composure and took off after them. Meanwhile, Ash and Co. had reached another staircase. "Quick! Up the stairs!" Ash yelled. The group followed Ash up the stairs, Ash figured that going upstairs helped them dodge the lawn mower Rotom once, maybe it would help again.

Unfortunately this time, Rotom knew that they knew what it was, so it felt no huge need to hide anymore. It came out of the lawn mower, zipped up the stairs and came back as a washing machine. "U turn!" Misty screamed.

The group ran back down the stairs as the washing machine Rotom lumbered after them. "Quick! Outside!" Brock yelled. The group ran for the doors, and they did indeed make it outside, however it wasn't a graceful trip as they were blasted outside by a high-pressured blast of water from Rotom.

They hit the ground with a thud. "At least the Old Gateau is safe." Brock sighed. Rotom bounced outside still inside the washing machine it had possessed, snickering at them as it enjoyed its practical joke. "Now what'll we do?" Dawn asked fearfully.

Haunter was once again laughing at the joke which it admitted to itself was funny. _"But you've gotta know when it's time to stop joking around and be serious." _Haunter remembered what Ash had told him earlier, and forced itself to stop laughing at the joke and start helping its friends.

"What's it gonna do now?" Misty asked fearfully. Rotom readied another blast of water and aimed it at the group, but just then Haunter appeared and merged with the washing machine to try and chase Rotom out of it. "W-What's Haunter doing?" Ash asked. "I think he's trying to force Rotom out of the washing machine!" Brock replied.

Haunter came out a moment later with Rotom in its firm grasp. Rotom struggled to get free of Haunter's grasp. Since they were both part ghost-type, Rotom couldn't simply float out of Haunter's disembodied fist.

"Way to go Haunter!" Ash cheered. But Rotom wasn't finished yet. It readied a 'Discharge' in hopes of getting free of Haunter's grip, but the ghost/poison-type was prepared and threatened to use 'Shadow Ball' at point blank range if Rotom tried any tricks.

Seeing that the joke was indeed over, Rotom submitted to Haunter's will and settled down. Haunter released Rotom and allowed it to be interrogated by Ash and Co.

Ash saw the frightened expression on Rotom's face, and slowly approached it to try and calm it. "Hey Rotom, why were you trying to scare us like that?" he asked gently. Piplup jumped on top of the washing machine and started chirping off at Rotom, which made the Plasma Pokémon feel a little guilty as it sweat-dropped and wrung its electric limbs together.

"Maybe Rotom was just trying to play with us." Dawn suggested. Rotom nodded at the coordinator. "Really? That's all it was?" Ash asked. Rotom nodded again, and then Haunter had something to say to the Plasma Pokémon. "Haunt haunt, haunter haunt haunt haunter haunter." (It's ok to joke, but you have to know how far is too far.)

Rotom just floated there for a moment, but eventually nodded at its fellow practical joker. Rotom then faced Ash and Co. and drooped its head as if to apologize. "It's ok Rotom, we're not angry. You were just trying to make friends, right?" Ash said.

Rotom nodded again, and zipped over onto Dawn's head and laid there. "You know, you're actually kinda cute." Dawn giggled. Dawn didn't think so for long, as Rotom gently zapped Dawn and frizzed her hair up into a big puffy mess. "Rotom, what are you doing?" Dawn screamed. Rotom then shifted over to Misty and did the same with her hair, and followed up with Ash and Brock's.

Rotom zipped back over to Haunter, and asked it what it had just done was "going too far". Haunter laughed heartily at the humans, and that gave Rotom its answer as it too laughed along with Haunter.

"Looks like Rotom doesn't know when to quit." Brock said. "Ohhh! What am I gonna do about my hair?" Dawn whined. "You? Your hair's almost always a mess! MY hair is gonna have a huge problem!" Misty replied.

The Pokémon below laughed at their masters, and that made the humans also start laughing at each other. "You look awful too Ash." Misty giggled. "Oh yeah? Well I happen to like that hairstyle you've got." Ash said.

That caught Misty off guard. "Y-You do?" she asked with a sweat-drop. "Sure." Ash grabbed his Pokéballs off his belt and placed them in Misty's hair. "Awesome, you look like a decoration now." Ash laughed.

Naturally, Misty didn't find that amusing, and Ash immediately understood what he needed to do now. Run. "Get back here Ash Ketchum!" Misty chased after her boyfriend with mallet in hand, forcing the others to laugh as well. "Unfortunately, Rotom messed up the Gateau with that last shock, so I'll have to make another one." Brock said.

Rotom suddenly looked guilty again. "Hey, don't worry. Shouldn't take too long. Why don't you and Haunter go and play around the Chateau for a while? Just make sure you leave us alone, ok?" Brock said.

Rotom excitedly nodded and went off with Haunter to zip around the Chateau. "Jokers stick together I guess." Dawn sighed.

So after the group cooled off and fixed their hair, Dawn and Brock went off to the kitchen and started on another batch of Gateau. Meanwhile, Ash and Misty watched as Haunter and Rotom zipped around the large lobby, while Pikachu tried to keep up with them by hopping up on top of things.

"They sure look like they're having fun." Ash said. "Well how many practical joking Pokémon can it have known? Haunter and Rotom are probably telling each other about all the jokes they've pulled." Misty replied.

"Hey Ash, I know you just caught Haunter and all, but I was wondering if…maybe you should leave it behind to keep Rotom company." Misty said.

Ash pondered it for a moment. "Well Mist, I was kinda already thinking something similar. I was thinking maybe I would ask Rotom if it would like to be my Pokémon, maybe if it met my other Pokémon it would know how to make friends easier."

"Ash, I love the way you give sympathy to Pokémon of all kinds, but may I say something?" Misty asked. "Sure thing Mist, what's up?" Ash replied.

"If you let BOTH those practical jokers travel with us, NONE of us will get any sleep until we get so sick of them that we release them." Misty said.

Ash chuckled at that. "Way ahead of ya Mist. I was thinking I would send Haunter to Professor Oak so it could keep Rotom company until it made friends with all my other Pokémon. Plus, I bet Professor Oak would love to do some research on Rotom. And best of all, Bulbasaur will be able to keep them in check until they settle down." Ash said.

"That's smart Ash. I'm impressed." Misty said. "Hey, I do have my moments." Ash chuckled. Ash got up from his spot next to Misty. "Hey Rotom, Haunter, come down here a minute!" Ash called.

The two Pokémon floated down to where Ash was, while Pikachu hopped down from a banister and into Misty's waiting arms for a rest. "Looks like you two have become fast friends." Ash said. Haunter and Rotom glanced at each other with smiles.

"Say, Rotom, how'd you like to become my Pokémon?" Ash asked. Rotom's smile quickly vanished and it backed off shyly. "What's wrong Rotom?" Ash asked.

Rotom rubbed its electric limbs together nervously at Ash's proposition. "Come on Rotom, you'll get to stick with Haunter and make all sorts of new friends! Isn't that a lot better than being all alone in the Chateau?" Ash said.

Rotom glanced back and forth between Ash and Haunter, it was kind of lonely in the Old Chateau, and it had indeed become friends with Haunter. Then Pikachu and Haunter spoke up and talked to Rotom, and immediately the smile it was previously wearing returned.

Rotom turned back to Ash and agreed to become his Pokémon, which made a smile appear on Ash's face. "Awesome!" Ash pulled out an empty Pokéball and gently touched the Plasma Pokémon's body with it, making the capture official. "Alright! I just caught…a Rotom!"

Ash's celebration was cut short when the Pokéball containing Rotom vanished into thin air. "Oops, I forgot I already had eight Pokémon." Ash sweat-dropped. Misty and Pikachu laughed at that.

"Haunt haunter haunt?" (What about me?) the ghost/poison-type asked. "Don't worry Haunter, as soon as we find a phone in this place, I'll send you to Professor Oak's so you can join Rotom." Ash said.

The search took a while, but Ash, Misty, Pikachu, and Haunter eventually found a videophone within the Old Chateau. Ash dialed the familiar laboratory, and an even more familiar face answered it. "Hey guys! Two calls in one day? You must be really bored." Tracey joked.

"Very funny Trace. Where's Professor Oak?" Ash asked. "The Professor had to um…he went to the little researcher's room." Tracey replied with a sweat-drop.

"Oh, well I had a Pokémon I'd like to send over there, can you do it?" Ash asked. "I think I've messed with this machine enough to know how to use it the right way, sure." Tracey replied.

Ash smiled and returned Haunter to its Pokéball, and then placed it in a socket next to the videophone, and in a flash, the Pokéball reached Prof. Oak's laboratory. "Awesome. You want one of your Pokémon back?" Tracey asked.

"Nah, I'm alright with these guys for now. But if I do need another one I'll let you know." Ash said. "Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a hot date with a current Gym Leader." Tracey said.

Misty finally piped up at that comment, "You've got another date with Daisy? Wow, I think you've got the record for her steadiest boyfriend."

"But, we've only been going out for two weeks." Tracey said. "I know." Misty replied simply. "Wow…that doesn't exactly fill me with confidence you know." Tracey groaned.

"Don't worry Tracey, as long as you keep your cool and draw a picture of her every now and then," Misty rolled her eyes as she said that, "I'm sure Daisy will consider you as more than just 'another guy' in no time."

"I'm glad you're on my side." Tracey sighed. The couple said goodbye and good luck to the Pokémon Watcher, as he hung up the phone and got ready for what would hopefully be a great night. "Who was that Tracey?" Prof. Oak asked, coming out of the bathroom.

"Oh, it was Ash; he wanted to send me this Pokémon." Tracey replied. "Oh? Well let's see what he sent us." Prof. Oak moved forward to examine the Pokéball, but then he noticed a Pokéball lying in his retrieval machine. "Ash must've caught another Pokémon." Prof. Oak said.

"Sorry Professor, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got a date. Seeya later!" Tracey bolted from the lab to make his date on time, but the sudden departure caught the Professor off guard. "Well, farewell, I suppose."

The Professor grabbed the Pokéball in the retrieval machine and the Pokéball Tracey was previously holding, and examined them for a moment before tossing them into the air. "Let's see what we've got here!"

Back at the Old Chateau, Brock and Dawn had just finished making a second batch of Old Gateau, and they went outside where the sun was setting to enjoy it. They had all agreed that they had had enough of ghost stories, so they decided to eat outside just to make themselves feel better.

They found a bench near the island's Pokémon Center and sat down to rest and finally put something in their stomachs after a long and hard day. "So this is the Old Gateau huh?" Ash said.

"Yup. And this one's gonna stay in one piece." Brock replied. "It looks delicious! And on that note, let's dig in!" Dawn was the first to take a bite of her Gateau, and the rest followed suit.

They moaned ecstatically as the cake hit their taste buds, and they blushed from the amount of happiness the Gateau made them have. "It's delicious! With just the perfect touch of sweetness!" Brock exclaimed.

"It's awesome! With perfect texture!" Dawn squealed. "It tastes like everything good in this world all rolled into one!" Misty added. "Wow, this stuff could make a grown man cry!" Ash also added.

"You know what? We should probably send some of this stuff to Professor Oak, after all, he told us about it." Misty said.

"Good idea Mist." Ash took a small piece of Gateau and gave to his yellow friend, who happily gobbled it up. "Eat up Pikachu, because tomorrow our training begins in a big way."

Pikachu acknowledged, and after the group finished enjoying their meal, they headed to the Pokémon Center to get some rest. "Think we should send the Gateau now?" Ash asked.

"Nah, it's getting late, it'll keep until tomorrow." Misty said. Just then, Nurse Joy approached them. "Excuse me, which of you is Ash Ketchum?"

"That's me, what's up?" Ash asked. "There's a request from THE Professor Oak for you to call his laboratory. You actually know Professor Oak?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Yeah, didn't you see him last night?" Ash asked. "Ash, we're on a different island, she doesn't know anything that happened." Misty reminded.

"Oh yeah, sorry." Ash sweat-dropped. "You two go. Dawn and I will get our room for the night." Brock said.

Ash was about to walk away, when he suddenly turned around and took the Gateau from Brock. "As long as I have to call him I might as well send him the Gateau." Ash said. Brock couldn't argue with that, and the group split into two as they went their separate ways.

Ash reached the videophones and dialed the lab once again. After a few rings, the phone still hadn't answered. "That's weird." Misty had commented. But what came next was even weirder, the phone DID pick up, but it wasn't Professor Oak or even Tracey that answered.

"Daisy? What are you doing at Professor Oak's?" Misty asked. "Well me and Tracey USED TO like, have a date, but then your Professor dude called right in the middle about an emergency!" Daisy replied, rather irritated.

"Well what's wrong?" Ash asked. Daisy looked about ready to make a long diatribe when Professor Oak rushed onto the screen. "Thank you Daisy, please, go help Tracey now!"

Daisy sighed and rushed off with what looked like Starmie by her side. "Ash, what did I ever do to you to deserve this?" the Professor exclaimed almost desperately. "You didn't do anything, what are you talking about?" Ash asked.

"I mean sending me those two monsters you captured! They're running amuck!" Professor Oak exclaimed.

"Oh no." Ash face-palmed. "Lemme talk to them Professor."

"I'd like to oblige, but we don't have them right now, they're out of control!" Prof. Oak said. "Well, where's Bulbasaur?" Ash asked.

"Both Bulbasaur AND Bayleef are outside trying to corral all your Tauros that they stampeded!" Prof. Oak said.

"Oh boy. Was anyone hurt?" Ash asked. "No, there was no one outside at the time; it seems to me that it was just a practical joke gone bad." Prof. Oak replied.

Ash sighed. "Do you have any idea where they are?"

"Yes I do! Sceptile and Tracey's Scyther are trying to catch them before they cause any more trouble!" Prof. Oak said.

Just then, Haunter and Rotom rushed by the screen, cackling mischievously as they went by. A few moments later, Tracey and Scyther ran by. Tracey stopped when he noticed Ash and Misty on the videophone. "Thanks a lot guys!" Tracey said bitterly.

Ash and Misty shrunk back with guilt. Both Daisy and Tracey were bitter at them for ruining their date. "Hey, get back here!" Tracey ran off the screen just as Daisy came back on. "Hey Daisy! You evolved Horsea into Seadra?" Misty asked.

Daisy turned to the screen and nodded with a temporary smile as she was reminded of her newest achievement as a Gym Leader. But the smile quickly vanished when Rotom zoomed over her head and forced her to duck. "Like, you ruin my hair and I'll put you in a rubber glove!" she threatened.

"Um, Professor, I know it's a bad time, but I'd like to send you…" Ash was cut-off. "Don't send me anything else unless it's something to keep these two in check." Prof. Oak said.

Just then, Haunter and Rotom zipped in front of the screen and greeted Ash and Misty excitedly. "Guys, behave ok?" Ash exclaimed.

Haunter and Rotom suddenly vanished as the Professor sent them back to their Pokéballs. "(Sigh) Finally. Alright everyone, you can relax."

Tracey and his Scyther, Daisy and Starmie, Sceptile, and then even Bulbasaur and Bayleef all crowded the screen, glaring at Ash angrily. "Aww Bayleef, even YOU'RE mad at me?" Ash asked.

Bayleef nodded at Ash, which made him feel awful. "Well hey, I know this probably won't make up for it, but I have some Old Gateau here for you guys if you want it." Ash said.

The Professor quickly cleared the screen with excitement. "You actually have some Old Gateau? Well send it then!"

Ash did just that, and a few moments later the Old Gateau was in the laboratory. "You're forgiven Ash." Prof. Oak said. "Speak for yourself!" the rest of the group exclaimed, the Pokémon shouting in their own language.

"Well, gotta go! Bye!" Ash quickly hung up the phone to avoid his friends' diatribe. "You think the Gateau will cool them off?" Misty asked. "If it doesn't, I better find a way to buy a house here in Sinnoh." Ash replied with a sigh.

So with two new additions to Ash's team hanging at Prof. Oak's lab, the group would continue on tomorrow for Ash's next gym battle.  
_

**A/N: So who was expecting that huh? I bet a few of you as you read on. But I betcha you weren't expecting for Haunter to get sent back to Prof. Oak. Guess what that means? Haunter was NOT meant to fill the eighth slot on Ash's team. That's right, the REAL Pokemon in waiting is still out there somewhere, and it's up to you guys to guess who it'll be. ^^ As will be the custom from this point on. All signed reviews will recieve messages from me saying when the next update will be. I want my readers to know exactly when to expect the next chapter after all. ^^ But if you don't want a message, lemme know ok? I wanna try and make everyone happy. Anyways, keep an eye out for updates! **


	40. A Breed Stampede

**Well, Ima back! And I have another new chapter (no duh xD). Today's episode features something really important that SHOULD have been mentioned in the original version of the show, up to you guys to guess what it is. Oh, and we're also one step closer to seeing who Ash's real eighth Pokemon is! Now admittedly, certain readers have messaged me and guessed right, but I'm leaving them anonymous...and should you manage to find out which readers figured it out...they're sworn to secrecy so =P ****Now as per my new custom, I will answer the anonymous reviews.**

**lightningblade49: Glad you liked the last chapter! And nope, it's not Snover or Aggron or Steelix. BTW, don't worry about the other reviewers...who knows? Maybe I WON'T add Gible! *Shock***

**pidgeotexpress: Nope, not Lapras or Primeape. Good guesses though! ^^**

**charizardlover: Nope, it's not Azelf, interesting idea though, although I don't have plans for Ash to catch another legend. So no, not Azelf. ^^**

**darky/Darkness Shadow: Yeah D, everyone knows now. xD And I imagine Oak will be having issues for a few days at least. xD**

**Airoh: Looking forward to seeing you on FF! ^^**

**Trayton125: Thanks!**

**Anna: Well in this story, Misty's a bit less withdrawn regarding her emotions. Knowing that Ash loves her has allowed her to be more open with her emotions and be able to hide behind her temper less. Thanks for sharing your opinion though. ^^**

**Lotty: Right now! ^^**

**Anyways, enjoy this chapter! I own nothing except the story  
_**

Chapter 40

**Misty's POV**

Another day, another ghost story. Ash caught a Pokémon that none of us even knew existed up until yesterday, it was called a Rotom. It had this uncanny ability to possess numerous mechanical devices since its body was made entirely made up of plasma and electricity. And one important detail, it drove us nuts the entire day! See, Prof. Oak had called us the day before to check up on me and Ash after the whole Darkrai thing, and he told us about this awesome dessert called Gateau.

Since we were in Canalave City, Prof. Oak suggested that we go to an old mansion that was appropriately named the Old Chateau, where they made the yummiest Gateau on the face of the planet, at least according to critics' reviews. Well our appetites got the better of us, so after we said goodbye to Ash's mom, we headed on our way to the next island over where they made the delicious pastry.

We entered after the door eerily opened the door on its own; at least that's what we thought until we found out that it was just another Haunter prank. But then the door closed behind us, that was NOT a Haunter prank. We would find out later that it was Rotom trying to play with us in its own way.

Ash felt sorry for Rotom since it was so lonely, so Ash caught it so it could hang with Haunter, who it had made friends with. But Prof. Oak suffered more than any of us since he had both Haunter AND Rotom wreaking havoc in his lab. Giving him some Old Gateau calmed him down, but Tracey, Daisy, and all of Ash's Pokémon were still understandably miffed at Ash for sending those two.

But either way, what was done was done. So we moved on and had ourselves a good night's sleep. When we woke up the next morning, we all sat in the Pokémon Center lobby while a report on television broadcasted the latest results in Pokémon Contests, which naturally peaked Dawn's interest.

**Normal POV**

"And now for the Contest wrap up! As you can see, the Gerber Contest has ended in a HUGE victory for Kenny from Twinleaf Town, which means Kenny's total ribbon count is now up to three, and Nando's Contest victory gives him FOUR ribbons! As these two coordinators progress the excitement is building! You won't wanna miss our next Contest which is to be held in Chocovine Town located up north. We hope for a large group of coordinators and you!" and with that, the news flash ended.

"Wow, Kenny's doing great so far." Ash said. "Yep, that's my Kenny." Dawn giggled. The two guys had missed that comment, but Misty hadn't. "YOUR Kenny?" she whispered.

Dawn blushed and quickly tried to rephrase. "W-What I meant to say was, that's great for Kenny!" she whispered back. "Whatever you two are whispering about, feel free to say it out in the open." Brock said.

"All I said was that Kenny's doing awesome so far, Nando too! They're working really hard!" Dawn exclaimed. "Nice save." Misty mumbled to herself.

"That's probably gonna keep you on your toes." Brock said. "You bet Brock! I'm planning on entering the Chocovine Contest too, and I intend to win it!" Dawn replied.

"Well in that case, we've both got some training to do! So let's head on out and get started! Come on buddy!" Ash and Pikachu ran outside, laughing excitedly as they got ready for training. "(Sigh) Ash, you never stop." Misty said admiringly.

"How can he? You and I both know how he gets when a badge is on the line." Brock chuckled. "Ain't that the truth?" Misty giggled.

"Do you know who he's planning on using?" Brock asked. "I'm sure he's using Chimchar and Charizard to take on steel-types, but I dunno about the third one, maybe Buizel." Misty replied.

"I just realized, it's been a long time since Ash used Charizard in a gym battle if you don't count the Battle Frontier. It's kinda like a comeback debut." Brock said.

"Well that gives me an idea! As long as we're talking debuts, I think I'll use Piloswine in the Chocovine Contest!" Dawn exclaimed. "You serious? I mean, no offense…but Piloswine doesn't have the uh…cuteness factor in his favor." Misty replied.

"No need to worry Misty, cuteness isn't the only thing that catches the eye. Remember YOU used your Gyarados in the Wallace Cup." Dawn said.

"But I'm willing to bet the only ones watching Gyarados were the judges themselves." Brock joked. "Oh yeah, we all saw how love-struck Ash was while you were in your mermaid outfit. I bet nobody bothered to notice Gyarados." Dawn laughed.

Misty blushed embarrassedly. "Hey, come on, I bet the girls were watching Gyarados." she said coyly. "Oh please, the girls in the audience were probably watching with envy." Dawn replied.

Just then, Ash peeked his head through the door and called out. "Hey Misty, I need my sparring partner!" he said enticingly.

Smiling, Misty stood up and ran outside to join her enthusiastic boyfriend for a training session. "Alright Ash, what'll we do today?" she asked.

"Well I wanna get some more training done with Chimchar and Charizard, but I'm thinking about maybe letting Gliscor watch so it can get the feeling of what a real gym battle is like." Ash said.

"Sounds like a plan, so who do you wanna spar with? Staryu? Vaporeon? Maybe a big challenge in Gyarados?" Misty asked. "Well…actually Mist, I was hoping you would be willing to use Grotle so it can work on its defense." Ash replied.

"Wait…you want me to skip training MY Pokémon so Grotle can power up?" Misty asked incredulously. "Well I'll definitely make it worth your while! I'll do some training with Vaporeon in exchange." Ash said, quickly getting his defenses up to avoid a rage attack.

"Either way you get to train with Pokémon! No way Ash, if you want me to train with Grotle, you'll need to pay up on MY terms." Misty said, a victorious smirk slowly spreading across her face. She knew she was in the driver's seat in this conversation, she also knew very well that Ash could just drop everything and ask Brock to train instead, but she knew Ash enjoyed doing it with her, which was partly fulfilling in itself, but now she wanted a little bonus.

"Well, what DO you want then?" Ash asked. The young trainer was a little nervous to what his girlfriend had in mind. Misty could be extremely devious when she wanted to, and he had a feeling that she knew what he was thinking.

"How about another date? Just you and me, no interruptions?" she said alluringly. Ash felt a small smile tugging from the corners of his mouth. She wanted a date? That would be really easy! And it'd be a lot of fun for him too! But he didn't want the light-hearted rivalry to end just yet, so he tried to nibble at her temper a bit. "A date? With you? Come on Mist, gimme Vaporeon and let me train her!"

Misty was startled by Ash's rejection, but she took another look at his face and saw the playful attitude that donned his features, which signified that he was messing around with her. So, she decided to play along. "Nope, it's a date or nothing. Take your pick." Misty smirked.

"Oh forget it; I think I'll go get Brock." Ash turned to walk back to the center, which once again startled the water-trainer. _"He's not actually serious is he?"_

Ash was just about to reach the door when he turned to Misty and gave her a smile. "Did I fool ya?" he asked playfully. Misty sighed with relief and shook her head. "No way, I knew you wouldn't trade me in for Brock. Please, what do you take me for?" she said teasingly.

"Hmm, a vicious, mallet-wielding, hot-tempered tomboy?" he said with a playful smile. "Oh yeah, well YOU'RE a Pokémon obsessed, hyperactive, map-challenged, knucklehead." Misty replied with the same silly grin.

"Hey, I just told the truth, you insulted me!" Ash exclaimed. "Because calling me vicious and hot-tempered isn't insulting?" Misty replied.

"But calling me Pokémon obsessed is hitting me below the belt." Ash said. "Tough Ash, the truth hurts." Misty replied.

While the banter went back and forth, Brock and Dawn walked out and noticed Ash and Misty exchanging words. They also noticed that with each sentence they uttered, they grew closer to each other; pretty soon they would be within arm's reach. They stopped and watched to see what would happen.

"Scrawny!" Ash exclaimed

"Weakling!" Misty quipped back.

"Meany!"

"Wimpy!"

They were now right in each other's faces, and they both automatically knew they wouldn't be able to keep up the comical banter when they were so close to each other. That was proven correct with Ash's next so-called "retaliation".

"…Pretty…"

"…Handsome…"

That settled it. They blushed, their eyes locked, and they moved in to share a blissful kiss right then and there, wrapped in each other's arms. The now disgusted Pikachu had been sitting under a tree waiting for Ash and Misty's playful argument to stop. Now he wished that they would go back to arguing. "Pika pika." (Get a hotel room.)

The almost exact moment Ash and Misty broke their lip lock, Dawn and Brock walked up to them, applauding as if they had just seen a show. "Bravo, bravo! Encore, encore!" Brock laughed hysterically. Misty pushed Ash back and stomped over to the chortling breeder with her mallet at the ready. "So you think that's funny huh?" she screamed, her face crimson from blush and now rage.

Dawn immediately stopped laughing and backed up with her hands held up defensively. "N-Now Misty, let's not do anything hasty!" she whimpered, "After all, it was BROCK'S idea in the first place!"

Now Brock stopped laughing, and his eyes grew wide with fear. "WHAT?" he shouted, "It was not my idea!"

"Excuse me you two, but regardless of whose idea it was, you're gonna pay for this." Misty said with a sinister grin. "Oh crud…" the two helpless victims to be said. Both Dawn and Brock took off running while Misty chased them down.

"Pikachu walked up to his trainer and hopped up onto his shoulder. "You think they'll be alright Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Pika pika chu." (I wouldn't bet on it.) Pikachu replied.

After Misty finally cooled off after failing to nail either one of her targets with a well-placed thump, she walked back over to Ash and snatched Grotle's Pokéball from his belt. "Ow! Hey, come on Mist, I didn't do anything wrong." Ash whined.

Misty glared at him, but it lacked the cold feeling that usually came with a Misty glare. After all, she wasn't mad at Ash, but he did get a little bit of the leftovers from her temper tantrum. "Just remember, you owe me a date after this." Misty spat, her fire simmering down.

"Looking forward to it." Ash said with a loving smile. Ash's tender expression invoked her heart to swell, and a small smile slowly etched its way onto her pretty face. "Me too." she said, finally back to her happy self.

"Good thing Ash cancels her temper out these days." Brock sighed, wiping nervous sweat from his forehead. "But what happens when Ash is the one who makes her mad?" Dawn asked, still rattled from being chased around by one of her best friends.

"Then she'll only give Ash the cold shoulder and we'll be a'ok regardless." Brock explained. Dawn sighed with relief and took some deep breaths to prepare herself for training. In the meantime, she and Brock watched Ash and Misty spar with each other.

"Alright everyone, come on out!" Ash threw out all his Pokéballs, and Misty threw out Grotle's so that all of Ash's Pokémon could watch as the practice battle ensued. "Alright Chimchar, you're up first. You'll be going up against Grotle. Grotle, you do whatever Misty tells you to, ok?" Ash exclaimed.

Chimchar and Grotle acknowledged with nods, and got into battle ready stance. "Alright Chimchar, use 'Scratch'!" Chimchar ran forward to scratch at the turtle with its nails. "Brace yourself Grotle!" Misty countered.

Grotle took the scratch attack, ironically without a scratch, and bounced the small fire-type back to where it came from. "Wow, looking good Grotle!" Ash exclaimed. "Well with the right trainer at the helm, of course he does!" Misty quipped.

Grotle looked back and smiled at the red-head giving him commands. All of Ash's Pokémon considered Misty to be just as capable of giving orders as their real master, which gave Ash a feeling of pride in his Pokémon, and Misty a feeling of comfort to know that she had grown so close to Ash that all his Pokémon obeyed her without question.

"Very funny Mist, you know that that's just Grotle being awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "Wow, Ash is into it." Dawn said. "With his sixth badge on the line, he should be." Brock replied.

Ash was about to call out another order, when Gliscor started calling from the sidelines, its battling spirit was firing up and it wanted an opportunity to get in there and show its master what it was made of. "Relax Gliscor." Ash said calmly. Again Gliscor begged Ash to let it battle, but Pikachu hopped off the field from where it was standing next to Ash and went to explain the situation to the fang-scor Pokémon.

"Thanks Pika-pal!" Misty exclaimed cheerily. "Pi pika chu!" (You're welcome!) Pikachu replied, matching Misty's happy tone. "Pikachu's such a help. A real diplomat." Dawn said. "Which makes Ash's life a little easier." Brock added.

"Now, 'Flame Wheel'!" Chimchar followed orders and enveloped itself in fire as it rolled towards Grotle in a blazing inferno. "Brace yourself again!" Knowing that the point of the training was to build its defense, Grotle acknowledged Misty's order and took the hard hit. But this time, Grotle was knocked back by the power that Chimchar exerted.

"Great! You just keep that up Chimchar, and we'll be ready to take on the Canalave Gym in no time!" Ash exclaimed. "You doing alright Grotle?" Misty asked. Grotle stood up, looked back at the water-trainer and smiled. Out of all of Ash's Pokémon besides Buizel, Misty felt happiest while using the affectionate grass-type that seemed to take a liking to her. So regardless of the unnecessary hassle Misty gave Ash, the truth was that Misty liked using Grotle, because Grotle liked being used by her.

"Enough watching! It's time for me to get busy! Piloswine, spoootlight!" Dawn threw out her newest Pokémon, and the swine-Pokémon emerged from it and fell to the ground, "It's time for a little training!"

Ash and Misty got off the field to let Dawn get her turn. "This'll be Piloswine's contest debut right?" Ash asked. "Yep, it'll be interesting to see what Dawn comes up with." Misty replied.

"Alright, start by coming here to me!" Dawn exclaimed. Piloswine stood still, not even acknowledging Dawn's voice. "Huh?" Dawn sweat-dropped and smiled, "Ok, whatever. Now let's start by…spinning and using 'Ice Shard'!" Again, Piloswine ignored the order and just sat there in place.

"Huh? Ok, maybe that's a bit too much right off the bat." Dawn figured, "Alright then, 'Take Down'!" Dawn's third order was ignored as well, and by this time, Dawn was getting a little confused. "Um…ok."

Ash, Misty, and Brock caught Charizard snickering at what they were watching. "What's so funny Charizard?" Ash asked quietly. Just then, a light-bulb turned on in Misty's head. "Ash…what if…Piloswine's ignoring Dawn like Charizard used to ignore you? Or like Gyarados used to think of me before I tamed it?"

"You think so?" Ash asked. Charizard nodded to confirm. If anyone knew what it was like to pretty much pretend its trainer didn't exist, it was Charizard. "Should we tell her?" Ash asked. "No! We'll ruin her confidence! And we all know how tough it is for her to build herself up." Misty replied.

Ash and Brock nodded in agreement, but they felt bad inside for making their coordinator friend go through the hassle of futilely trying to make Piloswine obey. "Come on Piloswine, 'Take Down'!" Dawn ordered once more. Piloswine once again ignored Dawn's command.

"Maybe…it's tired?" Dawn asked herself. The curious water-type next to Dawn waddled over to the swine-Pokémon to see if it could find the problem. Piplup first raised Piloswine's left ear to search for a problem. "No I think Piloswine's hearing's just fine." Dawn said, rather embarrassed at the whole situation.

Piplup waddled over to the other side of the large pig and lifted the hair from its right eye. "With twenty-twenty vision too." Dawn said. Well this left the penguin-Pokémon positively stumped. It had no idea why Piloswine was refusing to listen. "Alright, we'll try one more time…Piloswine, 'Take Down'!" This time Piloswine did move, however it wasn't 'Take Down' that it used. "Hold on! I didn't say 'Dig'!"

"I'm really starting to think that Piloswine doesn't respect Dawn as a trainer anymore. Now instead of ignoring her it went ahead and used 'Dig'." Brock said quietly. "I-I get it!" Dawn stammered, starting to get a little frazzled, "Of course! That's it! F-First Piloswine goes underground and then it jumps out using 'Take Down'! Just wait Piplup, it'll be any second!" she said, trying desperately to remain optimistic.

"More time passed, and Piloswine still hadn't emerged from its huge hole. "(Groan) Man, this sure is taking a long time!" Dawn whined. The blue-haired coordinator ran up to the huge hole and shouted down it. "Piloswine! Piloswine, come on out!"

Exchanging sad glances at each other, Ash, Misty, and Brock slowly walked over and joined Dawn near the hole. "You ok Dawn?" Misty asked gently. Dawn sighed and faced her three friends. "Since Piloswine just evolved, maybe this is all a bit too soon."

"Yeah, maybe that's it!" Ash said, trying to sound convinced. Ash tried, and hoped he DID sound convincing for Dawn's sake. But the Pokémon trainer knew in the back of his mind that it was déjà vu all over again. Except this time it wasn't his Pokémon, it was Dawn's. "What's going on down there anyway?" Dawn wondered, her tone revealing discouragement.

"Pika pika?" (You want me to find out?) Pikachu offered, hoping that his volunteering would cheer the saddened girl's spirit. It worked. "Wow, that'd be great if you'd go check it out!" Dawn said gratefully. However Piplup would have no such thing. Pikachu was Ash's Pokémon, and he was Dawn's. So as Dawn's Pokémon, he gently shoved Pikachu back and jumped into the hole himself.

After Piplup caught everyone off guard, Dawn looked back down the hole to check on her beloved starter Pokémon. "Hey, you ok?" she asked with concern. "Pi plup." (I'm fine.) Piplup replied.

After confirming his condition, Piplup explored the large tunnel that Piloswine had dug for some unknown reason. He then found Piloswine wedged into its own tunnel, and the frustrated penguin pushed on Piloswine's behind in an attempt to get it moving again.

After a long strain to no avail, Piplup tried a different approach. He squeezed through a tiny crevice between the tunnel and Piloswine's body, and the resulting pop that sounded was loud enough to startle the swine-Pokémon.

With a loud roar, Piloswine charged through the ground, pushing Piplup up and out of the ground like he had just been shot by a geyser. "Piplup! Oh no!" Dawn cried. "Charizard, catch Piplup!" Ash reacted. The mighty dragon roared and took off to catch the penguin Pokémon before it had a chance to hit the ground. "Pi plup pip." (Thanks.) Piplup sighed.

Charizard nodded and slowly descended, allowing the small penguin to hop back to the ground and greet his master. "Oh Piplup, are you alright?" Dawn asked with concern. Piplup waved his arm nonchalantly in response; his usual cocky attitude wouldn't allow him to admit that he was actually scared for a while there.

But the big problem still remained. Piloswine was now once again just lying there on the ground. Its rampage against Piplup was the only thing that had motivated it to really do anything huge that day. "Oh, what's going on with Piloswine?" Dawn whined. The trio behind Dawn looked at each other desperately; it seemed that they were fighting a losing battle since her confidence was slowly ebbing away regardless of what the cause.

"You know, it might just be that Piloswine's just a little hungry and nothing more." Brock suggested. Ash and Misty smiled at the eldest teen's insight. _"Nice save Brock."_ they both thought.

Dawn apparently thought so too, as her eyes lit up and her whole face seemed to lift. "That's right! Piloswine never likes to miss lunch!" Dawn reached into her vest pocket and pulled out one of her homemade poffins and held it up for the wind to carry its aroma. "Hey look! I've got a poffin for you!" Dawn exclaimed enticingly.

The mention of food got the swine Pokémon moving, as it rushed towards Dawn and gently ate the tasty snack from her hand. "I know how much you like my poffins." Dawn said happily. The trio smiled at each other as they saw that Piloswine had had a change of heart after the snack, maybe their suspicions were premature after all. But although they didn't know it, Charizard wasn't convinced.

"Alright, one more!" Dawn began throwing poffins up into the air, and the swine Pokémon rushed to catch them in midair, moaning with pleasure as each decadent morsel danced across its taste buds. Finally, Dawn ran out of poffins, and she held up her hands to show the swine Pokémon that fact. "There, all gone!"

But then the group's suspicions not only returned, they had turned into confirmed facts. Piloswine charged straight for Dawn and it didn't look like it was coming for affection. "Dawn, out of the way!" Ash grabbed Dawn by the waist and yanked her out of harm's way just before Piloswine got there, making the swine-Pokémon grunt with pain as it rammed its head into a tree.

"What's going on? Piloswine just tried to run me over!" Dawn gasped in shock, dusting herself off after hitting the ground with Ash. But Piloswine wasn't through yet; it went into reverse and changed its course, back towards the two trainers who were standing in shock.

Pikachu and Piplup stood in front of the swine-Pokémon like a roadblock in an attempt to get it to stop, but it just ran them over without a second thought. "Ahh! Piplup!" Dawn cried. Once Piloswine was a safe distance away, Misty ran to scoop up the two rattled Pokémon and hand them to Brock. "I think Pikachu's having trouble breathing!" Misty panicked.

Brock gave Pikachu the once-over and acknowledged that fact, but wasn't too concerned. "Got the wind knocked out of you?" Brock asked. Pikachu forced a smile and nodded, "Pika pika." (I'll be ok.) he gasped breathlessly.

But that same fact wouldn't hold true for Ash and Dawn, who were now running away from the stampeding Pokémon. "You've gotta start listening to what I say Piloswine!" Dawn screamed in panic. If anything, that merely provoked Piloswine more as it launched an 'Ice Shard' at its two targets.

"Look out!" Misty and Brock shouted. Ash and Dawn ducked the huge chunk of ice, and watched in horror as one poor tree took the hit instead and froze solid. "I felt the cold from that!" Ash exclaimed.

But they wouldn't get much time to catch their breath since Piloswine was still heading towards them. Ash and Dawn dove in opposite directions and dodged the Pokémon's attack, but it just turned around and fired another 'Ice Shard' at them both. "Ash, Dawn, get out of there!" Misty pleaded.

Needless to say, that sounded like a good idea to them. But even while they ran back towards their friends, Piloswine was charging towards them. Gliscor called out to Ash to convey its willingness to stop the swine Pokémon, but Ash had two others in mind. "Hey Grotle, Charizard, do something quick!"

The two Pokémon rushed to oppose Piloswine, but one certain fang-scor Pokémon was feeling rather bad about being brushed off again. But it quickly snapped out of its phase of self-pity when Ash and Dawn came and joined the group.

Grotle and Charizard stood in front of the swine Pokémon and braced themselves, but they wouldn't get the chance to do anything as two 'Ice Shards' were fired and froze them both in place. "Oh no, Grotle! Charizard!" Ash cried.

Grotle didn't have the capability to do anything, but Charizard was struggling to break free of the ice that was keeping it in place. But with all its brute strength, the ice was holding firm. "Alright, it's up to you Gliscor!" Ash exclaimed.

Gliscor grinned and took off to finally take a shot at stopping the stampeding Pokémon, and Piplup insisted on joining the battle as well despite the beating it had already taken so far. "Gliscor, use 'Screech' to distract Piloswine!" Ash ordered. "Ash, wait!" Misty cried.

It was too late. Gliscor had already acknowledged and was currently emitting ear-piercing sound waves that caused Piplup to stop in his tracks and cover his ears in pain. And if that wasn't bad enough, Piloswine's blind rage had allowed it to ignore the screeching, but that didn't stop it from attacking its opposition.

Piloswine fired an 'Ice Shard' into the air, and it nailed the fang-scor Pokémon's face, causing ice to spread across its face, burning Gliscor with its sheer freezing temperature. "Oh man, Gliscor." Ash moaned.

Gliscor was tearing up from the pain, but then a miracle seemed to happen as fire appeared in Gliscor's mouth, and it roared a battle-cry as it melted the ice that was hurting it. "Gliscor's using 'Fire Fang'!" Brock exclaimed. "Amazing, when did Gliscor learn that move?" Ash said in shock.

Gliscor swooped down with its flaming mouth and melted the ice encasing Grotle. That's when Charizard realized what it had to do. With a blast of fire, Charizard melted the ice on its feet and wings and charged for Piloswine before it could reach the humans and the smaller Pokémon.

"Hurry Charizard!" Misty squealed in fear. Charizard floored it, and managed to get in front of the swine Pokémon and scare it away with a 'Flamethrower' to the ground. Piloswine turned around and started running towards Grotle again, but not before running Piplup over again.

Gliscor leaped off of Grotle's back and flew high into the air to catch the penguin Pokémon. "Thanks Gliscor!" Dawn exclaimed. Now with Piloswine running at full steam, Grotle stepped in front and pushed against the momentum. "Gro…tle…" The amount of power that Grotle was showing shocked the trainers, but even Grotle's amazing power wasn't enough as its feet began to dig into the ground and move back.

Now was when Charizard made his move. Charizard flew low to the ground, grabbed Piloswine and took off into the sky, which let Grotle take a few breaths of much needed oxygen. The mighty dragon did three flips in the air, but then it just hovered in the sky instead of throwing the struggling Piloswine down.

"I know what Charizard's doing! He's holding Piloswine still so you can return it Dawn!" Misty exclaimed. That was indeed the case, but while Dawn fumbled around for Piloswine's Pokéball, Piloswine launched an attack that looked like 'Ice Shard', but the power of the attack invoked a roar of agony from the fire/flying-type. "Hurry Dawn!" Ash yelled.

"Got it!" Dawn held up the Pokéball and fired. "Piloswine, return!" The red light caused the swine Pokémon to disappear from Charizard's grasp, and the powerful dragon slowly descended and collapsed onto one knee. "Oh man, you alright Charizard?" Ash asked, running up to check on his old friend.

Charizard held his head in his claw and tried to shake the pain off. Blinking a few times, Charizard eventually stood up and gave his master a look of reassurance. "Alright buddy, you did good. Take a nice long rest." Ash returned Charizard to his Pokéball, one thing was for sure, Charizard had earned his keep for the day.

"Was that 'Ice Shard' that did all that damage?" Misty asked. "It looked like it, but I was staring into the sun so I couldn't tell." Ash replied. "Yeah, me neither. But if it was 'Ice Shard', Charizard shouldn't have been hit as hard as it was, right?" Dawn said.

"Well Charizard is part flying-type, maybe it was just a critical hit." Brock suggested. "But why was Piloswine misbehaving like that?" Dawn sighed sadly. "Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't you put Piloswine into a battle; that way Piloswine will have no other choice other than to listen to what you command!" Ash exclaimed.

Dawn liked that idea. "Good idea Ash! I'll go get ready!" Dawn ran onto the field with Piplup and got herself in the mood. Meanwhile, Ash beamed with pride at his quick thinking, and he awaited Misty's praises for the awesome idea.

*BAM* "OW! What was that for?" Ash growled. Misty had banged Ash's head with her mallet, fuming with anger. "You imbecile! Charizard didn't listen to you in battle! What makes you think Piloswine will listen to Dawn?" Misty hissed quietly.

"I dunno! Look, maybe she'll get lucky?" Ash said hopefully. "For your sake, I hope so." Misty threatened. Ash gulped audibly and walked onto the field. "Let's go Grotle." he mumbled. The grass-type obeyed without question, it figured the best way to keep things calm would be to stay quiet.

I'll uh…I'll go referee." Brock mumbled. The nervous breeder zipped away from Misty and went to the side of the field, partly because they needed a ref, and partly because he didn't want to be anywhere near Misty at the moment. "Alright, let the battle begin!"

"Grotle, use 'Razor Leaf'!" Grotle got up on its hind legs and then jerked its body forward, making sharp leaves shoot out of the bush on its back.

"Piloswine, use 'Dig'!" Dawn countered. Piloswine just stood there and groaned when the attack hit it. Once again, Piloswine was disobeying her. "What are you doing? Don't just stand there! Now it's our turn to attack! Use 'Ice Shard'!" Piloswine ignored the coordinator's orders, and it was quite clear to Dawn that something was indeed wrong. "Uh oh…not again."

Piplup went to check on Piloswine's hearing again, but again he found no physical reason as to why Piloswine was ignoring Dawn. "(Groan) This isn't going to work either." Dawn said sadly.

Seeing that Dawn wouldn't be able to force Piloswine to make the first move, Ash took charge. "Ok Grotle, use 'Razor Leaf' once more!" Grotle fired again, and Dawn wasted no time in reacting. "Take Down' now!"

This time Piloswine did attack, but it wasn't 'Take Down' that it used. For a split second, Piloswine glowed white, and a white ball of energy formed and shot through the leaves and towards the large turtle. Grotle fought the attack head on and managed to bounce it off, but it didn't recognize exactly what had just been used against it.

"What was that?" Misty screamed from the sidelines. "Piloswine used 'Ancient Power'!" Brock replied. "But how can that be? When it was a Swinub it couldn't do that!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That was BEFORE it evolved. It's a Piloswine now." Brock said. "That must be what hit Charizard so hard! Since it's a fire and a flying-type, he's doubly weak to it!" Misty exclaimed.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Dawn exclaimed. "What's so amazing about my Pokémon taking a beating Dawn?" Ash asked. "Not that Ash, the new move is what's amazing!" Dawn replied.

Just then, Piloswine took off running. "Aah! Where are you going now?" Dawn screamed, as she watched her evolved Pokémon run out towards the nearby park. "Let's go!" Ash yelled.

"What is going on with you Piloswine? Stop running away already!" Dawn screamed. The group took off running after the swine-Pokémon, with Dawn leading the pack. "Alright you guys, I think it's time we let Dawn know exactly what's going on." Brock said sternly.

Ash and Misty frowned at each other, as they followed the obvious trail of footsteps through the park. They finally found the large pig chowing down on either an abandoned sponge cake, or a hijacked one depending on what Piloswine did to whoever used to be there. "Piloswine, what's gotten into you?" Dawn said disapprovingly.

Piloswine just kept on eating, paying no mind to the coordinator's presence. Dawn slumped her shoulders and sighed sadly, as she returned the swine Pokémon to its Pokéball. "Come on guys, let's head back." she said with a sad crack in her voice.

Dawn slowly made her way back to the Pokémon Center, with her three friends trailing behind, wondering how they would ever be able to break the unfortunate truth to Dawn. When they reached the Pokémon Center, Dawn sat down on a bench and placed her face in her hands.

Misty sat down next to her and placed a comforting on the younger girl's shoulder. "You ok Dawn?" she asked gently. "I never used to have problems with Swinub before." Dawn replied, her eyes watery with unshed tears.

"It's not unheard of for Pokémon to change after they evolve. Take Ash and Charizard for instance." Brock said. Ash shot a quick glare at the breeder, but he quickly shrunk back as Brock's stern glare overpowered him.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked, wiping her eyes. Ash sighed and sat on the bench opposite that of Misty and Dawn's.

"Before it became a Charizard, I found it as a Charmander in a rainstorm, abandoned by its trainer and left to die. Thanks to Misty and Brock though, we were able to get it back to health. Charmander then joined my team, and at first we were great friends, like you and Swinub were." Ash explained,

"But then one day…" Ash blushed a little, which provoked Misty to also blush, although Dawn couldn't figure out why. "One day, Charmander evolved into Charmeleon, and I was totally psyched, just like you were about Piloswine…but when I tried to get Charmeleon to obey my commands, it ignored me." Ash was cut off.

"Just like me…" Dawn said, still somewhat sad.

"Right. And then a few days later it evolved into Charizard in order to rescue me from an Aerodactyl. I thought that was a sign that Charizard would listen to me now…but I was wrong. It wasn't until after Brock left and me and Misty went to the Orange Islands that Charizard started obeying me." Ash explained.

"What did you do?" Dawn asked.

"Well, Charizard got into a battle with a Poliwrath, and it got frozen, similarly to how Piloswine froze it today, except it was COMPLETELY frozen, not just parts of it. Me, Misty, and Tracey stayed up all night trying to thaw it out, and I basically told it that regardless of all the attitude it had given me, I was still willing to put up with it, and I reminded it about everything I had done for it. And after that, me and Charizard were friends again." Ash finished.

"The same thing happened to me too Dawn." Misty said, giving the coordinator a comforting squeeze. "You too Misty?" Dawn asked in shock.

"Yeah. Gyarados wasn't always as loyal to me as it is now. In fact, Gyarados came close to killing me once." Misty said. "Killed you? What was up with it?" Dawn exclaimed in shock.

"It was…after I left Ash…" Misty said, feeling her heart heave as she reminisced on that awful day, "Daisy and my other two sisters had left the gym in shambles before their cruise. When I got back, it was up to me to fix the place before an inspector from the PIA came to judge the gym's condition. It probably would've been shut down if it weren't for me!"

"But I didn't realize the worst part yet. One of the gym's Magikarp had evolved into Gyarados and was wreaking havoc! I was really scared of Gyarados, at the time it was the only water-type I was actually AFRAID of. But I knew that if one of the gym's Pokémon were out of control, it wouldn't matter how pretty the gym was, we would be shut down guaranteed." Misty explained,

"So I sucked up my fear and tried my best to tame it, but nothing I did worked. It refused to go into its Pokéball, so I had no choice but to cage it. Then, just when I had given up hope, these creeps named the Invincible Pokémon Brothers, came and had their Tentacruel use 'Poison Sting' on Gyarados. But I wouldn't let that happen. I took the hit for Gyarados and from that moment on, it respected me and we even managed to become friends." Misty finished.

"Wow…both you and Ash went through a lot for your Pokémon…and now they're your strongest and most loyal ones…but I'm not sure I have enough training experience to pull off the same thing with Piloswine." Dawn sighed.

"Hey Dawn, look, there's no need to worry. You'll become good friends with Piloswine in no time. Just keep your head up and try to show Piloswine that you'll be its friend no matter what. It's a part of the trainer experience." Ash said.

"Exactly. Take it from two trainers who've already gone through what you're going through. It's the growing pains of Pokémon training, but you stay strong and everything will work out in the end." Misty added.

"I sure hope you guys are right." Dawn sighed. "Come on now, cheer up. Whaddya say I make you some of my signature hot chocolate?" Brock suggested. Dawn looked up and relinquished a small smirk. "It's like eighty-five degrees outside Brock."

"Ok, then how about a chocolate milkshake?" Brock asked with a smile. "I'd like that Brock, thanks." Dawn stood up and followed the gracious breeder to the room, where Brock would be able to make a nice comforting snack for the downhearted coordinator.

"Hey Mist, sorry I made that dumb suggestion earlier. I shoulda known better than to expect Dawn to be able to handle Piloswine just because it was in a battle." Ash said, somewhat regretfully.

"Aw Ash, I was rougher on you than I should've been. I mean, it was my idea to try and keep what was wrong a secret. You were just trying to help." Misty replied.

Misty got up so she could sit next to Ash, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "So…what'll we do about Dawn and Piloswine?" Ash asked.

"There isn't really anything we CAN do. All we can really do is stick by her and support her. But the only way she'll be able to get Piloswine to obey her, is to gain its respect, and she'll have to figure that out on her own." Misty replied.

"(Sigh) It discourages me ya know? She's my friend and I can't help her." Ash said. Misty stroked Ash's cheek with her soft hand and gently turned his head to face her. "I know Ash. I wish there was something I could do too."

Ash stroked her face gently; Misty had this uncanny knack of making an otherwise depressing moment, turn into a tender and loving time between him and her. "Thanks Mist, I needed that." Going with the moment, the Pokémon Trainer gently pressed his lips against her soft face, sending a wave of pleasure through her body.

"You know what? Just for that, I'll let you off the hook for that date you owe me." Misty said, still a little shaken by the kiss Ash gave her. "Who said I wanted to be off the hook?" Ash said through a breath. As Ash got more and more used to having these loving moments with his red headed girlfriend, he was slowly getting the hang of being romantic and making her happy, which naturally made him feel happy too.

"Alright you two, we're back, so knock it off." Brock gagged. Ash and Misty immediately split up, and the couple blushed furiously as they looked around awkwardly. "I don't understand how you two can have been together all this time and you STILL get embarrassed if you catch us seeing you." Dawn said, taking a slurp of her huge chocolate milkshake.

"Very funny you guys." Misty grumbled. As the two got up to rejoin their rather nosy friends, they overheard a conversation being held between two punks with piercings and makeup all over their faces and bodies. "Wow! What a totally awesome poster!" the female exclaimed.

"Rad to the max my peeps, Pokémon Friendship School!" the male replied. "Hubba bubba, to think that there's a groovy place that'll help all sorts of trainers get closer to their Pokémon." the woman said. "Yeah, twenty-three skidoo!" the man added.

"Shall we?" the man asked. "Sweet! Meowth, doesn't that look like a party?" the woman exclaimed. The cat Pokémon in the man's arms meowed in agreement, and the trio ran outside. Curious, Ash and co. checked out the poster that the two weird people had been looking at.

"It says Pokémon Friendship School alright." Ash said. "I think that's the only thing I understood with those two." Misty sweat-dropped.

"Hey! Maybe this'll help me get closer to Piloswine! Oh man, wouldn't that be perfect?" Dawn squealed giddily. "I dunno Dawn, this seems a little fishy, I've never heard of this place and it just so happens we hear about it when you're having trainer troubles." Misty said suspiciously.

"But Misty, think of the opportunity! I could finally gain Piloswine's respect if we could learn to get along!" Dawn exclaimed. Misty looked at her two friends for support, but their expressions said they were on Dawn's side. "(Sigh) Alright, let's give it a shot." And that made it unanimous.

After a quick walk, the group found their way to a tented area that had a sign that said they had found exactly what they were looking for. "Well, this is it." Ash said. "Hello! We're here for the Pokémon Friendship School! Anyone here?" Dawn called out.

Almost immediately, a young lady came out, her long magenta hair swishing from side to side as she cheerily skipped to greet the group. "Hi ho, happy howdy!" she said cheerily, "We exist to promote peace, love, and understanding; to foster guaranteed friendships between trainers and Pokémon on and on and on!"

Just then, Brock went nuts and dropped on one knee. "If you do as you say, please try to understand that you'd put MY heart at peace if you'd just say that you love meeeee!" Brock was jabbed by Croagunk, and the breeder crumpled to the ground. "We're so sorry about our friend, he's got mental issues." Misty said rather coldly.

"Don't you worry your fiery little head about a thing! Although I suggest that your twe – uh – friend there should go through our eloquently effective training program with his little froggy friend there." the woman said, still unbelievably cheery.

"Can you really help me make friends with my Pokémon?" Dawn asked, somewhat desperately. "Of course! We guarantee that if you're not friends with your Pokémon, you will be. And if you're already friends with them, you'll be the BFF's you've always dreamed of!" the woman replied.

"Ok! I'm in!" Dawn squealed. "Me too!" Ash added. "I guess I'll give it a shot." Misty admitted. Brock stayed silent except for the soft groaning he was doing on the floor. "Croagunk, be a dear and bring Brock along, will you?" Misty requested. Croagunk saluted the water-trainer and dragged its master into the tent.

Inside, they found all sorts of equipment, ranging from exercise balls to a huge pool with floating platforms. "Your first task will be to navigate our friendship obstacle course, along with your estranged Pokémon." the woman said.

"Looks weird." Ash said. The woman turned around and smiled at Ash. "Judge not, you'll discover by sharing this adventure with your Pokémon this exercise will end up being a piece of cake. So which Pokémon will you be getting closer to today?" the woman asked.

"Charizard, let's give it a try!"

"Come on out Piloswine!"

The two Pokémon emerged, although they looked rather bored with the whole thing. "Whaddya say Charizard, you wanna go out there with me?" Ash asked. Charizard shot his master a "you're kidding right?" look, which made Ash sweat-drop. "I know, I know, but you never know, it could be fun!" Ash said.

"Pika pika, pika chu." (Come on Charizard, let's go.) Pikachu added. Charizard grunted and face-clawed, thinking to himself, _"What did I do to deserve this?"_

"Well…uh…and your Pokémon will be?" the woman asked. "Well you already know who Brock's using," Misty said, "So I'm going with…" Misty was cutoff when a white light flashed and Psyduck emerged, holding his head in his hands.

Misty face-palmed, "I guess I'll use Psyduck." she grumbled. _"But I wanted to use Gyarados…"_

"Well go on, your friendship is waiting!" the woman said cheerily. "Alright Charizard, let's go!" Charizard grunted and walked up the ramp with his master, but it was merely for the sake of obeying, truth be told, it was REALLY bored.

"Come on Croagunk!" the breeder's Pokémon also went along with it as its master held its hand, but it too had a few reservations about the whole thing.

"Well Piloswine, it's our turn." the coordinator and her penguin Pokémon started up the stairs, when Piplup noticed that Piloswine wasn't budging from its spot. "Uh, Dawn?"

Dawn turned around at Misty's voice and saw her pointing down at Piloswine and Piplup, the penguin Pokémon was pushing with all his might to try and get Piloswine to move. "I've got just the thing!" Dawn pulled out a poffin and held it down for the swine Pokémon to sniff, and that got Piloswine to follow the breeder up the ramp.

"Well Psyduck, let's go." Misty grabbed Psyduck's hand and started walking up the ramp, but about halfway up, Psyduck started turning left. "Psyduck, where are you going, we have to stay on the ramp. Psyduck!" Misty hadn't thought to let go of Psyduck's hand, and the trainer and Pokémon hit the ground with a painful thud.

"Mist, you alright?" Ash asked with concern. "Oh yeah, I'm juuust peachy." Misty grumbled, "But YOU might not be for long." she hissed, turning back to her dopey Psyduck.

After Misty got up, she and Psyduck went back up the ramp and this time made it all the way up to where the others were waiting. "See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it Psyduck?" Misty asked.

Psyduck just tilted its head at the water-trainer, which she chose to take as a confirming nod. "Ok, next up is our friendship balance beam." the woman said.

"Alright Charizard, let's just take it slow and easy." Ash said. Charizard again glared at Ash, and decided that he was going to make this fun, HIS way. "Ok Charizaaaard!" Charizard had grabbed Ash and flew over the balance beam, then landed right in front of where they would've ended.

"I guess that's one way to do it." Dawn sweat-dropped as she watched Brock and Croagunk go across. "Alright Piloswine, now it's our turn! Let's go!" Piloswine obeyed halfway, as it walked in between the beams rather than balancing. "That's another way I guess." she sweat-dropped again.

"You're the last one Mist!" Ash exclaimed. Misty looked at the beams and sweat-dropped. There was no way her clumsy Psyduck would make it across without falling. Although Psyduck seemed excited to try. "Psyduck, for my sake, PLEASE try not to fall."

Misty hopped on one end and held Psyduck's hand as it waddled across the other, and miraculously, the duck Pokémon had managed not to fall. "Wow Psyduck, that was awesome!" Misty cheered. Misty's cheers turned into groans as Psyduck did a pratfall AFTER getting off the beams.

"And finally, our pool of friendship." the woman said. "Ok Charizard, let's do this one the right way." Charizard rolled his eyes and obeyed, as they hopped across the floating platforms. When they finally got there, Ash congratulated the dragon. "Yeah Charizard! That's the waaa!" Charizard had pushed Ash into the water, which made the dragon laugh, and even Pikachu found it amusing. "Very funny you guys." Ash grumbled, spluttering water.

Brock and Croagunk made it across without any issues, which left Misty and Dawn. "You go first Misty; I have to convince Piloswine to get moving." Dawn said. Misty nodded and also started hopping across with Psyduck, however about halfway, Misty noticed that Psyduck had apparently let go and was now floundering desperately for help. "D'oh, Psyduck!"

Misty backtracked and headed for her Pokémon while Dawn tried to convince Piloswine to keep moving. "Look here Piloswine, I've got a poffin!" she exclaimed enticingly. The swine-Pokémon smelled the tasty treat and leaped into the air to go after it.

Dawn screamed and dove out of the way, ironically ramming into Misty who had just reached Psyduck, and now both of them were in the water. "Thanks for that Dawn." Misty sighed, as she swam to the end of the pool with Psyduck in tow.

"(Groan) That's enough." Dawn sighed. Dawn resorted to putting soggy poffins on each platform as she swam through the water; luckily Piloswine wasn't picky about texture. When they finally got out, they followed the woman outside the tent.

"Hey guys, you know the point of that exercise was to NOT get wet right?" Brock snickered. The three younger teens glared at the breeder, but that didn't stop Brock from getting his laughs. They eventually stopped at a canyon where there were pulley cars that would carry them down.

"Now, if you and your Pokémon will take a seat, we'll begin our famous friends forever course." the woman said.

The group looked down the canyon, where a man with blue hair cheerfully waved at them. "Hey, that sounds like fun, right Charizard?" Ash said. Charizard just crossed his arms, rolled his eyes and flew down into the canyon without his master.

"Uh, ok, see you there." Ash sweat-dropped. "Hey Ash, come on and sit with me!" Misty patted the spot next to her and Psyduck, and Ash gratefully accepted the gesture so he wouldn't have to go alone. So the couple went down into the canyon riding the pulley cars, with Brock and Dawn each following in their own individual ones.

As soon as Dawn got down, the man spoke up and got their attention. "Trainers and Pokémon, welcome to our friends forever course. I'm your friendly friend's trainer in charge! Now please produce all the Pokémon you have on your person!"

"Huh? All of them?" Ash asked. "Right. Of course we realize you're not having nasty hassles with ALL of them, so if you'll whip out the ones you're getting along with famously, the ones that you're not will watch and learn! In this manner you'll be setting a lovely learning example of just how friendly friends can be don't you see? It's the Pokémon see, Pokémon do demo." the man explained.

"You know what? That actually makes sense." Misty admitted. "That settles it!" Ash grabbed all his Pokéballs as the others did the same. "Ok gang, everybody out!" Multiple flashes of light shined, as each and every one of the group's Pokémon made their appearance, and once Buneary emerged, Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder to join the cute little rabbit.

Unnoticed by them however, the instructor cringed at the sight of Misty's Gyarados, but he quickly recomposed himself and got to work. "And now the time for comprehensive calisthenics is here!"

"Comprehensive calisthenics?" Dawn asked. "Right. Where both you and your Pokémon will be striking the same pose, to establish trainer and Pokémon synchronicity you see." the instructor explained.

Taking two flags and putting a whistle in his mouth, the instructor got started. "Let's begin, just do as I do. Here's pose number one!" the instructor blew his whistle and spread his arms out wide, and all the humans and Pokémon, with the exception of Charizard, did the same.

"Come on Charizard." Ash whispered. Charizard groaned and gave in; he would get Ash back for this humiliation.

"You're doing great Piloswine!" Dawn whispered, but when Dawn looked again, she noticed that Piplup was controlling the swine Pokémon's ears, and not doing a very good job at that. "(Groan) Piloswine…"

"No Psyduck, put your arms up, not your foot." Misty sighed exasperatedly. Psyduck switched into the right pose, which gave the water-trainer a slight bit of hope.

"Number two!" the instructor blew his whistle and struck a different pose, and the humans and Pokémon did the same, even Psyduck had somehow figured it out. But Piplup was still controlling the swine Pokémon's ears.

"Now roll up into a ball!" the instructor blew his whistle once more, and the humans and Pokémon did the same, with Piplup trying as hard as he could to get Piloswine to at least look like it was trying.

"Good. Now I'd like all the trainers to please proceed into the wide white circle, and all of the Pokémon please get into the red circle to its immediate right." the instructor said. They acknowledged, but it took a while for Piloswine to get there. "Well, we can't ALL be speedy." the instructor chuckled. The four trainers groaned at the sight of Piplup pushing Piloswine around.

The instructor sighed and put the whistle back into his mouth. "And now I'd like everyone to do exactly as I say once again! Roll up into a ball!" With another blow of the whistle, the humans and Pokémon obeyed, with Piplup STILL controlling Piloswine's actions. "Very ball-ish! You guys are good!" the instructor exclaimed.

But just then, the floor underneath the humans collapsed, and they fell into a small pit. Seeing that happen, the Pokémon got on guard, although Charizard seemed more excited than scared. The canyon wall opened up, and a huge cage shot out and fell on top of all the Pokémon, trapping them. "What's with the cage?" Ash yelled angrily.

He got his answer when the all too familiar Meowth balloon came floating out of the canyon, and the instructor turned out to really be James.

Jessie: "We've always been cagey, that's nothing new."

James: "We always find cagey ways to fool you!"

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "Whoop de do!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing hope, putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just a sweet!"

James: "When everything's worse, our work is complete!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And James!"

Meowth: "Meowth's the name!"

Jessie: "Putting you do-gooders in your place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"How did you trick us?" Dawn screamed. "We've tricked you twerps more times than you've had birthdays!" Jessie exclaimed. "Ugh, I just realized something really gross!" Misty spat. "What's that Misty?" Brock asked.

"You hit on Jessie!" Misty gagged. Brock turned as pale as his brown skin would allow, Misty was right. "I…fell for her disguise?" Brock passed out after that.

"Hey! The fact that your twerp friend actually fell for my dashing good looks only further proves my superior fashion flair!" Jessie exclaimed. "Oh yeah? How'd you measure up to Daisy?" Misty countered.

Jessie growled at the mention of her part-time rival in style, Misty's older sister had given Jessidiah a real hassle about her outfit. "We're off-topic!" Jessie hissed.

"Give us back our Pokémon or else!" Ash roared. "Not on your life! Catching your Pokémon is only a down payment for Piloswine stealing our poor sponge cake!" James yelled back.

"All this is because you lost your lunch? You guys are such losers! You don't even realize what you're missing!" Misty exclaimed.

"Missing? What are we missing?" James asked. "Do you realize you faked this whole friendship school thing, when in reality you three could make an honest living doing it for real! You actually had some good ideas!" Misty replied.

James pondered it for a moment, but the ever-stubborn Jessie and Meowth wouldn't hear it. "Keep your ideas to yourself red twerpette!" Jessie hissed. "Yeah! We criminal types always stay true to da code!" Meowth pushed a button, and the canyon closed up and the balloon started going up.

"No you don't! Charizard, bust that cage open with 'Steel Wing'!" Charizard roared as if to say "finally", and the mighty dragon attacked the bars of the cage relentlessly, but unfortunately, it was to no avail. "What the?" Ash gasped in shock.

"Dis bad boy's been specially treated to ignore even da strongest of your twoip Pokémon attacks!" Meowth cackled.

The balloon continued to go up, but the Team Rocket members had an abrupt stop when the cage wouldn't get off the ground. "Oh great, the tall twerp must be overfeeding these Pokémon." James said. "Meowth, give her the gas!" Jessie exclaimed.

Meowth pushed a button on his remote control, and two powerful propellers extruded out the sides of the Meowth balloon's basket. "Props at max power!" James exclaimed. The propellers started up, and the cage carrying every single Pokémon started rising up, with the captives crying for help.

"You're not getting away that easy! Gyarados, try a 'Hydro Pump'!" Misty ordered. Gyarados fired a high-pressured blast of water from its gaping mouth, but the cage was left undamaged. Out of desperation, Pachirisu launched a 'Discharge' attack, but it left the other Pokémon that it was sharing the cage with ducking for cover. "Pachirisu, stop that!" Dawn exclaimed.

Pachirisu complied and relaxed, but the leftover static from the 'Discharge' surged through Piloswine's body, provoking it to another rampage. The cage swung back and forth under the force Piloswine was causing, sending the Team Rocket balloon out of control. "Whoa! Turbulence!" James exclaimed.

"Piloswine's rockin' da boat!" Meowth shouted. "Behave! Or I'll have to spank you!" Jessie screeched. "Quick everyone! Rock the cage!" Misty exclaimed.

The Pokémon complied and started swinging the cage around, forcing the balloon to lower despite the extra power from the propellers. "We're being dragged down to their level!" James yelled. The cage hit the ground, and the balloon crash landed back into the canyon. When the dust emerged, Team Rocket was seen dusting themselves off.

"Great work you guys!" Ash exclaimed. "Poor work!" James yelled back. "I have just the thing in lieu of a spanking!" Jessie grabbed a Pokéball, "Yanmega, 'Sonic Boom'!" Jessie's dragonfly Pokémon beat its wings with a hard flap, and a powerful sound wave went through the bars of the cage and hit Piloswine dead-on, provoking a bellow of pain from the swine Pokémon.

"Carnivine, you too!" James threw out his own Pokéball, and the grass-type emerged and bit down on James' head affectionately. "Save the scalp massage for later!" James ripped Carnivine off of his skull and threw it back in the right direction. "Bullet Seed'!" Carnivine opened up its gaping maw, and a shower of energized seeds blasted out and pelted the furry body of Piloswine, invoking another angry bellow.

"Hey! Leave Piloswine alone!" Dawn ran off to block her Pokémon from any further abuse. _"If this doesn't do it, nothing will!"_

"Hey! Out of the way!" Jessie screamed. "We need ta teach dat furry freako da rules ta bein' captured!" Meowth added.

"Absolutely not!" Dawn reaffirmed. "I'm in no mood to commit twerpicide! Yanmega, use 'Silver Wind'!" Jessie ordered. The dragonfly Pokémon flapped its wings hard, and the ensuing gust of wind hit the Pokémon hard, and sent Dawn flying. "Aah! Dawn!" Ash ran to dive and catch the girl before she hit the ground, but he was just short of the goal and the coordinator hit the ground with a painful thud. "Ow." she whimpered.

"Now that the twerpette's out of the way, back to the spanking. 'Sonic Boom' again!" Jessie ordered. Another beat of its wings sent another sound wave careening towards the swine Pokémon, but one last angry bellow, made Piloswine begin glowing white.

"Uh oh! Piloswine?" Dawn exclaimed nervously. "It's evolving!" Brock said in shock. The white light grew quickly and rapidly, as it almost tripled in size in a matter of seconds. When the white light dissipated, an absolutely huge Pokémon that dwarfed Charizard stood where Piloswine once was.

With an angry bellow, Mamoswine broke open the cage by exerting more pressure on the already straining bars. All the Pokémon went flying after the cage burst open, and they slowly got up and went back to their respective masters. "It's a Mamoswine." Brock said.

"Mamoswine?" Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan the enormous Pokémon that she still couldn't believe was hers. "Mamoswine, the twin-tusk Pokémon, and the evolved form of Piloswine. Distinguished by its large tusks, its weight is more than five that of Piloswine's, and is less commonly found since the Ice Age." the Pokédex explained.

"Wow! And it evolved right after I defended it! Does that mean it'll listen now?" Dawn asked hopefully. "Guess we'll know soon, let's see what it does to Team Rocket first." Misty snickered.

"Quick James, what is that?" Jessie asked nervously. James shuffled through his Pokémon cards and found a match, "Wow! It's a Mamoswine!"

"Cut da cheer! We got problems here!" Meowth exclaimed. "Yanmega, 'Sonic Boom' quick!" Jessie ordered. Yanmega launched another sound wave, but this time Mamoswine totally ignored the feeling, and its temper flared towards the trio.

Team Rocket squeaked with terror as Mamoswine turned around and launched an 'Ice Shard' at them. The attack hit dead-on, and the trio of criminals froze solid in a block of ice. The twin-tusk Pokémon then stomped the ground causing a huge earthquake, and with big, bounding steps, the enormous Pokémon charged and sent the trio blasting off.

Jessie: "A Pokémon THAT huge should be against the law (Groan)."

James: "True. As should the heartbreak of rendering one's sponge-cake inedible."

Meowth: "You just tell me how we can talk through ice…"

Team Rocket: "While we're blasting off again." *ping*

"Yeah Mamoswine! I knew you'd come through for me!" Dawn cheered. But her excited smile quickly turned into a terrified frown as the twin-tusk turned around and charged to run them into the ground. "Oh no…no Mamoswine! PLEASE don't do this!" Dawn begged desperately.

Infuriated with the Pokémon, Piplup charged ahead to try once more to stop the stampeding Pokémon. "Piplup, what are you doing?" Dawn cried. The small penguin ran ahead firing with 'Bubblebeam', but the enormous Pokémon merely ignored it and ran ahead uninterrupted.

It was down to the last resort. Piplup formed the most powerful 'Whirlpool' it could muster, and launched it to act as a blockade for the twin-tusk Pokémon. But the mighty Mamoswine ran right through it and continued on, running over the exhausted penguin in the process. "Aah! Piplup!" Dawn cried.

At this point, Charizard, Gyarados, Grotle, and Gliscor ran forward to try and stop Mamoswine. Charizard and Gliscor grabbed onto the tusks of the enormous Pokémon and pushed, while Gyarados and Grotle dug in and tried to stop the momentum, but even all of them combined couldn't stop Mamoswine completely.

In desperation, Charizard roared for help. "They can't hold out much longer!" Misty exclaimed. "But why is Mamoswine so mad at me?" Dawn whimpered. "It doesn't matter! Dawn you gotta put Mamoswine in a Pokéball NOW!" Brock exclaimed.

Just as Brock yelled that, Mamoswine broke free and charged forward with an even greater speed than before. "Hurry Dawn!" Ash yelled. Dawn grabbed Mamoswine's Pokéball and fired, and with a low moan, Mamoswine returned to its ball.

They all breathed a sigh of relief when Mamoswine vanished, and they went to check on their heroic Pokémon, especially one that deserved more praise than all the others. "Piplup, are you alright?" Dawn asked.

Piplup chirped quietly, but managed to smile up at his master. "Piplup, thanks so much…you went the extra mile and did everything you could…" Dawn embraced her determined penguin in thanks, "But next time take it a little easier ok?" Piplup hugged Dawn back, chirping happily at the show of affection.

"So…I guess Mamoswine didn't appreciate my offering to take a hit for it." Dawn said. "It won't happen on the first day Dawn." Misty said honestly. "You'll have to take it slow." Brock added. "And don't forget what you always say, no need to worry." Ash added.

Dawn smiled and nodded gratefully. "Right. Thanks guys."

And with another challenge set for Dawn to tackle, the group walked back to the Pokémon Center, where they would get a good night's sleep and prepare for whatever awaited them the next day.  
_

**A/N: See what I mean? Did Ash somehow forget that Charmeleon/Charizard did the EXACT SAME THING to him for like three seasons? I mean seriously, memory problems anyone? I made Ash remember what happened so he along with Misty could be a role model for the coordinator girl with training issues. So yeah, I'm thinking it's high time for another imagination-generated chapter, but I dunno. What do you guys think? Should I make with an original chapter? Or should I go on ahead with the Canalave Gym arc? As always, signed reviews will get messages saying ahead of time when the update's coming. So please review! ^^**


	41. Dealing With Defensive Types

**Hey folks, I'm back finally! Whew, lemme tell you guys something, I worked all day to finish this chapter up, almost literally all day. But the point is I made it right? ^^ Also, I would like to thank all of my awesome reviewers! Thanks to you all this story has passed the 500 review mark! Of course, that still leaves me only half as good as Texas Longhorn, but hey, a guy can dream can't he? xD And now, some anonymous reviews.**

**pidgeotexpress: Well you know Charizard, he isn't quite as...friendly as Ash's other Pokemon, he's got a bit of an attitude. lol**

**lightningblade49: Naturally Ash forgot, Japan doesn't really go for nostalgia apparently, that's why Misty hasn't come back. -_- I couldn't resist writing that chapter, it was just too obvious to ignore, I mean, hello? How could Ash forget all the trouble Charizard gave it when he was travelling Kanto and Johto? It's ridiculous really, so I added back in that little tidbit of info. Don't worry about Gible, he'll be there, but he's not THE eighth Pokemon. **

**charizardlover: Hmm, not a bad idea, I may use that, thanks! ^^**

**Polly: Well here's your arc, read for yourself. ^^**

**Airoh: Well I don't mind, no offense taken, but I'll be working on making my original chapters better, don't worry. ^^**

**tray125: Mewtwo? Eh, I didn't have any plans for Mewtwo, but in my story you never know, so don't count him out.**

**darky/Darkness Shadow: lulz, funny D. xDD**

**() Well Gible WILL be there, but he isn't THE eighth Pokemon, you'll have to wait and see. ^^ PS: Please leave a name from now on k? Thanks. ^^**

**Star: Wait's over! ^^**

**Mudit: Congrats on being my 500th reviewer! You should get an account so I can congratulate and thank you in person, I'm glad you like my story and I hope you keep following it! ^^**

**Queen: Done!**

**sparky1001: The wait is over, here it is!**

**Infelice: Here it is!**

**Well, that's a lot of reviews. o_O You know guys, if you get accounts here I can send messages letting you know when I'm updating, so try to make your reviews signed ok? But if you can't that's fine too. Anyways, here's the next chapter! ^^  
_**

Chapter 41

**Misty's POV**

Things got really hectic earlier as Dawn tried to use her newest Pokémon in a training session. Piloswine simply refused to obey orders and even went on a rampage and attacked us! If it weren't for Charizard, Grotle, and Gliscor, we would've been run over! Dawn started getting discouraged again when Piloswine stopped listening to her, after all, even after it had evolved from Swinub it still held affection towards Dawn, but now it just plain felt apathetic towards her.

Me and Ash explained our experiences with disobedient Pokémon by telling her our stories about my Gyarados and his Charizard, for a second there though, I felt my face heat up when Ash mentioned the day his Charmander evolved into Charmeleon, it was also the day of the carnival that I had volunteered to put on a skimpy Goldeen dress for the Exeggcute magician.

Even though at the time Ash was totally clueless about my feelings for him, he managed to make me blush furiously when he said he liked the outfit, despite the fact he was just teasing me. I was simply too embarrassed and shy to retaliate. At any rate, we found a poster in the Pokémon Center advertising a Pokémon Friendship School, so for Dawn's sake, we gave it a shot.

At the time, everything seemed legitimate, if you can call Psyduck's stupidity legit. But Psyduck showed SLIGHT signs of intelligence yesterday during the training sessions; maybe Psyduck was starting to get a little smarter after all this time? I wouldn't get my hopes up. Psyduck was Psyduck and that's the way he would stay.

Right after we went outside for the next training session, our Pokémon were put in a cage and we found out that it was really Team Rocket! When would we stop falling for their moronic plans? Charizard tried to break out and failed, which gave us very little room for hope if even Charizard couldn't break free.

Then Dawn's Pachirisu launched a 'Discharge' out of desperation, and wound up sending the rebellious Piloswine into a frenzy! With all the turbulence Piloswine and the others were making, Team Rocket's balloon was forced down and they started abusing Piloswine! But one thing was for sure, that would prove to be a costly mistake.

In its rage, Piloswine evolved into Mamoswine! And sent Team Rocket blasting off on ice! But then Mamoswine turned on us, and Charizard, Grotle, Gliscor, and my Gyarados combined weren't powerful enough to stop it. The thing that saved us was that Dawn recalled the enormous Pokémon back to its Pokéball before it could hurt us. Afterwards, we headed back to the Pokémon Center for a much needed rest.

**Normal POV**

"So Misty, what did you have in mind for our date?" Ash asked. "Well I was kinda hoping we could go to a fancy restaurant and have a candlelit dinner." Misty replied romantically.

"Tough for you two because there's no fancy place on this island." Brock said matter-of-factly. Misty grumbled while Ash pretended to be disappointed. The truth was, Ash didn't feel ready to get too far out of his comfort zone. Dinner and a movie? Sure. Fancy restaurant requiring manners and A TIE, the tie would've been the worst part, that was not Ash's idea of fun.

"You can stop pretending Ash; I know you're relieved about this." Misty grumbled. Ash chuckled nervously and took a step or two away from his bummed out girlfriend. "Hey, you know there's nothing wrong with just ordering pizza and watching a movie in our room, I think 'Angels in the Outfield' is on tonight." Ash suggested.

"(Sigh) I guess it'll have to do for tonight. But mark my words Ash Ketchum; we WILL eat in a fancy restaurant one of these days. And IF you let it, you'll have fun doing it." Misty said, "Lemme clean myself up a little, see you up there." The water-trainer walked off and left Ash with Dawn and Brock.

Ash was beaming until he saw Brock's serious expression. "What…? Do I have something in my teeth?" Ash asked with confusion. "No. But I just wanted to remind you that your mom left me in charge of your relationship, so I should supervise." Brock said.

Ash laughed. "Nice try Brock, you just want a piece of our pizza!" But Ash studied Brock's expression again, he was dead serious. "You're not seriously gonna watch us on our date are you? I mean, aren't you taking this chaperone thing a bit too far?"

"This is what a chaperone does Ash. You don't have to like it; you just have to accept it." Brock said sternly. Ash laughed dryly. "And this is coming from the guy who falls in love with every girl that – whoa! Check HER out!"

Brock looked around excitedly for the girl Ash was pointing at, but he quickly realized it was a hoax when Ash started laughing hysterically, even Dawn found the whole thing amusing. "Very funny Ash." Brock grumbled.

"Aww come on Brocko, you can trust us." Ash said light-heartedly. "I do trust you, but it's just a precautionary measure." Brock replied.

"I've got an idea!" Dawn exclaimed suddenly, "Why don't we get a room that's connected with another room so that Brock can keep an eye on you without keeping an EYE on you?"

Ash beamed at that idea. "Whaddya say Brock, is it a deal?" Ash asked, holding out his hand for the breeder to shake. Brock thought about it for a moment, and then smirked and shook Ash's hand. "Deal…on ONE condition."

"Sure, you name it!" Ash exclaimed happily. "I get a slice of the pizza you order." Brock replied. Ash face-faulted at that, but promised Brock a slice anyway. "Good, now lemme check in." Brock walked away just as Misty had come from the bathroom from washing her face.

"What's wrong with Ash?" she asked. "Um, let's just say he and Brock just finished discussing your date." Dawn replied with a sweat-drop.

"Discussing? What do you mean by discussing?" Misty asked. "Um, well Brock wanted to literally watch you on your date so you wouldn't do anything…bad. But don't worry! I fixed everything!" Dawn replied.

"Thanks a lot Dawn, I owe you." Misty said. "Well in that case, there is one thing you can do for me." Dawn replied. "Sure, name it." Misty said.

"When your pizza gets here, I get a slice." Misty also face-faulted, which left Dawn to sweat-drop at her two floored friends. "What's so wrong about sharing a pizza?" she wondered out loud.

Then, Brock came back with two room keys and a message. "Nurse Joy just told me there was a message for Ash; the Canalave City Gym Leader came back today." Brock said. Ash quickly got up and pumped his fist. "Alright! That means tomorrow I get to get my sixth gym badge!"

Misty got up more slowly and smiled at her boyfriend's childlike enthusiasm. That was one of the things she loved most about him. The passion he had for battling and for Pokémon, but she was determined to make sure he didn't forget that tonight was THEIR night, so she advanced and gently clutched at his arm.

Ash automatically turned towards Misty and smiled, he knew what she wanted, they had been together too long for him not to. "But tonight, I've got a date." Ash walked by Brock with Misty holding his arm, but not before Misty grabbed the key to their room from Brock.

"One of these days I need to get a girlfriend." Brock whined. "One of these days you need to stop acting so crazy around girls so you can get a girlfriend." Dawn countered. It was Brock's turn to face-fault now, and the coordinator grabbed their key and Brock's hand so she could drag Brock to the room.

Inside the couple's room, Misty quickly hopped onto the bed and patted the spot next to her, silently telling Ash to lie down next to her so they could watch the movie. "Come on Mist, I need to wash up myself, today was brutal after all. Lemme take a quick shower and then we'll order the pizza, ok?" Ash said.

Misty pouted and crossed her arms, but she knew Ash could tell she was kidding. The trainer chuckled and grabbed his clothes so he could shower. _"Might as well get comfy myself."_ Misty thought. Making sure Ash had turned on the water, Misty started taking off her clothes so she could put on her pajamas. But that would prove to be a mistake.

"Ok you two, let me just make – aaah!" Brock covered his eyes in both shock and horror, and he was now also fuming with anger, Misty stripping was NOT what he wanted to see. "THIS is how you make me trust you guys?" Brock said angrily, still covering his eyes while Misty got dressed.

Misty slipped on her pajamas before replying, but she was fighting to keep her flustered voice level, Brock had really caught her by surprise. "Take a good look around Brock. I'm dressed, don't worry." Misty said, calmer than the breeder expected. Cautiously parting his fingers to make sure she was totally dressed, Brock looked around the room and noticed the only thing in it was an obviously frustrated Misty.

"Uh…where's Ash?" Brock asked hesitantly. "Taking a shower, taking the grime from the whole Mamoswine thing off of his body, you know, getting CLEAN?" Misty replied. "So then…why were you…you know…taking your clothes off?" Brock stammered.

"Face it Brock, you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. All I was doing was getting into some more comfortable clothes, I don't wanna wear my regular stuff after all the diving in the dirt we did today." Misty said exasperatedly.

Just then, Ash walked in wearing a pair of shorts and a black muscle shirt. "What's wrong Brock? You look kinda flushed." he said, confused. "N-Nothing. Listen; please promise me that you'll behave yourselves. After all, Mrs. Ketchum put me in charge of…" Ash cut him off.

"Brock, relax. Misty and I were just fine before Mom put you in charge of us, we'll be just fine now." the trainer said. Brock sighed and walked out without another word.

"Brock's really being a pain about this." Misty grumbled. "Well you know my mom; she can be pretty scary when she wants to be. Brock's probably under a lot of pressure…but yeah you're right, he's being way too serious." Ash replied.

"Well he'll leave us alone now, that's all that matters I guess." Once again the water-trainer sat herself onto the bed and patted the spot next to her; she was simply giddy about having Ash next to her. The excitement just never diminished.

Ash smiled and sat down next to his girlfriend, wrapping one arm around her shoulders, and his opposite hand reached for the room phone. "What do you want on the pizza Mist?"

"Sausage!"

"Peppers!"

Those two voices came from Brock and Dawn, who were still demanding their agreed slices of pizza. Misty shuddered for a moment before shouting back. "No peppers Dawn!"

"Ok…pineapple then." Dawn replied. Misty smiled and nodded at Ash, silently telling him that was her preferred topping as well.

So after Ash ordered, they started watching the movie, enjoying each other's company. However, the night would not go without incident. About halfway through the movie, Ash and Misty closed their eyes and relaxed during the commercial break, their bellies full from the pizza they had eaten.

Unnoticed by the couple, a white light had emerged from Ash's backpack, and Charizard appeared, snickering. The dragon rummaged through Ash's backpack and found Buizel's Pokéball, and tossed it.

Buizel emerged with his arms crossed, wondering why Charizard had summoned it. Charizard held a claw up to his mouth, and snuck over to Ash, sticking matches in between his toes. The trainer wasn't even aware of it due to the state of tranquility Misty always provided him with.

With a quick 'Ember', Charizard effectively put his revenge plan into action by giving his trainer a hotfoot. Ash sniffed the air and opened his eyes, "Is something burning?"

Misty opened her eyes as well and looked down to the foot of the bed, and saw another foot. Ash's foot. "Ash!" she cried. Ash looked down and quickly jumped out of the bed, stomping his foot to try and extinguish the flames.

Now Buizel understood why Charizard had summoned it. It launched a 'Water Gun' at its master, and not only did it put out the flames, but it left Ash sopping wet. Then Brock and Dawn came running in. "What's going on here?" Brock exclaimed.

They looked to the corner of the room, and there was Charizard, laughing heartily at the prank he had pulled. "Very funny Charizard. You been taking lessons from Haunter and Rotom?" Ash grumbled.

Charizard just shrugged and crossed his arms, but his toothy grin remained. Still dripping water, Ash reached for the dragon's Pokéball. "Alright Charizard, you've had your fun, return." Ash returned the practical joking fire/flying-type to his Pokéball, then returned Buizel after thanking it, and then headed to the bathroom for his second shower of the night.

"Well…thanks to Charizard, I won't be able to finish the movie with Ash." Misty grumbled. "You don't think Charizard's disobeying Ash again do you?" Dawn asked worriedly. "You know what I think? I think Charizard was just getting Ash back for putting him through Team Rocket's friendship course." Brock said with a laugh.

Misty groaned and went back to the bed; her date with Ash had been pretty much ruined thanks to the vengeful dragon. "You know what Charizard? You better watch your back from now on."

The rest of the night went without any notable incidents, although Brock didn't get much sleep, as he instinctively checked on Ash and Misty in the other room every other hour. _"This is a lot of pressure…"_

Dawn didn't get much sleep either, but it wasn't because of one of her own problems. "Brock…PLEASE go to sleep." the coordinator had begged.

"I wish I could. But someone's gotta watch them." Brock replied. Dawn sat up in her bed and huffed. "Alright, you're just being ridiculous now. Ash and Misty have been together for a while now, and if they haven't done anything before, they won't do anything now, so chill out! No need to worry! Ok?"

Brock sighed and laid back down in his bed, trying to get his mindset into what Dawn had told him. _"Gah, come on Brock, you've known them for years, they won't do anything crazy."_ The breeder worked on convincing himself of that all night. The morning would show if it had worked.

The next morning, Ash woke up to the sharp twinge of a shock of electricity to his feet, courtesy of Pikachu. "Aww come on Pikachu, gimme like five minutes." Ash groaned sleepily. "Pikapi!" (Ash!) Ash looked at the excited electric-mouse, and then remembered what day it was.

"Oh yeah! Today we get our sixth gym badge! Thanks for waking me up Pikachu!" Ash threw the covers off of him, but in the process he also threw them off of Misty, who shivered before waking up. She opened her eyes and saw Ash running around the room like a maniac, grabbing clothes and his Pokéballs.

"What happened Ash? Charizard give you another hotfoot?" Misty giggled. "Sorry for waking you Mist, but I'm psyched! Today, I'm getting my sixth gym badge!" Ash replied determinedly. "Pi pika chu!" (We sure are!)

The water-trainer stretched and sighed contentedly. "Brock and Dawn up yet?" she asked. "Dunno, I haven't heard anything yet." Ash replied. As if on cue, the couple heard the shocked squeal of the coordinator on the other side of the wall. "That's cold Buneary!"

"I'll take that as a yes." Ash said. "Pikachu…you weren't playing wakeup tag-team with Buneary were you?" Misty asked suspiciously. Pikachu smiled and put up his fingers in a peace sign, which answered her question.

Then Buneary came walking through the door. "Bun buneary." (She's up.) the small rabbit said. "Pika." (Thanks.) Pikachu replied with a thumbs-up. Buneary winked and walked out just as the cold-footed Dawn walked in.

"Rude awakening?" Misty giggled. Dawn made a face at the water-trainer and then turned to Ash. "Guys, Brock's not up yet." she said. Misty stepped out of bed and walked up next to Ash. "What's wrong with that?" she asked.

"Well, he only got like four hours of sleep; he was up more than half the night." Dawn said. "What's wrong with him?" Ash asked. "Well…he was actually keeping an eye on you two all night." Dawn replied.

Ash and Misty both rolled their eyes exasperatedly. "He just can't seem to get it through his rock hard head. WE. ARE. FINE." Misty huffed. "Yeah well, he wasn't convinced." Dawn replied.

Just then, Brock came walking, rubbing his eyes wearily. "So…had a good night's sleep?" the breeder said, obviously exhausted. "WE did, but YOU sure didn't." Misty replied.

"Yeah, guess I had a rough time last night." Brock chuckled half-heartedly. "You had a hard time because you kept staring at Ash and Misty!" Dawn replied.

"Mrs. Ketchum may have put you in charge of us, but that doesn't mean you sacrifice your health in exchange." Misty said. "I'll be fine guys, trust me. Hey Ash, don't we have to get moving for the gym?" Brock asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Oh yeah! Come on guys, let's get going!" Ash ran into the bathroom to change, which left Misty and Dawn to glare angrily at the breeder. "You're lucky Ash is battle-crazy." Misty huffed. Dawn followed the water-trainer out, leaving Brock alone. "Phew, dodged that one."

After a quick breakfast, the group hurried and soon found themselves in front of the steel-plated gym once more. "Our battle with Byron is finally here!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. Ash ran up to the door and pounded his fist against it, "I'm here to challenge Byron to a battle!"

Ash backed up, and then gym's caretaker walked out, the bags under his eyes now gone thanks to the defeat of Darkrai. "Hey, you're looking a lot better." Misty said friendlily. "I know you guys, you were just here the other day." the caretaker replied.

"Right! I got the word from Nurse Joy that Byron the Gym Leader is back in town!" Ash said. "Well Byron IS back, you're right. But now's not such a good time." the caretaker replied. "What are you talking about, how come?" Ash asked, frustration already starting to build up inside him.

The caretaker put his hand behind his head rather embarrassedly. "Well the thing is…his son's visiting today."

"Well I can understand the importance of visiting family, but what's that have to do with having a gym battle?" Misty asked. "Well uh…let's see…how should I put this?" the caretaker stammered.

"How should you put this? Put what exactly?" Ash asked. "Well…maybe it'd be easier if you came in and saw for yourself." the caretaker said with a sweat-drop. The well-built man led the group of teens into the gym, and led them down a corridor.

"To be perfectly honest, those two are quite a pair if you know what I mean. If something goes wrong between those two it can take a while to fix." the caretaker explained.

"I LOVE FOSSILS!" a loud, booming voice yelled.

"I love them MORE!" a not as powerful voice yelled back.

"Uh…whose voices are those?" Dawn asked. "From my experiences of family quarrels, I'd say we just found Byron and his son." Misty replied. "You guessed it." the caretaker sighed.

"I work as the chief of ancient Pokémon excavation operations in the Oreburgh Mines!" the younger voice yelled. "Gimme a break! You're still just a kid! You wouldn't know a fossil if it hit you on the head!" the rough voice yelled back.

"You'll be sorry you said that, DAD!" the younger voice spat. Now the group had walked into the battlefield area, and Ash, Dawn, and Brock immediately recognized who was yelling back at the gym leader. "Ash, Brock, is that who I think it is?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah! It's Roark from the Oreburgh Gym!" Ash replied. "Does that mean you battled him already Ash?" Misty asked. "Yeah that's right! You weren't here yet when Ash battled Roark." Dawn said.

"What's Roark doing here?" Ash asked himself. "Excuse me Byron, a challenger's arrived." the caretaker said. "Hey Roark, good to see you." Ash greeted.

Roark's expression immediately softened at the sight of his friends. "Hi Ash, you and Pikachu look well!" the young gym leader said. "Thanks." Ash replied.

"So he's the first one you got a badge from?" Misty asked. "Yeah, it wasn't easy though." Ash replied. "And what's your name?" Roark asked.

"My name's Misty, former Gym Leader of Cerulean City in the Kanto Region." Misty said proudly. "Wow, you're a Gym Leader? What are you doing so far away from home?" Roark asked. "It's a long story Roark, I'll explain later." Ash said.

"The challenger is your friend?" Byron asked. "That's right. My name's Ash and I'm from Pallet Town." Ash replied.

"He already challenged me at the Oreburgh Gym, he won a badge." Roark explained. Byron glared at Ash, and the trainer tensed up with uneasiness. But then Roark spoke up. "Ash I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait. I am NOT about to just let this one go."

"Huh?" Ash asked, obviously confused. "Because when it comes to fossils Dad, you won't outdo me!" Roark yelled. Byron growled viciously at his son, which intimidated Roark to the point of backing off. "I'm telling you I love fossils the most and that is that!" Byron roared. "No way! I dooooo!" Roark yelled back.

The father and son duo growled angrily at each other, the group could practically see the electricity shooting from the two Gym Leaders, angrily sparking. "Tell me I'm crazy, but Roark somehow seems different from last time." Dawn said. "You're not crazy." Brock said with a sweat-drop.

Byron broke the stare down and chuckled arrogantly. "You're soft…so soft that going up against you will be a piece of cake! Up with the lights!" Byron ran off, which made the others follow the scratchy-voiced Gym Leader. He finally stopped in a large room, filled with fossils of all kinds. "Feast your eyes on my collection." Byron chuckled proudly.

"Wow, check it all out." Ash said. "He sure has a lot of stones." Dawn added. "Actually, those are all fossils." Brock said.

"Those are fossils?" Dawn asked. "Leave it to Brock to recognize anything involving rocks." Misty laughed. "Well hey, being the Pewter City Gym Leader made me have to do a lot of research on stuff like this." Brock replied.

"Wow!" Roark ran up to something in a large display case. "Could it be? What a colossal Anorith!"

"He seems impressed." Ash said. "Of course he is, take a good look at that comparison." Brock replied. The three younger teens gasped in shock and awe at the poster. "That just isn't natural! Look at the size of that thing!" Misty said.

Byron chuckled proudly. "If I were to restore this fossil completely it would be three times bigger than a normal Anorith, so give up!" Byron laughed heartily, thinking his son would most certainly back down from their competition.

"Imagine the size of the Armaldo it would evolve into." Ash fantasized. Misty cringed at the thought. After all, Anorith and Armaldo were both part bug-type.

"I will say this. I don't think I've ever seen an Anorith fossil as big as this one…" the light shined off of Roark's glasses as he spoke, "But when it comes to Pokémon restored from fossils there's nothing that tops my Rampardos for sure!"

Byron wasn't even fazed. "Sorry to have to correct you but when it comes to Pokémon restored from fossils my Bastiodon tops EVERYTHING."

"Not again." Misty groaned. "At this rate, I'll never get my battle!" Ash added.

"Come on! There's no Pokémon stronger than my Rampardos!" Roark yelled angrily. "Uh, didn't you beat his Rampardos once?" Misty whispered. "Yeah, but it wasn't easy, Turtwig managed to beat it." Ash replied.

"You're wrong again! Nothing can beat my Bastiodon!" Byron bellowed. "Except Rampardos!" Roark quickly added on.

"Bastiodon's the best!"

"Rampardos is the best!"

"Bastiodon's the best!"

Ash and Co. sweat-dropped at the stupid argument taking place. "Uh oh, here we go again." Dawn sighed. "They look two other people we know." Brock said. Ash and Misty shot Brock a quick glare after that comment, but the father and son were yet another good example of how stupid they looked when they argued.

"Rampardos!"

"Bastiodon!"

After that, Brock boldly stepped in front of the arguing father and son. "Excuse me, but I think you're both going around in circles."

"I've got an idea! Why don't you both pit your Pokémon against each other in battle?" Dawn suggested. "That's a great idea, that way no matter what happens, we have an answer." Misty added.

"Perfect! That means once you figure which Pokémon is best, Byron can battle with me!" Ash exclaimed impatiently.

The father and son glared at each other. "You up for it son? Byron asked. "You bet! Thought you'd never ask!" Roark replied determinedly.

"Alright. The battle will begin in ten minutes! Be there!" Byron said. "Right." Roark replied confidently.

Byron left the room to prepare, and the group followed Roark out so they could have a quick talk with him. "Wow Roark, I had no idea Byron was your father." Ash said. "Yeah…obviously we both get a little carried away with fossils and whatnot." Roark replied, rather embarrassed.

"Excuse me for asking Roark, but you didn't really come all the way here just to argue with you dad did you?" Misty asked. "No, I actually came to ask him if he could make it back home to Oreburgh City for his and my mom's anniversary." Roark replied.

"So your dad's from Oreburgh City then, that's great!" Brock said. "Yeah, my dad actually used to work at the Oreburgh Gym, as the leader there." Roark said.

"That was right around the time I was assigned to lead the ancient Pokémon excavation operation at the Oreburgh Mine. He just left…he didn't even consider what my mom and I would think about him leaving. The only person he ever consulted when he was making important decisions was himself…he always took the two of us for granted." Roark ranted.

"I hear you." the breeder said with his arms crossed, "He sounds like another dad I know, namely mine."

"I have to agree too. My sisters would take my opinion and toss it out like an old tissue, like I didn't even exist." Misty added.

"He would say his whole reason in coming here to Canalave City was to find lots of fossils…there are a lot of fossils on Iron Island nearby." Roark said.

"Hey, isn't that where Barry is?" Dawn asked. "Yeah, maybe that was what the special training was all about." Ash said. "We're talking about Barry remember? He's too impatient for something like that." Misty said.

"Listen Ash, I'm sorry for having to make you wait like this, really. I just don't want my dad out-fossiling me!" Roark said determinedly.

"Don't worry about it, it's fine. Good luck in the battle!" Ash said. "I appreciate it…well, time to get started." Roark said.

The group got up and headed back to the battlefield. Roark took his place on the field, while Ash and Co. sat up in the stands. "So what do you think Ash?" Misty asked. "I dunno, Roark's pretty tough, but I've never seen Byron in action." Ash replied.

Then the gym's caretaker appeared from the corridor. "Ladies and gentlemen! The Gym Leader special exhibition battle will now get underway! Both Gym Leaders will be using one Pokémon each and the battle will be over when the Pokémon on either side is unable to battle!"

"Hey Dad! Keep in mind that it's already been ten years since I dug up my first fossil!" Roark yelled. Byron wedged his shovel into the dirt and replied sarcastically, "Oh, it's been that long has it?"

"And also keep in mind that since then I've devoted all of my energy to studying fossils of every kind! Just because you're my dad doesn't mean I'll go easy!" Roark yelled.

"Just because you're my son doesn't mean I won't whup ya." Byron chuckled cockily. Roark growled and clutched a Pokéball tightly. "Rampardos, let's go!" Roark's ancient Pokémon emerged and immediately got into battle-ready stance.

Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex to scan Roark's Pokémon. "Rampardos, the Headbutt Pokémon, and the evolved form of Cranidos. Like a spear, it's 'Headbutt' can pierce even the strongest of defenses." the Pokédex chirped.

Now it was Byron's turn to choose. "I love Bastiodon!" Byron threw the Pokéball, and his Bastiodon emerged with a low grunt. "So that's a Bastiodon." Dawn scanned it with her Pokédex. "Bastiodon, the Shield Pokémon, and the evolved form of Shieldon. It's massively powerful shield-like face can deflect even the strongest of attacks."

"I wonder which one's stronger." Dawn said. "I know, they're both the best of their kind at two opposite strategies." Misty added.

"Amazing. This'll be like a showdown between a spear that can pierce anything, and a shield that can't be pierced." Brock said. The gym's caretaker raised his hand into the air, "Let the battle begin!"

"I'll start! Alright Rampardos, use 'Zen Headbutt', let's go!" Roark ordered. The ancient Pokémon ran forward with its head low to smash into Bastiodon. "Bastiodon, 'Iron Defense'!" Byron countered.

Bastiodon ran ahead with raised defenses and totally blocked Rampardos' attack. "Wow, Rampardos is looking as strong as ever!" Ash exclaimed. "But Bastiodon's no slouch either." Brock replied.

"Zen Headbutt' again!" Roark ordered. Again Rampardos charged like a raging Rhyhorn, as it readied to impact with Bastiodon. "Use 'Iron Defense' 'Iron Defense' 'Iron Defense'!" Byron countered over-excitedly.

Bastiodon ran with its steel hard face at the ready, and the two Pokémon traded hits a few times, battling for superiority. "Whoa, check out that power!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "That Roark sure knows how to keep on keeping on!" Dawn added.

"One thing's for sure, Rampardos is giving it its all." Misty added. "Maybe…but look closer and you'll see that Byron and Bastiodon are MORE than holding their own." Brock said.

The group looked back down towards the battlefield to see what Brock was talking about. "Bastiodon's using 'Iron Defense' to stop every attack cold. I think it's safe to say that Byron's got the upper hand." Brock said.

"There's no defense like a good offense!" Roark roared, "Rampardos, 'Zen Headbutt' again!" The Headbutt Pokémon charged forward once more. "Now! 'Iron Defense'!" Byron countered.

Once more, Bastiodon raised its defenses and bounced off Rampardos' attack, but then it pushed forward and knocked Rampardos down to the ground.

The group gasped in shock. "The shield beat the spear!" Ash exclaimed. "That Byron battles a lot like Brad, his defenses are top notch." Misty pointed out. "Yeah, except Byron changed his defense into an attack!" Brock said.

"Come on Rampardos!" Roark exclaimed. Rampardos struggled to push itself up, but then Byron made his move. "Bastiodon, use 'Flamethrower'!" The Shield Pokémon opened its mouth and spewed a blazing flame. "Rampardos, out of the way!" Roark yelled.

Rampardos barely dodged the flame and got back to its feet, and as it stood up to face the Shield Pokémon, it panted wearily. "Wow, Dad's something…nicely done…" Roark admitted to himself.

"Roark my boy, I want you to give me everything you've got so I can prove I can take whatever you dish out and then some!" Byron bellowed.

"One thing's for sure; Byron isn't shy about his words." Misty said. "Well the way the battle's going right now, Byron has that right." Brock replied.

"Come on Rampardos! We can't give up! Use 'Zen Headbutt'!" Roark ordered. Rampardos shook off its fatigue and ran forward again, but this time Bastiodon merely ignored the impact without retaliation. Rampardos jumped back and awaited further orders, but it was obvious that Bastiodon had the upper hand.

"I wonder what's wrong with Rampardos." Dawn said. "After all that attacking, maybe it's tired." Brock replied.

"You should be ashamed!" Byron yelled, pointing an accusing finger at his son, "You think you're going to take us down with those embarrassing excuses for attacks? You're a pitiful excuse for a Gym Leader!"

"What kind of a father is he? It's bad enough they have to argue all the time, but to shamelessly spew garbage like that at his own son? It's disgusting!" Misty said furiously. The group silently agreed with Misty's angry statement, Byron wasn't showing any mercy in his words and he showed no signs of letting up, but if anything, those words provoked Roark to battle even harder.

Roark growled furiously, "Rampardos, jump first and then use 'Head Smash'!" Fueled by its master's determination, Rampardos leaped up and charged forward like a blue, aura enveloped spear flying through the air. "Ah ha! Bastiodon, 'Iron Head'!" Byron countered.

Bastiodon glowed in a white aura and charged forward to once again collide with the Headbutt Pokémon, and the two clanged into each other, causing smoke to cover the battlefield. "Those moves are their strongest!" Ash said in awe.

"There's no telling which one's stronger! But when Rampardos uses 'Head Smash' it causes sizeable damage to itself as well!" Brock said. When the smoke cleared, the two Pokémon still had their heads smashed against each other, before finally jumping back and panting with fatigue.

"Looks like Byron struck a nerve with that little rant of his, Rampardos is finally making headway." Misty said. "Maybe, but at what cost? Rampardos can't handle too many of those or it'll exhaust itself to the point of helplessness." Brock replied.

"Snap out of it Rampardos, and use 'Flamethrower'!" Roark ordered. The Headbutt Pokémon once again shook off its fatigue, and spewed a powerful flame at the Rock/Steel-type. "Alright Bastiodon, use 'Flash Cannon'!" Byron countered.

Bastiodon also opened its mouth, and a shining beam of energy blasted out and countered the flame. When the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were once again staring each other down. "Boy, it seems that everything Roark does, Byron has a perfect counter for it." Dawn said.

"You taking notes on this Ash?" Misty asked. "Yeah Mist, I'll have to be careful with my attacks or Byron'll wear out my Pokémon with his defenses, like Brad did kinda." Ash replied.

The two battling Gym Leaders were about to call off attacks again, when a loud alarm started buzzing, and the whole gym area started flashing with red warning lights. "What's going on?" Dawn asked.

"Dad what's that?" Roark asked. "That's the exhibition room alarm! This battle is now over! Bastiodon, return!" Byron returned the Shield Pokémon to its Pokéball and took off running towards the source of the alarm.

"Quick Rampardos, return!" Roark returned the panting Headbutt Pokémon to its Pokéball and followed his father down the corridor. "This doesn't look good." Ash said. "The exhibition room...you don't think…?" Dawn asked. "Someone may have stolen some fossils? Maybe." Misty replied.

"Come on guys, let's go!" Ash exclaimed. The group ran out of the stands and quickly caught up with Byron and Roark. When they finally reached the room, their suspicions were proved correct. "Look!" Byron exclaimed.

They looked down and saw that a hole had been dug out through the floor. "Somebody dug this hole!" Roark said. Byron got down on his hands and knees to examine the apparent point of entry. "I don't believe it…and still…I love this hole!"

Roark, Ash, and the others all face-faulted simultaneously, as Byron had apparently missed the entire point of what was going on. "You like this hole? What do you mean?" Ash asked. "Well take a good look!" Byron said. The group looked again.

"Look how perfectly shaped it is, how it slopes gently downward." Byron was beginning to tear up at this point, "Whoever dug this has the skill and craftsmanship of a fearsome hole digger!"

The group face-faulted again, and Misty for one, had quite honestly had enough of Byron's idiocy. Misty got up and slowly stomped over to Byron, who was still gushing over the hole in the floor, "I've just got to track down the artisan who did this. Imagine what this could do for my excavations!"

Now as steamed as she could get, Misty grabbed Byron's head and pointed it at her face. "Take a good look around Byron! Doesn't anything seem wrong here?" Misty exclaimed angrily. Needless to say, Roark was surprised by the nerve Misty had to stand up to his dad like that. He glanced over at Ash and the others, and they just shrugged with smirks on their faces; for Misty, this was common temper tantrum behavior.

"You're right!" Byron freed himself from Misty, who was now beaming with pride at a job well done. "Closer examination reveals that THIS hole was dug by a machine." Byron grumbled. "Not that!" Misty face-palmed and fell over backwards while the others did face-faults for the third time. It amazed them just how oblivious Byron was to the current situation. "I give up. Ash, you're no longer the champion of density." Misty said. Ash rolled his eyes at that comment.

"Dad, can't you see that all of your fossils have been stolen?" Roark yelled at the top of his lungs. Once Roark pointed that out, Byron actually noticed and started panicking. "Stolen? No! My precious fossil collection is gone!" Byron cried, running from shelf to shelf in a panic induced craze.

"Dad, calm down!" Roark shouted. Byron was once again, not listening. "Oh all my precious fossils, I worked for years excavating them and now they've been taken away from me!"

"Can I borrow this a second?" Misty took Piplup from Dawn's arms and held it like a bazooka over her shoulder. "Ok Piplup, fire in the hole!" Piplup smirked as he figured out Misty's intention, and it quickly fired a 'Bubblebeam' at the panicking Gym Leader.

The beam hit Byron squarely in the face, which made him search around for the source of the water attack. "Misty's sure got guts." Roark said in awe. "Let's just say when it comes to nerve, nobody can top Misty." Ash snickered. Ash was tagged back by a 'Bubblebeam' from the same source that hit Byron. "And don't you forget it." Misty replied with her tongue stuck out. Ash smirked playfully as he wiped his face off.

"Don't worry Dad, I'm gonna find the criminals who did this!" Roark leaped down into the machine-dug hole. "Wait! I'm coming too!" Byron followed his son down the hole. "We can't stay here, we gotta help too!" Ash said.

The others nodded in agreement, and together the group jumped down into the hole themselves. When they landed, they saw Roark and Byron running through the tunnel that had been dug out, and they ran after them.

"Man, this tunnel seems to go on forever!" Ash exclaimed. "Who do you suppose could've dug a tunnel this long?" Dawn asked. "It could've been any number of ground-type Pokémon, but then again they wouldn't have interest in fossils." Brock replied.

"You wanna know what I think? I'm placing my bet on Team Rocket; it's been at least twelve hours since we saw them last after all." Misty said. "Only one way to find out!" Ash poured on the steam and pumped his legs harder, provoking the others to do the same.

When the group finally made it to the end of the line, they climbed out of the hole and found that Misty was right. "Team Rocket!" Ash growled.

Jessie: "Is that the voice of twerps surfacing I hear?"

James: "Trespassing through OUR hole I fear."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "Diggers without fear!"

Jessie: "Forming holes at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Shoveling earth, leaving air in its place!"

Jessie: "Our skill knows no boundary when it comes to the pit!"

James: "When it comes to pit-traps we don't miss a trick!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth! Dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting all you ground-hogging do-gooders in your place!"

James: "You've got to dig Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "Because we're in your face!"

"Listen up! I've got something I wanna say to you three!" Team Rocket flinched at the sound of Byron's bellowing, "Clearly you're all incredibly skilled diggers, but from now on why don't you lose the machines and dig your happy holes by hand?"

Team Rocket, along with Ash and Co. face-faulted in utter disbelief. "What's up with him and holes?" Jessie mumbled. "Weird." Meowth replied.

"Listen! Those crooks are called Team Rocket and they're bad!" Roark said. "Bah. No one could dig holes that beautifully and still be called bad." Byron replied stubbornly.

"But Dad, don't you realize they stole your fossil collection?" Roark asked. Byron made a huge sweat-drop and whined, "No fair, I love my fossils!"

"Look here, those fossils are our link to the past, not things for you to steal!" Roark yelled. "My son's right! Give them back right now!" Byron added.

"Dream on Digger Derek." Jessie quipped. "Now will never come." James added. "If you wanna play rough, we'll show ya rough!" Ash yelled. Ash and Misty reached for Charizard and Gyarados' Pokéballs respectively, but Roark stopped them.

"No, this is between them and us!" Roark then turned back towards Team Rocket, "So you want it that way huh? Rampardos, let's go!" Rampardos, rested and ready once again for battle, emerged from the Pokéball to fight.

"I love Bastiodon!" Also rested and ready, the Shield Pokémon emerged from its Pokéball and prepared to join forces with its previous opponent. "Wow, they're working together." Misty said. "Well they have a common goal." Brock replied.

"Keep 'em! I love Mecha Man!" Meowth pushed a button on his remote control, and the drilling robot rotated and dropped the fossils it was holding so it could fight the two ancient Pokémon.

"Alright! Rampardos, 'Zen Headbutt'!"

"Now Bastiodon, use 'Iron Head'!"

The two ancient Pokémon charged towards the drilling robot, and bumped it backwards. Team Rocket screamed in terror at the sheer power the two ancient Pokémon had. "You sure you love Mecha Man?" Jessie screamed at the cat-Pokémon. "Long as we get da win! Dig in!" Meowth had the robot dig its arms into the ground to stop its momentum.

"Dirtballs for dirtbags!" Meowth had the robot dig down into the earth, and it found a huge boulder that it held overhead and readied to throw. "Rampardos, be careful!" Roark yelled.

The robot began chucking boulders at the ancient-Pokémon, who managed to dodge them as they came. "Now 'Zen Headbutt', go!" Rampardos charged and blasted through the small rocks being thrown at it, obliterating them with its powerful skull.

"It's time ta flatten dat pointy head!" Meowth had the robot throw sand into the Headbutt Pokémon's eyes, which stopped Rampardos in its tracks. "And da pitch!" The robot grabbed one more decently sized rock and launched it, and Rampardos exhaled forcefully as the rock knocked the wind out of it.

But the robot wasn't letting up, as it threw more rocks to finish the job against Rampardos. "Rampardos, out of the way!" Roark yelled. But Rampardos couldn't move, its breath was gone and it needed a minute to recover. Byron saw that and took action. "Iron Defense' Bastiodon! Protect Rampardos quick!"

Bastiodon jumped in front of the gasping Pokémon and bounced off each and every rock that came its way. "So see why I always talk about the value of a good defense?" Byron asked his son. "Dad…"

Byron didn't have time for a sentimental moment, so he quickly spoke up. "Listen Son, it's time for you to show off that attack you say is so great!" he bellowed. "Right! You got it Dad! Alright Rampardos, use 'Head Smash'!" Roark ordered.

Thanks to Bastiodon's defense, Rampardos had the chance to recover and was now hurtling towards the robot with the viciously brutal rock-type attack. The power and impact from Rampardos knocked the robot on its back, but the intense recoil damage Rampardos took made it fall down from exhaustion. "Rampardos, no!"

"C'mon Ash, now we need to get in there!" Misty said. "Right. Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt' quick!" Ash ordered. Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and launched a furious 'Thunderbolt' at the downed robot.

"Corsola, come out and use 'Bubblebeam'!" Misty threw out her water/rock-type and it emerged firing bubbles at the robot.

The two attacks hit dead-on, but the robot didn't seem to feel it as it ignored the attacks and got back up to keep fighting. "What the?" Ash gasped.

Meowth cackled cockily, "Dose water and electric-attacks barely even tickled Mecha Man!" the cat-Pokémon snickered, "Of course dose headbutts could cause me ta lose a little sleep." he whispered to his cohorts.

"Sleep later! Grab the fossil bag!" Jessie exclaimed. "Oh yeah! See you twoips on the flip side!" Meowth had the robot grab the bag that contained Byron's fossils, and they took off running. "They're getting away!" Dawn cried.

"No they're not! Alright Rampardos, 'Zen Headbutt'!"

"Bastiodon, use 'Iron Head'!"

Now with a second wind, Rampardos joined Bastiodon and combined for a mighty dual-attack that pierced two holes into the metallic structure of the fossil carrying robot. Team Rocket gasped in shock, "Come on! Don't you take that guff from them!" Jessie hissed. "I love tagbacks!" Meowth turned the robot around and started spraying sand at the two ancient-Pokémon, and then it turned again and exposed the holes in its back.

"Ash, Misty, quick! Aim for the two holes in that thing's back!" Brock exclaimed. "Right Brock! Alright Misty, cover me!" Ash said determinedly.

"Alright Corsola, bounce the sand off with 'Mirror Coat'!" Misty ordered. "Pikachu, stay behind Corsola and then use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered.

The two Pokémon surged ahead, Corsola blocked the sandballs so Pikachu could aim, and once Pikachu locked onto his target, his cheeks sparked furiously and he jumped and fired. The blast of electricity went right into the internal mechanism of the robot, and once it started smoking, that was their cue to get out of there. Pikachu, Corsola, and the two ancient Pokémon backed off, and the robot exploded in a huge blast of fire and smoke, sending Team Rocket blasting off again.

"Pikachu, we did it!"

"Nice job Corsola!"

The two Pokémon jumped into their respective trainer's arms, but the happy moment would soon turn to horror as the bag filled with fossils fell from the sky, and the ancient artifacts hit the ground with a loud smash. "All those precious fossils!" Roark and Byron said simultaneously.

The two archeologist Gym Leaders went to examine the fossils, although Byron had his eye set on one in particular. "What a relief, they're all safe and sound." Roark looked up and saw his father kneeling over something, "Hey Dad, what's wrong?"

"Look." Byron showed his son a box that contained a tiny fossil with a leaf pattern. "Whoa…is that a Sunkern fossil?" Roark asked.

"It is. I remember it like it was yesterday…you were just a little squirt, and you came to give me the first fossil you found as a present…" Byron said.

"You mean…that's the same Sunkern from ten years ago?" Roark asked. "It's by far the most important fossil in my collection." Byron replied.

"I don't know what to say…" Roark just stared into his father's eyes, deeply moved by the fact that he had kept the first fossil he had ever found, "That means…you actually do care about the family!"

"I realized as long as I was running the Oreburgh Gym that you'd be my apprentice and that's how you'd stay. So I thought it was a fine opportunity for you to take the reins by passing the Oreburgh torch to you as Gym Leader." Byron explained.

That's when it all fell into place for Roark. Byron didn't abandon the family for any selfish reasons; he left to man the Canalave Gym so that he could help him grow as a trainer and an archeologist. "Wow, I've been wrong all this time, now I know, thanks so much Dad!"

Byron nodded in acknowledgement, "Hey, it was nothing."

"You know, after hearing so much about Roark's family, I'm starting to miss my mom a little as well, you know?" Dawn said, wiping at her damp eyes.

"Funny you should say that because I've been thinking I need to give my family a call and see how everyone's doing." Brock said.

"Yeah, me too. I think it's about time I called to see how my sisters are holding up without me. Give 'em a little encouragement, you know?" Misty added, her eyes also watery from watching the heartfelt scene.

"Awesome. Me too, my mom will love to hear from me again." Ash added.

After all that, Byron changed the subject and looked at Ash. "So Ash I know it's been a long wait, but you're next!"

"Wow, great!" Ash exclaimed. "But the wait's not over…since I have to let Bastiodon rest up how about we hold off until tomorrow?" Byron suggested.

Ash nodded in understanding. "Right."

"If you don't mind, I would love to referee your battle." Roark said. "Wow, how cool is that?" Dawn squealed. "It'll be a battle to remember." Brock added.

"But Ash, you're going to have to want my gym badge in the worst way, prepare yourself for the battle of your life!" Byron bellowed.

"Oh don't worry, he'll be prepared, I'm gonna run him ragged later!" Misty teased. Ash laughed, "Don't worry about me Byron, I'm in good hands, but YOU better be ready because that gym badge is mine!" Ash replied confidently.

"Well, we gotta get these fossils back to the gym, so we'll be on our way now." Roark said. "You guys want any help?" Misty asked. "No thanks, I have some catching up to do with my son." Byron replied.

The group nodded in understanding and waved goodbye to the two Gym Leaders, and they headed back to the Pokémon Center to get ready for tomorrow. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go and give my family a call now, you guys go and do what you want…Ash and Misty, why not go and train your Pokémon?" Brock suggested.

The couple shrugged and went outside to train, they knew why Brock had aimed that suggestion at them, it was so he could feel secure without him being there. But they understood his reasoning, even if they didn't necessarily like it. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go call my mom too, you go on ahead ok?" Dawn said.

"Sure Dawn, seeya later." Misty said. So Dawn went to the videophones on her own while Ash and Misty stayed outside.

"Alright Misty, we got one day of training left, what do you think?" Ash asked. "Well you've done a lot of training with Chimchar, but you still haven't decided who your third one's gonna be." Misty replied.

"Well I've been thinking about that actually, and I think now's as good a time as any to give Gliscor a shot at a gym battle." Ash said.

"You're gonna use Gliscor? Er, no offense Ash, but Gliscor hasn't really proved himself to be that reliable, don't you think you should stick to someone you know can get you out of a jam?" Misty suggested.

"Actually Misty, Gliscor showed me something yesterday when it learned 'Fire Fang'. It's eager, determined, and with a little training, I know it'll be really tough for Byron to beat him!" Ash said.

"I guess you're right, but somehow I can't shake this bad feeling that Gliscor won't live up to the goal you're setting for it. I think you should have it battle more routinely first rather than throwing it under the gym battle bus." Misty said.

"That's what you're here for right? But just to be on the safe side, pick your weakest Pokémon for starters." Ash said.

"You want me to choose Psyduck?" Misty asked incredulously. "No not Psyduck, you could always…" Ash was cutoff. "Don't EVEN think about it Ketchum, Azurill is not going through a full-on battle with one of your Pokémon."

"Alright, alright. How about Surskit then?" Ash suggested. "Now Surskit I'll accept. You've got a match." Misty replied with a smirk.

"Ok, let's do this! Gliscor, I choose you!" Ash threw out a Pokéball, and the Fang-scor Pokémon emerged with a determined battle-cry. "Alright Gliscor, I wanna use you tomorrow in the battle against Byron, so – whaaa!" Ash was tackled by the ecstatic Gliscor, it was FINALLY going to get a chance to show its master what it could do. "I know, I know, you're excited and that's good, but don't squash me!"

Gliscor got off of Ash and faced Misty, it had seen enough sparring matches to know who to expect a battle against. "Alright! Misty calls Surskit!" Misty's one and only bug-type emerged from its ball with a ballerina-like twirl, and landed on the ground in battle-ready.

"Alright Gliscor, let's start this off with 'Fire Fang'!" Gliscor eagerly leaped forward with its mouth full of flame, ready to attack the small Pond Skater. "Ok Surskit, dodge and then use 'Rain Dance'!" Misty countered.

Surskit leaped high into the air and dodged the low-flying Gliscor, then its antennae formed a ball of water and launched it high into the sky. Clouds formed over the Pokémon Center and it started raining over the whole area. "Geez Misty, of all the moves you had to use, why that one?" Ash whined, wiping the rain from his face.

"Easy, now that the ground is wet, Surskit's gonna skate circles around you!" Misty exclaimed. "We'll see about that! Alright Gliscor, jump up and use 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered.

Gliscor tried to spring up, but he slipped in a puddle and fell down. "Ugh, Gliscor!" Ash groaned. "Now Surskit, 'Bubblebeam'!" Surskit fired and nailed Gliscor with the rain-strengthened stream of bubbles. _"This is gonna be a long training session."_

"I wonder why Ash and Misty are training in the rain…oh well." Brock shrugged after seeing the two Pokémon trainers battling their hearts out in the storm, as long as they weren't doing anything too extreme, he was happy. He dialed home and when the phone answered, Forrest answered.

"Hi Brock!" the eldest of the Brocklings exclaimed happily. "Hey Forrest, how are things going over there?" Brock asked.

"Well actually…Mom did a bit more renovating while you were gone." Forrest said. Brock sweat-dropped nervously. "What KIND of renovations?"

"Well…there's a hot tub in the gym now, but it's away from the battlefield so I don't think it's SO bad." Forrest said. Brock raised an eyebrow and pondered for a moment before finally shrugging it off. "Well, as long as she hasn't turned it into Misty's paradise island again."

"Oh no, that's at the second battlefield." Forrest said. "SECOND BATTLEFIELD?" Brock yelled in both anger and shock, "What do you mean a second battlefield?"

"Psyche." Forrest laughed. Brock sighed in relief before shooting his brother a glare, "You're gonna pay for that when I get home."

"Yeah yeah, anyways, you found yourself a girl yet?" Forrest asked teasingly. "Is there anyone else I can talk to? You're too snide." Brock scoffed.

"Ok ok, so what's up big bro?" Forrest asked. "Nothing much really, Ash is outside training with Misty for his gym battle tomorrow…" Brock was cutoff. "You mean the angry redheaded girl that was cheering for Ash when he challenged you years ago? I thought you said she left!" Forrest exclaimed.

"Well uh…she came back after Ash uh…told her…he…loved her." Brock murmured. Forrest tried to suppress a smile, but he simply couldn't control the laughter he was fighting. He laughed raucously and uncontrollably, which only irked Brock more. "Knock it off Forrest!"

"Ha ha h – I'm sorry! But if I held that in my teeth would've exploded!" Forrest said, still laughing, "I can't he found a girlfriend before you did!"

"Oh yeah? How's YOUR love life doing?" Brock asked. That made Forrest shut up almost instantly. "Uh well, not so good…I suppose." he mumbled.

"Uh huh." Brock smirked. "BROOOOCK!" attracted by Forrest's raucous laughter, the rest of the Brocklings quickly filled up the screen, trying to get the best view of their big brother.

"Bwock! I wearned how to swim with Mommy yestewday!"

"I learned all my Pokémon types!"

"Brock guess what? I know how to braid hair!"

"Brock when are you coming home?"

Questions just kept coming and coming, bringing a sweat-drop from the breeder's head. "Guys, calm down! I'm happy to see you guys too!"

"When you come home Bwock?" Tilly, the youngest of the girls asked. "Soon Tilly, I promise, ok? As soon as Ash is done with the Sinnoh League, I'm coming home to visit." Brock replied reassuringly.

After hearing that, Tilly squealed at the top of her tiny lungs and ran off in glee, dragging her make counterpart and a few others with her.

"Hey guys, go follow them and make sure they stay out of trouble." Brock said. The last three Brocklings took off running, leaving Brock and Forrest to talk once again. "So, how are YOU doing as Gym Leader?" Brock asked.

"Oh yeah! Brock, you won't believe it! A couple of weeks ago, I was using Geodude against this guy with a Lairon, its 'Metal Claw' was just ripping Geodude to shreds too! I was way over my head! But just when I thought Geodude couldn't take anymore, it evolved into Graveler and learned 'Earthquake'! The guy was so caught off guard that he didn't even react and we won!" Forrest exclaimed proudly.

"Awesome job Forrest! I'm proud of you!" Brock exclaimed. Forrest beamed with pride at his brother's approval, when Lola's voice was heard in the background. "Ugh, Mom wants me to do the dishes, you better get home so you can take your job back!" Forrest said.

"Don't worry little bro, you can handle it, I know it." Brock said. Then the Brocklings appeared once more and covered the screen, "We love you Brock!"

"I love you guys too, you be good ok?" Brock said. They all nodded and smiled brightly before the screen went black. "Way to go Forrest, keep it up."

"Mom! Would you stop asking me questions like that?" Dawn asked, her face as red as a beet. "Oh but Dawn, I'm just dying to know who you have your eyes on, is it Kenny? Or is it that Barry boy you told me about?" Johanna asked eagerly.

"I-I don't even know ok? Maybe I like them both…maybe I don't like either of them! Why are you so worried about it anyway?" Dawn asked.

"Because you're my daughter that's why, I wanna be able to go and say to the parents of the boy you like so I can make friends with them!" Johanna replied.

"Mom, that would be embarrassing beyond all reason! PLEASE don't go crazy telling people I have a crush on someone!" Dawn begged earnestly.

"Oh alright, but you sure know how to ruin a mom's fun." Johanna pouted playfully, "You know I love you Dawn."

"(Sigh) I love you too Mom, so how are things at home?" Dawn asked. "Well same old same old really, it's you things are happening with, how are things on the road?" Johanna replied.

"Well we're still here in Canalave City to get ready for Ash's next gym battle, and then we're gonna go and find another contest for me to participate in!" Dawn explained.

"Well it definitely sounds exciting! You think Kenny will be there too?" Johanna asked. "MOOOOM!"

Outside, Ash and Misty were finishing up their training session. "Alright Surskit, use one more 'Rain Dance' and then finish this with 'Bubblebeam'!" Misty ordered. "Come on Gliscor, stay strong! 'Sand Attack'!" Ash countered.

While Surskit made it rain again, Gliscor struggled to get up and face it, the ground/flying-type had had serious trouble keeping up with the swift movements of the tiny Pond Skater Pokémon, and in the rain, its weakness to water was greatly exposed.

Gliscor dug his claws into the ground to throw sand, but wound up throwing mud instead because of the multiple 'Rain Dances'. Surskit was caught off guard for a split second, but that split second would prove to be costly.

With a high squeal, Surskit tripped up and started wiping mud out of its eyes. "Now Gliscor! 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered. Gliscor leaped up and flew low with his wings hardened to nail the small bug.

Surskit took the hit dead-on and squealed in pain. "Surskit, no!" Misty cried. "Yeah Gliscor, keep it up! 'Fire Fang'!" Gliscor opened his mouth and bit down on the tiny bug with sharp, flaming teeth. "Ok Gliscor, let's finish this up with 'X-Scissor'!" Gliscor flipped into the air and charged to finish the small Pond Skater off.

"No you don't! Surskit quick, use 'Bubblebeam' before the rain stops!" Surskit struggled onto her wiry legs and blasted one last beam of bubbles at the Fang-scor Pokémon. "Gliscor, use 'Screech' to pop those bubbles!"

Still charging, Gliscor emitted painful, high-pitched sound waves that not only countered the 'Bubblebeam', but it seemed to paralyze Surskit as it covered its ears in pain. Finally Gliscor reached his target and slammed Surskit down with a powerful 'X-Scissor'. Surskit struggled to get back up, but its strength gave out finally as it fainted.

Gliscor landed back on his tail and panted wearily, but he was obviously happy that he had won. "Alright Gliscor! You won!" Ash cheered. Gliscor smiled as he panted, finally relaxing now that the battle was over. The rain stopped just as Surskit was returned to her Pokéball, "You did great Surskit, take a nice break."

Misty walked over to Ash and Gliscor with a smile on her face, while her pride was deflated due to her loss, her heart was inflated when Ash beamed brightly at her. "Looks like Gliscor might be ready for Byron after all." Misty said.

"Yeah Gliscor, you battle as hard as you did today, that gym badge is ours for sure!" Ash said excitedly. Gliscor sighed and asked to be returned to his Pokéball for a nice long rest. "Alright Gliscor, you earned it." Ash returned the Fang-scor Pokémon to his Pokéball, and took Misty's arm to return to the Pokémon Center.

"You know you look good when your hair's wet?" Ash asked. "Oh yeah? What about when it's dry huh?" Misty replied suspiciously. "Uh-uh it looks good dry too! In fact I think you'd look good with NO hair too!" Ash exclaimed.

"Ash!" Misty squealed incredulously, "I like my hair thanks, I don't wanna be bald!" the couple laughed with each other and entered the Pokémon Center, and they were greeted with a blast of cold air thanks to their wet clothes. "Geez it's cold in here." Ash complained.

"That's cause we've been out in the rain the whole time, our clothes are wet." Misty said. "And whose fault was that?" Ash asked knowingly. "Yours." Misty replied teasingly.

"Oh yeah? How's it my fault?" Ash asked. "If you hadn't told Gliscor to start with 'Fire Fang', I wouldn't've wanted to weaken the fire with a rainstorm." Misty replied with her tongue sticking out.

"Oh that's a great excuse Mist." Ash rolled his eyes. "Glad you agree." Misty quipped playfully. The two laughed and giggled with each other and eventually found their way to the videophones. "Well, I think I'm gonna give my sisters a call, why don't you go talk to your mom for a bit?" Misty suggested.

"Sounds good to me, I have to ask her when she's gonna give me those new clothes anyway." Ash said. "Oh yeah, and now that your clothes are wet, they're gonna shrink on you." Misty giggled at the thought.

"That's just what I needed to hear." Ash said sarcastically. Misty giggled and gave Ash a swift kiss on his nose, and then gave him a finger wave goodbye. Ash smiled and walked to his own videophone.

"Like, hello?" a female voice asked. "Daisy! It's me, Misty!" Misty replied. "Misty! Like, how's it going little sis? How come your hair's all wet?" Daisy asked.

"Oh, Ash and I were training outside and I wound up using 'Rain Dance' a bunch of times." Misty said sheepishly, "How about you? How's your training coming along?"

"Well it hasn't like, been easy to give up some of my spa appointments I'll admit, but I'm like, having a good time with the whole battling thing. I was especially surprised when your Horsea like, evolved in the middle of a battle, I never like, knew how totally awesome it felt when Pokémon evolve with your training." Daisy explained.

"You had Dewgong." Misty said. "Yeah but like, we didn't really TRAIN Dewgong that much, it like, just stepped up to the plate when we like, needed it." Daisy replied. "I suppose you're right." Misty admitted.

"How is Seadra by the way? I'd like to say hi if you don't mind." Misty said. "Like, sure. Daisy pulled a Pokéball off her shining belt, which Misty couldn't help but gawk at. "A rhinestone Pokéball belt?"

"Hey, I still need to like, accessorize, being a good battler doesn't mean I have to be plain like you." Daisy teased. "Daisy, don't make me mad." Misty warned. "Hey, I'm like, just kidding Mist." Daisy replied with a laugh.

Misty smirked and waited for Daisy to call out her Pokémon. Seadra emerged on the screen, and upon seeing Misty it smiled brightly. "Wow Horsea, is that really you?" Misty squealed.

Seadra nodded with a proud smile, it loved being evolved and it loved its master's reaction. "Wow Hor – er Seadra, you're looking great!" Misty exclaimed. Seadra smiled even brighter and even blushed a little at the compliment.

"Alright you, that's enough for now, like, go see what the others are doing." Daisy said. Seadra smiled sadly and said farewell to Misty before hopping away to the pool. "So what do you think Mist?" Daisy asked.

"Daisy, I'm so proud of you! Seadra looks totally happy and healthy! You're doing an amazing job!" Misty exclaimed. "Like, thanks little sis. But can I like, ask a favor?" Daisy asked. "Sure, what is it?" Misty replied.

"Well…could you like, give me one of your Pokémon? Like, I need a few more so I can give the others a break." Daisy said. "Ahh, smart bit of reasoning big sis, ok, I'll send you someone." Misty replied.

"Like, can I have your Gyarados?" Daisy asked. "Don't push it Daisy, the only reason Gyarados listened to you versus Ash was because I was in the stands making sure it listened. I'll send you Politoed; it's not getting much work anyway." Misty said.

Misty pulled out a Pokéball and placed it into the videophone's send slot. Within a matter of seconds, Politoed arrived in Cerulean. "Thanks sis."

"I should be thanking you Daisy, you gave me a chance to live my life." Misty said sincerely. "Well, it like, took your boyfriend's arrival to get me to do it." Daisy replied.

"I know, but I still appreciate it…I love you guys, really I do, even if most of the time I don't act like it." Misty said sincerely. "Like, what brought on this mush-fest?" Daisy asked.

"Well…let's just say I saw a family moment that made me think of you guys, and how much I love you, Lily, and Violet as my family." Misty said. "Well…I guess we love you too little sis." Daisy replied. Just then, a loud knocking was heard at the door of the Cerulean Gym.

"Sounds like another challenger." Misty said. "Like, great! I'll use your Politoed!" Daisy replied. "Give 'em hell big sis!" Misty exclaimed. Daisy nodded determinedly, and then the screen went black.

"Hey Mom, how are you?" Ash asked. "Oh Ash, is everything alright?" Delia asked, taken aback by Ash's early call. "Yeah, no problem…just…I kinda missed you a little." Ash said sheepishly.

"Ohh, I miss you too baby, every day!" Delia said. "Come on Mom; don't call me your baby." Ash said embarrassedly. "Oh fine, break my heart. But you know you always will be." Delia said with a smile.

"Yeah…I know." Ash admitted with a smile. "So, you're probably wondering about the new clothes I have for you." Delia said, starting a topic.

"Yeah, actually I'm gonna need 'em REALLY soon now, me and Misty were training and she used 'Rain Dance' a bunch of times, so now both of our clothes are wet." Ash sweat-dropped.

"Oh Ash, why are you here talking to me then? Get into the shower before you catch a cold!" Delia exclaimed disapprovingly. "I'll be fine Mom, don't worry. Just send me those clothes before this set shrinks and I can't wear it!" Ash replied.

"I would love to accommodate you Ash, really. But I'm afraid I forgot where I put the clothes for you two." Delia said. Ash face-faulted, but quickly recovered. "Whaddya mean you forgot?" Ash asked in shock.

"Well when I left home, I put them down somewhere and now I can't remember where. But don't worry; I'll give you a call as soon as I find them." Delia promised.

"Alright then, thanks Mom." Ash said. "Well I gotta go, it's time for me to get my gardening done, Mimey's waiting for me outside." Delia said. "Alright Mom, talk to you soon." Ash said.

"I love you sweetie." Delia said, blowing a kiss to her beloved son. "I love you too Mom."

Night fell and Ash and Misty spent another nice night together, giving Brock awake nightmares, the poor breeder simply couldn't find it in him to trust the two ever since Delia told him that he was responsible for the relationship of her son and his girlfriend. As soon as Ash and Misty fell asleep, Brock went to his bed, only to wake up every other hour to check on them.

When morning came, Ash, Misty, and Dawn were already up and dressed by the time Brock woke up, they patiently waited for the breeder to get himself going, since they knew exactly why he was losing sleep. "Ash, I think you need to give your mom another call, Brock's gonna commit suicide if he keeps this up." Misty said, noting the saggy bags under the breeder's eyes.

Ash discreetly nodded, and once Brock finally arrived, they walked over to the Canalave Gym, where Ash would finally get his battle versus Byron. "Byron, I challenge you!" Ash roared upon arrival.

The caretaker of the gym immediately walked out and greeted the four teens, "You're just in time, Byron's been tearing up the field with excitement, any longer and I don't think we'd have a field."

"Well Byron's got nothing to worry about because I'm gonna give it my all!" Ash exclaimed determinedly. "That's just what Byron likes to hear, come with me." The caretaker led the group to the battlefield, where Roark was trying to calm down his hyped up father.

Byron saw Ash walk in and his blood began to boil with excitement and anticipation. "Ah hah! Ready to get this battle started Ash? I've been looking forward to it!"

"You bet Byron! And that gym badge is as good as mine!" Ash exclaimed. "Well we'll see about that." Byron replied.

The group bid good luck to Ash before walking to take their seats in the bleachers, Misty hung back a moment so she could plant a good luck kiss on his cheek. Ash beamed and his muscles surged with energy, thanks to Misty he could practically feel the win coming on.

"The battle between Ash the challenger and Byron the Gym Leader will now begin! Both sides will use three Pokémon each and the battle's over when all three of one side's Pokémon are unable to continue!" Roark announced, "And in addition, only the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon!"

Ash was plenty energized thanks to Misty, but Byron was pretty pumped on his own, as he roared out his battle cry. "I love fossils! And I love defense!" Byron chuckled viciously at the Pokémon Trainer, as he swung his shovel around, which for a moment caught Ash off guard.

_"I know Byron's defense style is not gonna make this easy but there's no way I'm gonna lose!" _Ash thought determinedly. "Just wait and see Byron, I'll get that Mine Badge for sure!"

"That's the kind of spirit I like! But mark my words; if you think this going to be a walk in the park, I've got news for you!" Byron roared, flexing his muscles proudly.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Bronzor, let's go!" Byron threw out his first Pokémon, and the floating steel/psychic-type emerged to battle its opponent to be named.

"Knowing Bronzor's a Steel and Psychic-type, there's no question a fire-type's the best for this job! So Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash threw out his own Pokéball, and the fiery little monkey emerged to battle his heart out.

"I can't believe it! I know that Chimchar!" Roark exclaimed. "Right, Chimchar used to be Paul's not so long ago, but now Chimchar's on MY team! Chimchar, ready to battle?" Ash asked determinedly.

Chimchar turned and gave Ash a determined nod, and leaped into the air to battle and make his adopted master proud. "Chimchar, 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar spewed a powerful flame at the steel/psychic-type, determined to start the battle off on a high note.

"Bronzor, brace yourself!" Byron bellowed. Bronzor was completely enveloped in flame in a matter of seconds, but it tensed itself and fought off the damage that the flame was doing. "How can Bronzor handle Chimchar's 'Flamethrower'?" Dawn asked in shock.

"It must have the ability 'Heatproof', which means it can limit the damage from any fire-type moves it encounters." Brock explained.

"Byron spent countless hours with Bronzor training intensively, I doubt Bronzor could feel that attack at all." the caretaker said. "We need more power! Chimchar, 'Flamethrower' one more time!" Ash ordered.

Chimchar finally landed after its attack, and immediately followed up with another powerful flame. Bronzor took the hit with some difficulty, but its 'Heatproof' ability was making things much easier. "You use that move all you want! So what? Bronzor, 'Rain Dance'!" Byron ordered.

Despite still being engulfed in flame, Bronzor managed to cool off its body by using the water-type move, and the steam that came from its body rose up into the air and caused huge, black rain clouds to form overhead.

Caught by surprise by the sudden rain fall, Chimchar stopped the attack short to cover its head. "Byron's using 'Rain Dance' the same way I did yesterday with Surskit." Misty said.

"It must all be part of Byron's strategy. He's using a water-type move to try and throw Chimchar off its game." Brock said. "And since it's raining, the power of fire-type moves goes down which means Ash will cause even less damage than before." Misty added.

"No you don't, we're gonna stall that rain out! Chimchar, use 'Dig' now!" Ash ordered. Chimchar dug underground to avoid the rain and any incoming attacks. "Dig' as a defensive move, I'm impressed with Ash." Byron told himself.

Ash's strategy worked to perfection as the rain finally stopped, leaving Bronzor to search for where Chimchar was without any protection from the rain. "Jump out now!" Ash yelled. Chimchar burst out of the ground, screeching determinedly. "Flamethrower' now!" Ash ordered. Chimchar spewed yet another flame at the steel/psychic-type.

Bronzor took the hit again, bracing itself with its 'Heatproof' ability, but regardless of that, it was obvious Bronzor was getting tired. "I guess Ash figures that even with 'Heatproof' Bronzor can't hold out forever." Misty said.

"It makes sense, 'Heatproof' only limits the damage, it doesn't make Bronzor immune to it. If Chimchar can keep hammering away with 'Flamethrower', Bronzor should eventually give out." Brock said.

"Alright Chimchar, let's try one more 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar fired once more, determined to finish the battle quickly. "Now Bronzor, dodge it and use 'Gyro Ball'!" Byron countered.

Bronzor began spinning like a top, and quickly dodged the flames and charged towards the off guard fire monkey. Chimchar took the hit hard and wound up in a crater, groaning softly. "Awesome at offense AND defense. Just like a Gym Leader." Brock said.

"Come on Ash, don't give up yet!" Misty shouted. "You can do it Chimchar!" Dawn added.

Chimchar slowly fought to get back to its feet, but it was having extreme difficulty. "You're fine Chimchar!" Ash encouraged. Chimchar screeched determinedly and forced itself back to its feet, as it glared angrily at the steel/psychic-type.

"This ends now! Bronzor, use 'Gyro Ball' again!" Byron ordered. Bronzor began spinning once more, and moved in to finish Chimchar off. "Chimchar, 'Flame Wheel' go!" Ash countered.

Chimchar began spinning as well, enveloped in flame to meet up with Bronzor in a battle of superiority. When the two attacks collided, a fiery pillar of smoke was made, leaving the group waiting in anticipation. When the smoke finally settled, both Pokémon were grunting and groaning in pain.

"Quick! Chimchar, get up!

"Show 'em what you're made of Bronzor!"

Both Pokémon made a valiant effort to stand up, but in the end, Chimchar was the only one with enough strength and determination to remain conscious. "Bronzor is unable to battle! Chimchar is the winner!" Roark announced.

Chimchar whined in pain, hunched over from the damage it had taken, but it managed a small smile of pride because of its victory. "Success!" Dawn squealed. "So Ash takes the early lead." Brock said. "One thing's for sure, Chimchar earned its keep on that one." Misty added. The two other teens nodded in total agreement.

Chimchar slowly hobbled over to Ash with a tired smile on its face, and one of its eyes partly closed from exhaustion. "Chimchar, you were great!" Ash said. Chimchar chattered tiredly, but it was more than appreciative of the praise.

"I think it's time for you to take a good rest." Ash returned Chimchar to its Pokéball for a well-deserved rest.

"You didn't win but it was a great battle. Excellent defense Bronzor." Byron returned the fainted Pokémon to its Pokéball, despite his loss Byron was feeling more than confident. "They got you that time Dad." Roark said.

"I haven't felt the heat of battle in quite a while and it feels like I've just come back to life! I love defense!" Byron roared, holding up his shovel dramatically.

"Boy, Byron sure isn't shy about battle cries." Misty said with a sweat-drop. "That's just how Byron gets himself pumped up for battle." the caretaker said.

"Ash, don't start celebrating just yet!" Roark exclaimed. "He won't! If he does I'll kick his butt later!" Misty shouted from the stands. Dawn and Brock sweat-dropped at Misty's outburst, but Ash was pleasantly amused by the attention. "Don't worry Misty, I won't get overconfident, this battle's just getting started!" Ash replied.

"I'm not finished yet! I love Steelix!" Byron threw out yet another Pokéball, and his giant steel serpent emerged with a mighty roar. "Alright, Gliscor, I choose you!" The Fang-scor emerged with an excited battle-cry.

"What is he doing? If Ash wanted to attack from the air wouldn't Staravia be better?" Dawn asked in shock. "Don't be so sure, we did some training yesterday and Gliscor showed what it can do in a battle, and since it knows 'Fire Fang', a steel-type like Steelix should be weak to it." Misty replied.

"You think so?" the caretaker asked. The group looked at him in confusion. "An advantage based on moves doesn't always decide who the winner will be."

"True, but I'm pretty sure Ash knows that by now. Let's see what he does." Brock said.

_"Maybe I was a little too hasty in picking Gliscor…with Byron's defensive strategies I may wind up using an attack and it'll bounce back and hit Gliscor!" _Ash thought.

"Ash, is something the matter? You have the first move." Roark said. "Ash! Snap out of it! Remember we trained for this!" Misty shouted from the stands. Ash smiled and gave a thumbs-up to Misty in thanks, and then turned back to the field.

"Getting the least bit afraid of my steely-defense are you Ash?" Byron asked cockily. "Nah, not a bit!" Ash replied. "Then make your move! Come and get me I dare you!" Byron roared.

"Guess I better get things started…alright Gliscor, let's start with 'Sand Attack'!" Ash ordered. Gliscor slung sand at the steel/ground-type to try and blind it. "Alright Steelix, use 'Screech'!" Byron countered.

Steelix opened its mouth and painful, ear-piercing sound waves came out of it. It completely countered the 'Sand Attack' and made Gliscor cover its ears in pain. "Gliscor!" Ash cried.

"Steelix stopped Gliscor in its tracks! That's what I call defense!" Brock exclaimed. "(Gasp) That happened with Roark!" Dawn realized.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked. "Pikachu tried using 'Quick Attack' against Roark's Onix and it used 'Screech' to stop Pikachu! Wow, I guess Roark was taking a page from the family playbook." Dawn replied.

Steelix upped the decibels on its 'Screech' attack, making Gliscor cry out in pain. "Don't give up Gliscor! Counter with your 'Screech'!" Ash ordered.

Gliscor used its tail to jump out of range and then opened its own mouth to launch its own sound-based attack at the 'Screeching' Steelix. The sound waves collided, creating a painful explosion of sound that hurt both Pokémon and the humans on the field and in the bleachers.

For the sake of everyone, both Steelix and Gliscor stopped 'Screeching' to make sure the humans were ok. "Is everyone alright?" Roark asked.

"My ears are ringing a little." Misty admitted. "Yeah, mine too." Dawn added. "Well MY ears are just fine! And there's no way a little noise will make ME give up! Steelix, use 'Bind'!" Byron ordered.

Steelix swung its tail and grabbed Gliscor and squeezed it tightly. "Gliscor, no!" Ash cried. "Alright Steelix finish this up with 'Iron Tail'!" Byron ordered.

Steelix growled and threw Gliscor into the air, and then charged ahead to smash Gliscor into the ground. "Gliscor quick! Straighten out and use 'Fire Fang'!" Ash countered. Gliscor used the backwards momentum to swoop upwards and dodge Steelix's attack, and then charged forward and bit down on Steelix's iron body with teeth engulfed in flame.

Steelix growled in pain at the sting of the fire. "Yeah Gliscor! Way to hang in there!" Ash cheered. "Wow, check out Gliscor!" Dawn said in awe.

"Ash trained really hard with Gliscor yesterday, and we worked on Gliscor's 'Fire Fang' in the rain a lot so he could build up Gliscor's attack power." Misty said. "And Gliscor's flying has really improved, it dodged that 'Iron Tail' like a pro.

"Come on Steelix, show 'em what you're made of! Use 'Bind' again!" Byron ordered. "No you don't! Gliscor, fly up and then use 'X-Scissor'!" Ash countered. Gliscor hopped off of Steelix and dodged the 'Bind' attack, and then moved in and slashed Steelix with its claws.

"No, Steelix!" Byron bellowed. "Let's wrap this up with 'Fire Fang'!" Ash ordered. Gliscor charged again to finish Steelix off. "Steelix, 'Screech' and hurry!" Byron countered.

Steelix opened its mouth and the painful sound waves blasted the incoming Gliscor backwards. Out of nervousness, both Misty and Dawn had covered their ears to avoid any further damage to their hearing while they watched. "No, Gliscor!" Ash cried.

"Now Steelix! 'Iron Tail'!" Byron ordered. Steelix swung its tail downwards, and nailed Gliscor with an extremely powerful steel-type attack, and smashed Gliscor into the ground. "Gliscor!" Ash cried.

Ash's cheering section all gasped in horror at the sight of Gliscor taking the beating. When the smoke lifted, Gliscor was seen barely standing on its feet, growling angrily at the steel/ground-type. For a moment it seemed that Gliscor would be able to continue, but it finally gave out and passed out on the ground.

"Gliscor is unable to battle and the win goes to Steelix!" Roark announced. Steelix roared victoriously, making Byron nod proudly as well. Ash ran onto the field with Pikachu to check on the ground/flying-type who taken such a horrid beating. "Gliscor, you alright?" Ash asked.

Gliscor slowly opened its eyes that were starting to tear up with disappointment. "Gli scor." (I tried.) it whined sadly and painfully. "Hey, you did awesome for your first gym battle! Don't you even think about feeling bad, you were incredible!" Ash encouraged. Gliscor looked up at Ash and stuck its tongue out in its usual manner, as a way to say that it would be alright. "Alright Gliscor, nice job, return."

Gliscor was returned to its Pokéball for a more than well-deserved rest. "After all that, Gliscor just couldn't hang on." Dawn said sadly. "Well it was Gliscor's debut, battling my Surskit and that monster of a Steelix are two really different things, Ash should be proud." Misty added.

"Gliscor showed power and speed that it never had before in any other battle before this. Ash thought about Byron's strategy and utilized Gliscor's strong points…Steelix was just more than it could handle." Brock said.

"So where does this leave Ash?" Dawn asked. "Well now they have both two Pokémon left…it seems evenly matched…but…" Brock paused for a moment.

"Chimchar's already taken a lot of damage…I think it's safe to say that Byron has the upper hand at the moment." the caretaker said. "Don't count my Ash out just yet! He's got a knack for turning bad situations around and coming out on top!" Misty exclaimed.

"So Ash, what will you do? How do you plan on taking down my glorious Steelix, hmm?" Byron asked. Ash turned around and clutched a Pokéball tightly. "I'm betting on Chimchar, that's how! Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash threw out the fire monkey's Pokéball, and the spunky fire-type emerged with a determined screech.

"Chimchar, 'Flamethrower' now!" Ash ordered. Chimchar immediately fired the powerful flame, and unlike its previous opponent, Steelix took the hit with much difficulty and even fell to the ground from the attack's power. But after landing, Chimchar fell to one knee in exhaustion. "Chimchar!" Ash yelled in worry.

Ash's cheering section gasped in worry, "Chimchar's got the advantage by type…" Brock said. "But Chimchar's still exhausted from battling with Bronzor…" Misty added.

Steelix slowly got back up and faced the exhausted monkey, but Steelix's stamina was also wavering from the previous onslaught from Gliscor. "If Chimchar still hasn't fully recovered from the last time, how's Ash gonna pull this off?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"I'm not counting out Chimchar just yet, determination can be the making or breaking point in any battle." Misty said. "Strong defense! Alright Steelix, 'Iron Tail'!" Byron ordered. Steelix swung its tail to attack, but the speed of the iron snake's attack was considerably slowed due to exhaustion.

"Chimchar quick! Dodge and then use 'Dig'!" Ash countered. Chimchar flipped backwards and managed to avoid the iron snake's powerful 'Iron Tail', but then hunched over to gasp for breath. After a second, Chimchar looked up at its opponent and then dug a hole to attack from below.

"Make the earth tremble! Alright Steelix, 'Iron Tail'!" Byron ordered. Steelix swung its tail downward and made a huge earth shattering earthquake on the field that not only revealed Chimchar's location, but it sent Chimchar flying into the air. "Chimchar, no!"

"Good! Now Steelix, use 'Bind' let's go!" Byron ordered. Steelix slowly swung its tail to grab and squeeze the little monkey. "Chimchar, dodge it quick and use 'Dig' again!" Ash countered.

Chimchar managed to regain control of its body and dodged the snake's tail like an acrobat, then it jumped off of Steelix's tail and landed in the ground once more. "No flimsy defense is gonna get past us! Quick Steelix, use 'Iron Tail'!" Byron countered.

Steelix once again swung its tail into the ground, and the ground opened up and spewed out Chimchar as if it had left a sour taste inside of it. "Now use 'Bind' Steelix!" Byron ordered. Steelix swung its tail to grab onto Chimchar once more. "Dodge it Chimchar!" Ash shouted.

By some miracle, Chimchar managed to once again dodge the iron snake's attack, but Byron wasn't through just yet. "Steelix! Make sure Chimchar doesn't get away!"

Steelix waved its tail and turned it so it would grab Chimchar anyway, the frightened fire-type braced itself for impact, but it never came as Steelix fell into the ground like it was quicksand. "What's going on?" Dawn asked.

"The battlefield's been weakened thanks to Chimchar's using 'Dig'!" Brock explained. "Now's your chance Ash!" Misty shouted.

"This is it Chimchar! 'Flame Wheel' go!" Ash ordered. Chimchar regained its composure and charged towards the iron snake's face, but Byron was determined not to go down just yet. "Quick Steelix, 'Screech'!"

"Flame Wheel' full blast!" Ash yelled. Steelix opened its mouth once more and launched an absolutely deafening sound wave that made Misty and Dawn cringe in pain. However the fire monkey just wouldn't be stopped as it continued on and nailed Steelix with the powerful 'Flame Wheel'.

Steelix fell down and for a moment fought to maintain consciousness, but it eventually gave out and fainted from exhaustion. "Steelix is unable to battle, the winner is…huh?" Roark was about to announce Chimchar the winner, when he saw Chimchar on both knees in pain. "Come on Chimchar, you can make it!" Ash encouraged.

Chimchar tried to get back up, but that tiny bit of effort it exerted was it all it took to knock Chimchar out. "Um…correction, both Pokémon are unable to battle, so this battle is a draw!" Roark announced.

Ash walked over and scooped the exhausted fire monkey in his arms. "Chimchar, thanks so much, you did it, you beat Steelix!" Ash said. Chimchar chattered softly in thanks. Ash gave the small fire-type a quick squeeze before returning it to its Pokéball.

"Excellent defense Steelix, it was a battle well fought." Byron said. "Well now it all comes down to this." Misty said. "One Pokémon each, and we all know what Byron's going with." the caretaker said.

"Yes, I can see how you managed to win a badge from my son! But you're not getting past my Bastiodon, no way!" Byron threw out his final Pokéball, and the ancient Pokémon emerged, ready for battle.

"I knew he'd save Bastiodon for last…Bastiodon's 'Iron Head's really tough, and its defense is like nothing I've ever seen…" Ash said to himself.

"In case you didn't already know Ash, Bastiodon is my ace in the hole! Very few people have been able to get past its amazing defense." Byron said.

Ash clutched his final Pokéball tightly. "Well you haven't met MY ace in the hole yet! Charizard, I choose you!" Ash threw out the Pokéball, and the mighty dragon emerged with a determined roar. "Whoa, what an impressive looking Charizard!" Roark exclaimed.

"Yeah! Charizard was on my team all the way through Kanto and halfway through Johto, and now he's back for good and ready to take Bastiodon down! Ain't that right Charizard?" Ash exclaimed. Charizard roared determinedly in response.

"Awesome! If Ash is using Charizard versus Bastiodon there's no way he can lose!" Dawn exclaimed. "Don't count Byron out just yet, lots of challengers have come here with powerful Pokémon and been blown away by Bastiodon's defensive power." the caretaker said.

"Maybe, but you haven't seen Charizard's OFFENSIVE power." Misty said. "It's your move Ash." Roark said. "Alright Charizard, 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard opened his mouth and spewed a mighty flame at the Shield Pokémon.

"Bastiodon, 'Iron Defense'!" Bastiodon's face glowed and the flame that Charizard had fired was bounced off, but Charizard's power was more than Bastiodon was prepared for, so it flinched in discomfort.

"Your Charizard must be really strong to make Bastiodon flinch like that, but the perfect defense makes for the perfect victory! Bastiodon, use 'Metal Burst'!" Byron ordered. Bastiodon allowed the flames to engulf it, and then launched a ball of pure white energy that nailed Charizard in the stomach. Charizard roared in pain and flew backwards at the sheer power of the 'Metal Burst'.

"Bastiodon's using 'Metal Burst' to return all the damage it took from the attack." Brock said. "You can do it Charizard!" Dawn encouraged. Charizard slowly got up and rubbed its aching midsection. "You ok Charizard?" Ash asked. Charizard turned back to Ash and nodded affirmatively. "Man, Bastiodon's lot tougher than I thought." Ash said.

"I love defense! And I love Bastiodon too!" Byron roared. "Man, if Charizard can't power through Bastiodon, this might be harder than ever." Ash grumbled.

"Ash wasn't expecting Bastiodon's defense to be so powerful." Misty said. "That's exactly what happens with a lot of Byron's opponents, they underestimate Bastiodon's strength and they pay for it in the end." the caretaker said.

"Alright…let's try a different approach…Charizard, fly up!" Ash ordered. Charizard opened his wings and took off into the air. "Attack Bastiodon from behind!" Charizard flew at high speed and got behind the Shield Pokémon. "Now use 'Steel Wing'!"

Charizard's wings glowed white as he charged forward. "Bastiodon, 'Iron Defense'!" Byron countered. Bastiodon turned around and faced the dragon with a glowing face. Charizard slammed into Bastiodon's face and fought, but after seeing that Bastiodon wasn't going to budge, he backed off and landed.

"Charizard, come in from behind again!" Ash ordered. Charizard took off again and flew over and behind Bastiodon. "Now use 'Flamethrower'!" Charizard opened his mouth and unleashed a blazing flame. "Bastiodon, use 'Flash Cannon'!" Byron countered. Bastiodon turned around again and launched a glimmering beam to counter Charizard's 'Flamethrower'.

The attacks collided and the resulting explosion caused smoke to fly everywhere. "Time to switch from defense to offense! Bastiodon, use 'Iron Head'!" Byron ordered. "Charizard, use 'Steel Wing' now!" Charizard flew out of the smoke and flew towards the charging Bastiodon. Again they collided, and they were bounced back in a stalemate.

"Stalemate." Misty said. "Ash is taking chances by hitting Bastiodon head on, he needs to come up with something else or Bastiodon will just stall until Charizard gets tired like Rampardos did." Brock said.

"Alright Charizard, use 'Heat Wave' on the field near Bastiodon!" Ash ordered. Charizard flew into the air again and launched a wave of heat towards the part of the field that Bastiodon was standing on. "What's going on?" Byron roared. "Keep it up Charizard!" Ash yelled. Charizard continued to blast the field with heat, and Bastiodon was starting to get a bit of a hotfoot.

"Now Charizard, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard opened his mouth and launched an attack right for Bastiodon. "Bastiodon, 'Iron Defense'!" Byron countered. Bastiodon's face glowed, but since the field was now hot on its feet, Bastiodon couldn't concentrate, and the 'Flamethrower' hit dead on.

"Yeah Charizard, awesome!" Ash cheered. "Now that's smart! Charizard gave Bastiodon a hotfoot so it couldn't focus on its defense." Misty said.

"I'm not finished yet! Bastiodon, jump and use 'Flash Cannon'!" Byron ordered. Bastiodon jumped to avoid the hot ground and blasted a shimmering beam at the fire/flying-type. Charizard took the hit hard and fell to the ground. "Now use 'Iron Head'!" Byron ordered. Bastiodon was on the move by the time Charizard got up, and the Shield Pokémon rammed Charizard's stomach with a powerful steel-type attack.

"Charizard, get up!" Ash pleaded. The dragon slowly got up and faced Bastiodon, despite its type advantage, Bastiodon's defense was proving to be a pain for Charizard. "Looks like your Charizard's starting to get worn down by my defense!" Byron chuckled.

"You think so huh? Alright Charizard, let's try another 'Heat Wave'!" Ash ordered. Charizard opened his mouth and spewed a powerful wave of searing heat at the Shield Pokémon. "You don't honestly believe those flimsy attacks are gonna get through us do you? 'Iron Defense'!" Byron countered.

Once again Bastiodon's face glowed, and since the field had cooled down, the hotfoot issue was no more. Bastiodon bounced the attack off and waited for Charizard to tire out. _"Charizard's running out of gas, if I don't think of something soon we're gonna lose this battle!"_

"Alright Bastiodon, let's wrap this up with 'Flash Cannon'!" Byron ordered. Bastiodon opened its mouth and charged the shimmering beam. "Charizard, dodge it!" Ash yelled. Charizard managed to dive out of the way, but he fell to one knee afterwards.

"Charizard's looking weak." Dawn said worriedly. "Come on Ash! Don't give up yet!" Misty shouted. _"Misty's right! This battle isn't over until Charizard goes down!"_ Ash thought.

"Alright Charizard, into the air!" Ash yelled. Charizard weakly opened his wings and took off, and awaited further orders. "Alright, I want you to spin and use 'Steel Wing' to hit Bastiodon head on!" Ash ordered.

Charizard looked at his master in disbelief, he seriously wanted him to attack head on despite Bastiodon's incredible defense. But after another look down, he saw that Bastiodon was also getting worn down by the constant attacks, so he complied.

Charizard swooped down, spinning as he used 'Steel Wing'. "Ha! This is all over! Bastiodon, 'Flash Cannon'!" Byron ordered. Bastiodon opened its mouth once more and fired the shimmering beam at the incoming dragon.

"Now Charizard, use 'Overheat' at full blast!" Charizard launched his most powerful fire attack while he spun, and beautifully countered the steel-type beam. "Hey, this is just like when Chimchar used its Counter Shield against Fantina's Mismagius!" Misty pointed out. "That means only the 'Overheat' hit!" Dawn added.

Charizard flew out of the smoke and nailed the off guard Bastiodon with a hard 'Steel Wing' and knocked it down. "I don't believe it! I was caught with my defenses down!" Byron roared in shock.

"Here it comes!" Misty and Brock exclaimed in anticipation.

"Let's wrap this up Charizard! 'Seismic Toss'!" Charizard flew forward and grabbed Bastiodon by the horns on its face, flipped three times in midair and slammed the Shield Pokémon into a rock on the ground. Bastiodon bounced off the rock, shattering it in the process and fell to the ground.

Charizard landed and panted with exhaustion and waited to see if its signature battle clinching attack did its job. Bastiodon slowly got up and glanced over at Charizard and attempted to take a step, but once it moved its foot it fainted, giving Charizard the victory.

"Bastiodon is unable to battle and Charizard's the winner! The victory goes to Ash of Pallet Town!" Roark announced. "Alright Charizard! We did it!" Ash cheered. Charizard roared in victory and walked over to Ash.

"Congratulations!" Misty had run down from the bleachers to embrace Ash into his congratulatory hug, and as usual, Ash was more than happy to accept the loving gesture. "Thanks Mist, I owe you for all that training." Ash replied.

"I'll put it on your tab." Misty giggled. Then Dawn and Brock came from the bleachers to congratulate their friend. "That was great Ash!" Dawn exclaimed. "The way you used Charizard to do an improvised Counter Shield really showed how strong he really is. Charizard's never looked better!" Brock said.

"Thanks Brock, but in the end it was just Charizard's determination that won it. Well Charizard, it's nice to see that you haven't gotten out of shape for gym battles, in fact you've gotten even stronger! Awesome comeback battle!" Ash said. Charizard nodded and gave a thumbs-up to his master.

A few minutes later, Roark, Byron, and the gym's caretaker met the group outside. "You worked really hard! It isn't easy to beat my dad. Your Pokémon are so well-trained too. Ash, congratulations." Roark said.

"Yeah, that's my Ash." Misty giggled. "Oh yeah, Roark I said I'd explain about Misty…" Ash was cutoff. "Don't worry about it, I already figured it out." Roark chuckled.

"Ash, in recognition of having broken through my perfect defenses and toppling my prized Pokémon as well, I hereby present you with the Mine Badge." Byron said.

Ash took it eagerly, "Finally! And thanks so much!" Ash did his signature victory pose, "Wow check it out! I got me a Mine Badge!"

Ash's three Pokémon shared his enthusiasm, but Charizard didn't cheer out loud, he just nodded. "And now where will you head?" Byron asked. "Well now we gotta head to Dawn's next contest." Ash replied.

"Well good luck to you then, hope to see you guys around." Roark said. "For sure! See you guys later!" Ash exclaimed. The group waved farewell to the two Gym Leaders, and in the morning, they'd continue on the road to Sinnoh.  
_

**A/N: Well guys, there ya go. Charizard's gym comeback! I sure hope I made it seem realistic, and I hope the fluff was acceptable to all your Pokeshipping tastes. ^^ Well, the next chapter...will NOT have the eighth Pokemon yet unfortunately, I wanna get in an original chapter first, but that gives you guys a little more time to figure it out! If you want more hints though...forget it, too many people have guessed already. =P lol, anyways, I hope you enjoyed this! And if you did, lemme know with a review! ^^**


	42. Ganging Up On the Gang

**Well hey guys, it's time for an EP original chapter! Well, not TOTALLY original, but this IS my first chapter via request! This chapter was requested by Looneytunerian on deviantART and I liked the idea he gave me. And I saw a few opportunities in this chapter, I hope you guys approve. And some of you may be wondering, "Why didn't I get a message in advance?" Well I was really excited about this chapter, but not just because it's original, but because after this...Ash's eighth Pokemon will be revealed! Well first thing's first, anon reviews!**

**- lightningblade49: Hey, don't be mean to me or I'll stall longer. xD Just kidding, don't worry about Gliscor, he'll bounce back. And Gible will get here eventually, I even have a plan for it, so no worries. And yayz you like Charizard's semi-Flare Blitz! xD**

**- charizardlover: Hard, but not impossible, you'll see. xDD**

**- darky/Darkness Shadow: The mallet seems too inappropriate to use on adults dude, she saves it for people close to her age...but maybe she'd use it on Brad...and you. =P**

**- exe: Wow thanks! ^^**

**- Polly: Ok, here ya go! ^^ And as for the whole less episodes thing, I was gonna do that at first, but then I realized I wouldn't be changing the whole series, just bits and pieces of it. As it is I'm skipping the really boring episodes that have no significance, I don't wanna ditch too much, thanks for your opinion though! ^^**

**- sparky1001: Thanks!**

**- Anna: We'll see about Misty, but maybe I can do something in the future with Dawn and Brock.**

**- Kyle Hughes: Gee thanks for the compliment! I'll see what I can do with Zoroark, but it'll be tricky. I'll sure try though! ^^**

**- pidgeotexpress: I will! ^^**

**- Airoh: Hey that's ok, glad you feel better! ^^**

**- tray125: It ain't Snorlax, don't worry! You'll all see next chapter! ^^**

**And so without further ado, here's the next chapter! ^^  
_**

Chapter 42

**Misty's POV**

Now that Ash had successfully beaten the Canalave City Gym Leader, we were getting ready to head to a place called Chocovine Town for Dawn's next contest. But Ash's victory definitely didn't come easy. Byron's specialty was using steel-types and his defensive power was practically off the charts! Ash tried every strategy he could think of, but Byron's defense stood strong.

The only thing that kept Ash from losing I think was the determination and dedication of his Pokémon. Chimchar put up an amazing battle and defeated Byron's Bronzor with a 'Flame Wheel', even though Bronzor had the 'Heatproof' ability. And then Ash chose Gliscor to battle against Byron's Steelix, and even though Gliscor made an amazing effort and almost pulled it off, it couldn't handle the sheer power of Steelix.

Then Chimchar came back out and fought its little heart out, but in the end it wound up being a tie between the two Pokémon. Finally it all came down to Charizard versus Byron's Bastiodon, and at first it seemed that Charizard's power wouldn't be able to beat Bastiodon, but then Ash put his Counter Shield training into action again and had Charizard use 'Steel Wing' and 'Overheat' together to knock Bastiodon back! Then with one 'Seismic Toss', Charizard defeated Bastiodon and earned Ash the Mine Badge.

So after all that, we headed back to the Pokémon Center to get a good night's sleep, however Brock STILL wasn't getting much of that because of his irrational paranoia.

**Normal POV**

When morning came, Misty was as usual the first to wake up, and since Ash didn't happen to have his arms around her that morning, she had the freedom to get up and get the sleep out of her eyes without waking anyone up. She quietly slipped out of the bed and looked at the snoozing Ash. His mouth was open and his limbs were all sprawled out, and he even had some drool leaking from the side of his mouth. _"It fascinates me how you can be so cute and so gross at the same time." _Misty thought to herself.

She shook her head and headed off to the shower, hoping that when she got out the others would be awake. She liked to think inside of the shower, it usually made time go faster. _"Ash sure put up an amazing battle yesterday…it's incredible how far he's come as a trainer and as a person, it never ceases to amaze me how he's turned from an incompetent little twerp into a mature…handsome young boy…" _The steam from the shower helped along the blush that had reached her cheeks.

_"And not only do I get to watch Ash in action, but I'm getting a lot stronger too by battling him…of course come to think of it, if someone had told me that Ash would be training me a few years ago, I probably would've laughed in their face."_

Before the redhead knew it, she had washed her whole body and was ready to come out. She quickly dried herself off and slipped on her usual attire of a yellow top, blue jean shorts and red suspenders. Although she was finding her clothes a tad tighter on her than usual. "Hey, what gives?" she asked herself.

She stretched her clothes and then it hit her, "Oh great, the rain shrunk them, I sure hope Ash's mom sends those clothes soon or I'm gonna have a problem." Misty sighed and tried to stretch the clothes to its limit to get as comfy as possible, but even then it still felt uncomfortable, and it just barely managed to cover her entire chest area.

Misty walked out and found Ash trying to squeeze into his shirt, it was obvious that she wasn't the only one who had fallen victim to the multiple 'Rain Dances'. "Tight much?" Misty giggled.

"I could say the same about you." Ash countered as he squeezed his head into the shrunken shirt hole. "Aww man." Ash groaned as the shirt didn't even cover his whole torso anymore, "That does it, I'm calling Mom TODAY, I need those clothes."

"Don't say I didn't warn you, I told you they were gonna shrink." Misty giggled. "And what about you? Looks to me that if YOUR clothes had shrunken any more than they did, your…" Ash was cutoff.

"Don't make me slap you Ash, cleanse that dirty mind of yours before I rip your head open and wipe it down myself." Misty warned. "I was just gonna say your suspenders would snap…looks like I struck a nerve there." Ash snickered.

Misty rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Are Brock and Dawn up yet?" she asked. "Dunno, why don't you go look?" Ash suggested. "Why don't YOU go look?" Misty quipped back.

"Because I need to find something to cover up my bellybutton, I look like one of those kids you see in cartoons." Ash said. "Aww I dunno, I think you have a really cute bellybutton." Misty giggled.

"Misty!" Ash turned away embarrassedly. Misty giggled again and walked over to him teasingly, "No seriously, look at how cute it is and yee yee yee yee!" Misty reached her hand into Ash's shirt and started tickling the off guard trainer, who was now laughing hysterically.

"H-Hey! Ha ha ha ha! Cut-cut-cut it – ha ha ha ha! Misty stop! Ha ha ha!" They were both laughing at this point, as Misty ran her slender fingers up and down his torso playfully. Ash started backing away in order to end the tickle torture, but Misty wasn't ready to let the fun end just yet.

The redhead stepped along with him until they wound up falling onto the bed, laughing and giggling as Ash was being tickled by his girlfriend. Ash decided to fight back and started tickling her sides; Misty yelped and started laughing harder as Ash now apparently had the upper hand. "A-A-Ash, I'm gonna…ha ha ha – gonna get you for this!" she said in between gasping breaths.

"You already did get me Mist! This is just payback!" Ash laughed as he went for under her arms, when Misty started laughing even harder, Ash knew he found her weak spot. "No please, anywhere but there!" she begged in between laughs.

The two laughed raucously as they tickled each other, enjoying their little moment of childish play, but it would quickly end as someone walked into the room with an angry look. "Knock it off you two, there are people still trying to sleep." Brock grumbled.

Ash and Misty immediately stopped and looked at Brock with blushes on both of their faces, but when they saw Brock's face, they gasped in horror. Brock's eyes had ugly, drooping bags under them; it looked as if he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in over a month, even though the truth was it had only been a few days.

"We're sorry Brock." Ash said. "Yeah you should be, why don't you two just behave yourselves so I can relax huh?" Brock left the room and left the door open, leaving Ash and Misty to think.

"This is really taking a toll on him." Misty said, "Ash you need to get your mom to talk to him before he makes himself sick, it just isn't healthy for someone to not sleep."

"Yeah, alright Mist." Ash sighed and flopped back onto the bed with his legs dangling over the sides, with Misty joining him on the bed.

"Hey, what brought on that tickle attack?" Ash asked. "I dunno, you just have such a cute little belly, I couldn't resist." Misty giggled.

"You know, for a second there I felt like we were little kids again." Ash sighed. "Yeah I know what you mean. All carefree and happy, kinda like if we were in Kindergarten." Misty also sighed.

The couple just laid there in silence, happy to be next to each other. Finally Misty broke the silence. "(Sigh) Well, we might as well get the guys up, the sooner we get moving, the sooner we can get our big kid clothes." Misty joked.

Ash laughed and got up, and then he extended his hand to Misty to help her up. She gladly accepted and let herself be pulled up by Ash's surprising strength, and purposefully fell into him for a loving embrace. Ash smiled and gave her a squeeze before walking into the other room where Dawn was discussing contest ideas with Piplup, Buneary, and Pikachu.

"Hey Pikachu, what are you doing in here?" Ash asked. Pikachu gave him an "are you serious" kind of look, and then motioned over to the small rabbit Pokémon. "Oh yeah." Ash said.

"What the heck was going on in there that Brock was so mad?" Dawn asked. "Nothing we were just having a uh…tickle fight." Ash replied, his voice trailing off at the end.

Dawn laughed softly at the visible blush on the couple's faces. "Where is Brock anyway?" Misty asked, changing the subject. "He went into the shower; he said he couldn't get back to sleep so he wanted to cool off." Dawn replied.

As if on cue, Brock came out with his spiky hair still damp from the shower. "Hey guys, sorry about the way I snapped at you earlier, I was just really sleepy." Brock said. "Don't worry about it Brocko, we know you didn't mean it." Ash replied.

Brock smiled wearily and walked past the other three teens, and then turned back to Ash and Misty. "You guys getting taller or is it just me?" he asked. Ash and Misty both groaned and face-palmed at that comment.

"Neither, our clothes shrunk while we were training in the rain." Misty grumbled. "That's still your fault by the way." Ash replied.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Knock it off!" Brock barked. The couple's quarrel was abruptly silenced by Brock's sudden angry outburst. Brock opened the door to the room and slammed it. The three teens took glances at each other, one thing was for sure, Brock was acting completely out of character.

The group followed the breeder out with their Pokémon trailing behind. "I'll call Mom now." Ash whispered to his girlfriend.

When they reached the Pokémon Center lobby, Brock trudged over to the cafeteria to get some breakfast, while Ash, Misty, and Dawn ran to get to the videophones. Ash quickly dialed home, and sure enough Delia answered a few moments later. "Hi Ash!" Delia said cheerfully. "Hey Mom, how are ya?" Ash replied.

"I'm doing wonderful! I must say I hope that these daily calls become a habit of yours." Delia said. "We'll see Mom." Ash laughed.

"And how are you two doing?" Delia asked. "I'm doing good Mrs. Ketchum!" Dawn replied. "Yeah, I'm pretty good myself." Misty added.

"Brock's keeping an eye on you two right?" Delia asked. The three teens glanced at each other, it was do or die time. "Actually Mom, that's why we called you." Ash said. Delia's smile slowly turned into a frown, "You didn't do something you shouldn't have did you Ashton?"

"N-No Mom! Nothing like that I swear!" Ash exclaimed quickly. Misty put up her hand, giving Ash a signal to shut up while he was ahead. "We're behaving ourselves Mrs. Ketchum, but like we said before, you could trust us even without Brock keeping an eye on us." Misty said calmly.

"Are you asking me to tell Brock to let you two do things unsupervised?" Delia asked. "TOTALLY unsupervised? No. But Brock's been going overboard with the whole supervision thing; just take a look at him." Misty turned the phone's webcam towards where Brock was sitting, picking at a bowl of fruit with his fork.

Delia's hand made its way to her mouth in horror; Brock looked like he was ill from lack of sleep, "What on earth is wrong with him? He looks like an ad for death!"

"Basically, Brock feels that when you put him in charge of us, that he needs to watch us twenty-four/seven, even at three in the morning when we're all asleep." Misty said.

"Yeah, Brock's been getting up almost every hour on the hour for the past three nights in a row; the poor guy can't get a good night's sleep no matter how hard he tries. He keeps saying how he would be responsible if Ash and Misty do anything…bad, which they probably won't." Dawn added.

"Which we DEFINITELY won't." Misty corrected. "Oh no, I shouldn't have put so much pressure on him." Delia said regretfully, "Dawn dear, could you bring Brock over here for a moment?"

Dawn nodded and ran over to where the breeder was sniffing at what he thought to be an overripe piece of cantaloupe melon. "Ok you two, I'm gonna fix this problem, but here and now, you have to promise me that you won't do anything I wouldn't approve of." Delia warned.

"Mom we've been saying from the start that you could trust us! You gave me the whole talk back when I first told you that Misty was my girlfriend and I'm STILL making sure to follow those rules." Ash said.

"Besides, do I look like the kind of person who's gonna let ANYONE abuse me?" Misty asked, waving her mallet around nonchalantly. Delia laughed when Ash cringed nervously. "Oh alright then, but now it's YOUR responsibility to watch yourselves, so don't ignore that." Delia said.

"We won't!" the couple replied.

Delia nodded just as Brock came with Dawn leading him to the videophone. Ash and Misty got up from the chair and let Brock sit down in front of the videophone, now that he was up close, Delia gasped at the horrible condition that Brock was in, she regretted ever putting him in a position where he could take the fall when she should've put it on her own son and not her son's guardian. "Hello Mrs. Ketchum." Brock said, trying to sound cheerful.

Delia smiled weakly, it was obvious that Brock had tried extremely hard to keep his promise, and even now in his weakened state he was trying to sound like nothing was wrong. "Hello Brock, how are things?" Delia asked.

"Oh things are just fine! Ash and Misty had a movie date two nights ago, but I made sure they behaved the whole night through…although I did catch them having a tickle fight this morning." Brock admitted.

Delia looked behind Brock where Ash and Misty were making incredulous faces; Misty had even gone as far as to mouth "So what?" to her. "Well I think that's ok, they were just playing." Delia said.

"If you say so Mrs. Ketchum, don't worry, I'll make sure they don't do anything." Brock reassured. "Well thank you Brock, but when I asked how things were, I meant to ask about YOU." Delia replied.

"Oh, well…I guess I'm doing ok." Brock said. "Are you sure? Those bags under your eyes tell me otherwise." Delia replied.

Brock sweat-dropped nervously. "Well uh…I guess I have been having some trouble getting to sleep lately, other than that I'm just great!"

"This lack of sleep wouldn't have anything to do with the pressure I put on you to watch my son would it?" Delia asked. "Oh no no, nothing like that." Brock replied.

"You wouldn't lie to me would you Brock?" Delia asked with one eyebrow raised. Brock was about to deny doing so, but then he looked back at his friends who were nodding their heads yes. "Snitches." Brock grumbled.

"Brock, I'm afraid I owe you an apology." Delia admitted. "What for?" Brock asked. "I shouldn't have put the pressure of Ash and Misty's relationship on you, it should be up to them to keep themselves accountable, I never wanted you to sacrifice your own personal health." Delia said.

"What are you saying Mrs. Ketchum?" Brock asked. "What I'm saying is, don't worry about what Ash and Misty do, just worry about taking care of you, if they do something they shouldn't, they'll pay the consequences later." Delia explained.

Brock smiled, "Well…if we're being totally honest…it WAS kinda stressful to keep on them all the time."

"I knew that's why you were looking so ill, just relax Brock, I am freeing you from your ball and chain, so to speak." Delia said with a smile. "Well…that's a load off my mind." Brock replied.

"FINALLY the problem is solved." Misty said with relief. "You know what I just noticed? What happened to your clothing? Both of you!" Delia asked.

Ash and Misty blushed and chuckled nervously. "Well Mom, there was a second reason we needed to call you, see…me and Misty were doing some training and she got this little obsession with 'Rain Dance'…" Ash got cutoff.

"Ah ah ah, all I did was counter Gliscor's 'Fire Fang'." Misty corrected. "Five times?" Ash countered back. Dawn whistled loudly to break them up before they lost track of the conversation at hand, "You were saying Ash?"

"Uh, right. Long story short Mom, our clothes shrunk in the rain and we were kinda hoping you found the new set you had for us." Ash said. "As a matter of fact I was going to call you to tell you I had found them! Thank you for reminding me!" Delia went off screen for a moment and soon came back with two bags.

"You guys ready?" Delia asked. "Yeah!" the couple replied excitedly. Delia laughed and placed one bag onto the send platform, and within a few moments it materialized on the reception platform. Ash quickly ran over to it and peeked inside, but was disappointed when he saw what was inside. "This is yours." Ash grumbled.

Misty stuck her tongue out at the Pokémon Trainer teasingly, and then headed for the restroom to change into her brand new outfit. "Ladies first Ash, I thought I taught you that." Delia laughed. "Yeah yeah, send me mine!" Ash whined.

Delia laughed again and placed Ash's bag onto the send platform, and in seconds it appeared in the Pokémon Center. But before Ash could peek inside, Misty came out and did a little twirl, showing off her brand new outfit. "What do you think Ash?" she asked cheerfully.

Misty was adorned in a beautiful emerald-green tie-off t-shirt that loosely hugged her recently developed curves and exposed her midriff. She also had on a pair of tight, palatinate-blue rolled up capris that showed off her slim and petite figure, Delia had even provided a pair of deep-purple high-top converse shoes to replace her old white sneakers. Her long, red hair flowed smoothly as she twirled around to show off her new outfit. "Ash, yoo hoo?" Misty came up close to Ash and waved her hand in front of his face, and the trainer's eyes were following her, but his heart and mind needed a minute to catch up. "Ash, is this gonna happen EVERYTIME I put on something new?"

"Uh-uh, you look great Mist…really um…pretty." Ash stammered, his face pink with blush. "Thanks, and thank you Mrs. Ketchum!" Misty exclaimed. "Oh you're welcome dear!" Delia replied.

"Misty you look great! That top really brings out your eyes!" Dawn squealed ecstatically. "That's exactly what I was thinking when I bought it." Delia replied. "Come on enough already, you're making me blush." Misty giggled bashfully, Come on Ash, let's see yours!"

"Oh yeah!" Ash excitedly dug into his bag, ripped out the colorful wrapping paper and found his outfit. "Um…wow…it looks…great." Misty stammered. Ash's jaw dropped in disbelief, "It looks exactly the same."

"Of course, you were so happy when I gave you that old one; I figured you would want to still have it after you outgrew it." Delia explained. "Wow, gee, thanks Mom, I love it." Ash said half-heartedly.

"I'm glad sweetie, you gonna call me again later?" Delia asked, apparently ignoring Ash's distaste. "We'll see Mom." Ash replied. Just then, the videophone started ringing again, "Uh oh, gotta go Mom!" Ash exclaimed.

"Oh alright, I love you Ash, you too everyone!" Delia said. "Bye Mom/Mrs. Ketchum!" the group replied. Ash hung up and was surprised at who appeared on the screen. "Uh, hey guys, what's up?" Ash asked.

"We got Dawn's messages! We're on our way to Canalave City now!" D. Shad exclaimed from his communicator. "Who's we?" Ash asked.

"If you can't figure out who the 'we' is, you need to put a helmet on!" That off-screen statement told the entire group exactly who it was right away. "I'll handle this." Dawn said.

"Oh Dawn there you are, sorry we took so long to get back to you, but we're on our way there now and we should be at Canalave in about an hour." D. Shad said. "Um, I appreciate it, really, but we kinda already fixed the problem." Dawn said.

"You know it's common courtesy to call back and let a guy know that he doesn't have to drop everything he's doing after all don't you?" Brad yelled. "Get back in your seat you wannabe comedian." D. Shad said, shoving Brad back.

"I'm glad to hear you guys are doing ok, but we're kinda already on our way there and we're too far gone to turn around now." D. Shad said, "How many gym badges does Ash have now?"

"I just got my sixth gym badge! Charizard really came through for me this time." Ash said. "So you needed that monster in order to win at the gym?" Brad asked. "Yeah Brad, I did, you know Byron battled a lot like you, his defense was really strong!" Ash replied.

"Well what do you expect? I'm awesome that way." Brad snickered. "For the last time, sit down you joker." D. Shad said, pushing Brad back.

"Fine, I think I'll go mess with someone who's afraid to fly." Brad got up and walked away. "Another one of his jokes I guess?" Dawn asked. "Brad's been pretty restless ever since we got on the blimp; I think HE'S afraid of flying." D. Shad said.

"He was ok on your Staraptor." Brock said. "I dunno guys, something about a shoe-bomb and terrorist attacks when he was younger, he doesn't like flying on anything except Pokémon." D. Shad said.

"Well then why the heck are you guys coming?" Misty asked. "Because Dawn said something was wrong and we just now got the message." D. Shad replied.

"Well we did have a slight Darkrai problem, but we took care of it." Dawn said. "Alright then, then me and Brad will just have to throw Ash that party we promised after he got some more badges." D. Shad replied.

"Awesome! I can't wait for you guys to get here!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "Ahh, I gotta hop off gang, Brad's on the verge of a nervous breakdown." D. Shad sweat-dropped. "Alright D. Shad, good luck, and thanks!" Dawn said. D. Shad saluted the group of teens before hanging up.

"So, now what'll we do?" Dawn asked. "I dunno about you, but I wanna show this new outfit off." Misty said excitedly. "You go girl!" Dawn added.

"What do you say Ash? Wanna go out for a bit?" Misty asked enticingly. "Can we Brock?" Ash asked. "Well, why not? I think I owe you two for driving you nuts." Brock chuckled. "Yes!" the couple cheered.

"BUT, I want you guys back in a few hours, like at one 'o'clock, we gotta start packing for when it's time to head out. Can you follow that curfew?" Brock asked.

"It's ten 'o' clock now, I think that'll do." Misty nodded. "Alright then, see you guys at one!" Ash grabbed Misty's hand and started running out the door. "Ash wait! You gotta put on your new clothes first!" Misty exclaimed.

Ash stopped in his tracks and sweat-dropped. "Oh yeah, I kinda forgot." After Ash went and switched out his shrunken outfit for his brand new one, the couple walked out hand-in-hand. "You're not gonna do ANYTHING Brock?" Dawn asked.

"Nah…I can trust them." Brock said with relief, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go and take a nap."

Ash and Misty were right outside the Pokémon Center, trying to figure out where to go by reading the map of the island. "There's a park over here, maybe we could go and have a battle or something?" Ash suggested.

"Enough battling Ash, you just finished going through a gym battle, let your Pokémon rest. Besides, we didn't have breakfast, aren't you hungry?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, I guess I am. But I don't see too many places to eat around here, unless you wanna eat in the Pokémon Center." Ash said.

"No way. I saw the oatmeal today, a fly stepped in it and it sank." Misty shuddered. "Well, we could try this Canalave Café, it looks alright." Ash replied.

Misty thought about it for a moment, before finally shrugging and nodding. But before they could get very far, four figures with guns jumped out of the bushes, scaring the couple half to death. "Freeze!" they yelled.

Then one more figure walked out from behind a tree, "So we finally caught you, your little crime wave is over, you're under arrest for bank robbery and Pokémon thievery!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

"Wait what? What the heck's going on here?" Misty asked angrily. "Don't play dumb with me, the surveillance cameras at the Canalave Bank proves that you robbed it dry last night!" Officer Jenny shouted accusingly.

"We-we didn't even know there WAS a bank on Canalave! And what proof?" Ash asked. "THIS proof!" Officer Jenny pulled out a small laptop, and Ash and Misty's eyes widened in horror as they watched what was on the surveillance cameras. "They look like us…but we're just kids! How the heck do you suppose two kids would be able to rob a bank?" Misty screamed.

"Kids my foot, anyone can shave, change their clothes, and dye hair. And now that we've captured the two leaders of your gang, it's only a matter of time before you're all in jail where you belong!" Officer Jenny exclaimed.

"Wait a second, hold it, hold it, I was battling Byron for a gym badge all day yesterday! He can vouch for us!" Ash exclaimed. "Good thinking Ash!" Misty added.

"Well we'll just see about that." Officer Jenny pulled out a cellphone and dialed the Canalave Gym, and in a few moments, Byron answered. "Hello?"

"Gym Leader Byron, I have two crooks here and one of them claims to have battled you yesterday, one is a female with red hair, and the other is a male with black hair, and the male is toting a Pikachu on his shoulder." Officer Jenny said.

"Hmm, are they the same two who were on the news report? They looked just like two of the kids that came to battle me yesterday." Byron said. For a moment, Ash and Misty breathed sighs of relief, thinking that they had just been saved.

"Tell me, what are they wearing?" Byron asked. "The female is wearing a green tie-off t-shirt with purple shoes and…" Officer Jenny was cutoff.

"Ah ha! Throw the book at them Officer Jenny! The girl who came to the gym yesterday had on a yellow shirt and red suspenders! I'm not falling for anymore stupid tricks by stupid crooks!" Byron exclaimed.

"Thank you sir." Officer Jenny hung up, and stared down Ash and Misty who were now in total shock. "He…didn't even think about it." Misty gasped.

"As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to think about, take 'em away boys." Officer Jenny placed handcuffs on the two teens, although they weren't really willing to put them on, two of the officers had to hold them steady in order to allow Jenny to put them on their wrists.

"We've been framed!" Ash yelled angrily. "Tell it to the judge." Jenny spat back. By now TV cameras had appeared on the scene, and were shooting film of the two supposed crooks being arrested. "I'm telling you it wasn't us! We're innocent!" Ash yelled loudly.

"Quiet! You have the right to remain silent! And if you don't exercise that right I'll put you under sedation!" Officer Jenny barked. "Wait a second! Ash, your Pokédex! It has your identification!" Misty exclaimed suddenly. "Hey yeah! Ok, you want proof that we're kids? Check my back pocket, there's a Pokédex back there that Professor Oak gave me himself!" Ash said.

Officer Jenny nodded and had one of the officers frisk Ash. "There's nothing there."

Ash and Misty's skin crawled, "What do you mean it's not there?" Ash asked. "There's nothing there you crook, as if you didn't know." the officer spat. "Oh no…Misty…I left my Pokédex in my other pants! Literally!" Ash gasped. "You forgot to take your Pokédex out of your pocket? You dumb…stupid…boneheaded little idiot! That was our last hope and you left it at the Pokémon Center?" Misty hissed incredulously.

"I'm sorry." Ash drooped his head shamefully. "Sorry doesn't fix this! We're about to be sent to jail!" Misty hissed furiously, venom practically dripping off her tongue. Ash looked away, he couldn't stand to see Misty's face anymore, she was so red with fury at him that it practically burned him to look her way.

A police truck drove up from the road, and when it stopped, the officers took Ash and Misty and threw them into the back of the truck, after taking the Pokéballs from both their belts.

Then they took Pikachu from Ash, "Hey! Give Pikachu back!" Ash yelled furiously. The officers ignored Ash's outburst and took out two small pink circles. "Pikachu quick! Use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu charged a blast of electricity, but before he could do anything, the officers placed the two circles on Pikachu's cheeks, and the small electric rodent's power was immediately negated.

"What did you do to Pikachu?" Ash demanded. "Just put some rubber on its cheeks, now you crooks won't be making a jailbreak anytime soon." the officers replied. They threw Pikachu back into the truck and slammed the doors shut, leaving them completely in the dark except for the small shines of light from the bars.

"Are you ok Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Pika pika." (I feel funny.) Pikachu replied. "Well this is just great, not only are we getting carted off to jail, but now everyone in Sinnoh and maybe some other regions are gonna know about it!" Misty said angrily.

"Misty that's it! Maybe Dawn and Brock will see it! They can vouch for us!" Ash exclaimed, hoping that this revelation would redeem him in her eyes. "Maybe…" Misty mumbled. "Hey, isn't it true that prisoners get one phone call?" Ash asked.

Misty's eyes widened, "That's right! We can call Brock and Dawn and tell them to bring your Pokédex!"

"So, are you still mad at me?" Ash asked. "Of course I am." Misty replied. Ash frowned, but Misty could see that even in the dark. "But you should know by now that I won't stay like that for long." Misty scooted over to Ash and nuzzled his cheek with her nose, which made Ash smile and feel relief wash over him.

"We'll be ok right?" Ash asked. "Of course we will, like you said, we always come out on top in the end." Misty replied. The two cuddled close in the back of the police truck, with Pikachu sitting in their laps. They may not have known what was going to happen to them, but they were grateful they had each other.

"Our perfect plan worked to perfection!" a voice snickered. "With da two twoips doin' time in da clink, we'll be free to swipe all da Pokémon we could want!" another voice said.

Team Rocket appeared from behind a bush, and in the bush next to them, two other figures emerged. "You two pulled that crime off like master master thieves!" James said. "Hey, it was no problem, we're just glad we could make a hit for the legendary Team Rocket, ain't that right Sweetheart?" a man about forty years old asked, putting his arm around the girl next to him.

"Sure thing Babe, like taking candy from a baby." the girl in her early twenties replied. "Just remember our deal, my boys are looking forward to that payoff." the man said.

"But of course! As soon as we get what we need from you, you'll positively be swimming in cash!" Jessie said. "And I'll finally be da boss's favorite Pokémon again!" Meowth added.

"Oh, you close pals with the Team Rocket boss then?" the man asked. "Are you kidding me? I used to be da boss's favorite Pokémon until dat dumb old Persian showed up and kicked me outta da lap of luxury." Meowth grumbled.

"Is that right? Hey Saban, I think this little squirt deserves a crash course in Stealing 101." the girl said with a wink. "Yeah, good thinking Viv." Saban replied.

"Wow, a total steal in more ways than one!" James said excitedly. "Soon we'll become the boss's top agents and we'll finally get the respect that we deserve." Jessie added.

"That's right pallies, you three are gonna learn a lesson from Sinnoh's top gang of thieves." Saban said, "Just follow us and get ready." Jessie, James, and Meowth followed the gangster couple back to their hideout, where they would get ready for another heist.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Brad and D. Shad had arrived to look for their friends, but were surprised to find that Ash and Misty were nowhere to be found. They did however find Brock sleeping in a chair and they saw Dawn outside with her Pokémon. "Hey Brock, wake up!" Brad exclaimed.

Brock woke up with a start; he looked up and saw Brad and D. Shad standing over him with smirks on their faces. "Hey guys, good to see you again." Brock said with a yawn. "Dude you were fast asleep, you haven't been running around have you?" Brad asked.

"No, just a little misunderstanding, no big deal." Brock said. "Well I see Dawn outside, where's Ash and Misty?" D. Shad asked. "They went out; come to think of it they should've been back by now." Brock said.

"And I guarantee you that when they do show up, they won't be angry or sad because they're late, they'll be laughing." Brad said. "Well when they do get back, we're gonna treat Ash to dinner for getting those gym badges." D. Shad said.

Dawn had now come in with her Pokémon after seeing that Brock was awake and talking to Brad and D. Shad. "Hi guys!" she said cheerfully. "Hey, it's the coordinator girl that forgot to call us back, what's your name again?" Brad joked.

"Ha ha, hi Brad." Dawn laughed. "You doing ok Dawn?" D. Shad asked. "Yeah, everything's alright." Dawn reassured. "Now we just have to wait for Ash and Misty, wherever they are." Brock said.

"Uh guys…I think I know where they're at." D. Shad said pointing at the TV screen. Dawn, Brock, and Brad turned towards the screen. "We interrupt this program to bring you an important news bulletin, about one hour ago, the two thieves caught stealing from the Canalave Bank on surveillance camera were captured in front of the Pokémon Center, possibly planning yet another heist." the TV switched to footage of Ash and Misty being handcuffed and tossed into the truck, their protests recorded for all to hear.

"When asked of the apparent age of these two criminals, Officer Jenny had this to say." the TV switched again to footage of Officer Jenny, "Don't believe the way they look, in our line of work you find out that makeup and hair dye can go a long way in the criminal world."

"The two thieves are currently on their way to the Canalave Prison, where they will soon find out how long their sentence will turn out to be. Thanks to the Canalave Police Force, we can all rest easy at last." the TV switched back to its regular program, leaving the five to gawk in shock.

"Ash and Misty…were arrested?" Dawn stammered. "Well you saw that footage, whoever broke into the bank looks just like them." Brock said. "Gimme a break, those crooks are obviously disguising themselves." D. Shad pulled out his laptop and looked up the footage of the robbery. "Check this out, Ash looks way too tall here, and Misty's hair is too bright. Total fakes." D. Shad said.

"Looks like that Officer Jenny needs a lesson in observation." Brad said. "D. Shad, can't you go to the jail and vouch for them?" Dawn asked. "Unfortunately, my Darkness Shadow title doesn't stretch all the way out here, and I seriously doubt that gung-ho Officer Jenny is gonna listen to some random guy with footage of what they already saw." D. Shad said.

"Well I dunno about you, but I'm going to the prison!" Dawn said determinedly. "What can you do Dawn?" Brock asked. "Maybe nothing, but at the very least Ash and Misty will know for sure that we're working on proving their innocence!" Dawn explained.

"Sounds good to me, let's get moving!" D. Shad ran out of the Pokémon Center, with his three friends following closely.

Back at the prison, Ash and Misty were being led through the police station by one of the officers. "Hey, don't we get our one phone call?" Misty asked. "You'll get your phone call, just stay quiet and cooperate." the officer replied gruffly. The officer led the couple to their cell, and threw them in rather roughly. "Hey! You said we'd get a phone call!" Misty screamed angrily.

"Oh yeah, I did didn't I?" the officer grumbled. The officer grabbed Misty by the arm and closed the door on Ash and Pikachu. "You be careful with her!" Ash growled. The officer ignored Ash's outburst and dragged Misty through the corridor of jail cells. Misty cringed at all the mean looking people shooting daggers at her with their eyes, she'd be glad to get back to Ash after she went through with her objective.

"Alright, make your dumb old phone call, it isn't like there's anyone out there who cares." the officer grumbled. "That's what you think." Misty whispered to herself. Misty dialed the Pokémon Center, just waiting for Brock and Dawn to pick up so she could explain. She was surprised to find Nurse Joy answering however.

"Oh, hi Nurse Joy, um, I'm looking for a Dawn and Brock, are they there?" Misty asked. "I believe they just left, if you'd like I can leave a message for them." Nurse Joy replied.

"Alright then…tell them that Ash and Misty have been framed and thrown in jail! Get Ash's Pokédex from his old pant pocket so we can prove our innocence!" Misty exclaimed. "Well…I must say…this will be the most…unusual message I've ever passed along…but if you insist." Nurse Joy replied.

Nurse Joy hung up, and the officer immediately grabbed Misty by the arm once more and dragged her back to her cell with Ash. The officer opened the cell and threw her in roughly, "Hey I told you to be careful with her!" Ash growled. Ash charged towards the officer, who slammed the bars closed before Ash could get to him.

Ash slammed into the iron bars and crumpled to the floor, clutching his nose painfully. "Let that be a lesson to you, your gang isn't here to back you up anymore." the officer walked away, and another officer walked in to guard them. "Ash, are you bleeding?" Misty asked softly.

Ash shook his head, but the fact that he hadn't moved from his slouched position and he was still panting showed that he was in a lot of pain. "Here, lemme see." Misty slowly moved Ash's hands away from his nose, and was relieved to see that he really wasn't bleeding. "You're ok Ash, you're ok."

"That cop's got a lot of nerve throwing you around like a ragdoll." Ash grumbled. "Don't worry about me Ash; he'll be sorry once Brock and Dawn get here with your Pokédex." Misty replied. "Did you manage to get ahold of them?" Ash asked.

"Well…they weren't there actually…I had Nurse Joy take a message though." Misty said. "So, in other words we're gonna be stuck here for a while." Ash said, rubbing his nose.

"Looks that way." Misty sighed. "Man, if only Pikachu didn't have those rubber circles stuck on his cheeks, we could 'Volt Tackle' our way out of here." Ash said. "Then we would actually be guilty of a crime, it's against the law to break out of jail." Misty said.

Ash got up from his crouched position and laid down on his cell cot. "I'm sorry Misty, if I hadn't've forgotten my Pokédex we never would've gotten arrested."

"Come on Ash, it's no big deal, we both know we're innocent, and as soon as Brock and Dawn get here with your Pokédex, we'll be out of here. In the meantime, let's think of a way to catch those creeps that framed us." Misty said.

Ash smiled and scooted over so that Misty could lie down next to him, and the water trainer gladly obliged and cuddled up to him. Although they sincerely tried to put their minds to work, being so close to each other made them start to get drowsy, and after a while, they fell asleep in their cell as if nothing was wrong.

Back with Team Rocket, they had just reached the hideout of Saban and Vivian. "Wow! I haven't seen a place like this since we graduated from the Team Rocket academy!" James exclaimed. "Yeah! Dere's all sorts of gadgets we could use here!" Meowth added.

"Yeah, and our hits have gone a lot smoother since we got our hands on these fancy heaters." Saban said. "You mean, like the opposite of an air conditioner?" Jessie asked. "That's a stupid question, check this out." Saban grabbed what looked like a weird pistol off the wall and aimed it at a target that was sitting in the shooting range.

Saban pulled the trigger and a laser blasted out of it, obliterating the target completely and also scaring Team Rocket half to death. "Nice shot boss." a henchman said from the shooting range. "We stole these from some scientist who was experimenting with lasers, now all we gotta do is show off what these fancy heaters can do and no one bothers to mess with us." Saban said.

"Except that crazy Officer Jenny, she was so gung-ho about arresting us, that she didn't even bother to investigate whether we were really us." Vivian snickered. "That was why we hired you! With the twerps locked up, nothing will ever get in our way." Jessie said.

"Don't you ever use Pokémon in your…hits?" James asked. "Oh yeah, sure, you wanna see our Pokémon? Here you go." Saban pulled out a Pokéball along with Vivian, and two enormous Pokémon emerged from them.

"Wow! A Rhyperior and a Tyranitar!" James exclaimed. "Yep, these two are perfect for blocking back those fire moves that those security Growlithe have." Saban said. "And if we need something stealthy, we have this." Vivian tossed out another Pokéball, and a small Sableye emerged with its crystal eyes shimmering.

"A Sableye! Now that's a rare sight!" James said. "Well we have our own Pokémon team!" Jessie said. "Is that so?" Saban asked. Team Rocket threw out their Pokémon, Seviper, Yanmega, Carnivine, and Mime Jr. all popped out. "What's that?" Vivian asked, pointing at the last Pokéball on Jessie's belt.

Upon being referred to, Wobbuffet emerged and did its trademark salute. "No wonder you didn't bring that out, but I do like that Seviper and Carnivine." Saban said. "And that Yanmega would be perfect for breaking into glass windows." Vivian added.

"Hey! What about me and my 'Fury Swipes'?" Meowth asked angrily. "What about them? I already told you I'm gonna teach you how to make a real hit. Don't press your luck pal." Saban said. Something about the way Saban spoke made Meowth's fur crawl, so he quickly backed off.

"Alright, and now like we promised, it's time for a lesson in making a hit." Saban said, handing lasers to Jessie, James, and Meowth and returning his Pokémon. "Alright boys, we'll be back, if anyone tries to get in, burn him." Saban said. "You got it boss." All the henchmen said at once.

"Alright you guys, let's head to the Pokémon Center and make a hit." Saban and Vivian led the Team Rocket trio out of the hideout, and their heist would begin at the Pokémon Center.

"D. Shad and friends to visit Ash and Misty." D. Shad told the police officer at the front desk. "Hmm, seems a little late to be visiting, exactly who are Ash and Misty?" the officer asked. "What do you mean late? And what do you mean who are they? Don't you have a list of people who actually get put into jail?" Brad asked incredulously.

D. Shad put his hand up to stop Brad's rant. "They were…arrested this morning." D. Shad said. "The only recent arrest I have here is of the two unnamed gang leaders that we put in this morning." the officer said.

"That's gotta be them." Dawn said. "Well, it seems a little odd for you people to even be bothering to visit the two most dangerous criminals on all of Canalave, but it's your life." the officer shrugged.

The officer pressed a button, and the bars blocking the jail cells rose out of the floor and granted access to the four visitors. "Cell number twenty-nine, you have ten minutes." the officer said. The group hurried through the door and rushed through the corridor, and in a matter of moments, they had found the cell Ash and Misty were locked in.

"Well…they don't seem to be too upset about this…" D. Shad said, noting that the couple was taking a nap in the cot. "Hey lovebirds! Wake up!" Brad yelled. Ash and Misty woke up with a start, and the unfortunate water-trainer fell to the floor in shock. "Guess they got our call." Ash snickered. Misty glared at Ash and brushed off her brand new capris.

"What happened you guys?" Dawn asked. "How should we know? One minute we're deciding where we're gonna eat, the next we're pointlessly pleading for our innocence." Misty replied. "Don't worry guys, I checked out that footage, and I can prove that you're innocent." D. Shad said.

"Thanks D. Shad, but will they listen to you all the way out here?" Ash asked. "Probably not, but the truth will set you free." Brad snickered. "Brad may be messing around, but he's right, I don't have any pull here in Canalave." D. Shad shrugged.

"That's comforting." Misty moaned, "Look, do you have Ash's Pokédex? It has his ID and it'll prove us innocent that way."

"Ugh! We should've thought of that!" Dawn exclaimed. "Don't worry guys, we'll go and get it now! We'll have you out of there in no time!" Brock added. "Thanks guys, and hey Brad, D. Shad, sorry your visit couldn't be more pleasant." Misty said.

"No worries, it'll be good to get some good old-fashioned detective work in. As soon as we clear your names, those crooks who framed you are gonna find out why Sonzonia City is crime-free." D. Shad said determinedly.

Just then, the officer came in. "Alright folks, time's up, it's lunch call for everyone." The group waved goodbye to their imprisoned friends and followed the officer out. "If it's alright with you officer, we'll be back again later." D. Shad said.

"Sorry folks, it's one visit per week, you'll have to come back next week." the officer said. "What? But we can't let them stay there for a whole week!" Dawn exclaimed. "Kid, they're gonna be there a LOT longer than a week, more like five to ten years." the officer said casually.

Now D. Shad was starting to lose his cool, "What kind of a stupid rule is that? We can clear their names NOW!"

"Sorry folks, we can't allow more than one visit a week. Security reasons." the officer said. "I…very well officer…sorry to have bothered you." D. Shad turned and calmly walked out of the police station, with a very confused trio following him out. "You have a plan, don't you D?" Brad figured.

"Since we can't do this legally, we're gonna have to do this ILLEGALLY. Guys, it's time for a jailbreak." D. Shad said determinedly. "But wait a minute, then won't they really be guilty of a crime?" Brock asked. "Once we clear their name it won't matter, before we break them out, we have to find the real crooks." D. Shad said.

"Where should we start?" Dawn asked. "If there's one thing I've learned about petty thieves, it's that they almost always hide out in abandoned warehouses. But before me and Brad get there, I need to stock up." D. Shad said.

"Wait, what about me and Brock?" Dawn asked. "Don't let your self-esteem get ruined over this, but this is way too dangerous for you guys. In fact, it's too dangerous for me too!" Brad said. "Nice try funny man, but I'm gonna need backup if I'm gonna pull this off." D. Shad said.

"So, what should we do?" Brock asked. "First off let's all head to the Pokémon Center so I can grab my gauntlet and whatever else we'll need, then we'll head out and you guys stay there." D. Shad said. The two teens nodded and followed Brad and D. Shad to the Pokémon Center.

"You know how I complained about the Pokémon Center oatmeal? I take it all back." Misty grumbled, as she picked at her prison food. "I'm not sure if this is mashed potatoes or…nah I won't say it, it's gross enough as is." Ash added.

Ash and Misty pushed their trays away and headed back to the cot, even Pikachu gave the food a sniff and almost threw up from the disgusting odor. "I wish there was some way we could help them." Ash said.

"Hey, if D. Shad's on the case then we'll be out of here in no time." Misty reassured. "That's what we said a couple of hours ago, man I'm starting to get restless in here! And I can't even sleep anymore, I'm not tired!" Ash exclaimed.

"Easy Ash, be patient, take a deep breath." Misty said. Ash inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to calm his worked up nerves. "Feel better?" Misty asked. "A little." Ash mumbled.

Ash looked up from the cot and saw Pikachu playing with his cheeks. "You ok Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Pika pika chu!" (Get these off!) The rubber circles that the officers had stuck on Pikachu's cheeks were starting to drive him crazy, and that gave Misty an idea.

"Ash, maybe we CAN help them!" Misty said. "Really? How?" Ash asked excitedly. "Remember when Pachirisu got an electrical buildup? Well what if we say that Pikachu's got one too because of the rubber blocking his cheeks?" Misty suggested.

"What good will that do?" Ash asked. "Don't you get it? Once they take Pikachu away to get him checked out, they'll take off the rubber and then Pikachu will have his electricity back and he can escape and go help them!" Misty explained.

"That sounds great Misty!" Ash said, "Pikachu, do you think you can pretend to be sick for us?"

Pikachu nodded and laid down on the floor, even mimicking the sound of labored breathing to make it sound like he was having trouble. "That's perfect Pikachu! But wait, Pachirisu had a fever, come to think of it, right after you left, Pikachu got sick when I got to Hoenn and he had a fever too." Ash said.

"That's no problem. Pikachu, pretend that Buneary's here giving you hugs and kisses." Misty giggled. The electric rodent immediately blushed furiously, and Ash took that moment to check Pikachu's temperature. "Virtual fever, way to go Mist." Ash snickered.

Pikachu glared at Ash and gave him a swift whack with an 'Iron Tail', his electricity may have been gone but his steel-type moves were just fine. "Alright alright, I'm going, ow." Ash limped back over to the cot, rubbing his now sore tailbone. "That'll teach you to mess with Pikachu." Misty giggled. Ash glared at Misty for a moment.

"Alright Pikachu, go!" Ash whispered. Pikachu nodded and started playing sick, making sure to envision Buneary there so he could fake a fever. Now Misty made her move. "Hey! Hey! Is anyone out there?" she screamed.

In a few moments, an officer came to quiet them down. "Knock it off in there!"

"Does the police department support cruelty to Pokémon? Ash's Pikachu is sick thanks to those stupid rubber circles you put on his cheeks!" Misty said. The officer looked down and gave Pikachu the onceover, "This illness came on rather suddenly." the officer said suspiciously.

"You don't believe it? Feel him, he's got a fever!" Misty exclaimed. When the officer placed the back of his hand on Pikachu's forehead, she nervously hoped that Pikachu would manage to keep the blush up long enough to convince the cop. "Alright, for Pikachu's sake, we'll get him checked out." the cop finally said.

"Thank you." Misty made sure to add some bitterness to her voice so that the cop wouldn't suspect anything. The officer opened the door slightly and reached in to grab Pikachu and walk away. "Good luck Pika-pal." Misty whispered.

The officer took Pikachu into a white room with a whole bunch of doctor equipment, and another officer came in wearing white gloves and a mask. "Alright little guy, let's see what's wrong." the officer took a cotton swab and dipped it into a clear bottle with a liquid and rubbed it on Pikachu's cheeks, and a few seconds later, the officer gently took the rubber circles off of Pikachu.

When the officer turned around, Pikachu made his move. Quickly getting up, Pikachu blasted the officer with a powerful 'Thunderbolt', knocking the officer out. Then Pikachu blasted through the door with a super-charged 'Volt Tackle' and made a break for the entrance. When the alarms in the police station went off, Ash and Misty knew Pikachu had done his job.

Officers came from every direction to try and nab the little electric rodent, but Pikachu made sure to dodge each and every one of the attempted grabs using 'Quick Attack' to speed up. Pikachu found the entrance and ran as fast as his little legs would allow, but then the last thing he ever wanted to see got in his way. "You're not going anywhere!" Officer Jenny had blocked off the door and was wearing rubber gloves so Pikachu couldn't shock her. But he knew that if he turned back now he'd never get another chance, so sucking up his fear, Pikachu activated 'Volt Tackle' and hoped that he could gain enough momentum to knock Officer Jenny down by force rather than by shock.

"You're mine." Officer Jenny said. "Pika pika?" (Wanna bet?) Pikachu leaped up and slammed into Officer Jenny's stomach with a powerful 'Volt Tackle', and the head of the police station went down to her knees in pain, allowing Pikachu to open the door with 'Iron Tail' and finally escape. Now in the clear, Pikachu ran for the Pokémon Center to find his friends.

"Alright you guys, you ready to make that hit?" Saban asked. "Of course! As soon as we show off dese lasers of yours, stealing everyone's Pokémon will be a piece of cake!" Meowth exclaimed. "That's right pal, now listen close, all you gotta do is go in there and tell 'em to turn to stone." Saban said.

"Uh, what?" Jessie asked. "Tell them that they either put their hands over their head, or they won't have no head to put their hands over." Vivian said. "Ohh, gotcha." the Team Rocket trio said. Team Rocket then snuck away from the two gang leaders and snuck into the Pokémon Center.

"Alright everyone, hands over your heads!" James yelled. "That's right, this is a hit!" Jessie added. "You guys again?" D. Shad growled. Team Rocket cringed when they saw D. Shad stand up to them, but they quickly regained their composure and did what they did best.

Jessie: "Is that the sound of a washed up hero I hear?"

James: "It's speaking to me loud and clear."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ear!"

Jessie: "Making hits at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Stealing Pokéballs, putting empties in their place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sharp!"

James: "Resisting us will result in us wrapping you in tarp!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And James!"

Meowth: "Meowth's the name!"

Jessie: "Putting you do-gooders in your place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "And we're in your face!"

"Alright everyone, now either you hand us your Pokémon or some people are gonna lose more than their lunch." Jessie said. "The only people losing their lunch is me, you really think pointing a toy gun in my face is gonna make me flinch?" Brad asked.

"This is no toy, one shot of these will disintegrate that big mouth of yours and finally put Team Rocket on the top where they belong." Jessie aimed the laser towards a wall and pulled the trigger, she sweat-dropped when the laser didn't fire.

"Just a second." Jessie crouched down over Meowth, "Meowth, what's wrong with it?"

"I dunno, I don't know nothing about dese tings!" Meowth replied nervously. "You three really need to put a helmet on! How about we give you a spanking for misbehaving and send you on your way?" Brad said.

"We're not finished yet! Seviper let's…huh?" When Jessie reached for her Pokéballs, she found that they were missing. "My Pokémon!"

James found that Carnivine and Mime Jr. were also missing. The trio sweat-dropped nervously when they heard the sound of something charging up. "Alright you three, as long as you managed to frame Ash and Misty, you might as well join them in prison." D. Shad said, aiming his gauntlet at the three.

"If there's one thing Team Rocket's good at, it's blasting off!" Jessie ran out of the Pokémon Center, closely followed by James and Meowth. "Hey, come back here!" Dawn and Brock ran after the trio.

"Guys, get back here!" D. Shad called. It was too late, Dawn and Brock had already run off. "We better follow them D, no telling what trouble they'll get into." Brad said. D. Shad nodded and took off after the two teens, but when he saw what was going on, he grabbed Brad by the arm and quickly ducked behind a tree.

"What's going on here?" Jessie asked. "Did you bums really think we'd be dumb enough to give you charged heaters? Now that we have Giovanni's top agents hostage, he'll pay for dissolving our partnership." Saban said sinisterly.

"Wait a second…you're the ones who framed Ash and Misty!" Dawn exclaimed. "Smart girl…maybe too smart for your own good." Vivian said. "Dawn, just stay quiet." Brock said nervously. "Looks like you know what's good for you, we're gonna put the bag on you until we decide what to do with you." Saban said.

"But first…" Vivian tossed out a Pokéball, and a small, black Pokémon emerged. "What's that?" Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex to scan it. "Sableye, the Darkness Pokémon. Sableye normally live within caves and eat rocks. They use…" the Pokédex was cutoff when Vivian grabbed it and shoved it in her pocket. "Hey! Give that…" Sableye charged a 'Shadow Ball' at Dawn, which quickly made Dawn be quiet.

"Alright Sableye, get those Pokéballs." Vivian ordered. Sableye hopped over to Dawn and Brock and snagged the Pokéballs off their belts, with Brock and Dawn totally helpless to stop it. Sableye hopped over to Vivian, who placed the stolen Pokéballs in a small duffel bag. "Good job Sableye."

"Alright now move!" Saban and Vivian got behind the group and held them at gunpoint, and together they walked back to their hideout. "Oh great, so now we've got two problems." Brad grumbled.

Before D. Shad could reply, they spotted a little yellow figure running into the Pokémon Center. "Hey Pikachu! C'mere!" Brad called. Pikachu stopped in his tracks and perked up his ears, and when he turned to see Brad and D. Shad hiding behind the tree, he quickly ran over to them.

"Well, you must've run those cops ragged when you escaped." Brad snickered. "This gives me an idea…alright Brad, we're gonna have to split up, you're gonna head to the police station and break out Ash and Misty, I'm heading to their hideout to free Brock and Dawn." D. Shad said.

"And how do you expect me to pull that off?" Brad asked. "Get Pikachu to help you, you're smart Brad, you'll figure it out, now hurry! We probably don't have much time!" D. Shad took off running with his gauntlet at the ready, leaving Brad and Pikachu on their own. "Well little buddy, guess it's you and me."

"Pika pika chu." (Guess so.) Pikachu replied. Brad and Pikachu walked over to the police station to try and figure out a plan, by the time they got there the sun was already setting, "Where's the dramatic music?" Brad said to himself.

Making sure no one was around, Brad and Pikachu snuck through the front door and started sneaking through the corridors. Thanks to it being the night shift, there were very few police officers around. Brad eventually came to what seemed to be a locker room. "Hmm, here's a conflict of morals, stealing is wrong, but I'd be stealing in the name of justice…I'll take it, I'm against political correctness anyway." Brad searched for an open locker, but found that there were none.

"Hmm, ok Pikachu, think you can get these lockers open?" Brad asked. Pikachu nodded and jumped up for an 'Iron Tail', Pikachu slammed his tail into the locker and it opened rather loudly, and on top of it all, the locker was empty. "There must be like a hundred lockers here! It'll take…" Brad heard someone coming from the other side of the locker room, ducking down a corridor, Brad hid and peeked around the corner and saw an officer getting undressed. "Yechh, this dude needs to understand the difference between a locker room and a changing room." Brad's eye twitched a little, but the officer eventually slammed the locker closed and left after leaving his uniform behind.

"That's our cue. Alright Pikachu, give that locker an 'Iron Tail' it'll never forget." Brad said. Pikachu jumped up and busted open the lock and the locker quickly opened and revealed its contents, but Brad's skin crawled when he heard the door to the locker room open again. Without thinking Brad dived back down the corridor with Pikachu, and saw the same officer that had just changed come back in.

"Yeah I'll be right there I forgot some…" the officer saw that the locker he had just closed had somehow been opened again, Brad hoped that the officer wouldn't investigate. He didn't. "Geez, hey Matt I busted the lock on my locker again." the officer shouted, grabbing whatever it was he needed.

"Come on Brian, that's the fifth one this month, you gotta take it easy with those things." the other officer's voice stopped making noise once the door closed, and Brad's quickly beating heart gradually slowed to normal. "Alright, let's grab that outfit." Brad took out the uniform and put it on, and was grateful that it was only slightly big on him.

"Alright Pikachu, time for the jailbreak." Brad walked out of the locker room and stealthily walked around the station trying to find where the cells were. On the way there, he found a Pokéball storage unit. "Hey, maybe we can get a little help!" Brad used the ID card in the uniform's pocket to gain access and found a book of listed Pokéballs inside.

"Alright Pikachu, you'll have to help me here, I don't know Misty's Pokémon as well as Ash's." Brad said. Pikachu looked through the list of Pokéballs and then pointed out a certain list, "Pikachupi!" (Misty!)

"There they are!" Brad grabbed Misty's Pokéballs, "And where are Ash's?"

Pikachu looked through the list again and pointed to where Ash's Pokéballs were. "Alright I got 'em! Let's go!" Brad and Pikachu rushed out of the room, making sure to lock up so as not to raise suspicion. Finally, Brad made it back to the front desk that blocked off the cells, except now the officer that wasn't there before was also back.

"Here goes nothing. Pikachu, get into the vest." After Pikachu jumped into the side of the uniform, Brad casually walked by and pressed the button that raised the bars making sure to keep the side Pikachu was on hidden, but he was quickly stopped by the officer that was sitting there. "Hey Brian, I thought you went out with Matt."

Now Brad was really in a jam. "Uh, well as it turns out I'm not really all that hungry, so I figured I'd just take an extra shift and relieve the poor guy in there." Brad replied, mimicking the wearer of his disguise as best he could.

"That's the Boy Scout in you talking, but whatever, go on in." the officer shrugged and went back to reading his book, letting Brad finally walk in. He knew he had found their cell when he found a rather large, dark-skinned man talking to the two in their cell. "And don't you even think about pulling any tricks while I'M on duty, I can spot a phony disguise a mile away so ain't NOBODY gonna get in here unless I know about it." the officer said.

"Hey Kirby, I'm here to relieve you!" Brad exclaimed, reading the man's name off his nametag. "Okey dokey lemme grab a sandwich or something." the man quickly rushed off to get something to eat, leaving Brad the keys in the process. "So what do YOU have to say? Just about every cop that's come in here has had something bad to say about us." Misty grumbled, her back turned towards Brad.

"I think that dude needs to put a helmet on." Brad snickered. Misty turned around slowly while Ash got up from his cot, "Brad?"

"How many other people do you know that go around making fun of other people's ethics?" Brad snickered, "And I think these are yours." Brad handed the couple their Pokéballs which they quickly put on their belt.

"So you're gonna get us out of here?" Ash asked hopefully. "Ho, there's a good idea." Brad said, doing his signature "put a helmet on" routine. "But wait, Brad where's Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Oh yeah, you know I was wondering why this felt so snug on only one side of my body." Brad pulled the small electric mouse out of the uniform. "Pikapi!" (Ash!) Pikachu jumped out of Brad's arms and stood at the edge of the bars so that Ash and Misty could pet it after a job well done.

"You did it Pikachu, nice job!" Ash said. "Alright guys, lemme explain what the situation is, while I'm here busting you guys out, D. Shad's out there trying to bust Brock and Dawn out of trouble." Brad said. "What happened to them?" Misty asked.

"They got captured by the two crooks who framed you guys, D. Shad went to free them AND capture the crooks so we could clear your name." Brad finally found the right key and opened the cell door, but then the worst possible thing happened. "What do you mean your replacement showed up?"

"That's Officer Jenny!" Misty squeaked. "Back in the cell you two, and follow my lead, things are gonna get ugly in a second!" Brad exclaimed in a hushed tone. Brad closed the cell and left it unlocked and tried to act natural as Officer Jenny and Kirby walked over to where Brad was leaning against the bars.

"Evening Officer Jenny." Brad said, disguising his voice. "Let's see some ID, officer." Officer Jenny demanded. "Ok fine, nametag says Brian, there you go." Brad replied. "Not good enough mister, come with me please." Officer Jenny said.

"Ok…guess I have no choice." Brad slowly moved away from the bars, but then things quickly got moving when Brad threw Pikachu towards the two authentic officers and the electric rodent launched a furious 'Thunderbolt' that knocked them both on the floor.

"Now!" Brad shed his disguise and ran for the exit along with Ash and Misty who quickly followed. Officer Jenny got up and started chasing them down. "Red alert! Prisoners in cell twenty-nine are escaping, block off the entrance!" Officer Jenny barked into her two-way radio.

The three escapees' eyes grew wide when they saw the bars start to lower. "We'll never make it!" Misty cried. "Oh yes we will! Charizard, Grotle, keep that door from closing!" Ash threw two Pokéballs, and Ash's two largest Pokémon rushed to the door to stop it from closing, invoking squeals and whines from the door mechanism.

"Just hang on you guys!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard and Grotle fought against the bars, but the powerful mechanism was pushing back hard, eventually Grotle gave out and the door started pressing hard against its shell, making the large turtle groan in pain. "Oh no, Grotle!" By now the three had reached the door, they dove underneath the bars and then Ash returned his two Pokémon and let the door close. "Hold it!" the front desk officer yelled.

"Hold what?" Brad shouted back. The three ignored the officer and burst through the front door, and then they ran for the cover of the bushes and nightfall. "That was close." Ash said. "Well things are about to get even closer, we gotta head to the bad guys' lair now." Brad said.

Ash and Misty nodded, and under the cover of nightfall, they headed to the abandoned warehouse that D. Shad was at.

"Man, these guys sure know what they're doing." D. Shad said to himself as he snuck through the warehouse unnoticed. There were security cameras, target ranges for weapons practice, and of course no hideout would be complete without henchmen. D. Shad had to use every ounce of skill he had to sneak by all the henchmen that were patrolling the area, hiding behind crates, walls, even sneaking through the target range.

Finally he found what he was looking for. He saw Saban and Vivian standing in front of a large cage where they had placed Brock, Dawn, and Team Rocket. "But I don't understand! Why are you keeping US locked up? The twerps I can understand, they'd snitch in a minute but…we're brothers and sisters in crime right?" Jessie asked.

"You shut up! If there's one thing I've learned in my life it's that nobody helps nobody but themselves." Saban barked furiously.

"Saban and Giovanni used to be partners in Team Rocket, when Giovanni reached the top, Saban thought his 'pal' would carry him up with him, boy was he wrong, the creep dropped him like a hot potato and kicked him out of Team Rocket because he was a threat to his new position." Vivian explained.

"Well that's all gonna change now. When Giovanni hears that I've got his top agents hostage, he'll beg me to spare your life and maybe even offer me a partnership again. And once that happens, he's history." Saban said sinisterly.

"I don't think so!" D. Shad jumped out of the shadows and aimed his gauntlet at the two crime bosses. "D. Shad!" Dawn and Brock cheered. "Looks to me that I put the bag on YOU. Now you can come quietly or we can do this the hard way." With his free hand, D. Shad called out Luxray and Lucario to flank him, "Your choice."

"You know that's a tough one. Surrender to you or maybe…put you on ice." Saban snapped his fingers, and the sound of numerous Pokéballs opening and lasers being charged rung behind D. Shad. "D. Shad…look…behind you." Dawn said. D. Shad and his two Pokémon slowly turned around and saw at least ten men standing behind him with lasers in hand and at the ready, and all sorts of Pokémon by their sides.

"So, who's got who?" Saban asked knowingly. "Well…looks like you got me…but of course…I'm not here to capture you." D. Shad said. "Oh? Then what are you here for?" Saban asked.

"I'm here to stall for time." Once D. Shad said that, the sound of a fire-attack being launched was heard in the shadows, and a powerful 'Heat Wave' covered the area and struck the henchmen and their Pokémon. "Shoot you idiots!" Saban ordered.

All the henchmen pulled the triggers on their lasers, but nothing happened. "What's the matter with you? Kill him!" Saban roared. "Sorry boss! These fancy heaters ain't heatproof!" a henchman said nervously. "Who's out there?" Saban roared.

Ash, Misty, and Brad leaped out of the shadows with Pikachu, Charizard, Gyarados, and Slowpoke. "It's the twerps!" Team Rocket exclaimed. "So you're the creeps who framed us!" Ash yelled. "We sure are, except this time we won't get you arrested, we'll get you killed." Saban said sinisterly.

"That's what you think! Pikachu, spin and use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu leaped up and launched a carousel of electricity that zapped all the henchmen at once, putting them out of commission. "Looks like the score's been evened again." D. Shad recharged his gauntlet, "Care to reconsider?"

"You think you've won haven't you? But I've still got a trick or two up my sleeve! Viv, it's battle time!" Saban threw out a Pokéball, and the enormous Rhyperior emerged. "No meddling kids are gonna mess with our plans!" Vivian threw out two Pokéballs, and her Tyranitar and Sableye emerged from them.

"If it's a fight you want it's a fight you got! Here we come ready or not! Slowpoke, 'Water Gun'!"

"Gyarados, 'Hydro Pump'!"

"Pikachu, 'Iron Tail'! Charizard, 'Steel Wing'!"

"Luxray, 'Discharge'! Lucario, 'Aura Sphere'!"

The Pokémon launched their attacks, and the three targets were completely overwhelmed by the bombardment of power. They all immediately fainted from the barrage, and Vivian fell back from the explosion.

The Pokéballs she had stolen fell out of her bag, "Quick Pikachu, use 'Quick Attack' to grab those Pokéballs!" The small electric mouse took off running and managed to kick all the Pokéballs into a corner where they couldn't be reclaimed so easy.

Saban was about to rant some more when the sound of sirens filled the air, "You are all surrounded! Come out with your hands over your heads!" Officer Jenny shouted through a megaphone. "Geez, it's the cops!" Vivian hissed.

Vivian looked around for Saban, and saw him climbing up a ladder to the roof. "Babe, don't forget me!" Vivian cried. "Sorry but, I can't have you slowing me down, like I said, nobody helps nobody but themselves. Thanks for your help though, sucker."

Vivian fell to her knees and began sobbing as Saban made his escape just before the police broke into the warehouse. "Alright, you're all under arrest!" Officer Jenny shouted. "Hold it, before you start slapping on handcuffs, take a good look at these two." D. Shad said.

Officer Jenny looked at Misty, and then at the sobbing Vivian, and then back at Misty. "So you were innocent after all, but what about him?" Officer Jenny asked about Ash.

"He's my boyfriend!" Misty exclaimed. "Hey guys, if you could let us out of here, I have Ash's Pokédex here." Brock said. "Let me see that." Officer Jenny released the five prisoners and examined Ash's Pokédex.

"Well, looks like I was wrong about you two, sorry about that." Officer Jenny sweat-dropped. "Good job Officer Jenny, and I'm glad to see that you and your police force takes responsibility for your mistakes." Brad said.

"We'll take it from here, go on and get some rest, you're probably starving." Officer Jenny said. "You know with all the excitement, I completely forgot that we didn't eat anything all day." Ash sweat-dropped. They chuckled for a few moments, but then they saw one of the officers putting handcuffs on the sobbing Vivian.

Saban dropped her like a brick, leaving her to be arrested and probably to rot in jail. "Man, somehow…I feel for her." Brock said. "Officer Jenny, she looks like she can't be more than twenty-two years old, is there any way you could maybe send her to a rehabilitation center rather than put her in jail for twenty years?" D. Shad asked.

"Well…she does look like she could be helped…ok, I'll see what I can do. I just hope we manage to catch the other guy before he goes back to terrorizing Sinnoh."

"Hey wait a second, where's Team Rocket?" Dawn asked. "Huh? D'oh! I forgot about those creeps! They must've gotten away." D. Shad grumbled. "Don't worry D, we definitely got bigger fish to fry now." Brad replied.

And so, Ash and Co., thanks to some help from their friends managed to escape another dangerous situation, but with yet another evil leader out there, how will Sinnoh be affected? Only time will tell as our heroes continue their Sinnoh journey.  
_

**A/N: Well guys, that's that. Hope you guys enjoyed the return of Brad and D. Shad, and I REALLY hope you'll review this chapter and tell me what you thought of this original chappie.**

***edit* Well now that I'm not on a deadline, I DO have a few things to say, first off, I would like to say thank you to those who have already reviewed this chapter. Second, I wanna think sunshineikimaru of deviantART, whose picture gave me the inspiration for Misty's brand new travelling outfit. I will be leaving a link below, remember to fill in the blanks. And finally, I wanna thank the Suite Life on Deck for giving me the idea of the Kirby joke. xD Geny35 spotted it, did anyone else? xD Thanks for reading and please review! Oh yeah, here's the link to Misty's new clothes. ^^**

**http :/ /who cares4972 . deviantart . com/favourites /# /d1v7ux8 **


	43. Iron Willed Auras

**Well everyone, this is the chapter you've all been waiting for! Ash's eighth Pokémon is about to be revealed! Now, most of you have probably figured out exactly who the Pokémon is by now, and I have gotten a few complaints about the teasing I've done and I apologize to anyone I may have offended by doing so. It was just my way of building up suspense. Well at any rate, I remembered to send everyone the messages this time, but if I forgot anyone, please let me know for next time. Anyways, I believe I have a few anonymous reviews to reply to.**

**- charizardlover: Thanks!**

**- lightningblade49: lol, well I had to do something and it seemed like the logical thing to do, if he did have his Pokédex, they wouldn't be able to arrest them. We all know how Ash has lapses in his thinking sometimes, even more so thanks to Misty. xD**

**- darky/Darkness Shadow/D. Shad: Read it and you'll see.**

**- Polly: I probably won't bring Butterfree back unfortunately, but to be totally honest, I liked Butterfree. As for Pidgeot, I dunno, maybe. But Sinnoh and Kanto are a long way off.**

**- Anna: Thanks!**

**- tray125: Well it wasn't my idea, but I'm glad he gave it to me. xD**

**- Airoh: Nah, that was just the excuse for coming since Darkrai had been taken care of already. As for the writing, I'm really not that great, and I bet if you put your mind to it, you could be just as great as you think I am. **

**- pidgeotexpress: Well if the police were smart they wouldn't have been able to escape either. xD As fo the sequel, it's a we'll see on that one. Life's starting to catch up with me and I have to speed up a little. **

**- Aditya Shukla: You'll see who it is now! Oh, and Togetic is unlikely, but there will be a certain episode sometime in the future that's closely related to that.**

**- sallindrtioap: Uh, what's your point?**

**Well that's that, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and the big twist that everyone's been waiting for! Ash's eighth Pokemon!  
_**

Chap 43

**Misty's POV**

Wow…just wow…that's the only word that could describe what happened yesterday. Ash and I actually got ARRESTED. As it turns out, there were two criminals that got hired by Team Rocket of all people to rob a bank and frame us! And apparently these two knew what they were doing because no matter what we said, the police were convinced that we were guilty. And it also proved just how stupid the Canalave Gym Leader really was. Ash's mom had finally given us our new outfits, and I REALLY loved mine. But because of my costume change, Byron said that it wasn't really me and that I was the criminal that had stolen from the bank. So they arrested us and threw us in jail. Luckily Brad and D. Shad were there thanks to Dawn having called them a few days earlier because of the Darkrai issue. So after we spent the whole day sitting in jail, not eating ANYTHING by the way, Brad came and broke us out by sneaking into the police station and putting on a uniform. The actual escape was pretty close though. And then we broke into the bad guy's lair which happened to be in an abandoned warehouse, but you wouldn't know it by the equipment that they used.

We managed to catch my half of the frame, but the man who role-played as Ash managed to escape, and didn't even bother to try and save his girl. After things calmed down a little bit, we headed back to the Pokémon Center and got a good dinner and a good night's sleep. One thing was for sure, after all that excitement we needed one. Brock especially. But luckily, Brock didn't have any issues since Ash's mom had eventually let him off the hook and put the people who should've been in charge of our relationship all along in charge: Me and Ash. And now we were waiting for the boat that would transport us from Canalave to Chocovine Town, where Dawn would compete in her next contest.

**Normal POV**

"Hey I've got an idea! Why don't we go down to the pier?" Dawn suggested. "Come on Dawn, give it a rest already, you've been saying that for a while now, the boat will get here in a couple of hours." Misty replied exasperatedly. "There's always the chance it could get here early." Dawn said.

"Lemme explain something to you Dawn, it's a little philosophy of mine. If you get your hopes up and something DOESN'T happen, you're just setting yourself up for a fall. But if you keep your hopes down and something DOES happen, it's a pleasant surprise. Brad said. "Sounds good in theory." Brock said. "Yeah, if you're a cynical stick in the mud." Misty added.

"I'll have you know I'm FAR from cynical ok? I happen to be one of the funniest guys on this Earth, but you didn't hear it from me." Brad joked. "So Ash, which gym are you gonna challenge next?" Misty asked, changing the subject. "I think I'm gonna take on the Snowpoint Gym. Check it out, Snowpoint City's near Chocovine Town where Dawn's contest will be." Ash said, pointing on a map.

"Dress warm guys, it isn't called Snowpoint City for nothing." D. Shad said. "Thanks for the heads up, I've never been to Snowpoint City before." Dawn said. "Guess that means I'll have to make another call to Mom." Ash said.

"Don't worry about Ash! It's time for MY mom to step up to the plate! I'll give her a call and let her know that we're going to be heading to Snowpoint City and she'll go and get us some warm clothes." Dawn said. "Dawn, um…your mom she…would it be ok if you asked for something…" Misty looked at the four men watching her stammer and slightly blushed from embarrassment. "Excuse me gentlemen, we need to have a girl chat." Misty pulled Dawn aside, leaving the four boys to wonder what was going on. "What's up with Misty?" Ash asked.

"If I had my guess, I'd say it had something to do with…" Brad was cut off by D. Shad's hand covering his mouth. "Cool it Brad, they're too young for images like that." Brad rolled his eyes and grumbled in response. Just then, Nurse Joy walked over from the front desk over to Ash. "Excuse me Ash, but you have a phone call."

"Oh, thanks Nurse Joy! Is it my mom?" Ash asked. "No it's a young man with blonde hair, he seemed to want to talk to you about something important by the way he was talking." Nurse Joy replied. "That sounds like it could be Barry!" Dawn exclaimed from the other side of the room. All of a sudden the topic between Misty and Dawn changed. "I thought you told me you were over him!" Misty said. "I said I THOUGHT I might be over him. I have to know for sure first." Dawn replied. Dawn walked away from Misty, who was slouched over in exasperation. "That girl's fickle, that's for sure."

The group headed over to the videophones, and sure enough, there was Barry on the screen. "Hi Barry!" Dawn exclaimed. "Oh hey…what's your name again?" Barry asked. Dawn sweat-dropped, "Dawn, remember?"

"Oh yeah, the coordinator girl, hi. Where's Ash?" Barry asked. Misty yanked Dawn by the back of her top and pulled her away from the screen so Ash could talk. "Hey Barry, what's up?" Ash asked. "Nothing much, I just wanted to know if you managed to win at the Canalave Gym." Barry replied smugly.

"You bet I won! See this? Cool huh?" Ash held out his newly acquired Mine Badge for the blonde trainer to see. "Alright, guess I'll have to treat you like a true rival. You should feel honored." Barry said. "Boy this guy's pretty full of himself ain't he?" Brad asked. "I heard that! Who are you supposed to be?" Barry shouted through the phone. "Brad's the name, comedy's my game, and my best stuff is derived from people who state the obvious, don't take responsibility for their actions, or people who contradict themselves in any way, and I'm just spitballing here, but did Ash beat you in a battle?" Brad asked.

"He sure did, he swept Barry. As a matter of fact, so did I!" Misty exclaimed. "Don't change the subject! This isn't about Ash beating me!" Barry whined. "Oh don't be such a whiner, live and learn kid, that's the best way to go through life." Brad replied. "Ok Brad, leave the kid alone, am I gonna have to get a leash for your tongue?" D. Shad said.

"Sorry D, force of habit." Brad snickered. "Anyway Barry, how's your training coming along?" Dawn asked. Barry's face drooped suddenly, and he dipped his head in sadness. "Not so…good."

"Did something go wrong?" Dawn asked with concern. "Actually something's really wrong with Empoleon…all of a sudden Empoleon doesn't recognize me and started attacking everything in sight…Nurse Joy's taking care of Empoleon now but…Empoleon isn't the only one acting strange. Bunches of other Pokémon have gone crazy! I saw a Steelix and a Skarmory running around attacking everything, and I almost got run over by an Aggron on my way here!" Barry explained.

"Barry, where are you exactly?" D. Shad asked. "Um, near Iron Island, who are you anyway?" Barry replied. "D. Shad, another friend of Ash's. All of those Pokémon you named have one thing in common: They're part steel-type, which explains why Empoleon was being affected too." D. Shad said.

"Wow, are you some kind of detective?" Barry asked. "Sure let's go with that. I better give Cynthia a call and let her know something's going on." D. Shad activated his wrist communicator and dialed a number. "You should've heard him last night with her, he called her Cindy! Can you believe that?" Brad snickered. "Oh that's so sweet; he has a petname for her." Misty gushed. "Guys! We have a situation here!" Barry exclaimed.

"Right, sorry Barry." Dawn said. "Are you guys all doing ok?" Barry asked. "Yeah, everything's fine on our end." Ash replied. "I wonder if it's only on Iron Island…Nurse Joy can't seem to figure out why Empoleon's acting so strange either." Barry said sadly. "Oh don't be sad Barry, please?" Dawn asked.

"Who me? I'm not sad! I'm determined! I'm gonna find out what's wrong by myself!" Barry exclaimed. "We'll come and help you! Right everyone?" Dawn asked. "Sure thing, I wanna get over there and help out the Pokémon on Iron Island!" Ash exclaimed. "It's always the same with you Ash; you can't resist helping a Pokémon in need." Misty sighed.

"Are you trying to say I'm not smart enough to figure this thing out by myself?" Barry asked angrily. Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock sweat-dropped, but Brad snickered mischievously. "No we weren't saying that, but now that we know you were dumb enough to incriminate yourself without due reason we have a few suspicions."

Barry face-faulted in response. "Don't listen to Brad, Barry, we just wanna go over there and help you figure it out! You know, for Empoleon's sake." Dawn said. "Alright, Cynthia wants us to go check out the situation, when's the next ferry to Iron Island?" D. Shad asked. Brock pulled out his Canalave guidebook and looked up the times, "Fifteen minutes D. Shad." Brock replied.

"Great! Alright Barry, we'll be there before you know it, in the meantime, take care of yourself!" Dawn exclaimed. The group hung up and rushed to the dock to get to the Iron Island ferry before it departed, "Hold that ferry!" D. Shad yelled. "You're lucky mister, we were just about done boarding." the captain said. "Come on, let's hurry!" Ash exclaimed, the trainer ran up the gangplank, almost accidently flinging Pikachu off his shoulder in the process. "What's up with Ash?" Dawn asked. "He's probably just anxious to get there and help those Pokémon." Misty replied.

The group followed the black-haired trainer up the gangplank, and a few minutes later, they departed. Another few minutes later, Ash was getting severely restless. "Ash, if you need to go to the bathroom, why don't you go?" Misty asked. "What makes you think I need to go to the bathroom? Ash replied. "The fact that you're doing the potty dance." Misty said.

Ash looked down and saw that he was stepping in place, and forced himself to stop. "Very funny Mist. I don't have to go to the bathroom; I just wish this thing could go faster!" Ash grumbled restlessly. "Patience is a virtue kid." Brad commented. "I just wish you'd calm down already, you sound like Barry." Dawn said. Misty's head suddenly perked up, "Oh he does, does he? Are you saying there's something wrong with sounding like Barry?" Misty asked cheekily.

Dawn made a guilty face, Misty had caught her. "W-Well, I never said Barry was PERFECT you know." she stammered. "I'm not kidding! I just have this feeling…it's a familiar one…but it's telling me I need to get over there now! Forget this dumb boat!" Ash reached for Charizard's Pokéball, but then Misty reached for his hand. "Not now Misty, please." Ash grumbled.

Misty didn't back down, and simply entwined her fingers with his. "Ash, relax, that feeling is just you wanting to help them and I admire that, but if you fly off the handle you won't be much help to them." Misty said soothingly. "No Mist, it's not in my head…it's almost…physical, like something's calling me." Ash replied. Misty was about to question further, when Brock spoke up, "Look up ahead! That's Iron Island!"

"There you see? No worries Ash." Misty said. "Thanks Mist." Ash planted a soft kiss on her forehead and gave her a squeeze in thanks. A few minutes later, the ferry docked and the first one off was Ash, who immediately took off for the Pokémon Center. "Ash, wait for us!" Misty shouted. Ash listened…for a few moments. Once they got off the gangplank, Ash took off running again. "Geez, he's out of control!" Dawn exclaimed. "Just like Barry." Misty added with a smirk. Dawn frowned and took off after them.

By the time that they got to the Pokémon Center however, they were too late. "What? I don't believe it! Barry left already!" Ash said angrily. "Well…it is Barry, we should've known." Dawn replied, "And don't make a comment on that Misty."

Misty put her hands up defensively and walked over to stand next to Ash, who was standing in between her and Dawn. "I'm sorry. He insisted he had to leave and wouldn't listen." Nurse Joy said. Brock quickly went into girl-crazy mode and grabbed Nurse Joy's hands and held them. "Fret not! Hearing you apologize causes me such great pain in my…backside…" Brock had been 'Poison Jabbed' by Croagunk once again, and the breeder fell to the ground in pain. "Hey Croagunk, give this to Brock when he snaps out of it with my compliments." Brad snickered. Brad handed Croagunk a little toy helmet, positive that Brock would understand what it meant.

"He'll just never learn will he?" Misty sighed. "Nurse Joy, I'm D. Shad, Cynthia sent me to check out the situation." D. Shad said. "You actually know the Champion?" Nurse Joy asked. D. Shad shrugged, "Better than some people I suppose, now what's the current status?"

"Follow me and I'll show you." Nurse Joy left the front desk and led the group to the treatment rooms. "Oh yeah that reminds me! Nurse Joy, how's Barry's Empoleon?" Ash asked. Nurse Joy led the group to a window, where they saw Empoleon and numerous other steel-types cringing in pain. "It's still undergoing treatment…the thing I haven't been able to figure out yet is why only the steel-types are being affected."

"Something weird must be going on at Iron Island." Misty figured. "They're all in so much pain…the poor things." Dawn said sadly. Ash growled and clenched his teeth and fists in anger, which Misty noted. "Come on Ash, let's go." Misty unballed one of Ash's fists and entwined her fingers into his, leading the angered trainer away from the pained Pokémon. She sat him and herself down on a bench and gave his hand a soft squeeze to try and take his mind off of the Pokémon. "I can't stand it Mist, I've gotta do something!"

"We will Ash, we will. But try to stay cool ok? Please? You're not doing yourself any favors by getting all worked up." Misty said, now rubbing his back soothingly. "I don't know what it is Misty, but it feels like…kinda like when we met up with Maylene's Lucario, I could feel its aura." Ash said. "You think there's a Lucario on Iron Island?" Misty asked. "Maybe…but if there is, then it might be in trouble too!" Ash said. "Maybe it's D. Shad's Lucario." Misty suggested. "D. Shad's Lucario isn't very well trained in aura, I doubt it's his." Ash sighed.

Misty sighed and gave him a soft kiss on his cheek, stroking his hair affectionately, "Don't worry Ash, we'll be on our way in no time." Ash smiled and embraced his girlfriend in a tight and loving hug, earning him a content sigh from Misty. "Boy Ash, I sure am glad your mom let me off the hook." Brock laughed. Ash and Misty broke away and blushed, "I thought you said you wouldn't tease us." Ash said.

"I said I wouldn't do it, but that was a while ago, now is different." Brock laughed again. "Alright alright, guys we're heading out, who's with us?" D. Shad asked. All four teens raised their hands and followed Brad and D. Shad out of the Pokémon Center.  
"Good luck everyone!" Nurse Joy exclaimed.

Once the group left the Pokémon Center area, the terrain quickly became steep and rocky. "Man, what's up with Iron Island?" Ash wondered. "I sure hope Barry's ok." Dawn added. "I'm sure he is, you can hug him later." Misty rolled her eyes at the wishy-washy coordinator, who merely ignored the jab.

Just then, scared Diglett began popping out of the ground all over the place. "Whoa, stampede!" Misty exclaimed. "What's got these Diglett so scared?" Brock wondered. The group quickly got their answer when a Lairon burst out of the ground and roared. "It's a Lairon!" Ash exclaimed. "All the Diglett must be trying to get away from it!" Dawn added.

The Lairon started smashing through rocks and boulders, sending rubble towards them. "Get down!" D. Shad yelled. The group ducked down behind a rock to avoid the rubble, and noticed that was something was amiss. "Hey, Lairon doesn't look like he's after the Diglett." Ash said. "If you ask me, that Lairon looks like it's in pain too, remember Barry said Empoleon lost control and started attacking everything in sight." Misty added.

"Any idea as to why?" Dawn asked. "I may have a theory…it seems to me that Lairon's trying to block out all of its intense pain by running rampant." Brock said. "We've gotta try and do something to help…Pikachu, let's go!" Ash jumped out from behind the rock to confront Lairon. "Ash, get back here!" Misty shouted.

Ash ignored Misty's outburst and ordered an attack. "Ok Pikachu, let's stop Lairon by using 'Thunderbolt' and aiming for its legs!" Pikachu complied and launched a furious blast of electricity in front of the stampeding Lairon, but it continued on its course. "Gah, no good!" Ash grumbled, "Use 'Thunderbolt' once more!" Pikachu complied and launched another blast, but the Lairon still refused to change course. "Be careful you guys!" Dawn exclaimed. "Ash, get out of there!" Misty shouted.

"One more time Pikachu! This time, head on!" Pikachu fired one last blast, and this time the electricity struck Lairon directly, but even then Lairon ignored it. "No way!" Ash gasped in shock. "It didn't do a thing!" Dawn exclaimed. "No, Lairon's hurt but for some reason it seems unfazed by the pain." Brock said. Ash growled and raised his arms to act as a blockade. "Stop Lairon, we're not your enemies!"

"Ash, it's useless, get out of there!" D. Shad roared. Misty finally couldn't wait any longer and leaped out of the hiding spot as well. "Misty get back here!" D. Shad yelled. "Ash, move!" Misty dove and tackled Ash to get him out of the way, just before Lairon rammed its head into a nearby rock and passed out. "Ash! Misty!" the group ran out from behind the rock to check on their friends. "I should've let you get run over, next time listen to us ok?" Misty hissed angrily as she brushed herself off.

"Everyone ok?" Brad asked. "Yeah, we're fine, thanks Mist." Ash said. Misty glared at the boy, but her gaze eventually softened and she sighed, "You're welcome." But the group barely got a moment to breathe as the sound of another rampant Pokémon was heard, and a bunch of Geodude and Graveler began running in terror. "It's a Metang!" Brock exclaimed. The crazed steel/psychic-type started banging its head against a rock, desperately trying to block out the pain. "It's like Metang's trying to hurt itself!" Dawn cried.

"No Metang, stop!" Ash yelled. Just then, another Pokémon was heard from above, the group looked up and saw a Skarmory firing gusts of air down below, causing more terror on the ground. And before they could even react, a Steelix burst through the rock that the Metang was banging its head against and fired 'Hyper Beam' all across the ground. "Just awful, I can't believe this!" Dawn whimpered. "It's like Armageddon on Iron Island!" Brad added. "If we don't figure this out soon, I'm starting to think there won't be any island to try and save." D. Shad added.

Ash growled and confronted Steelix this time. "Stop! Why are you trying to destroy the island?" he shouted. "Ash, get back here!" D. Shad yelled. "You've gotta stop all this right now!" Ash yelled. Ash gasped as he suddenly felt the ground underneath him begin to rumble, and the Steelix that was about to attack him was replaced by a crazed Aggron. "An Aggron!" Misty cried. The Aggron fired a 'Flash Cannon' right for Ash, and just when D. Shad was about to dive in and save him, an unknown stranger beat him to it.

"Who's that?" D. Shad asked. The stranger landed gracefully with Ash underneath him, "Lucario, 'Close Combat'!" A Lucario appeared and obeyed the orders of the costumed stranger. With incredible speed and power, the Lucario punched and kicked the rampaging Aggron in the face. Then with one swift swing of its tail, Lucario knocked Aggron out. _"That feeling…it WAS a Lucario." _Ash thought.

Finally, the man helped Ash back to his feet, "Phew, ok. You alright?" he asked. "I'm fine, that was sure something though." Ash replied. "Close call for sure." the man said, "Although it wouldn't be wise to stick around here, follow me!" the man took off running, and the group instinctively followed him. After sprinting for a few yards, the man's Lucario leaped onto a high rock and placed its hand on the ground. It closed its eyes and a soft pinging noise was heard through the air. "What's Lucario doing?" Dawn asked. "Scanning the area with its aura." the man replied.

After a few moments, Lucario stood up and nodded at its master. "Good, thanks Lucario. Apparently the area is safe so how about a break?" the man said. The four teens sat down on rocks and sighed with relief. "Thanks a whole lot for saving me before. Nice to meet ya, I'm Ash."

"Hi, my name is Riley and I specialize in steel-types. Lots of steel-type Pokémon live on the island so this is where I live and train." Riley said. "So you've been here for a long time then." Misty said. "Yes. As you can see this island is mostly made of rocky terrain. That's exactly why this island is best suited for us. To condition our hearts and bodies…just like a steel-type. Iron Island has always felt like a kind of a homeland for my soul, so now that my homeland is in danger, for the sake of all steel-types, we're investigating the cause of these strange occurrences." Riley explained.

"Is that so? Good, you might be able to help us since we're here to investigate too." D. Shad said. "Actually, I think it might be a better idea if I led you all back to the path towards town." Riley said. "What? No way! We're going with you!" Ash exclaimed suddenly.

"Too dangerous, sorry." Riley said. "Those Pokémon are the ones in danger!" Ash replied determinedly. This outburst caught Riley off guard. "Listen, these kids are some of the best trainers you'll ever run into, they care about Pokémon and they'd do anything to help them. And I can tell you from personal experience with these guys that they've faced tougher challenges than this one. So you either get our help, or we go on our own." D. Shad said firmly.

"Very well…but will you hesitate to attack a Pokémon that's gone berserk?" Riley asked suddenly. The four teens cringed at the aspect. "It's not going to be easy to do that." Dawn said. "Perhaps, but if you hesitate and get defeated, you won't be able to save those truly in need, am I wrong?" Riley asked.

"No, you're right. We'll do it!" Ash said determinedly. "Alright then." Riley nodded. "Riley I have a question, isn't Lucario a steel-type?" Misty asked. "Yes, Lucario's a steel-type and a fighting-type." Riley replied. "So why isn't Lucario acting crazy like everyone else?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, I can feel my Lucario having problems in its Pokéball, but yours doesn't even seem to be bothered by whatever's happening here." D. Shad added. "I think I know…" Ash said. "You do?" Riley asked.

"Lucario's using its aura to protect itself, isn't it?" Ash asked knowingly. "How did you know that?" Riley asked in shock. "It's kind of a long story, but I can feel its aura surrounding it." Ash replied. "You see, Ash has been able to sense when a Riolu or a Lucario is nearby with his aura, although we're not really sure how that works." Brock said. "Some people's aura frequencies match those of all kinds of Lucario; apparently Ash has that special frequency." Riley said. "Yeah, it's also a little nerve wracking at times." Misty sweat-dropped.

"Hey Riley, you didn't happen to see anyone else around here did you?" Ash asked. "Oh yeah! He's a young trainer named Barry! Have you seen him anywhere around here?" Dawn added. "Barry? Haven't seen him." Riley replied thoughtfully. "WE just gotta find him you guys! Who knows what kind of trouble he could be in?" Dawn said worriedly.

"Knowing Barry, probably a lot." Misty joked. Dawn huffed and got up to go look for the blonde-trainer. "Wait up Dawn!" Brock exclaimed. The teens plus Brad and D. Shad took off after Dawn, while Riley hung back for a moment. "He can sense aura…what do you think Lucario, could he be the one?"

Lucario grunted out a response. (We'll see.) "Well there's only one way to find out!" Riley and Lucario ran to catch up to the group, and in a few moments they were all together again. "Lucario, scan the area for danger please." Riley said. Lucario nodded and placed its hand on the ground once more, scanning the surrounding area with its aura. After no danger was sensed, the group pushed on. "So Riley, what can you tell us about what's going on?" D. Shad asked.

"According to our research, Lucario and I have discovered that there's a special low frequency sound wave covering the island that only affects steel-type Pokémon, and it's having an adverse effect on the bodies of every steel-type here, which we figure is why their senses and demeanor have been altered." Riley explained. "Maybe that's why that Lairon didn't feel anything from Pikachu's 'Thunderbolt', its sense of pain is gone." Misty figured.

"But the way they're slamming their bodies into rocks and hurting themselves, they must be taking damage…I really wanna help all of 'em." Ash said determinedly. "We will Ash, just stay cool." Misty grabbed Ash's hand and held it as they walked, and the black-haired trainer's muscles relaxed a bit at her touch. Riley had looked back to see Ash's determination, and he smiled at the tender moment. "Riley, do you know the source of the wave?" Brock asked. "That's what we're working on now." Riley replied.

"Another question, what'll we do when we find the source?" Misty asked. "We stop it, no matter what it takes." Riley replied. Just then, a loud crash was heard in the distance. "Did you hear that?" Ash asked. "Sounds like something's going on!" Brock replied. "Come on!" Riley took off with the group following closely behind him and his Lucario. "Lucario, scan the area and find out what's going on!" Riley said. Lucario focused its aura and scanned as it ran, after a few moments; Lucario roared a battle-cry and picked up the pace. "The low frequency sound waves must be coming from up ahead!" Riley yelled.

Lucario grunted a few more times, trying to relay its message to Riley. "You're saying that someone's up there too? Quite a few of them as well!" Riley said. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this!" Ash said. "Ash, you don't think it could be Team Galactic again do you?" Misty asked. "I dunno Mist, but if it is we need to be ready to take them down!" Ash replied determinedly. "How are you holding up Lucario?" Riley asked. Lucario nodded at its master to reassure Riley that its aura was still effective against the sound waves.

The group eventually made their way to the edge of a canyon, and upon looking down, they saw a huge ruins. "What's that?" Ash asked. "Looks like some sort of ruins." Brock replied. "Look down there, it's those losers again!" D. Shad growled. "You were right Mist, it's Team Galactic!" Ash said. "That means this place must have something to do with the time-space legend." Brock said. "When Lucario was sensing a lot of people it must've been sensing Team Galactic!" Ash added.

"Who are Team Galactic?" Riley asked. "They're trying to uncover the legend of Sinnoh time-space, and they're apparently going after Dialga and Palkia." Brock replied. "Incredible…so this must be the source! The low frequency sound waves causing all the trouble! They have to be coming from these ruins!" Riley said. "Did you know these were here?" Misty asked.

"No, I had no idea that ruins made out of a metal-like substance even EXISTED on Iron Island!" Riley replied. "I'll bet Team Galactic discovered them and dug them up!" Dawn said. "No doubt about it." Riley replied. "Those freaks are gonna pay for this, just wait until I…" D. Shad was quickly cut off when Lucario pointed towards a strange object.

"What? You must be sensing great power! Focus your aura and find out as much as you can!" Riley said. Lucario channeled all of its aura towards the object, so much so that its aura became visible for the entire group to see. "Whatever that thing is, they're about to do something with it!" D. Shad said.

Commander Mars, who had apparently been put in charge of the current situation by the Team Galactic leader, picked up the strange artifact and held it up to a huge pillar. The artifact glowed and mystically rose out of the Commander's hands and placed itself into the pillar. Then suddenly, the pillar began to glow in a bright blue light, and then the two statues of Dialga and Palkia followed suit, eerily glowing and making strange sounds as the artifact did its work. And then things got even worse, as the tip of the pillar blasted a huge beam of light into the sky and landed at an unknown location. "Don't look at it!" Misty shouted.

"It's blinding! What is it?" Dawn cried. "It's gotta be the work of that thing whatever it is!" Brad shouted. Just then, Lucario got knocked backwards by an unseen force and fell on its back with a pained grunt. "Lucario! You alright?" Riley shouted worriedly. Slowly Lucario got back to its feet, but now Ash was cringing in pain. "Ash what's wrong?" Misty asked. "I dunno…but it's coming from Lucario!" Ash replied through grunts. The group looked at Lucario, and just for a brief moment its aura flashed. But instead of the gentle light blue, it was a viciously dark purple, bordering on black. The aura eventually dissipated, as did Ash's pain, but it was obvious that Lucario was far from alright. "No, not Lucario too!" Dawn said fearfully.

Finally, Lucario totally snapped. It charged up an 'Aura Sphere' and aimed it at the group. "Lucario stop!" Ash yelled. "LUCARIO!" Riley charged to get in front of the group, just as Lucario fired. An explosion took place when the sphere made contact, but for some reason the group was left unharmed. "What happened?" Misty asked. "It's an aura." Ash said, referring to the blue shield that had just enveloped them. "But how?" Dawn asked.

"You can work with auras too Riley?" Brock asked. "The truth is I've been training as an aura guardian with Lucario." Riley replied. "But why is Lucario acting that way? Lucario's been protecting itself with its aura right?" Dawn asked, as the group watched the steel/fighting-type hold its head, growling and grunting in pain and anguish. "Something far more powerful than Lucario's aura is coming from the ruins…TOO powerful for Lucario to protect itself against!" Riley said. "Something sure is, you think that giant blast of light could be the culprit?" Brad asked knowingly.

"Maybe not the light itself, but the energy FROM the light could be it!" Riley said. Just then, D. Shad's communicator started beeping. "D. Shad here!"

"David, can you hear me?" a faint voice crackled. "Cynthia is that you? What's wrong?" D. Shad asked. "I'm at the research center with grandmother and we've picked up extreme power emanating from your area! What's going on over there?" Cynthia asked. Before D. Shad could answer, the crazed Lucario charged forward with 'Bone Rush', slamming D. Shad's communicator off his wrist. "David, is everything alri…" Cynthia was abruptly cut off when Lucario destroyed the communicator and then moved in to attack the rest of the group. "Out of the way!" Riley yelled.

The group all dived in opposite directions as Lucario swung its bone around dangerously. "D, your gauntlet! Use it quick!" Brad shouted. "I can't! If I miss, Lucario will bust that up too!" D. Shad replied. "Lucario, return!" Riley attempted to return the Aura Pokémon to its Pokéball, but the beam narrowly missed its target, and Lucario swung its bone and sliced its Pokéball in two. Then he moved in on Riley and scored a direct hit on the aura guardian in training and knocked him onto his back. Then Lucario went in for the kill, totally unaware of what it was about to do. "Riley no!" Ash sprang into action and blocked the attack with his bare wrist, invoking a grunt of pain from the trainer. "Lucario, stop it!" Ash shouted.

Lucario stepped back and grunted, and the energy bone disappeared from sight, but now Lucario was putting itself under extreme pressure once more by trying to regain its senses. "Lucario, snap out of it!" Ash ran to grab the Aura Pokémon by the arm, while Brock stepped in and held its other arm. "You've gotta try and calm down!"

Misty and Dawn went to tend to Riley while Brad and D. Shad waited on standby in case Lucario broke free. "Riley are you alright?" Dawn asked. "Yeah…I'm fine." Riley groaned. "What'll we do? Lucario isn't strong enough to fight the energy!" Misty asked. "(Groan) Ash, Brock! Tell Pikachu to use 'Thunderbolt'!" Riley yelled. "Thunderbolt'? But Riley, Lucario's in pain!" Ash replied. "Do it for Lucario!" Riley shouted back. Ash groaned as his trainer instincts battled with what he knew had to be done. On the one hand, using 'Thunderbolt' on Lucario would probably ease Lucario's pain by knocking it out, but on the other hand, it might also further Lucario's pain on an extreme level. "Tell Pikachu to use 'Thunderbolt' while you can, hurry!" Riley shouted. "What are you waiting for Ash? Do it!" Misty added.

"But Misty…" Ash was cut off by Brock. "You gotta do it Ash!" he said. "Brock, you too?" Ash asked. "I know how you feel, but you've got no choice!" Brock replied. Ash hesitated, and then came up with an idea. "Yes I do! Maybe I can use my aura to calm Lucario down!"

"No Ash, don't do it!" Riley shouted. It was too late, Ash tensed his body to try and exert aura, similarly to how he had done it when he assisted Sir Aaron's Lucario in saving Mew and the Tree of Life. But as Ash's aura reached Lucario's, Ash roared in pain and released Lucario, rolling on the floor in searing pain. D. Shad took over in grabbing Lucario's arm, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from Ash screaming in pain. "Ash, snap out of it!" Misty cried. "That's what I tried to warn him about! If I could use MY aura to calm Lucario down I would, but I knew that if my aura were to connect with Lucario's, I'd start to feel the same pain it's going through!" Riley explained. "Isn't there any way to snap him out of it?" Brock asked. "We've gotta try and cutoff the connection somehow!" Riley replied.

Now it was Misty's turn to step up, she rushed over to her boyfriend and lifted him off of the floor and onto his feet, shaking him desperately. "Ash, come on! Come out of it!" she cried. Ash couldn't even hear her cries, the pain he was feeling was far too intense, the trainer ripped Misty off of him and knocked her to the ground, then reached for his head in anguish. Misty looked down at her elbow and saw the cut the fall had left her, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet. Her best friend, her boyfriend, was in pain and nothing was gonna stop her from helping. "Misty be careful! There's no telling what Ash will do like this!" Brock shouted. "Should we have Pikachu use 'Thunderbolt' on him?" Brad asked. "No! A 'Thunderbolt' would be too much for him to handle! He's not a Pokémon!" Riley exclaimed.

"I just know I'm gonna regret this." Misty ran up to Ash, held him still for just a moment, and gave him a sharp slap against the cheek with all her might, leaving a large red, hand-shaped mark on the trainer's cheek. Ash immediately stopped groaning and fell onto his knees, crying from the horrible and blindingly searing pain he had just been put through via aura connection. "Ash, it's ok, you're ok now." Misty said soothingly, holding the sobbing trainer close to her body. "Misty…oh Misty it was horrible! It felt like I had been thrown in a furnace and it just kept getting hotter and hotter!" Ash hiccupped. "Shh, it's ok now." Misty cooed.

"Is that what Lucario's going through?" Dawn asked, as the group's attention was diverted back to the roaring Aura Pokémon who now had Brad holding it as well. "Hey we can't hold this guy here much longer, if someone's gonna do something do it quick!" Brad shouted. "Pikapi!" (Ash!)

"You too Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Ash, I know you're hurting, and I know you don't wanna hurt Lucario, but if you don't do something now we'll all be hurting!" Misty said. Ash looked Misty dead in the eyes and nodded. Wiping his eyes and forcing himself to his feet, Ash shouted out his orders, "Alright Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt' on Lucario!"

Pikachu fired, and the Aura Pokémon took the full brunt of the shock, along with Brock, Brad, and D. Shad who got slammed onto the ground along with Lucario. "That's gonna leave a mark." Brad groaned. But the Aura Pokémon barely felt the attack and quickly got up and charged towards the canyon. "After Lucario!" Sucking up the pain in his legs and pretty much his whole body, Ash took off running after the Aura Pokémon who was sliding down the cliff to attack Team Galactic. The others quickly followed. The Aura Pokémon jumped onto a lower ledge and then slid down further. "Those steel-types are so annoying. Purugly, chase it away!" Mars ordered. Purugly and an army of Golbat confronted the Aura Pokémon, who in its insane state of mind was unfazed by the sheer numbers against it. Lucario jumped up and fired an 'Aura Sphere', but the Golbat easily dodged and launched a barrage of 'Shadow Balls' at the Aura Pokémon, then Purugly met Lucario in midair and slashed with a powerful 'Fury Swipe', slamming the Aura Pokémon against a crane.

"Lucario!" the group had seen what had happened and were extremely concerned for the safety of the Aura Pokémon, who despite being in intense pain and in a state of totally insanity, still managed to inadvertently point out to the humans the source of the trouble by desperately reaching a vengeful paw out towards the machine before fainting. "Riley, we gotta do something!" Ash was about to start a one man assault on Team Galactic when Riley held him back. "Not so fast! Let's destroy that machine first!"

"Do you think that machine is the reason the steel-types are in such agony?" Brock asked. "Not sure, but if Lucario went after it with such a vengeance, it's got to be worth a try!" Riley replied. "Sounds good, let's give those knuckleheads a beating they won't forget!" D. Shad said determinedly. The group took off, leaping over a small hole in the ground on the way, but they stopped in their tracks when they heard Dawn cry out. "Oh no, Piplup!"

The small blue penguin fell down the hole expecting to feel the sharp pain of the ground below, but was surprised to find that he fell into someone's arms. "Whoa, Piplup?"

"Barry?" Dawn exclaimed. "What do you know? Hey Dawn!" Barry replied from below. _"He remembered my name!"_ Dawn thought excitedly. "New twoipette?" that voice belonged to the Team Rocket trio who had apparently been trapped the same way as Barry. "What's Team Rocket doing down there?" Dawn wondered. "It's a long story, get us out of here!" Barry exclaimed. "Right! Hey guys, I found Barry!" Dawn said.

"Is that who you're looking for?" Riley asked. "That's him. Is he ok?" Ash asked. "Of course I'm not ok! I've been trapped in a pit for the past hour!" Barry shouted from the hole. The group sweat-dropped at Barry's outburst. "Don't worry Barry, I'll get you out!" Dawn exclaimed. "You want some help?" Misty asked.

Dawn shook her head, "Don't worry, we'll be fine, you just go on ahead!" she said. "Right, then you take care of Barry!" Ash took off running again. "But not too good." Misty joked. Dawn made a face at the water-trainer and pulled out a rope and tied to a rock before throwing it down. "What a gal!" Jessie said happily. "Quick, grab on!" Dawn exclaimed.

Barry grabbed onto the rope at exactly the same time Team Rocket did. "What are you doing?" Barry asked them. "What you're NOT doing!" Team Rocket replied. Dawn sighed exasperatedly, "Look it really doesn't matter who goes first so SOMEBODY just…huh?" the ground Dawn was kneeling on began to rumble violently, the coordinator turned around just as the ground behind her burst open thanks to a surfacing Steelix. The rock the rope was tied on shattered and the coordinator fell backwards and into the hole, screaming as she fell. The group quickly turned around when they heard Dawn's cry. "Oh no!" the group rushed over to the hole as fast as they could, while Dawn made a rather painful land, but the one in pain wasn't Dawn.

"I'm gonna fine you for falling on me!" Barry said angrily. Once she realized who she was sitting on top of, the coordinator blushed and quickly got up. "Sorry Barry." she said bashfully. "You're lucky I'm such a nice guy, I'm letting you off the hook just this once." Barry replied. But before Dawn could even speak up, the rampaging Steelix began wiggling its way down into the hole to attack. "It's a Steelix!" Barry exclaimed nervously. "Straight at us!" Dawn added.

"No matter what happens old chums we're all in this together!" James huddled together with his two Pokémon in the corner. The group ducked when the Steelix made its strike, but when they opened their eyes they saw themselves being covered by an aura shield once again, and the Steelix fighting to get through it. "Riley, great!" Dawn said with relief. "I give. Who's Riley?" Barry asked. "Who cares who he is? He just saved our necks!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Riley, you need help?" Ash asked. "I'll take care of this but meanwhile you guys go take care of that machine!" Riley replied. "I'll stay here just in case, good luck guys!" Brad added. "Alright Riley, you got it!" Ash exclaimed.

"Staravia, I choose you!"

"Misty calls Staryu!"

"Sudowoodo, let's go!"

"Luxray, let's get the fun started!"

"We'll distract Team Galactic; you go and blow that machine to bits!" Brock exclaimed. "Sounds like a plan to me, let's show them our ultimate power!" D. Shad added. "Right, good luck you guys!" Ash said. Brock and D. Shad took off immediately, but Misty waited a moment in order to plant a quick peck on Ash's cheek. "Good luck to you too."

Ash held up a determined fist and nodded at his girlfriend, and then Misty nodded back and took off after Brock and D. Shad with Ash not far behind. The group slid down the canyon, and of course Mars quickly spotted them. "Not them! What do they want? Don't let them get any closer!" Mars sent out her Pokémon army to attack the group, and the battle for Iron Island began.

On his way towards the machine, Ash caught the unconscious Lucario in the corner of his eye. "Just hang in there Lucario…Staravia, take Pikachu and get going!" Staravia swooped low to the ground and the electric mouse jumped onto the bird's back and started flying, but they were quickly swarmed by a mob of Golbat.

"Alright Sudowoodo, knock down those Golbat with 'Double-Edge'!"

"Staryu, help out with 'Swift'!"

The two Pokémon leaped up and attacked, Sudowoodo slammed its rocky body into a swarm of Golbat, while Staryu launched a flurry of stars at the flying/poison-types. "Alright Luxray, 'Discharge'!" D. Shad's Luxray launched a blast of blue electricity that shocked numerous Golbat all at once, "Alright Luxray, time to take down that ugly Purugly!"

While the Pokémon battled it out, Staravia and Pikachu closed in on their target. "What are they doing…now I know what they want! Headquarters this is G2, there's a problem!" Mars shouted into her mini two-way. Somewhere in the Sinnoh Region, the message was picked up by Commander Saturn. "Roger…I regret to inform you that Mars has reported level E as having trouble."

"Grr…it's HIM." the leader growled. Back at Iron Island, Staravia and Pikachu were mere feet away from reaching their target. "Now Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu leaped off of the bird's back and fired a furious bolt of electricity at the glowing machine, but the attack never reached its target as three Golbat got in the way and sacrificed their consciousness for the sake of the machine. "Stop them Purugly!" Mars ordered. Responding to its master's orders, Purugly stopped battling with Luxray and leaped up towards Staravia and Pikachu with its claws extended for 'Fury Swipes'.

But the cat missed as Staravia gracefully swooped out of the way and headed for the machine again, but they were quickly swarmed by Golbat once again. "Staravia, take 'em down with 'Brave Bird'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu leaped off so Staravia could go through with the attack, and the super-powerful flying-type move barreled through all of the Golbat at once. "What? No way!" Mars looked up and saw Pikachu bearing down on the machine from above. "Not on your life! Purugly, 'Iron Tail'!" Mars ordered.

Purugly leaped up to attack Pikachu, but was quickly knocked back down by Sudowoodo and Luxray. "Thanks guys!" Ash shouted. "Alright Ash, let's blow that machine to smithereens!" Misty exclaimed.

"Staryu, use 'Water Gun'!"

"Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt' on the 'Water Gun'!"

The two Pokémon fired their attacks, and the electricity conducting water struck the machine dead-on. "No!" Mars shouted. The machine's destruction triggered a chain reaction that knocked down one of the metal pillars and sent the strange key flying into the air. "Grab it quick!" Brock yelled. D. Shad jumped for the artifact, but one of the stray Golbat swiftly snagged it and flew back over to Mars and dropped it in her arms. "As long as we have this, we'll be fine." Right after she said that, the pillar fell completely, and the strange glow that had been shining all over the island immediately dimmed, finally ending the steel-types' agony and pain.

"T-They stopped glowing." Barry said. Not only did the carvings stop glowing, but the Steelix that had been attacking them slowly backed off and looked around with confusion, along with Lucario and every other steel-type on the island. "Looks like that machine really was the cause!" Ash said. "We did it!" Brock said. "Thank goodness." Misty sighed.

The group in the pit breathed a sigh of relief when the Steelix left peacefully. "Looks like Ash, Misty, and Brock did it!" Dawn said. "They did what? What are you talking about?" Barry asked. "Let's just say that everything's alright with Empoleon now." Dawn replied. "Well, that's a relief." Barry said.

"Alright that's one crisis over with; now let's take care of Team Galactic!" D. Shad exclaimed. Just as he said that, Riley came running up with Lucario. "Lucario, you're alright!" Ash said. Lucario nodded affirmatively, "You found the source and destroyed it; all the steel-types are back to normal." Riley said.

"Retreat at once!" Mars ordered. The Team Galactic grunts saluted their commander and ran off down into the ruins, coming up again minutes later. "We're not letting them get away this time!" Ash growled. "Right!" the group followed Ash towards the Team Galactic helicopters that had just landed, and they reached them just as Mars boarded the last one. "Stop Team Galactic!" Ash yelled. "What are you doing here, what do you want?" Riley demanded. Mars hesitated for a moment, but when she did turn around she held a handheld trigger in her hand. "Alright, come any closer and I'll blow up the entire island."

"Blow it up?" Ash yelled. "You wired everything with bombs?" Brock asked. "That's crazy! You've gotta be bluffing!" Misty added. "Lucario, find them all!" Riley whispered. Lucario focused its aura to scan for the bombs, while Mars gave her monologue. "I'm not bluffing, I don't bluff. We don't NEED your world so we're simply gonna destroy it, understand?"

"What do you mean OUR world? There is no other world!" D. Shad shouted. "Maybe not yet, but very soon. Meantime, I'll press this when I feel like it. I hope you enjoy running." Mars backed into the helicopter and closed the doors, and the chopper started up and flew into the sky. "Those jerks…I'm going after them!" Ash reached for Charizard's Pokéball, but Misty quickly stopped him. "Don't even think about it Ash, if you chase her down you'll come back and find us extra crispy!"

"Well we've gotta do something!" Ash growled. "We will!" Riley said. "Riley, you found the bombs?" Brock asked. "No, Lucario did! The explosives are all located directly below the ruins, but since you all saved Lucario and all the other Pokémon, I would say it's OUR turn now!" Lucario nodded to agree with his master.

"Lucario and I will find a way to take care of those bombs, so you guys go and help your friends!" Riley said. "Right! Good luck Riley!" Ash said. The group split ways with Riley and Lucario running underneath the ruins, and Ash, Misty, Brock, and D. Shad running towards the pit. "Lucario, how many explosives are there?" Riley asked. Lucario scanned the area, and groaned nervously. "Oh man…I can't even count them all! Mars said she'd destroy the island and she was serious!"

"You guys done shaking the island around?" Brad asked jokingly, as he saw his friends run up. "Actually the shaking's just getting started!" D. Shad replied. "What's that supposed to mean? You gonna have Golem use 'Earthquake' or something?" Brad asked. "We're not kidding Brad! The whole island's been wired with bombs!" Misty exclaimed.

"What? Dealing with a bomb's the last thing we need!" the group in the pit shouted. "Are they crazy? B-Bombs? Well what're we gonna do? We gotta do something!" Brad panicked. "Get ahold of yourself Brad, Riley and Lucario are on it, let's just worry about getting them out of the hole!" D. Shad said.

"I've got an idea! Chimchar, come out!" Ash called out his adopted fire monkey who excitedly awaited command. "Can you use 'Dig' to make a tunnel?" Chimchar acknowledged and began digging down into the ground to make an underground path for the group to crawl out of. "Great idea!" Dawn exclaimed. "Good tinkin' twoip!" Meowth added. But the tunnel idea would prove to be ineffective as Chimchar quickly came back up moaning in pain with its hands swollen from digging. "Chimchar, are you ok?" Ash asked worriedly.

"The ground must be too hard to dig through." Misty said. "Digging our way out's not gonna work." Brock added. "Sorry Chimchar. Return." Ash returned the small fire-type to its Pokéball for some much needed healing. "Aww, it was a good idea too." Dawn moaned. "Maybe Charizard can fly down and pick them up like an elevator." Misty suggested. "That won't work either, Charizard's wingspan is too wide and they won't be able to get out of the hole." Brock replied.

"Gah, my kingdom for a rope." Brad grumbled. But just then, two green rope-like vines popped out of the hole. "Hey, that's 'Vine Whip'!" Barry said. "Wow! You learned how to use 'Vine Whip'! Crafty Carnivine!" James exclaimed happily. "Funny, that normally doesn't work that way." Brad chuckled. Carnivine had heard its master's distress and stepped up to the plate by learning 'Vine Whip' to get them out.

"Whatever, we'll take it! Charizard, Grotle, pull up Carnivine now!" Ash called out his two strongest Pokémon, Charizard grabbed onto the vines with his claws while Grotle bit down on the ends and jerked back, pulling Carnivine up and out of the hole. "Yeah, good job!" Ash exclaimed. "Alright, now let's get everyone out of there!" Brock said. Carnivine turned towards the hole and started pulling people and Pokémon out, starting with Meowth and James. "Anyone hurt?" Brock asked. "Just a cat-scratch on da arm, no big deal." Meowth replied.

"Here, lemme help you." Brock sat Meowth down and sprayed his arm with a Super Potion antiseptic. "There, that'll do it." Brock said. "It pains me more ta say thanks." Meowth moaned. "You're doing great Carnivine, keep it up!" Ash said. Carnivine continued using its newly grown vines to pull out Piplup, Mime Jr., Dawn, Barry, and finally Jessie. "What's the big idea pulling ME up last?" Jessie hissed. "We're nicer than you are." Barry stuck his tongue out at the female Team Rocket member, who just face-faulted in response to that comment.

Meanwhile, Riley and Lucario were down below in the ruins, trying with all their might to pull the explosives out of the walls. Unfortunately, the members of Team Galactic were thorough professionals, and they had placed them far too tightly for them to be pulled out. "It's on too tight…we've got one chance to pull this off…prepare yourself Lucario." Riley went into a sort of meditative state, and Lucario followed suit, channeling and strengthening their aura for the task they would soon be forced to take on. Within seconds, the bombs' fuses glowed red, signaling the explosions were about to take place. "Now Lucario!"

"It's blowing!" Ash yelled, as the whole island suddenly started shaking. "What about Riley?" Brock asked. "Everybody get down!" D. Shad roared. The rumbling increased in intensity, and for a moment it seemed that Riley and Lucario had failed to destroy the bombs and were already dead, but then mysteriously, the island stopped shaking, leaving the group to wonder in shock. "What happened?" Dawn asked. "Did…did Riley manage to stop it?" Misty added. "But how is it possible?" Brock asked.

Just then, Ash felt a twinge in his head. "It's aura…" he said. "What did you say?" Misty asked. "They're using their aura to stop it somehow!" Ash replied.

Ash was right. Down below in the ruins, Riley and Lucario had formed a huge aura shield around the increasing destructive power of the explosives, "Come on, keep it up Lucario!" Riley strained. Lucario growled with determination as it tried to keep its aura focused, but the increasing power of the explosions were beginning to take a toll on the aura guardian in-training and his Pokémon. "We can't give up Lucario; the whole island is depending on us!" Riley grunted.

"What's happening down there?" Misty asked. The group heard a muffled explosion, which gave the group a fright. Then Ash felt another twinge, and he suddenly felt a surge of adrenaline flow through him. "I can help them…I can help them!" Ash slid down the canyon and ran for the ruins. "Ash, come back! Are you out of your mind?" Misty cried. The whole group, excluding Team Rocket continued to call out to Ash to try and bring him back, but Ash ignored each and every voice in his head, even Misty's desperate cries were faint at this point. _"There's no turning back now!"_

"It's getting hard to hold this thing!" Riley grunted, as his feet slid against the dirt from the outward force the explosions were putting on the aura shield. Just then, Ash appeared and saw the huge ball of aura with what seemed like a hundred different explosions inside, all detonating inside. "Riley!" Ash ran up to the shield and stared in awe.

"Ash what are you doing here? Get out of here NOW!" Riley ordered. "No way Riley! I sensed Lucario's aura and you guys need help, so I'm gonna help!" Before Riley could retaliate, Ash held out his hands and tried to recall what he had done back when he saved the Tree of Beginning. "Alright, here goes!" Ash tensed every muscle in his body at once, and tried to focus extremely hard on exerting his aura in an attempt to assist Riley and Lucario. Slowly but surely, Riley felt slight relief in the aura shield, and he looked at the young trainer who was now grunting and groaning just to exert his aura, let alone hold back the explosions. _"He must be the one."_

Riley grunted as he felt one last detonation inside the shield. "Alright that's the last of them!" he roared. "So now what?" Ash asked, his muscles beginning to weaken from the strain. "There's only one thing left to do…we have to get this away from the island now!" Riley replied.

"What? But this thing is huge! How are we gonna do that?" Ash asked. Ash was beginning to feel more than intimidated by the task at hand. He knew that if he were to falter now, Riley and Lucario wouldn't be able to hold the shield for much longer than a few seconds since all three of them together were just barely able to keep the sphere formed around the explosions. But Ash also felt his strength leaving him, he was already down to his last bit of energy and it was fading fast, he wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

"Ok here we go guys! Throw it straight up!" Riley roared. Ash sucked up all his fatigue and weariness, and remembered that if he succeeded his friends would live, and he simply couldn't fail them, especially Misty. With a determined and almost desperate roar, Ash, Riley, and Lucario threw the aura shield through the roof of the ruins, and sent it flying up into the sky. "Don't give up Ash! We're almost home free!" Riley shouted. "I won't!" Ash's muscles felt like they were on fire now, and the pain was enough to make a grown man cry, but the lives of his friends kept him from giving up or even letting up the slightest bit.

"Look at that!" Barry shouted. The group gasped in shock as they watched the huge sphere of aura fly up past them and into the sky. "Were those the explosions?" Misty asked in disbelief. "How is that even physically possible?" Brock added. The sphere went up into the sky, shining in the setting sun as it went further and further up. "Riley…I can't anymore!" Ash cried, as tears began to flow from his eyes. "You can't give up now Ash, just a little more!" Riley encouraged. Even Lucario was grunting in agreement, trying to keep Ash from giving up.

With one final roar of anguish, Ash pushed his body to the limit for one last push of aura. Alright, let it go!" Riley shouted. Ash fell to the ground and panted with utter exhaustion and looked through the roof on his back, and saw the explosion take place with no one injured. Ash closed his eyes and pasted a small but exhausted smile on his face._ "I did it…I did it." _

"(Sigh) Location location." Team Rocket sighed with relief. "But where's Riley and Lucario?" Barry asked. "And where's Ash?" Misty asked worriedly. Dawn looked through the smoke and saw three figures, one was being held in Riley's arms. "Look, over there!" Dawn pointed out the trio from the smoke, and watched in awe as Riley grunted and groaned on his way to the spot they were. When Riley finally reached them, he dropped Ash to the ground and almost went down himself, but Brock and Brad managed to keep him on his feet. "Riley are you ok?" Brock asked. "Yeah…I'm ok, check on Ash." Riley said, his voice barely a whisper.

Riley was too tired to notice that Misty was already doing that, as she held her boyfriend's head in her arms, but she looked up at Riley when Riley started talking again, "He came and used his aura to help us, but he totally exhausted himself in the process. One thing's for sure, that kid's got a lot of determination in his heart to pull off what he did." Riley said. Misty looked down at Ash again, and felt him start to stir in her arms. "Ash?"

Ash slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the redhead leaning over him and smiled. "Déjà vu at the Lavender Tower." he laughed lightly. Misty smiled and embraced Ash lightly so as not to hurt him, and Ash wearily wrapped his arms around her waist and used her support to sit up. "You crazy idiot, next time you wanna go and play hero, give us a little warning." Misty laughed with relief. "Riley, you guys used your aura to do that?" Dawn asked. "That's right. You know, those bombs were powerful. We probably wouldn't have been able to pull it off if Ash hadn't come to help us." Riley said.

"That's my Ash." Misty flipped Ash's hat off and mussed his hair, getting a playful laugh from him. "Well all's well that ends well." Brock said. Just then, the group heard a Skarmory flying by, and when they looked around, they saw a whole bunch of steel-types of all shapes and sizes thanking them for helping them and saving their island. "Well there you go Ash, you did it." Misty said. "(Sigh) Thank goodness." Ash replied.

"Hey, anybody seen Team Rocket?" Dawn asked. The group looked around and saw a Magikarp submarine submerging into the ocean. "They're getting away!" Barry shouted. "Don't worry about it kid, they're just setting themselves up to fail again, and again, and again." Brad joked. The group laughed at Brad's joke, but then they saw a white helicopter landing over by where they were. "Who's that?" Barry asked. The group saw two familiar figures step out of the helicopter. "It's Cynthia and Carolina!" Ash exclaimed.

"Upon seeing them, the group ran over to them. "If it isn't the upstarts." Carolina joked. "Grandmother, please don't start." Cynthia replied. "Hey Cindy, what are you doing here?" D. Shad asked. "Well when we lost contact with you, we waited until the energy levels dissipated and came over here in the helicopter to see if you all were alright." Cynthia replied. "Not to mention we're interested in studying those ruins." Carolina replied.

"Y-You actually know the Champion of Sinnoh?" Barry asked in shock. "Yeah, we've run into her a whole bunch of times." Ash replied. "You…you…" Barry swooned and passed out, which brought sweat-drops from everyone. "Is he alright?" Cynthia asked. "He and Ash kinda have a little rivalry; he can't handle the fact that we know you personally." Misty laughed.

"Whoa, I had the strangest dream; I dreamt that the Champion came and that she knew you guys." Barry said, getting up again. "She does, see?" Misty pointed out. Barry looked at Cynthia and fell to the floor again. "Hey kid! It doesn't matter how many times you do that, reality isn't gonna change!" Brad shouted. "It was worth a try." Barry mumbled.

"So is everyone alright?" Cynthia asked. "Just a few bumps and bruises mostly, but we're ok now." Ash replied. "Thanks to Riley that is!" Dawn said. "Well, I definitely needed a LOT of help to do it." Riley chuckled. "So this is it is it?" Carolina asked. "Yep, it sure is." Ash replied.

"The Iron Ruins…they really exist…" Carolina signaled for more helicopters to land, and some of her assistants came out of the helicopters with equipment to study the ruins. "Please, come with us." Carolina requested. The group nodded and followed Carolina and Cynthia down into the ruins. "So this is what the inside looks like." Misty said in awe. "Kinda weird if you ask me." Barry replied. "She WASN'T asking you." Brad snickered. Barry growled quietly at the comedian in response.

Carolina activated her laptop and begin examining the destroyed Team Galactic machine, and the sensors plugged into the computer began inputting data into the computer's hard drive. "Fascinating! This machine is made up of the exact same substance as the meteors from Veilstone City!" Carolina said. "Does that mean they made it from the meteors they stole out of the park?" Dawn asked.

"Almost certainly…it's been said that Iron Island was originally an ancient meteor, long ago." Carolina said. "Meteor? Does that mean the Iron Ruins were made from a meteor too?" Riley asked. "I'd say so. Both the Iron Island Ruins and this machine are giving off a special frequency; these two frequencies must have resonated, creating a sound wave causing the steel-types to go crazy!" Carolina explained.

"So that's it! It's like when a Pokémon hears some things that humans can't, except this only affected the steel-types." Misty said. "You're a smart kid." Carolina said. "Thanks." Misty replied bashfully. "So you're saying that the entire island is made up of the same compound as the Veilstone City meteors?" Riley asked.

"Yes, that's right. Most likely Team Galactic was able to pinpoint the location of the Iron Ruins by using this…this machine as a radar…not only that…but it is also rumored to reveal the location of Spear Pillar, which is necessary to summon Dialga and Palkia into this world." Carolina explained.

"Spear Pillar?" the group asked. "Supposedly it's located somewhere in the Sinnoh Region." Carolina replied. "So that means we'll have to keep on our toes, right Cynthia?" D. Shad asked. "Right." Cynthia replied. "The name's Riley, isn't it? You seem like someone who's been on the island for a while. Would you able to give us a little assistance while we survey the nearby areas?" Carolina asked.

"Sure! I'm always interested in learning more about this island." Riley said. "Well as long as we're going to be working, Cynthia, why don't you take these kids back to Canalave for what I'm sure would be a much-needed rest." Carolina suggested. "Yeah, a rest sounds like a good idea to me." Ash chuckled. "Oh Ash, before you go, I wanted to give you something." Riley said. "Sure Riley, what's up?" Ash asked.

"Come with me everyone." Riley and his Lucario climbed out of the ruins, with the group, including Cynthia following. "So what is it Riley?" Ash asked. "You impressed me today Ash. You showed me great courage, you showed me great love for Pokémon and their world, and you even showed a proficiency in aura that I've never seen in someone so young. Most kids your age can't handle aura at all, and here you managed to control it under extreme pressure." Riley said.

"Well, I just wanted to help, ya know?" Ash said with his hands behind his head. "And you were one. Without you, and your friends of course, Iron Island wouldn't even be here right now. And so, in gratitude for helping Lucario and I save Iron Island…what do you think Lucario, is he the one?" Riley asked. Lucario looked at Ash and focused its aura, and it felt that Ash could feel its aura touching his. Lucario opened its eyes and nodded at Riley with a smile, confirming it. "It's official then. Ash, I would like you to have this." Riley handed Ash a Pokémon Egg, which Ash gladly accepted. "Gee, thanks Riley! What kind of egg is it?" Ash asked.

"Use your aura on it Ash." Riley said. Ash's smile suddenly vanished and was replaced with a surprised look. But he obliged and tried to exert his aura once again, and the egg slowly began glowing white. "It worked!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash put the egg down and watched in awe as the Pokémon entered the world. "Ash, look." Misty said in awe. The baby Pokémon yawned and stretched, as if it had just woken up from a long sleep. "It's a…Riolu." Ash gasped.

"That's right Ash, we've been on the lookout for someone who could be the owner of Lucario's offspring, I'm sure his mate will be glad to know that we finally found just the right person." Riley said. Ash smiled widely and knelt down in front of the brand new Pokémon. "Hey there little guy." he said gently. Riolu looked at Ash and cringed in fear, which surprised Ash. "It's scared of you." Barry snickered. "Should I use my aura to talk to it?" Ash asked. "My thoughts exactly." Riley replied.

Ash gently grabbed Riolu's paw and began focusing his aura. When the baby Pokémon felt Ash's aura, it instinctively closed its eyes and started focusing its own aura. "Wow look at that! It knows how to use aura even from birth!" Dawn said.

_"You see Riolu? I'm your friend, and so are all these other guys. I'm glad to have you as my new Pokémon and I know that we'll be the best of friends." _

Ash and Riolu simultaneously opened their eyes, and the baby Pokémon immediately cried out happily and embraced its new master and friend. "Nice to meet you too Riolu." Ash said happily. "Well Ash, it looks like you have yet another life that's been born by meeting you." Cynthia said. "Yeah Cynthia, and I'm gonna make sure to take great care of Riolu, thanks a lot Riley!" Ash said as he hugged his newest Pokémon. "Don't thank me; it was you who earned Lucario's trust." Riley said. "Hey I've got an idea! Let's introduce Riolu to some of its new friends!" Misty suggested.

"Great idea Mist!" Ash said. Misty and Brock both reached for Pokéballs, and Azurill and Happiny emerged soon after. "Meet some of your friends Riolu!" Ash said. Riolu hopped out of Ash's embrace and said hello to the two Pokémon, who happily said hello back. "Hey I wonder what moves it knows." Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned Riolu. "This Riolu can use 'Quick Attack', 'Foresight', and 'Endure'." the Pokédex chirped. "Hey that's great!" Ash exclaimed. "And he's so cute too!" Dawn squealed. "Cute's an understatement, he's adorable!" Misty added. Riolu squealed happily at the affection from the two females.

"Hey! Don't I get a Riolu too? Having a super strong Lucario would really help in gym battles!" Barry exclaimed. "Sorry, but Lucario's mate only had one egg, maybe next mating season." Riley replied. Barry hunched over and sighed. "This just isn't my day."

The group laughed at Barry's misfortune, and together they headed back to Canalave via helicopter for a good night's sleep. The next morning, Brad, D. Shad, Barry, and Cynthia all came out to the dock to say goodbye to their friends once again. "So where are you off to now?" Cynthia asked. "We're headed to Chocovine Town for my next contest!" Dawn replied. "And what about you Ash?" Barry asked. "Me? I'm thinking Snowpoint City would be my best bet." Ash replied.

"Hey sorry we never threw you that party, but things got hectic." D. Shad said. "No worries D. Shad, getting to have Riolu is way better than any party." Ash said. Riolu, who was on Ash's opposite shoulder, squealed happily in response to that answer. "So I guess you're staying here?" Brock asked.

"Yep, I'm gonna stay here and work with Cynthia a little while on how to take down Team Galactic before they get too far." D. Shad said. "And I'm staying because I'm stuck here until D gets his mind off of Cynthi – I mean his work and takes me home." Brad added jokingly.

"Hey Brad, why don't you let that cut under your nose heal?" D. Shad said. Brad snickered mischievously at that comment. "Well, it sure seems like you guys got caught up in something really complicated." Barry said. "Yeah Barry, I guess we did, but my goal is to win the Sinnoh League get it? So getting my next badge and starting some training with Riolu is all I'm thinking about!" Ash replied.

"You sound like me, but I'm doing lots of training, you just make sure you're in the Sinnoh League!" Barry exclaimed. "No problem! Just make sure you make it too!" Ash replied. Just then, the ferry to Chocovine blew its whistle. "Well that's the last call for passengers." Brock said.

"Well I guess this is so long, good luck Barry!" Dawn said. "You take good care." Brock added. "And you guys take care of yourselves too." Misty said. "No worries, we'll be a'ok, and if you need us, we're just a phone call away…but try not to call too soon ok?" Brad joked. The group got one last laugh before Brad walked back to the Pokémon Center.

"Well Cynthia and I have some research to do, see you around." D. Shad said. "Don't you mean you and CINDY?" Brad shouted. "Brad I hope you like donating blood through your nose!" D. Shad yelled threateningly. "Don't worry David, I trust them, you won't tell anyone right?" Cynthia asked. "Cross our hearts!" Misty replied.

"Hey Ash, if you happen to run into Paul, tell him that there's a powerful opponent waiting for him! And if you don't I'll have to fine you." Barry said. Ash sweat-dropped, "Yeah, right." He said. "Seeya, and take good care of that Riolu so I can battle it one day." Barry extended a hand to the black-haired trainer, who gladly accepted the friendly gesture.

The group boarded the ferry and they were soon on their way, as they waved goodbye to their friends and headed to Chocovine Town. And now with a brand new Pokemon under Ash's belt, the excitement is sure to build for them. But in the back of their minds they know that Team Galactic is out there somewhere, getting ready to rock the Sinnoh Region to its core. What happens next? Only one way to find out.  
_

**A/N: And there you have it! I would like to personally thank all those lucky guessers who figured it out ahead of time for keeping it quiet. The winning Pokémon is Riolu! Which means only one thing, things are gonna get exciting with an aura Pokemon in the team! Also, I lol at Brad's sense of humor. xD Not one of his real skits mind you, but I figured a comedian wouldn't be able to resist lol. Well guys, hopefully I'll be able to update quickly again, but things are beginning to get hectic and finding time to write is getting hard. Don't worry, I'm not giving up on this by any means, but I'm just saying don't be surprised if a few updates come a lot later than usual. Also, I would like to say this, for those of you who review anonymously, I do appreciate the reviews you give me, but I would love to see you guys get actual accounts so I can send you messages saying when the next updates are. I think I got everyone, but if I missed someone please let me know. Hey, the eighth Pokémon has been revealed! If you guys read this chapter, please let me know what you thought of the choice and what you thought of the chapter! In other words, REVIEW! See you guys next time!**


	44. Hold the Phione

**Hey hey everyone! EP's back with an update! Sorry I couldn't get around to sending the update messages to you all but I was really frustrated with the fact that the stupid site's glitches stopped me from posting on March 20th...why is the 20th of March so important? Maybe some of you knew already, but in case you didn't, March 20th happens to mark the one year anniversary of AAML: Diamond and Pearl Version's publishing! That's right folks, this Pokeshipping story was born about a year ago and I have been remaking the Diamond and Pearl TV series in a glorious Pokeshipping image ever since then. I'm proud to have written this story and I'll be proud to write it all the way through! Now before we get started with this newest chapter, let's take care of a few anonymous reviews.**

**- lightningblade49: Well there were some very weird conditions for that Riolu to know Aura Sphere, but Ash's Riolu is just a plain old Riolu, so it won't be learning any moves that it can't learn. Once Riolu evolves though, the moveset will get a little more flexible.**

**- charizardlover: True, that's how it evolves in the game, but I wanna have a little fun with Riolu first. After all, personalities are very different between Riolu and Lucario, so I don't want it to grow up too fast.**

**- Airoh: lol you are a good guesser. xD I didn't think the Sir Aaron thing was really worth mentioning, Japan didn't do it and I didn't see it as a huge deal so I left it out.**

**- tray125: Well you'll see in a minute. ^^**

**- Aditya Shukla: Here you go! ^^**

**- Anna: Thanks! ^^**

**- sparky1001: You like it? It gives Ash a chance to use that aura he has.**

**- Polly: All I can say is we'll see. :/**

**- darky: Sooner or later, we'll see what I decide.**

**And now everyone, behold the one year anniversary chapter! I don't own anything except the story that comes from my own mind. (Longer disclaimer for yearlong chapter. xD) Oh yeah! If any authors are reading this, here's the solution to the glitch if it hasn't been fixed yet! All you need to do was change the word "properties" in the URL of the story editor to "content." So click on your fic like you normally would to add a chapter and while on the error page just change that word and POOF! It works! Awesome loophole eh? Enjoy folks!  
**_

Chapter 44

**Misty's POV**

It really is kind of amazing. Just a couple of days ago we ran into Team Galactic and had another battle with them, this time an entire island was at stake! We had gotten a call from Barry, who I still can't believe Dawn thinks she has a crush on. He told us about how his Empoleon had suddenly gone crazy during a training session on Iron Island and that he was worried. I will admit that Barry may have some bad ideas about Pokémon, but he definitely wasn't insensitive to the needs of his Pokémon, which placed him way above Paul on the worst trainer list. The weirdest thing though, was that Barry still thought Paul was someone to look up to as a trainer. I suppose when it comes to brute strength Paul has a slight edge over Ash, but now that he has a Riolu on his team, Ash is poised to have the most powerful team I've ever seen him have. After doing some training with his Riolu, Ash'll hopefully get himself a powerful Lucario, and with his…almost spooky proficiency in aura, Ash having a Lucario would make him seem almost unbeatable! And as for me, I've been wondering if maybe I should start putting myself through some intense training with Dawn. I mean, I'm having the time of life being Ash's girlfriend and travelling with him again, but I'm getting kinda bored, maybe I should start training for contests, or maybe I could train harder with Ash so I could battle gyms myself. These Sinnoh gyms have inspired me to tell the truth, Ash's skill level at this point would let him blow right past the Kanto gyms, admittedly, even mine. And still he has to push himself to the limit to get past these Sinnoh gyms. When we go home to Kanto, I want to go back to Cerulean and be the toughest gym in Kanto! But of course, I'll be putting Daisy through my own special battling boot camp. I wouldn't want to raise the bar and then leave again knowing that Daisy would trip over it. That'd be like shooting myself in the foot.

And yesterday was just crazy, Riolu was playing with Pikachu, Piplup, and Corsola, when they wandered off without us knowing. When we went looking, Ash got an aura message for help from Riolu and wound up diving over the boat railing and into the ocean! He called out Buizel and together they chased after what we found out was Team Rocket's Magikarp submarine. But just before they got away, Team Rocket got trapped in a whirlpool and the Pokémon they captured got swept away in the current! Luckily we sent out an SOS to help Ash, so a nearby Officer Jenny came and picked him up. Then Officer Jenny came and picked us up, and we agreed with the captain of the ship that he would keep going to Chocovine and then we'd catch up with the ship after we rescued our Pokémon.

After a while of searching, a storm started brewing over the horizon while we leaned over a map of the area, but unfortunately there was a strange phenomenon involving the area of ocean we were in, ironically nicknamed "Diablo's Ocean". Officer Jenny explained that many ships have gone by the area and had their instruments stop working, luckily a map could be read without machines, and Jenny was able to discern the general area our Pokémon could've been swept to by analyzing the ocean currents. Then Ash got another aura feeling, and sent Charizard, Staravia, and Buizel to go confirm it. Brock suggested we might as well follow them in case they were there to save time, and we agreed and followed the Pokémon.

As we got closer, Ash felt the connection growing stronger, which only further encouraged the idea that Riolu and the others were on the nearby island. And it was a good thing that Ash could feel Riolu's aura because the search party Pokémon had already gotten way ahead of us. When we finally got there, we saw the Team Rocket submarine trying to recapture Pikachu and the others with golden mechanical arms. Charizard and Staravia came to the rescue as Staravia used 'Brave Bird' to snap the arm in two and Charizard's brute strength merely ripped the metallic limb from its socket. Naturally Team Rocket came out and did their motto, but before we could battle them, a weird crystal started glowing and when the light dissipated, Ash identified the thing as a Deoxys. Naturally Team Rocket changed targets and switched to trying to grab Deoxys, and somehow they had the gall to try and steal Riolu too anyway! But then Deoxys started absorbing power from the meteorites surrounding the island and made the instruments on Officer Jenny's boat go haywire and her boat start to drag to shore. We got out of range and let Deoxys have his way with Team Rocket, but then the meteorites started falling all around us, AND Riolu was in free fall heading to a painful splash.

But then Deoxys quickly changed shape and caught Riolu and dropped it in the boat, then changed shape again and protected us from the falling debris of meteorites and the remains of Team Rocket's submarine. Once the danger was over, we thanked Deoxys for saving us and our Pokémon, and in gratitude to our Pokémon and the Pokémon on the island, Deoxys created a beautiful rainbow aurora for us to look at in awe. Then we headed back to our original destination, and as the sun set over the horizon, we finally spotted the ship that was about a day away from Chocovine and boarded it again.

**Normal POV**

"So how long until we get to Chocovine Town?" Dawn asked. "Another half-hour tops." Brock replied. "That's fine with me, I want Riolu to make better friends with our other Pokémon before we get there, that way if something happens like yesterday, Riolu knows who to turn to for help if we're not there." Ash said.

"That's a pretty smart idea Ash, you're being really responsible with Riolu, I had no idea you were so good at being a parent." Misty said teasingly. "That'll come in handy when you guys get married and have kids one day." Dawn laughed. The couple couldn't help but blush at that comment, they had pondered marriage once or twice, but for now they were content with just being boyfriend and girlfriend. "Come on Dawn, not in front of Riolu." Brock said, his breeder instincts kicking in. "Aww Brock, it's been forever since I've teased them! Lemme have my fun!" Dawn whined.

The coordinator looked around and spotted Ash with his eyes closed, then she looked down and noticed Riolu's eyes were closed too. "That's just spooky." Dawn said. Ash opened his eyes and smirked at Dawn. "What's with the smirk?" Dawn asked. Ash ignored Dawn and whispered something in Misty's ear, which made her giggle softly.

"Aww, whispering sweet-nothings to your girlfriend?" Dawn teased. The couple looked at Dawn and tried to stifle the laughter that was desperately trying to escape their mouths, which confused the coordinator who was trying to tease them. "Oh come on, what's the joke?" Dawn whined. "I just told Riolu that sometimes you can act a little crazy." Ash laughed.

Dawn's jaw dropped in disbelief and looked down at Riolu who was giving her a weird look. "You didn't." Dawn gasped. "That'll teach you to mess with me and Misty." Ash stuck his tongue out at the younger girl who still couldn't believe what Ash was telling her. "We'll see about that." Dawn knelt down in front of Riolu and put on her best smile. "You don't think I'm weird, do you Riolu?" she asked sweetly.

Riolu answered by scampering away from Dawn and jumping up to hang on Ash's free shoulder. "It's ok Riolu, she may be weird sometimes but she's still a good friend." Ash reassured. Dawn pouted with frustration, "Stupid aura…stuff…come on Buneary, as long as we have the time we may as well do something other than be abused by Ash and Misty." Dawn picked up her rabbit Pokémon and headed to the top of the ship, but she turned around when Piplup didn't follow along.

"Piplup, you coming?" Dawn asked. Piplup looked back and forth between his master and the baby Pokémon on Ash's shoulder. "Oh, I get it. You wanna stay and play with Riolu." Dawn said half-heartedly. Piplup sweat-dropped and nodded in response. "Fine, you stay and babysit Riolu, Buneary and I are gonna go have fun, right Buneary?" Dawn asked. Buneary looked back and forth between her master and the electric-mouse on Ash's shoulder. "Don't tell me you wanna stay here with Pikachu?" Dawn asked with disappointment. Buneary thought about it for a moment, and then finally smiled up at Dawn.

"Yes! Come on Buneary; let's see if we can come up with something for your performance!" Dawn ran off excitedly, leaving the others behind. "Buneary wanted to stay with you Pikachu, why don't you go with them?" Misty suggested. "Pika Pikachupi!" (Thanks Misty!) Pikachu scampered off after Dawn and Buneary. "Boy at this rate, Pikachu will wanna quit gym battles and start doing contests with Dawn." Ash said.

"Don't be ridiculous Ash, Pikachu's just in love that's all. Don't forget he's learning from you and following your example." Misty said flirtatiously, drawing circles on the bashful trainer's chest. "W-Well, I guess that's ok then." Ash stammered. Misty pulled Ash in for a kiss, but first Brock grabbed Riolu off of Ash's shoulder and set him down, covering the baby Pokémon's eyes so he couldn't see. "Hey, you have a fever?" Brock felt the emanation Pokémon's forehead and felt it was warm, but when he looked at Riolu's facial expression, it looked happy.

Then Brock looked up at the couple who were currently enjoying the sweet taste of each other's lips, their arms wrapped around each other tightly in blissful affection. "Must be one of those freaky aura things." the breeder figured. Sure enough, when they broke apart, Riolu's temperature dropped to normal, and its eyes opened up as if nothing had happened. "Hey Ash, kiss Misty again." Brock said.

"I'm warning you Brock, no cameras!" Misty warned. "No nothing like that, I wanna test something." Brock replied. The couple looked at the breeder skeptically, but finally shrugged it off. "What the hey? I definitely wouldn't mind another kiss." Ash chuckled. "Yeah, I'll bet you wouldn't." Misty giggled. The couple's lips locked once more, and as they focused on the pleasure that the feeling of their lips pressing against each other brought, Riolu once again closed its eyes and its face heated up as well.

"Alright stop!" Brock said. But Ash and Misty apparently either didn't hear, or they were ignoring him, as their loving gesture remained as strong as ever. "Uh guys, that's enough." Brock said again. But again Ash and Misty ignored him. "Alright, no more Mr. Nice Guy." Brock tossed a Pokéball, and almost instantaneously, the couple's kiss lost its pleasure as Ash fell to the floor in pain. "Hey, you're supposed to hit Brock, not me." Ash groaned, as the jab from Croagunk made Ash collapse.

"What's the big idea Brock?" Misty screamed. "I told you I needed to test something, but you got carried away and you weren't listening to me." Brock replied. "What exactly was the test?" Misty asked angrily as she helped Ash back to his feet. "When you guys kissed, Riolu's face got hot, almost like it was feeling the exact same thing you were." Brock said.

"You mean…Riolu felt the uh…kiss?" Misty asked. "Not so much the kiss itself, as it felt the pleasure you guys felt." Brock replied. "Whoa, that's kinda weird." Ash said. "KINDA? I don't think I'll ever be able to look at a kiss the same way again." Misty said. "So does that mean whenever me and Misty do something, Riolu's gonna feel what we feel?" Ash asked.

"I don't think Riolu feels what Misty feels, just Ash. I get the feeling that if you were to get your feelings hurt or something, Riolu would feel it too." Brock said. "Boy, having a Riolu is tougher than I thought." Ash sighed. "Well hopefully as Riolu gets older and gains more experience, it'll depend on you less for aura training and it'll be able to use its own aura rather than feed off yours." Brock replied.

"That sounds like training to me! Alright Riolu, when we get to Chocovine, we're gonna get started with our training, how's that sound?" Ash asked. Riolu squealed excitedly and jumped onto Ash's shoulder. "Ash, don't you think you're jumping into the whole training thing a little quick?" Misty asked. "No way Mist! The sooner we get to training, the more of a head start Riolu will have on getting stronger! Besides, it's a great way to bond with your Pokémon." Ash said.

"I know that but…you should give Riolu a little time to…you know…be a baby." Misty said. "I think l have to back Ash up on this one Misty, the sooner you get to training Pokémon, the better it'll be at battling in the future." Brock said. "Don't you ever train Azurill?" Ash asked. "Well…not really, I don't want it to get hurt you know?" Misty said. "You didn't have any problems letting it battle Giratina." Ash pointed out. "It was an emergency! And besides, it had Gyarados and Charizard covering it." Misty replied.

"Battling is a part of Pokémon Misty, you know that. Azurill can't be a baby Pokémon forever you know, it needs to mature and grow and it needs your help to do it." Brock said. "But…well…oh alright, I'll let Azurill train…but ONLY with MY Pokémon…and MAYBE Riolu and Happiny." Misty said.

"Sounds good to me, how about you Riolu?" Ash asked. Riolu grunted excitedly and hopped off of Ash's shoulder to play with Piplup. "Hey look! I see Chocovine Town over there!" Brock exclaimed. "I better go find Dawn and tell her then." Misty walked off to find the wandering coordinator.

"That really is freaky though…I wonder if Riley had the same problem before his Lucario evolved." Ash said. "He probably did, but then again he may not have had a girlfriend at the time, let alone a girl like Misty." Brock replied. "What do you mean by that?" Ash asked. "You know Misty's a romantic at heart, she lives for love, and she doesn't do things 'just because'. She always has some sort of motivation for whatever she does." Brock replied.

"I guess so. But still, I'll have to be careful for a while until Riolu gets a little more independent with his aura." Ash said. "Yeah, with the pleasure it feels whenever you and Misty kiss, it'll get spoiled." Brock laughed. Ash blushed, and ironically enough, so did Riolu.

"Dawn! Hey Dawn, where'd you go?" Misty called. "I'm in here Misty! The computer room!" Dawn replied from somewhere. "I can't find the computer room!" Misty shouted. "It's around the corner next to the closet, just follow my voice!" Dawn replied. Misty found the closet and looked to her left immediately after turning the corner, and sure enough there was Dawn and Buneary doing something on the computer. "What's up Misty?" Dawn asked. "We'll be docking in a few minutes, what are you doing?" Misty replied.

"I'm looking back on Buneary's past performances by watching some old contest footage, I don't wanna copy what I already did you know." Dawn said. "Yeah that sounds like you'd wind up with the Jessilinda syndrome." Misty joked. "I know right? The thing is…I can't think of anything we haven't done already. I'm thinking I may have to use Piplup or Pachirisu first, I've already come up with a couple of new ideas for them." Dawn said. "Well I'm sure it'll look great no matter what. Come on, let's go topside." Misty grabbed Dawn by the arm and stood her up from her chair, and together they walked back up to the top of the boat.

"Hey guys, check this out!" Ash exclaimed. The two girls leaned over the railing and saw multicolored tents lined up all the way down the road. "Wow, is the circus in town?" Misty asked. "Dunno, guess we'll find out though." Ash replied. Riolu squealed excitedly, which made Ash twinge a little. "Riolu say something?" Brock asked. "I think Riolu just told me it wants to go check it out." Ash replied. "Well we'll get to in a minute, the gangplank's going down." Brock said. The group watched as their ramp to Chocovine Town lowered, and the group set their feet on solid ground.

"Wow, this place is packed!" Ash said. "Busy for sure." Dawn added. As they walked, the group heard one concession stand vendor who was louder than the others, "So how about a Phione cellphone strap for good luck?" the vendor shouted, "We've got your Phione dolls here, your Phione candies here! You name it, we got it!"

"Wow, it's adorable!" the two girls ran for the stand with stars in their eyes. "I've never seen anything so cute in my life!" Dawn squealed as she squeezed one of the dolls in her arms. "Ma'am, you've got good taste." the vendor said. "Ash, will you buy one for me PLEEEEASE?" Misty asked, batting her eyelashes pleadingly at the trainer. "Uh…how much?" Ash asked the vendor. "Hmm…under normal circumstances they'd be $1.50 each, but for these lovely ladies, it's on the house." the vendor said. "Wow thanks so much!" the girls squealed, as they both grabbed a Phione doll off the shelf and squeezed it tight.

"And if you think these are cute, check this out, they're the real article!" the vendor pointed their attention to a TV screen, where video clips of a real Phione was playing. "Oh…my…gosh…that is too cute for words!" Misty squealed. "Yep, the cutest water-type anywhere near here." the vendor said proudly. "Chocovine Town's one of the few places Phione can be seen since they're such rare Pokémon." Brock said.

"Well I've never seen one before!" Ash said. "Neither have I but I want one!" Misty added. Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan the Pokémon on the tape, "Phione, the Sea Drifter Pokémon. Phione lives in warm oceans. It inflates the flotation sac on its head allowing it to float on the waves and look for food." her Pokédex chirped.

"So you fine young people on your way to the Pokémon Contest?" the vendor asked. "I am! Once I show them what I'm made of that ribbon's mine!" Dawn exclaimed determinedly. "As for me, having Gym Battles is what I'm into. As soon as we leave here we're heading for the Snowpoint City Gym." Ash added.

"Well then you ALL wanna make sure you take in a little Phione watching." the vendor said. "Phione watching? What's that?" the group asked. "I see you've never heard of it…there's an old saying here in Chocovine Town: 'Good luck smiles down on those who spot the Phione.' And you've come to the right place. Actually, this is the only time of year when it's possible to spot a Phione. Year after year this town swarms with sightseers, all hoping to catch a glimpse." the vendor explained.

"Wow. That sounds amazing!" Misty sighed, her love for water-types bubbling to the surface. "Believe me it is, and if memory serves me well the last several years, all the contest champions were coordinators who spotted a Phione before the competition." the vendor explained. "Wow! Are you serious?" Dawn squealed, "Guys, we've just GOTTA go and do some Phione watching!"

"I dunno Dawn; shouldn't you be more concerned about doing some training before the contest?" Brock asked. "Oh come on Brock, I can train tomorrow, but I wanna go and see the Phione and get some luck for the contest!" Dawn replied. "Well…I think the call should be up to Ash and Misty since they haven't had any say in this." Brock said. All eyes quickly fell on the couple. "Well I think it's a great idea!" Misty exclaimed. "I dunno, I really wanted to get in some training with Riolu." Ash added.

"Oh come on, think about it Ash, we could make it a date night…the two of us, under the moonlight, listening to the sound of the waves and maybe spotting a Phione or two! Whaddya say?" Misty said enticingly. "And think about the experience it would be for Riolu too!" Dawn added. The trainer thought it about it for a moment, and eventually gave in to the wishes of the two females. "Well I guess we could take one night off to relax and do some Phione watching."

The two girls cheered excitedly, the eldest one giving Ash a tight embrace in thanks. "Misty, Riolu." Ash whispered, his face red with blush. "Misty released Ash and remembered what happened on the boat, and sure enough Riolu was blushing along with Ash. "Hoo boy, you're gonna have to find a way to make your connection with Riolu not quite so…complete." Misty said. "I'll leave Riolu with Brock before we go on our own, how's that sound?" Ash asked. "Sounds good to me." Misty replied.

"You could've asked if you could leave Riolu with me instead of volunteering me you know." Brock said disapprovingly. "Uh…sorry Brock, can I leave Riolu with you?" Ash asked. Brock smirked and softly whacked Ash in the back of his head and chuckled, "Sure thing big guy."

"So everything's finally set! I'm so psyched!" Dawn squealed. "Hey Dawn, did you happen to decide who you're going with this time?" Ash asked. Dawn winked at the group, "What do you think?" the coordinator grabbed two Pokéballs and tossed them up into the air, "Buneary, Pachirisu, come on out!" the rabbit and squirrel emerged from their Pokéballs and landed on the ground in front of their master. "So how would you two feel about going out and getting yourselves some extra good luck for the contest?" Dawn asked enticingly. The two Pokémon excitedly jumped up and down in response, while the penguin Pokémon on Dawn's head groaned sadly. "Uh Dawn?" Misty pointed above her head, giving Dawn a signal.

Dawn picked it up quickly and plucked Piplup off from her head and held him. "Oh Piplup, I was thinking maybe you could help cheer them on this time." she said. "Piplup…" (But…) the penguin chirped sadly. "Come on, you know how much they look up to you." Dawn said with a wink. Upon hearing that, Piplup cheered up and was satisfied with the task given to him. "Might I suggest you young people go and get yourselves a room at the Pokémon Center before you go?" the vendor said. "Sounds like a good idea, thanks so much! And thanks again for the Phione dolls!" Misty replied.

The group waved goodbye to the friendly vendor, and walked over to the Pokémon Center to check in. "Now remember Brock, just check us in to the Pokémon Center, we don't wanna have to check YOU in to a hospital." Misty said. "Yeah yeah, I get the message." Brock grumbled before walking to the counter where Nurse Joy was. "Well we have a few hours before we get going, maybe I get in a bit of training with Riolu after all." Ash said. "And maybe I can do some contest training before we go." Dawn added.

"I thought you told me you didn't have any ideas for Buneary's performance, why are you using her now?" Misty asked. "Because after I saw that Phione on film this idea just popped into my mind! I guess they really are good luck then." Dawn replied, "And what about you Misty? Are you gonna do any training?"

"Well I guess so, but I'm a little iffy on the whole thing." Misty admitted. "Why? You were never concerned before." Dawn said. "Well it's just that since Riolu's a baby Pokémon, Ash and Brock suggested that I start training Azurill too…but I don't want it to get hurt while we're battling." Misty replied. "Come on Misty, it's no big deal, all we're doing is some friendly training, it's not like we're out to hurt your Pokémon on purpose." Ash said, "And wouldn't it be awesome if Azurill evolved into a Marill? And then an Azumarill after that!"

"I-I guess…but…" Misty stammered. "But what Mist?" Ash asked. Just then Brock walked up, "We're checked in. Ash, why don't you and Dawn go out and start training? Misty come with me a second." the breeder led the water-trainer away, leaving the puzzled trainer and coordinator to head outside without their redheaded friend.

"What's up Brock?" Misty asked. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Ash and Dawn, and you still seem really bothered by the prospect of training Azurill." Brock said. "Well Brock wouldn't you be worried if it were Happiny out there battling? You wouldn't want it to get hurt now would you?" Misty asked. "You're right about that, I was really worried when Happiny went out to push on the glacier back in Sonzonia City, but I let it go anyway." Brock replied, "But I don't think that's the real issue here…tell me the truth Misty, what are you REALLY worried about?"

Misty looked into the caring eyes of her big brother figure and fell down into a nearby chair; Brock joined her in a different chair. "You can tell huh?" she mumbled. "I'm working to be a breeder; I can understand what you're feeling." Brock replied. "Brock I just don't want Azurill to grow up, I wanna be able to keep my baby Pokémon. It's bad enough I couldn't keep Togetic after it evolved, I don't want to wind up with a Marill just to have it leave me." Misty admitted. "Misty, listen to me. Togetic didn't leave because it didn't like you, I'm sure Togetic loves you to this very day. Just because it evolved doesn't mean it forgot everything you did for it when it was a Togepi…" Brock was cut-off.

"I know that Brock, and I still love Togetic…it's just that…I was just so heartbroken after that…I wanted to stay with you guys longer but…I just couldn't take the pain I was feeling." Misty said, tears starting to form in her eyes from the painful remembrance. Brock smiled sympathetically at the maternal water-trainer, _"She's gonna make some mother one day."_

"I kind of know what you're going through Misty. You're afraid of losing Azurill the same way you lost Togetic right?" Brock asked. "Yeah, pretty much." Misty sighed sadly. "Let me ask you something…would you have stopped Togetic from leaving even though it would make Togetic unhappy?" Brock asked. "Of course not Brock! I'd do anything to make Togetic happy!" Misty replied.

"Well then why are you depriving Azurill?" Brock asked. "Depriving…how can you say that Brock? I give Azurill all the love it could possibly want!" Misty exclaimed incredulously. "Calm down Misty. What I'm trying to say is…here; maybe you need a visual demonstration." Brock stood up and tossed out a Pokéball, and the Pokémon that emerged immediately gave Brock a salute. "When I got Sudowoodo, it wasn't even able to eat solid food yet, and I nurtured it and played with it and gave whatever it asked for, isn't that right Sudowoodo?" Brock said.

Sudowoodo laughed bashfully and blushed embarrassedly. "But you know, I knew that sooner or later I would have to start training it or it would've remained a Bonsly forever. So when I got home after Ash's Hoenn journey, I started training Bonsly in the gym, and when we got back on the road Bonsly showed signs of maturation, most notably the fact that it would eat regular Pokémon food. A little while later, Bonsly evolved into what you see today, and I couldn't be prouder of Sudowoodo even if I tried." Brock explained.

"Think about it Misty…assume that you and Ash really DO get married one day and have kids…are you gonna stop them from going on their own journeys?" Brock asked. "No…I guess not, but it's hard to let go." Misty replied. "That's just it, you don't HAVE to let go. You DO have to let them go their own way, but they'll always love you no matter what happens…I guarantee you Togetic never really let go of you, and you've never really let go of Togetic." Brock reached for one of Misty's Pokéballs and released Azurill into Misty's lap, where Azurill looked up at its weeping mother in concern.

"So what do you say Mother Misty? Will you help your kids grow up and reach their full potential?" Brock asked. Misty looked down at Azurill, who was nuzzling her chest in an attempt to comfort her. Misty gasped and squeezed the small Pokémon tightly in her arms. There were so many things running through her mind right now, and none of them were comfortable. She knew Brock was right, she loved Azurill just as much as she loved Togetic and she did want was best for it, but she was afraid of losing Azurill the same way she lost Togetic, but Togetic left to protect its own kind, not because it didn't like her.

Azurill would probably stay with her after it eventually evolved, but the maternal instincts inside of her were fighting to keep her baby Pokémon. But as she felt Azurill softly breathing in her arms, she realized how selfish she was being. Azurill loved her unconditionally and was always there when she needed it, even now when what was bothering her directly concerned it. And here she was, worrying more about how she would feel than her own Pokémon's health and happiness. "Azurill…I'm so sorry…I've done everything I could to be a good mother, but not a good trainer, can you ever forgive me?" Misty asked. Azurill looked up and smiled, using its tail to dab away the tears in its mother's eyes. Misty gasped again and hugged Azurill with a love that only a mother could have. "I'm sure Togetic forgives you too." Brock said with a sympathetic smile.

Misty looked up at Brock and smiled, "Thank you Brock. Thank you so much. From now on, I'm going to treat Azurill like a grownup Pokémon, and we're gonna get right to training so you can battle one day, does that sound good?" Misty asked. Azurill bounced up and down on its tail with excitement, which earned another loving hug from its trainer. "See you out there Misty." Brock nodded at the water-trainer and walked away. "Alright Azurill, no more baby Pokémon, from now on you're a grownup Pokémon." Misty said. Azurill whined playfully and nuzzled Misty's chest. "Well alright, maybe SOMETIMES." Misty laughed. Azurill hopped out of Misty's arms and pointed towards the battlefield where Ash and Dawn were getting ready to spar.

"You got it Azurill! Let's show them what you're made of!" Misty returned Azurill to its Pokéball and stood tall. _"Today's the start of something new."_ Misty confidently walked out the doors of the Pokémon Center and stood at the edge of the battlefield with a determined look on her face. "Ash Ketchum!" she shouted. "Hey, you ok Misty?" Ash asked with concern. "I challenge you and Riolu to a battle!" Misty threw a Pokéball with all her might and the Polka Dot Pokémon emerged from it determinedly. Ash smirked at her girlfriend and couldn't help but chuckle. "You sure Misty? Me and Riolu won't be taking it easy on you just because it's Azurill." he said.

"We don't expect you to! Right Azurill?" Misty exclaimed. "Azu azu!" (Right Misty!) Azurill replied. "Pika pika Pikachupi pika chu pi pi pika." (Azurill called Misty by her name.) "Looks like Azurill's starting to grow up thanks to Misty." Ash replied. "Alright then Misty, let's do this!" Ash exclaimed. The couple faced off on the battlefield with the most determined looks that either Dawn or Brock had ever seen from either of them. "Wow, they're into it." Dawn said.

"Alright you two, it's a one-on-one battle right?" Brock asked. "That's the plan!" Ash replied. "Alright, let the battle begin!" Brock shouted. "I'll start! Azurill, let's get things started with 'Bubble'!" Misty ordered. Azurill jumped up and fired a blast of bubbles at the Emanation Pokémon, who was caught off guard by Azurill's fast reaction. Riolu took the hit and fell to the ground, groaning in pain. "Whoa! Where'd that come from?" Dawn exclaimed. "Looks like not even Misty knew how strong Azurill really was." Brock said in awe.

"Come on Riolu, let's get back in this!" Ash encouraged. Riolu cringed for a moment, but then Ash used his aura to speak to Riolu, _"Come on Riolu, don't give up! Use 'Quick Attack'!" _Riolu quickly jumped back up and charged for Azurill who was also caught off guard by the fast reaction. "Hey, using aura isn't fair!" Misty shouted angrily. "I have to train it both ways you know!" Ash quipped back. At first it looked like Azurill was going to cry, but then the small Pokémon bounced on its tail and stood back up with a determined look on its face. "Whoa, Azurill?" Misty said in shock. "You go Azurill!" Dawn cheered.

"Oh yeah? Riolu, use 'Quick Attack' again!" Ash ordered. Riolu charged for the small Pokémon to tackle it again with a lightning fast attack. "Azurill, dodge it by bouncing up on your tail!" Misty countered. Azurill bounced up onto its tail and dodged the attack by bouncing high into the air. "Now use 'Slam'!" Azurill obeyed and slammed down on the Emanation Pokémon from above, knocking Riolu back onto his back. "Whoa! When did Azurill learn 'Slam'?" Ash asked. "It learned 'Slam' a few days after it hatched! Pretty cool huh?" Misty replied. "Not bad, but I dare you to dodge this! Use 'Quick Attack' again!" Ash ordered.

Riolu charged again, but when Misty ordered the same dodge, Ash closed his eyes and spoke via aura again. _"Jump up and hit Azurill from below!" _Riolu acknowledged the aura command and jumped up to hit Azurill with a swift 'Quick Attack'. The Polka Dot Pokémon hit the ground with a thud and slowly got up to face its opponent again. "Alright Azurill, try a 'Water Gun'!" Azurill acknowledged and fired a stream of water from its mouth that hit right on target and knocked Riolu down. "No, Riolu!" Ash cried. "Keep it up Azurill!" Misty encouraged. Azurill continued to fire, stopping Riolu from getting up to counterattack. "Come on Riolu don't give up! Use 'Endure'!" Ash yelled. Riolu suddenly got a second wind, and with the help of 'Endure', the Emanation Pokémon managed to get up and dodge the attack.

But after the effects of 'Endure' wore off, Riolu was left with almost no energy. "He's done for! Finish it with 'Slam'!" Misty ordered. Azurill charged for the panting Riolu, who at first seemed helpless to even dodge the attack. "No Riolu, no!" Ash cried. Suddenly, Riolu started glowing in an orange light, and the Polka Dot Pokémon's momentum was abruptly reversed, and Azurill was sent flying onto its back. "What was that?" Dawn asked. "That's the move 'Counter'! When a Pokémon uses 'Counter', all physical moves like 'Slam' for instance are repelled and get countered for double the damage!" Brock replied.

"Awesome Riolu, way to go! You learned a brand new move!" Ash cheered. Riolu squealed happily and awaited further orders, "Alright, let's get back in this with another 'Quick Attack'!" Ash ordered. Riolu acknowledged and charged towards Azurill again. "Surprise surprise, another 'Quick Attack'. Use 'Slam' now!" Misty countered. Azurill charged as well and was about to go head to head with Riolu in a battle for superiority, but then Ash changed the plan. _"Stop and use 'Counter'!" _Acknowledging the aura command, Riolu stopped and glowed in the orange light again as it waited for Azurill to try and make contact.

"Quick Azurill, out of the way!" Misty screamed. But Azurill's reaction wasn't quick enough as Riolu repelled its attack and sent it flying backwards. "It's in the bag Riolu! 'Quick Attack'!" Ash ordered. Riolu charged towards the stumbling Azurill, who was battling just to stay up. "Come on Azurill, stay strong!" Azurill heard its master's encouragement and jumped up to dodge Riolu's attack. "Turn around and finish it with 'Quick Attack'!" Ash ordered. Riolu made a sharp U-turn and headed for Azurill once again. "No way! 'Water Gun'!" Misty countered.

Azurill fired, and the water headed directly for the intended target. "Not this time, use 'Endure' to fight it off!" Ash ordered. Riolu acknowledged and began to fight off the stream of water with 'Endure', and the two Pokémon battled to see who would win the battle finally.

"Give it all you got Riolu!"

"Finish this Azurill!"

Finally the effects of 'Endure' wore off only seconds before Azurill ran out of energy to prolong the 'Water Gun', and was knocked onto his back for the final time as Riolu simply couldn't handle anymore and fainted. "Riolu is unable to battle; the winner is Misty and Azurill!" Brock announced. "Azurill you did it! That was amazing!" Misty cheered, hugging the Polka Dot Pokémon tightly. Azurill happily cheered in its master's arms, as it celebrated its first official victory in a Pokémon Battle. Meanwhile, Ash had run onto the field to check on Riolu. "Riolu, are you ok?" Ash asked with concern.

"The baby Pokémon opened its eyes and looked up at his master with tearful eyes, he wasn't able to win and was in pain because of it. Ash smiled at Riolu and hugged it tightly in his arms. "Hey, don't cry Riolu, you were awesome. I'm proud of you…don't cry." Riolu felt the love in Ash's aura and tightly hugged Ash back, thanking Ash for comforting him. Then Misty walked up holding Azurill in her arms. "Riolu sure put up one heck of a fight." she said. "See Riolu? Even Misty's proud of you, you should be too." Ash said. Riolu jumped out of Ash's arms and hugged Misty's legs, which the water-trainer couldn't help but giggle at.

"Riolu's so sweet." Dawn gushed. "I'm gonna miss when it evolves one day, Lucario aren't quite as open with their emotions." Brock said. "I guess we should enjoy it while it lasts." Dawn sighed. "You know guys, if we're going to get a good seat on the boat we better get inside so we can get ready." Brock said. "But wait! I didn't get a chance to train yet!" Dawn exclaimed. "It's either train or Phione watching Dawn, your choice." Brock said. "I'll go get ready." Dawn rushed into the Pokémon Center, leaving the group to laugh at their youngest friend. After a little while, Brock came in to check on the group.

"Alright, everyone ready to go?" Brock asked, holding Happiny in his arms. "I've been ready for a long time!" Dawn squealed. "Alright, calm down. Ash, Misty, don't wander too far off tonight alright?" Brock said. "Don't worry Brock, we'll be alright." Ash replied. Just then, a white light emerged from Dawn's backpack, and the electric mouse on Ash's shoulder hopped down to meet it. "Looks like we have a double-date tonight." Misty giggled. "You gonna be alright Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Pi pika chu." (No problem.) Pikachu replied. Pikachu and Buneary walked out of the room on their own. "Hey, wait for us!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Well they definitely can't wait, shall we go next?" Misty asked, extending her arm. Ash smiled and hooked his arm with hers, and together they walked out as well with Dawn and Brock. Outside, the group walked out towards the pier and were about to walk towards the boat when Riolu tugged on Ash's sleeve from on top of his shoulder. "What's up Riolu?" Ash asked. The Emanation Pokémon pointed excitedly towards a submarine that was docked near the pier. "What's that?" Ash wondered. "Hey it looks like they're taking passengers." Dawn said.

"You don't think they're doing UNDERWATER Phione watching?" Misty squealed hopefully. "Only one way to find out." Brock said. The group walked towards the submarine and saw a sign that showed the price of a ticket. "They ARE! This is awesome! We've just GOTTA get on this sub!" Misty squealed. "I can't believe it's only fifty cents more than the regular boat per ticket." Brock said. "Who cares? We're going UNDERWATER!" Misty exclaimed. "Thanks to Riolu that is." Ash said proudly. "Riolu you little scamp, I owe you!" Misty said, rubbing the baby Pokémon's head. Riolu squealed happily at the show of affection and hopped into Misty's arms for a hug. "Aww, you're cute." Misty giggled. "Don't spoil Riolu, Mist." Ash snickered.

"I'm not spoiling him, he battled hard today and he's earned a little love." Misty said, nuzzling the little Pokémon's nose. Ash rolled his eyes and walked on towards the submarine. "Ladies and gentlemen, you can watch Phione ABOVE the ocean's waves…" the saleswoman shouted, "But if you need a submarine, we've got one!"

"There's nothing like viewing a fab Phione beneath the ocean white with foam!" the male shouted through a megaphone. "I agree!" Misty shouted. The three salespeople suddenly hid their faces when the four teens walked up with their Pokémon, but the group was so excited they paid no attention to this fact. "Excuse us, four tickets please." Brock said. Still hiding their faces, the salespeople handed the teens their tickets. "With ease." the woman mumbled. The group walked past them and entered the submarine, and a few moments later the three salespeople quickly became the captains of the submarine as their voices came over the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, we will now begin our descent; we ask that you please take your seats until we reach our reserved area."

The sub dove down, and after a few minutes, Pokémon of all sorts could be seen swimming around the water. "Wow, look at the Luvdisc, they're gorgeous!" Dawn exclaimed. As if on cue, a school of Luvdisc came near Ash and Misty's window and started doing a dance of some sort. "What's up with these Luvdisc?" Ash asked. A woman came by and explained her theory, "It's been said that when Luvdisc see two people who were meant to be together, they show it by doing a special dance." the woman said. "Wow…really?" Misty asked, blushing. "It's true, I found my husband thanks to a school of Luvdisc." the woman said happily. Ash and Misty looked at each other and smiled, and they couldn't hold back the urge to hold each other's hand as they watched the Luvdisc swim around gleefully. "So we're meant to be." Misty whispered tenderly, leaning her head on Ash's shoulder. "Glad I chose the right girl the first time." Ash whispered back, leaning his head on hers.

But then the Luvdisc moved on and started swimming around the next window. "What the? Me and Brock?" Dawn asked in shock. "Congrats Brocko, you found the love of your life." Ash snickered. "You're not funny Ash, I DON'T like Dawn that way." Brock replied. When the group looked down though, they noticed that Pikachu and Buneary were seated in the window together as well. "Aww, hey Ash, does this mean when you and Misty have kids one day, I'll be their Aunt Dawn?" Dawn asked, only half-jokingly.

Ash and Misty were in too much of a love-induced daze to even hear what the coordinator had said. They were cuddling in the window seat and nothing could disturb them. Brock spotted what they were up to and took Riolu off of Ash's other shoulder and tried to keep the baby Pokémon's mind off of Ash's aura by pointing out all sorts of Pokémon. It worked for the most part, as Riolu had Happiny to talk to. "Look Riolu, those are Finneon! Isn't being underwater cool?" Brock asked. Riolu squealed excitedly and pointed out a lone Sharpedo hunting for food. "Eh, that's a Sharpedo." Brock said. _"You can tell that Riolu belongs to Ash, only he would think that a Sharpedo is cooler than these better looking Pokémon." _

"You know we haven't really seen any Phione yet." Dawn said. Just then, Pikachu pointed out a small light in the distance. "Whoa, what's that?" they wondered. As the lights got closer, they realized that they were exactly what they were looking for: A trio of Phione. "It's a Phione!" Dawn squealed as the trio swam around the windows. "Wow, look you guys, aren't they cool?" Brock asked. Riolu and Happiny gasped in awe, eyes shining with admiration. Next to Ash and Misty, there was another young couple who were watching as the Phione swam around happily. "You know what this means?" the man asked his fiancé. "We'll be so happy together…forever." the wife-to-be replied. "Guess we added a little luck to our future huh Ash?" Misty whispered. "Yeah Mist, I'm glad we did this." Ash replied lovingly.

As the Phione continued to swim around, one Phione caught a glimpse of the Pokémon in the window and swam up to them excitedly. "Wow, this is too cute. Ash, Misty, come here!" Dawn exclaimed. Ash and Misty walked over hand-in-hand with Riolu hopping back onto Ash in the process. "Wow, I wonder what Phione's saying." Ash said. "It's hard to say, but I know one thing's for sure, it likes Buneary." Brock said. "Bun buneary?" (It likes me?) Buneary asked in shock. The group suddenly felt the hairs on their bodies start to stand up. "Uh oh…Ash, I think Pikachu's getting jealous." Misty whispered.

Ash looked down and saw that Pikachu's cheeks were shooting out tiny little daggers of static due to anger. Ash picked up the electric mouse and walked over to where the group couldn't hear him. "Pikachu, is something wrong?" Ash asked. "Pi pika chu pi pika!" (That Phione likes Buneary!) Pikachu growled. "So what Pikachu? There's no reason to get upset." Ash said. "Pika pika pika chu?" (What do you mean no reason?) Pikachu replied angrily. "Well it's only a big deal if Buneary likes the Phione back, does she?" Ash asked.

"Pi…pi pika chu." (No…I don't think so.) Pikachu replied. "Then don't worry about that Phione, just enjoy the view with Buneary while we're down here, ok?" Ash said. "Pika Pikapi." (Ok Ash.) Pikachu replied. The electric mouse hopped out of Ash's grip and back onto the windowsill where Phione was still squeaking gleefully at Buneary. "Bun bun?" (You ok?) Buneary asked. "Pi pika chu." (I am now.) Pikachu replied. Buneary placed a small peck on the mouse's cheek, making Pikachu blush. But when the Phione saw that, it started shouting in fury at Pikachu, luckily they couldn't hear anything Phione was saying through the glass. Before anyone could make a comment, the intercom came on again. "Attention passengers, we will now begin our ascent, please take your seats until we say it is safe to get up, thank you for riding with us."

The sub slowly made its way up and in a matter of minutes the group was docked at the pier again. "Wow, wasn't that amazing?" Dawn squealed. "Shh, Happiny and Riolu are asleep." Brock said as he gently rocked the tiny egg-toting Pokémon in his arms. "Heh, I didn't even notice." Ash gently took the baby Pokémon off of his shoulder and held him in his arms. Without even waking up, Riolu yawned and wrapped his arms around Ash's neck as Ash held him, peacefully sleeping in his master's arms. "Aww Ash, you look like such a good father." Misty giggled.

Let's head back guys, these guys need to get some sleep." Brock whispered. "Right." they replied. As they walked off the sub, the three captains/salespeople covered their faces again as they waved farewell to the four teens. Once they reached the Pokémon Center, they walked into their room and placed the two sleeping Pokémon on a chair. Then Ash and Misty walked out onto the balcony to spend a little time alone. "That was just AMAZING Ash, I've seen great things underwater, but this just trounced everything right away." Misty said.

"Glad you had fun Mist, it sure was something." Ash replied. "And…those Luvdisc…Ash those Luvdisc, it was just…I couldn't believe it Ash!" Misty said giddily. Ash chuckled and sat down in the chair on the balcony with a happy smile plastered on his face. Smiling, Misty sat down on Ash's lap and leaned back on him. Ash supported her by hugging her waist so she wouldn't fall off. "You know…seeing those Phione kinda reminded me about May and Manaphy." Ash said. "Oh yeah, you said you didn't want to go into detail." Misty replied.

"Yeah, I still don't really…Mist I'm so tired of seeing all these goodbyes…I'll never forget how painful it was for May to say goodbye to Manaphy…I mean, May was practically Manaphy's mother! She had even managed to get him to speak a few words. I really never saw a Pokémon that was so attached…Manaphy made my relationship with Pikachu look platonic." Ash said. "Ooh, 'platonic'. Ash know big words." Misty joked. "Very funny." Ash chuckled. "They must've been really close then." Misty said.

"They were. Ahh Mist…it hurts you know? Sometimes it feels like I've gone through more goodbyes than hellos, and each time it leaves a hole in my heart." Ash said. Misty turned around in his lap, and Ash scooted over to make room for her in the chair so they could sit together. "I'm sorry Ash." Misty said softly, leaning her head on Ash's chest. "I'm sorrier for May; she felt it more than any of us…just like Dawn was hurt most by Shaymin leaving." Ash replied.

"You know…saying goodbye is the exact reason I didn't want to train Azurill…I didn't want to chance Azurill leaving me like Togetic did…I know Togetic loves me, I just didn't want to have to part with Azurill the same way." Misty explained. "Brock talked you into it?" Ash guessed. "Yeah…he told me that I needed to learn to let go if I had to, and that Togetic would never let go of me even if we weren't together, so…I'm gonna train Azurill now." Misty replied.

"I wish I could fill all the holes in everyone's hearts…starting with Max and May since they had the earliest ones…" Ash said thoughtfully. Misty didn't have a reply to that, she understood how Ash was feeling and she knew that all she could really do at this point was to comfort him as best as she could. So the two sat in silence for a while, until the water-trainer eventually fell asleep, and Ash had to get Misty to her bed. After he got changed, he got under the covers and embraced the water-trainer's waist, and she showed her approval by scooting closer to him.

The next morning, Ash was woken up by an excited Riolu who was bouncing up and down on the bed, "Alright Riolu, I'm up, I'm up." Ash groaned sleepily. Riolu hopped of the bed and went to wake up Pikachu and Buneary, while Ash yawned and stretched before slinging his legs over the side. The excitement woke the rest of the group up too. "(Yawn) Might wanna get used to it Ash, when you have kids one day, you're gonna get a lot of wake up calls like that. My brothers are sisters are how I know that." Brock said.

"If they do that every morning they won't be MY kids, they'll be Misty's kids." Ash said. "Only if you want a mallet to the head." Misty warned, not opening her eyes. "The girlfriend has spoken." Dawn laughed. Ash sighed and went to go change into his regular clothes, but then Riolu jumped back onto the bed and started jumping up and down on Misty. "(Groan) Ash isn't here, why are you jumping on me?" Misty whined tiredly. "My guess would be that if Riolu sees Ash as his dad, he read his aura and views you as his mom." Brock laughed.

"(Sigh) I guess that's alright." Misty sat up in her bed and embraced the Emanation Pokémon, who squealed happily at the affection. "This little guy sure has a lot of energy." Misty said. "Just like Ash." Brock added. "Well as long as we're up, we might as well get started training." Ash said, coming out of the bathroom. Riolu quickly hopped out of Misty's hug and jumped up onto Ash's shoulder. "Alright Riolu, we're going. Come on guys!" Ash ran out of the room with Pikachu and Buneary trailing him. After a few minutes, the group walked outside to the battlefield and saw Ash doing some stretching with his Pokémon, counting off as they did poses to limber themselves up for a hard training session. "Mind if we join you?" Dawn asked. "Sure thing, just follow my lead!" Ash replied.

Misty tossed out a Pokéball and Azurill popped out, the Polka Dot Pokémon hopped over to where Piplup and Pachirisu had just joined Pikachu, Buneary, and Riolu, and together they all did a quick routine of stretches. "Alright guys, finish by just stretching your arms up to the sky." Ash stretched and reached for the clouds and everyone else followed suit, after a few seconds, Ash lowered his arms and exhaled, concluding the stretching. "Boy that felt good." Misty said. "I'll say, it really gets the blood flowing." Dawn added.

"Alright you guys, time for some special gym battle training!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu and Riolu cheered when Ash said that. "Ash you're not REALLY gonna put Riolu through a gym battle ALREADY are you? It couldn't even beat Azurill yesterday let alone one of these Sinnoh gyms." Misty whispered. "Heck no Mist, but I want Riolu to get a taste of what it's like so when I DO decide he's ready, he'll be used to the training." Ash replied.

"Hey Ash, could we maybe do that training a little later?" Dawn asked. "Why?" Ash asked. "Well you see…I kinda wanted to buy some new seals for my contest Pokéballs, and if you three would join me it'd be great!" Dawn said. "But there's training to do." Ash said. "Think of it this way, you will be training since you're practicing what you'll go through whenever Misty decides to go shopping." Dawn said.

Misty giggled at that, "She's right you know, you'll have to carry my bags and everything." she laughed. "Come on, I won't be long! There's no need to worry!" Dawn exclaimed. "That's when I worry the most!" Ash whined. Dawn grabbed Ash and Brock by the hands and dragged them off to the nearby shopping center with Misty not far behind. Buneary followed her master's example and grabbed Pikachu by the hand, who like Ash was not exactly thrilled at the concept of shopping. But nevertheless the electric mouse yielded to the wishes of the small rabbit and followed along, with Piplup, Pachirisu, Riolu and Azurill trailing behind.

They soon found the contest shopping center and Dawn wasted no time filling up bags of contest stuff and handing it to the two men to carry. Even poor Pikachu had been forced to carry Dawn's shopping bag on his head. "What's even in here?" Ash asked incredulously. "Stuff I need for the contest of course! Hey Misty, come here and see what you like best." Dawn said, directing the older girl's attention to a wall full of contest Pokéball seals. "What do you think of this one?" Dawn asked, pointing at a purple heart seal. "Looks fine to me, but whose Pokéball will get the seal?" Misty replied. "I was thinking Buneary. What do you think Buneary?" Dawn asked. "Buneary! buneary!" (I like it! I like it!) Buneary replied approvingly.

"Chipa chipa pachi?" (What about this one?) Pachirisu asked. "Oh you like that one better Pachirisu? Ok, we can get that one for you then." Dawn replied. "Someone should be sealing her wallet shut." Ash grumbled. "Talk about being left holding the bag." Brock added. "Pika pika." (You said it.) Pikachu replied with a sweat-drop. Finally, Dawn walked up with her Pokémon in tow and Misty standing next to her. "Ok, all done." Dawn said. The two males shot annoyed glares at the coordinator who sweat-dropped. "Ok no more shopping guys, I promise." she laughed.

"Well alright! Finally we can get a little training done!" Ash exclaimed. "And so can we! Now that we have our new seals let's get to work!" Dawn exclaimed. Dawn's Pokémon cheered their approval. "And I know just the spot! There's a little spot near here next to the ocean that we can train without interruption." Misty added. "Perfect! Let's get going!" Dawn rushed out of the store with excitement, leaving the others to chase after the coordinator who immediately started training the moment she got there.

"Ok Piplup, I want you to spar with Pachirisu! Use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup didn't waste a second and fired a stream of bubbles towards the squirrel Pokémon. "Ok Pachirisu, 'Discharge'!" Dawn ordered. Pachirisu fired a blast of blue electricity towards the bubbles, making the two attacks criss-cross. "Looking good for a warm-up!" Dawn exclaimed. "Wow, Pachirisu's getting good!" Ash said. "With great appeal too. Nice." Brock added. "Great job Pachirisu! Alright, next…" but before Dawn could finish her sentence, something jumped out of the water with a happy cry.

"It's a Phione!" Dawn exclaimed. The ecstatic Phione hopped over to Buneary and Pikachu, and introduced itself to the rabbit Pokémon. "It can't be…" Misty said in disbelief. "It is…it's the same Phione from last night!" Dawn gasped. Ash looked over at Pikachu, and for the moment it seemed the electric mouse was doing a decent job controlling his temper. Piplup waddled over to Phione to shake its fin, but Phione angrily glared at the penguin, slapped his fin away and jumped up to fire an 'Ice Beam' that froze Piplup solid. "Aah! Piplup no!" Dawn cried. After a few moments however, Piplup thawed out and sighed with relief.

"But if things hadn't gotten bad enough, Team Rocket emerged from the water as well in their Magikarp submarine. "Not them!" Ash growled. The hatch opened and the trio of crooks appeared from inside. "You've been a naughty little water-type. But now after a lengthy search it's back in the pot you go." Jessie said. "Team Rocket! I'll bet you wanna steal Phione!" Ash growled.

Jessie: "Your grasp of the obvious never ceases to amaze. Do I hear a yes?"

James: "Go on twerp, take a guess!"

Jessie: "While we're on the wind…"

James: "Passing the stars…"

Meowth: "You'll WISH you were as smart as Jess!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope, putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet!"

James: "When it's worse our work is complete!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And James!"

Meowth: "Meowth's da name!"

Jessie: "Putting you do-gooders in your place!"

James: "Because we're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Don't even think about trying to take Phione!" Ash growled. "Another comedian…the real joke is that Phione is all OURS." Jessie snickered. "So come on Phione, come to Jamesy!" James said friendlily. But Phione backed off in fear, it knew that Team Rocket was bad; after all, they had captured it, stuffed it in a pot and even now had chased it all the way around Chocovine Town during its quest for Buneary. Speaking of the little rabbit, Phione turned around and gasped in horror when it was Buneary hiding behind Pikachu nervously.

Fire ignited in the little water-type's eyes, and it started spouting off at Pikachu who was gradually growing angrier as Phione continued its verbal onslaught. "Meowth, could you translate that for us?" Jessie asked. "Believe it or not, Phione's challenging Pikachu to a battle!" Meowth replied. "Battle?" the group exclaimed in shock. Phione shouted off some more, and this time Pikachu responded by getting down on all fours and sparking his cheeks with anger.

"You all might wanna sit down for dis one but Phione says dat whoever wins it gets ta be with Buneary ta have and ta hold." Meowth translated. "Well…if you had told me that Phione had THAT kind of moxie I never would've believed it." Jessie said. "Oh dear, that's so romantic!" Dawn gushed. "What?" Ash shouted at the coordinator.

"A troubled soul searching for love…Phione I totally understand!" Brock shouted passionately. "What? Brock, Pikachu likes Buneary, remember?" Ash exclaimed angrily. Pikachu responded to the determined water-type, who seemed completely undeterred by Pikachu's sparks. "Even I can't believe dis one, but Pikachu just told Phione: 'You must be crazy if you tink you can beat an electric-type in a head-ta-head battle.'" Meowth translated. Phione shouted back with even more determination than ever. "Oh wow…" Meowth couldn't believe his ears.

"Spit it out Meowth!" Jessie said. "Phione just taunted Pikachu saying dat he's scared ta battle with it." Meowth translated. "Pikachu's not scared of anyone!" Ash shouted. Pikachu growled at the water-type and gave one last response. "Wow…I neva pictured Pikachu as da doity mouth type." Meowth said. "Just clean it up a bit for all the twerps out there." James said. "Basically Pikachu told Phione: 'Bring it on you big drip, one 'Thunderbolt' and I'll send ya packing!'" Meowth translated. "Well this is worth the price of admission right here!" Jessie, James and Meowth scurried over to the sidewalk with the teens to watch the battle take place. While this was happening, Buneary hopped into Dawn's arms with worry etched on the small rabbit's face. "Don't worry Buneary, everything will be alright." Dawn comforted.

"Pikachu's actually fighting for Buneary." Misty said in disbelief. "I really don't know what to do other than hope Pikachu wins." Ash added. "Well I'll tell you this Ash; this is serious, so no matter what…we gotta see this through!" Brock said. "Guess you're right Brock." Ash replied.

"Pika pika!" (I'm first!) Pikachu charged towards the water-type with a swift 'Quick Attack'. "Whoa, that's 'Quick Attack'! Pikachu must really wanna get the first hit." Ash said. But before Pikachu made contact, Phione split into a bunch of other Phione, leaving Pikachu hitting nothing but air. "Whoa, that was 'Double Team'!" Misty exclaimed. "That Phione sure knows what it's doing." Brock added. Phione then leaped up and launched sound waves from its mouth.

"Here comes a 'Supersonic'!" Meowth exclaimed. "Pikachu better dodge it or it's date time for Buneary!" James added. But the electric mouse was ready for it and quickly leaped out of the way. Then Pikachu jumped up and his tail turned to steel. "That's 'Iron Tail'!" Dawn exclaimed. Phione didn't want to take the hit, so it quickly hopped into the water and seemingly dissolved before Pikachu could make the hit. "What happened to Phione?" Ash asked. "That's 'Acid Armor'! Just like Vaporeon does!" Misty replied.

For a moment Pikachu was worried, but then it smirked as an idea popped into his head. His cheeks sparked furiously and the electric mouse launched a furious 'Thunderbolt' towards the water, shocking the hiding Phione and sending it flying out of the water. "Whoa! That was incredible!" Ash exclaimed. "Pikachu used the water to his advantage and used 'Thunderbolt' knowing that the water would conduct it and hit Phione. Pikachu continued his assault and leaped up into the air, and slammed Phione down to the sand with a powerful 'Iron Tail'.

"Oof, even I felt dat one." Meowth groaned. "Pikachu's battling with the heart of a lover and a warrior." James added. It was then that Phione realized that it had bitten off more than it could chew by challenging the obviously more powerful electric-type to a battle, but one glance over at the worried Buneary gave it a second wind. Phione used 'Double Team' and split into ten different Phione, surrounding the electric-type. "So which one's the real one?" Dawn wondered. The Phione readied a 'Supersonic', but Pikachu wasn't ready to throw in the towel by any means. Smirking, Pikachu leaped up and spun while using 'Thunderbolt', making a carousel of electricity that took out the fake Phione and zapped the real one into losing focus.

"Whoa, Pikachu used his Counter Shield to take out the fake Phione!" Ash exclaimed. Now Phione was mad. The water-type blasted an 'Ice Beam' at Pikachu, who quickly dodged it and charged ahead with a 'Quick Attack'. Pikachu tackled Phione with the attack ad followed up with an 'Iron Tail' that sent Phione flying up into the air. Then Pikachu leaped up and used 'Iron Tail' again to slam Phione down into the sand and then immediately followed up with a 'Thunderbolt' before he could even land. "Pikachu's gone crazy!" Misty exclaimed.

Phione pushed itself up, panting and almost totally exhausted as it angrily glared at its opponent. It tried to fire another 'Ice Beam' but it just didn't have the strength to summon the power it needed. Pikachu grinned almost evilly and charged to finish Phione off with a mighty 'Volt Tackle'.

"Pikachu, that's enough!" Ash yelled. But Pikachu was in a blind rage, and it had only one thing on its mind and that was to take down Phione and stop it from getting anywhere near Buneary. But Buneary had seen enough and hopped out of Dawn's arms. "Buneary, what are you doing?" Dawn shouted.

Buneary jumped in front of the injured Phione and held out her arms defiantly. "Bun bun!" (Enough!) Pikachu's eyes widened in horror when he saw Buneary block his target. Pikachu desperately changed direction and wound up ramming into a cement pole with the attack. "Pikachu!" Ash ran over to the electric mouse and held him in his arms, "Are you ok Pikachu?"

Pikachu smiled and nodded. Buneary looked back at Phione, "Bun buneary?" (Are you ok?) Phione looked up and smiled happily at the small rabbit defending it. But Phione's smile quickly disappeared when Buneary hopped over to Pikachu to check on his condition. "Bun Buneary bun?" (You ok Pikachu?) "Pika chu." (I'm fine.) Buneary then hopped back over to Phione and spoke up. "Meowth, translation please." Jessie said.

"Buneary's saying dat she's flattered dat Phione would be willing ta fight for her, but da choice of who she'll be with should be determined by her and not a battle." Meowth translated. Phione sadly looked into the eyes of the rabbit Pokémon and replied. "Now Phione's asking Buneary what her choice is." Meowth translated.

Buneary looked down at Phione, and then back at Pikachu whose eyes were also longing to know what her choice would be. Finally, Buneary spoke up and looked down at Phione. "Buneary's saying…she chooses Pikachu." Meowth translated. Phione got up and looked down in sadness, then finally looked back up and talked to Buneary with a longing look in its eyes. "Alright, what's the current fuss?" Jessie asked. "Phione's saying…goodbye." Meowth replied. Just as Meowth finished, Phione glumly began hopping towards the ocean, its heart shattered and its spirit crushed. "Goodbye? Just a minute! We're not going to let your personal problems get in our way!" Jessie exclaimed. "Deal with them on your own time!" James added. "Back here on the double!" the Team Rocket trio took off after Phione, but Buneary and Pikachu leapt into action and barricaded the way.

"What are you going to do? Stop us with cute?" Jessie screamed angrily. "Buneary, stop them with 'Ice Beam'!" Dawn ordered. Buneary fired, and Phione joined in with its own 'Ice Beam', freezing Team Rocket in a solid block of ice. "Now Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt', let's go!" Pikachu complied and launched a furious blast of electricity at the chunk of ice, and sent the frozen trio blasting off again. After that, Phione took one last glance at Buneary before starting its lonely swim away. "Poor Phione looks so lonely." Dawn said sadly.

"I feel its pain! The pain of lost love!" Brock cried. "Add another goodbye to the list." Ash grumbled. Misty heard Ash's comment and suddenly came up with an idea. "Phione! Phione wait!" she shouted. Phione turned around and swam back to shore, where Misty was waiting for it. Misty whispered in the little water-type's ear and its spirits immediately lifted. Then, Misty pulled out a Pokéball and Phione entered it and was happily captured by the trainer. "Misty, what are you doing? Capturing Phione will only make more drama!" Brock exclaimed. Misty walked by the group without saying a word, but after she walked about five feet, she turned around. "Let's head back."

Misty turned and walked on to the Pokémon Center, leaving the others to follow in confusion. When they got there, Brock and Dawn went to get dinner, but Ash stayed back. "You're up to something Misty, what's up?" Ash asked. "I'm just gonna put Phione somewhere where it'll be happy, don't worry!" Misty replied. "Where? Cerulean?" Ash asked. "Don't be silly, Phione wouldn't get to breathe with my sisters hugging it twenty-four/seven. Go and get something to eat Ash, and just leave everything to me." Misty winked and ran off to the videophones, leaving a bewildered Ash in her wake.

Later that night, Misty remained totally quiet about what she had done with Phione despite the constant questioning by Ash, Dawn, and Brock. After they all had dinner, the trio had grown weary of asking, so they gave up until tomorrow, when they'd be back to harassing the water-trainer to relinquish what she had done with Phione. After the lights went out, Ash and Misty headed off to bed, and after they got under the covers, Misty asked a question, "So how you feeling Ash?"

Ash sighed, knowing what she was referring to. "Aww Mist, I already told you how I feel about goodbyes, all I can say is that I'll just have to cope with this one too since you won't tell me what you did with Phione, for all I know you released it into another ocean."

"I can assure you that Phione is plenty happy where it is right now. Do you trust me?" Misty asked. "Well sure I do." Ash replied. "Do you love me?" Misty asked. "…Yeah." Ash replied sheepishly. "Then go to sleep and don't worry about Phione. I'll tell you tomorrow…but I WILL say this…one of those holes in your heart are currently on the mend." Misty placed a sweet kiss on Ash's chest and snuggled up to him, and the trainer smiled and relaxed in the gym leader's embrace.

**[Flashback]**

"Hello?" a cheery voice said. "Hey there May!" Misty replied. "Misty! Good to hear from you! How are you and Ash doing?" May asked cheekily. Misty giggled and replied, "We're doing great, and how about you? Has Drew opened up to you yet?" she asked. "Nothing yet, but what your older sister told me gives me hope! He recently gave 'Beautifly' another rose." May replied.

"Sounds good! Hey listen…Ash told me about you and Manaphy and…I couldn't help but call and tell you I'm sorry too." Misty said. May's eyes widened and she sighed sadly, "Oh he did huh?" she sighed. "I'm sorry if you didn't want it passed around, I could whack him with my mallet if you like." Misty joked. May laughed, "No that's alright, it's not a secret…it's just that Manaphy still holds a special place in my heart, and I have both fond and not so fond memories about it."

"Well…if you're interested…I think I may have something you'd like." Misty said. "A present? Cool!" May replied. Misty smiled and placed a Pokéball on the send platform, and in a moment it appeared in the Pokémon Center in Johto. "What's this?" May asked. "Let it out and you'll see." Misty replied. May examined it for a moment and finally let it out, and she gasped in awe at the creature that popped out. "Misty…is this…?" May asked.

"It's all yours…see we're here in Chocovine Town and there's a whole bunch of those little guys swimming around…I figured…maybe you'd enjoy having a little memento of all the fun times you had with Manaphy." Misty said. "Misty…I…I don't know what to say." May gasped as the little Pokémon snuggled up to her.

"Well you could say 'thank you' AND 'you're welcome'." Misty said. "Why 'you're welcome'?" May asked. "Well in a way…this is also a present to Ash and the little guy hugging you. See it fell in love with Dawn's Buneary, so I told it that you have all sorts of Pokémon it could be friends with…and Ash…Ash always hated the way you felt when you had to say goodbye to Manaphy…he…I don't know if I should be telling you this." Misty admitted. "I swear I won't tell a soul, I won't even let on that he knows if he asks, this is STRICTLY between you and me." May replied.

"Well…he told me that…every goodbye he's ever gone through has left a hole in his heart that hurts him all the time…and he told me he wishes there was a way to maybe fill those holes…this is my way of filling one of the holes in that all too big heart of his." Misty explained. "Aww Misty, it's YOU who has the big heart, how you can manage to make so many people happy all at once is beyond me…" By now May was beginning to tear up as she squeezed the little Pokémon in her arms. "I-I love it Misty, thank you. And don't worry, Phione will be well taken care of." May said gratefully. Right before Misty said goodbye, Dawn's Buneary hopped up, surprising everyone. "Bun buneary!" (Bye Phione!) she waved.

"Phi phi ne!" (Bye Buneary!) Phione waved back. Misty and May smiled at each other and waved goodbye was well. And right after May hung up; the water-trainer got up, holding Buneary in her arms and headed to the cafeteria, preparing herself for the inevitable flood of questions about Phione. "I wanna keep it a secret until tomorrow ok? So don't tell." she said. Buneary nodded and smiled up at the water-trainer. One thing was for sure, Misty couldn't wait to tell Ash tomorrow how Phione and May had been made happy, and two of the holes in his heart had just been plugged by the actions of his redheaded girlfriend.  
_

**A/N: Well that's that! We see a lot of things in this chapter: Pikachu and Buneary's relationship is growing stronger, Misty is no longer acting like just a "mommy" to Azurill, and Riolu has his first battle! For those of you who were disappointed with Riolu losing, I'm sorry but logically, with only one damaging attack it would get too repetitive for Misty to simply lose to a whole bunch of Quick Attacks. But you all gotta admit, isn't Riolu cute? ^^ And don't worry, the little guy will learn more moves, and it will eventually become a powerful Lucario...the only question is when. And if you think Phione went down too easy, let's think about it for a moment. Pikachu has trainer for three years with Ash, gone through four different regions (six if you count the Orange Islands and the Battle Frontier), learned the most powerful attacks a Pikachu can learn, and a whole bunch of techniques like the Counter Shield. While Phione is a random wild Pokemon looking for love...somehow I think Pikachu is the obvious winner. And lastly, Phione's final destination...I always thought it was weird that Phione's friends forgot about it and then randomly appeared again at the end of the show...so I used May and managed to connect the past parts of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it! And please make sure to review!**


	45. Another One Gabites the Dust

**Well folks, here's the promised Saturday chapter! I'm glad you guys are liking the Riolu wackiness that's been going on so far, and hopefully the little guy will continue to prove to be lots of fun in the future chapters! I sent everyone update messages this time around, if you are a registered reviewer and you did not recieve a message from me saying when I was updating, I apologize and I'll make sure to give you a heads up the next time around. Also, I would like to thank KeyToDestiny, whose stories will be a big help to me in future chapters, even though I'm not sure which couple I'm going with just yet...but if you're a fan of Penguinshipping, I highly recommend that you check out her stories, they are awesome, and she has this uncanny knack of making you feel what the characters are feeling, so be ready for an AWESOME read. ****Now before we get started, let's take care of the anonymous reviews.**

**lightningblade49: We'll see about Brock, I think I already have an idea about what I'm going to do with him, but it may not happen for a while. And also I'm really glad you agree with me on Pikachu's power.**

**Airoh: Alright then, I'll be keeping an eye out for you! And yeah, I'm glad how I wrote up Riolu as Ash and Misty's semi-child, it makes for a lot of humor and cuteness. xD**

**Aditya Shukla: Thanks! ^^**

**Polly: We'll see, probably.**

**Anna: Yep, that was the idea. Stories need to keep getting new things to write about or it gets boring after a while.**

**sparky1001: Thanks! ^^**

**angle of darkness: Well maybe I'll do something, but I don't think it'll be anything too big or important. Maybe a competition in an original chapter.**

**tray125: Thanks for the congrats!**

**darky/Darkness Shadow: Yeah I'm sure D. =P Well it'll be a while before Riolu evolves, I need to have some more fun first. xD**

**And now without further ado, let's go!  
_**

Chapter 45

**Misty's POV**

Yesterday was just a whole bunch of a huge events one after the other. Brock helped me to realize that I was neglecting my responsibilities as a trainer by not training Azurill because I was afraid of it leaving me the same way Togetic did. But Brock helped me realize that even though I may have let Togetic go its own way, I never really let it go, and it never really let go of me. Just because we said goodbye, it doesn't mean the connection is lost. I would always love Togetic, and in turn, Togetic would always love me. So yesterday I got started with Azurill's training by taking Ash's Riolu. It wasn't easy to overcome Ash using his aura to give orders, but Azurill managed to come out on top in the end! I had to give the little guy props though, even with nothing but 'Quick Attack', it got close to beating Azurill. Speaking of Riolu…we learned something…interesting about the aura connection between Ash and Riolu.

Apparently Riolu has the ability to read what Ash is feeling via its aura…unfortunately, that means it feels passion too. When Ash and I kissed two days ago, Riolu was blushing too! It actually felt the pleasure me and Ash felt during our intimate moment. Guess this means Ash and I will have to be careful for a little while, that is until Riolu grows up a little more and doesn't depend on Ash so much for aura usage. In a lot of ways, Riolu is like the son that me and Ash won't have for YEARS. I guess if anything it gives us a taste of what being parents together will be like since Riolu views me as his mom since I'm so close to Ash. I should be flattered…but I could've done without Riolu's wakeup call by jumping on the bed. Now we were getting breakfast, and I still had to tell the others what I did with Phione. But I have to make sure to tell Ash before Dawn and Brock.

**Normal POV**

"Hey Ash, can I talk to you a second?" Misty asked. "Sure thing Mist. You guys go on ahead, we'll meet you there." Ash said. "Alright guys, see you outside." Brock led the nosy coordinator out of the room as she whined about not being able to stay and hear what was said.

"Time to make good on my promise Ash. Still wondering where Phione went?" Misty asked. "Uh, yeah." Ash replied. "Well, I remembered that you told me that you wished you could go and fill those holes in your heart, and that you'd start with Max and May." Misty paused.

"Yeah, so what?" Ash asked. "Well I couldn't do anything about Max, but I thought that May might like having Phione to act as a reminder of all the good times she had with Manaphy." Misty replied. "Mist…you sent Phione to May?" Ash asked. "And she loves it…so, you feel better now?" Misty replied. "Aww Mist…I can't believe it." Ash said in awe.

"What can't you believe?" Misty asked. "You…you sent Phione to MAY? But I thought you wanted to keep Phione. You know, since it's a water-type." Ash replied. "Ash, I'd rather help you to feel better inside than add another Pokémon to my collection. How would I be able to train Phione knowing that May's goodbye with Manaphy would be haunting you constantly? I'd rather make you happy." Misty replied sincerely.

Ash smiled and embraced the water-trainer in thanks, and Misty happily reciprocated. "I love you Ash." she whispered as she tightened her grip. "Love you too Mi…" Ash suddenly released the water-trainer, which left her confused. "What's wrong?"

"We're being watched." Ash said embarrassedly. "Is it Dawn? So help me I'll…" Misty paused when Ash pointed behind him. She looked and saw Riolu blushing with his elbows resting comfortably on the bed. "Aura connection right?" she asked. Ash nodded and turned around to face Riolu, who had obviously decided to stay back and wait for his mom and dad.

"Hey there Riolu, you wanna go outside?" Ash asked. The baby Pokémon's blush quickly went away as it squealed excitedly and hopped on to Ash's shoulder and hanged there. "Ash you better make Riolu grow up quick or we'll never any get any time to ourselves." Misty said.

"Don't worry Mist, a little more training and I'm sure Riolu will be able to control himself." Ash reassured. The couple headed outside, where Dawn had released all her Pokémon and was getting ready for some contest training. "Uh oh, she released Mamoswine too." Misty said.

"I think it's asleep though." Ash replied. "All the same, better let out Charizard and Gyarados in case it runs rampant again." Misty suggested. Ash nodded and walked outside. Upon reaching the battlefield, the couple released their two strongest Pokémon who roared upon release. "Keep an eye on Mamoswine, don't let it go crazy." Ash said.

Charizard nodded and went to lean against a nearby tree. "You too Gyarados, if Mamoswine goes berserk, you help Charizard stop it." Misty added. Gyarados nodded and went to join Charizard by the tree.

"Mamoswine patrol?" Brock asked. "Yep." Ash replied simply. "Good call." Brock said. "So Dawn, what's on the agenda today?" Misty asked. "I'll show you! Pachirisu, 'Discharge'!" Dawn ordered. Pachirisu lifted its tail and blasted the electric attack, making sure to keep it under control.

"Pachirisu, that's perfect! Keep it up!" Dawn encouraged. "Those electric-type moves have gotten really slick." Brock commented. "That's thanks to all of Pikachu's advice." Ash said proudly. Just then, Riolu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and ran over to join Pachirisu.

"Hey Riolu, come back!" Ash shouted. "Aah! Pachirisu, hold on!" Dawn cried. Pachirisu stopped just before Riolu ran onto the field, asking Pachirisu if he could battle against it. "Looks like Riolu got a little overexcited." Ash said.

"You're training him to be a strong battler, he just needs a little time to mature and grow before you can let him on his own." Brock said. Dawn picked up the baby Pokémon and held him at arm's length. "Riolu, you should really be more careful, what if you had gotten hurt?" Dawn asked.

Riolu hung his head low in shame. "Hey, no need to worry, just make sure to be more careful next time." Dawn said, hugging the Emanation Pokémon. Riolu hugged the coordinator back, which made her giggle. "Now go on, back to Ash and Misty with you." Dawn put Riolu down and the little Pokémon jumped into Misty's waiting arms. "Cute little guy." Dawn mumbled to herself.

"Alright, now this time try making a carousel of electricity like Pikachu does!" Dawn exclaimed. Pachirisu looked over to Pikachu, who was standing next to Buneary. The electric mouse gave a thumbs up and encouraged the squirrel to try. Pachirisu rose up its tail and used 'Discharge', but the amount of effort it had to exert to make the Counter Shield technique work exhausted the squirrel, as it fell on its tail and sighed with fatigue immediately upon finishing the attack.

"You're tired huh? Alright, how about a little break?" Dawn suggested. Pachirisu smiled gratefully at the coordinator. "It's snack time!" the exact moment Dawn held up a bag of her homemade poffins, she was mobbed by small Pokémon, which included Pikachu and Riolu. "Ok, Pikachu and Riolu too!" Dawn laughed. "Thanks Dawn, I'm sure Riolu's gonna love your poffins!" Ash said.

"Alright, now everybody get into a line and wait your turn." Dawn instructed. The Pokémon obeyed, but just before Dawn could hand out the first poffin, the mighty Mamoswine came charging and knocked Dawn into the air.

Charizard leapt into action and caught the screaming coordinator in midair. Unfortunately, the poffins were Mamoswine's for the taking, and the Twin Tusk Pokémon gulped them all down at once, leaving the other Pokémon with none. "That was a quick snack." Ash sweat-dropped.

Mamoswine swallowed, and without a second though turned around and went back to sleep. "I guess it still likes the poffins." Misty said.

"Don't worry gang, I'll just go and make some more, ok?" Dawn reassured. But then Pachirisu spotted a poffin that had yet to be eaten, and it excitedly scampered over to eat it. Riolu followed the squirrel out of curiosity, and saw that it was eyeing one of the appealing snacks it wanted to taste.

Pachirisu glanced at Riolu and decided to split the poffin with the baby Pokémon. "Aww, that's sweet of Pachirisu." Misty said. But before Pachirisu could even pick it up, a large foot stomped on the poffin and growled down at the two Pokémon. "Hey, what's with that thing?" Ash growled.

Charizard and Gyarados stepped behind the two smaller Pokémon, intimidating the Pokémon to back off before it got pummeled by the two angry bodyguards. "Gabite! There you are!" a voice shouted. A young girl with curly pigtails came into view, walking over with an angry look on her face.

"Hey! You stop bullying my Gabite!" the girl screamed furiously. "Gyarados and Charizard weren't bullying Gabite! Your Gabite smashed Pachirisu and Riolu's snack!" Misty screamed back. Filled with rage, the two small Pokémon charged towards Gabite, using moves that neither had used before.

Gabite blocked the two attacks easily, but the respective trainers of the attacking Pokémon took control before they could attack again. "Those had to be new moves!" Dawn exclaimed. "Sure were! Pachirisu just used 'Super Fang' and Riolu just used 'Force Palm'!" Brock replied.

"Getting mad about that poffin must've made it happen!" Ash added. "What's wrong with those Pokémon of yours?" the girl demanded. "Come on Pachirisu, play nice." Dawn said. But the angry squirrel would not be denied its vengeance, as it unleashed a furious 'Discharge' attack in Dawn's arms, making her hair stand on end and her to fall to the floor.

"I must say, SOMEONE didn't do a very good job raising that Pachirisu, and that Riolu of yours isn't all that much better, not to mention those two ugly monsters. Right Gabite?" the girl said to her Pokémon sweetly, rubbing the bottom of the dragon-ground type's chin.

"Hmmph, let's check out that Gabite." Ash grumbled, pulling out his Pokédex. "Gabite, the Cave Pokémon. Gabite goes wild for precious jewels. First digging them up, and then stashing them in its nest." the Pokédex chirped. "Hmmph, it's got nothing on Gyarados." Misty said quietly.

"If you'll look under Gabite's foot, you'll see why the Pokémon are so upset." Dawn said, recovering from the 'Discharge'. "Oh alright." the girl raised Gabite's foot, and saw the poffin that it had smashed to pieces. "The horror! My beautiful Gabite has been soiled, how dare you?" the girl screamed in horror.

"Um…sorry we…soiled your Gabite. Go ahead and say you're sorry Pachirisu." Dawn said. Knowing it wasn't the one in the wrong, Pachirisu refused. "Good for you Pachirisu." Misty whispered. "You see, that's Pachirisu's favorite food so when Gabite stepped on it…" Ash was cut off by the girl.

"Hmmph, if THAT'S what this is about, I can help you." the girl said smugly, "No Pokémon can resist MY poffins. Here you go, eat up!" the girl held out a poffin that only slightly differed in texture and color to Dawn's, but one sniff was all it took for Pachirisu to shrug it off and reject the poffin.

"The nerve!" the girl said in disgust. Suddenly feeling defensive, Dawn turned to the side to shield Pachirisu, "Please, I wouldn't want you to get the wrong idea!" Dawn exclaimed. Brock quickly came to Dawn's rescue, "I'm sure you're aware of how poffin recipes vary for different Pokémon."

The girl raised her eyebrows and looked down, where a certain Pokémon caught her attention. "Hey…that Piplup, you competed in the last Wallace Cup competition, didn't you?" the girl asked. "Me? I did! I mean, we did, as in me and Misty." Dawn replied.

"Dawn, don't drag me into this." Misty said. "Thought so! I still think that that other girl gave you the ribbon out of pity." the girl said smugly. The group gasped with a certain amount of frustration, and Dawn was now officially tired of playing defense. "So tell me, were you in the Wallace Cup too?" Dawn asked.

"Well, I was there. The name's Ursula. Of course since I was eliminated in the first round you wouldn't remember me." Ursula hissed, "That's it. I won't say a thing about it again. But I still think that mermaid girl deserved the ribbon way more than you did." she said.

"Now wait just one minute! I'M that mermaid girl and I gave the ribbon to Dawn because I felt she deserved it more than me because of her skills as a coordinator! How dare you come here and say it was a fluke when YOU were eliminated in round one!" Misty screamed. "Wait a minute...that hair, and that Gyarados! You really ARE the mermaid girl!" Ursula squealed, her attitude suddenly changing to one of admiration.

"I can't believe I'm really face to face with the greatest rookie coordinator I've ever seen perform!" Ursula squealed, "Please, you've got to tell me your secret!" she begged. "Um, no secret, I just used my skills as a battler to compensate for my lack of coordinator experience." Misty replied.

"Wait…so…there's no secret as to why you won? What about that awesome performance round?" Ursula asked. "I did shows in Cerulean City with my older sisters, that's all." Misty replied. "Oh yeah, I remember now, your older sister competed against you…I don't think I'm interested in learning from the runt of the litter after all." Ursula said smugly.

"What did you call her? How dare you?" Ash growled, Riolu also growling while on his shoulder. "Hmm, you're right. After all, thanks to you two I've been working doubly hard! To become an even better, more beautiful, more graceful coordinator. You know, I should thank you two for defeating me. Because of you I am where I am today." Ursula cackled.

"What's with her? Why won't she drop it?" Brock wondered. "And what's with that laugh?" Misty added. Ursula turned around again, "Since I know for a fact that Misty won't be competing anymore…Dawn dear, you have how many ribbons?" Ursula asked.

"I've got three of them." Dawn replied. "Huh. The same as me. I guess you'll be in the Chocovine Contest. I can't wait to see what kind of GRACEFUL moves you've been working on." Ursula said sarcastically. At that point, Dawn decided that enough was enough.

"Alright, back off! You think after all you've said to me and Misty that I'll believe ANYTHING you say? We'll settle this at the contest!" Dawn shouted. "Ooh? You want a battle? Then you have GOT a battle. But you won't win twice!" Ursula cackled. "Fine then, now that that's settled, you can take your Gabite and beat it." Ash growled.

"Why should I?" Ursula asked. Charizard and Gyarados growled at the antagonizing coordinator and Pokémon, who seemed unfazed by their power. "Fine, I guess it's about time for me and Gabite to run along anyway. Good luck tomorrow Dawn dear."

Ursula walked away cackling, with Gabite also walking by her side. "She sure has some nerve." Ash growled. "Don't get yourself all worked up Ash, you're making Riolu feel your anger." Misty said, taking Riolu off his shoulder and into her arms. "I think it's time for some SERIOUS training, what do you say gang?" Dawn exclaimed.

Now motivated to defeat Ursula, Dawn's Pokémon shouted their approval, and the majority of the day consisted of special training for Buneary and Pachirisu. After the training ended, the sun was setting and the group was tired and hungry, so they headed inside to get something to eat. "Oh there you all are, Dawn, there's a phone call for you." Nurse Joy said. "Is it my mom?" Dawn asked.

"No, it's a young boy; he said he wanted to talk to you about tomorrow." Nurse Joy replied. "It must be Kenny!" Ash said. "Yeah Dawn, maybe he's calling to wish you luck." Misty added. "Maybe…thanks Nurse Joy, I'll take it now." Dawn went over to the videophones to take the call.

"Hey there Dee Dee." Kenny snickered. "I'm on a short fuse today Kenny, so I'll say this once. Don't. Call. Me. Dee Dee!" Dawn replied angrily. "Alright, so I heard you're getting ready for the Chocovine Contest tomorrow." Kenny said. "Yeah, my Pokémon are really excited now! Especially since they wanna beat that stuck up Ursula girl now." Dawn said.

"Ursula…oh yeah, I remember. She lost in the first round with that Gabite of hers, and if you ask me it was for good reason. To tell you the truth, watching her perform made me want to rip all my ribbons in half, made me ashamed to be in the same contests as her." Kenny joked.

Dawn couldn't help but laugh. "That's a good one!" she said. "Who said I was kidding? I almost barfed while I was watching her. Gabite, use 'Dragon Rage' on yourself!" Kenny joked. "(Gasp) She didn't REALLY order that did she?" Dawn asked. "Nah, I was just trying to make you laugh." Kenny replied.

"Oh good. I was about to say, she REALLY ordered Gabite to use it on itself? That would've been cruel and unusual punishment…of course knowing her, I wouldn't have been surprised if she had." Dawn said. "Hey you said she was stuck up, did she bother you or something?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah. Her Gabite came and interrupted our training and then she had the nerve to say it was OUR fault for 'soiling her Gabite', and then she went on this whole rant about how I didn't deserve to win the Wallace Cup and that Misty was just showing me pity by letting me have the Aqua Ribbon." Dawn said bitterly.

"You're kidding. I watched you in the Wallace Cup and you've NEVER looked better, you were totally in sync with your Pokémon and if you ask me it was no contest. I don't even know how Misty managed to keep up with you." Kenny said.

"Well I dunno about that. You have to admit, Misty was really creative with her battling the whole way through." Dawn replied. "I suppose…but I still say you're better than she is." Kenny said. "Thanks Kenny, I really appreciate it." Dawn said, "So what's going on with you?"

"Dawn you're so confused about who you like, but if you ask me it's a done deal." Misty walked away from spying on the two coordinators, and let them continue their conversation without interruption. She walked into the bedroom and found Ash and Brock discussing the route they should take to Snowpoint City. "Where's Dawn, Misty?" Brock asked.

"She's still down there talking to Kenny on the videophone." Misty replied. "Hey Misty, do you think that Dawn and Kenny could be…together?" Ash asked. Misty just gave her boyfriend a blank look. "Misty?" he asked again.

She walked up to him, looked him in the eye, which was steadily becoming harder to do as Ash kept growing taller. "It's a good thing you're cute." she said. "Uh, thanks?" he replied, unsure of how to take it. Misty just sighed and playfully tugged at his messy black hair.

"But seriously, are they?" Ash asked. "Why this sudden interest in Dawn's personal life?" Misty asked. "Well I figured that if Dawn and Kenny were together, I could get her back for all the teasing she did when we first became a couple." Ash replied. "Ash that's mean." Misty giggled, "But it sounds like fun."

"It was amazing Kenny, I wish you could've seen it, the Phione just swam up right to the window to where my Buneary was sitting. It had just fallen in love with Buneary!" Dawn exclaimed. "So you think you'll win the contest?" Kenny asked. "No need to worry! The ribbon's in the bag!" Dawn replied. "Good to hear, I gotta hop off now, nice talking to you again." Kenny said.

"You too Kenny, thanks for the call." Dawn replied. "I'll call again after the contest, that ok?" Kenny asked. "Sure thing Kenny, see you!" Dawn waved and hung up on the coordinator, and then happily walked up the steps to the room. For some reason she was feeling really lighthearted after talking to Kenny, he had this feel about him lately, that Dawn felt she could let her guard down around him. Maybe Kenny was maturing. "Hey everyone." she said cheerfully.

"You know you were talking to Kenny for a full hour?" Misty asked. "Was I? Wow." Dawn replied. "What'd you two talk about?" Brock asked. "Oh, this and that. I brought up the contest, oh and Ursula. And the Phione from a couple nights ago. He seemed disappointed when I told him about the Luvdisc that swam around me and Brock, until I told him that Pikachu and Buneary were there too." Dawn said.

"Hmm, wonder why." Misty rolled her eyes. "Well, I think I'll take a shower and head to bed, see you guys." Dawn skipped into the bathroom and softly closed the door. "She didn't seem all there." Brock said. "Yeah, she was like all spaced out." Ash added.

"She forgot her pajamas, be right back." Misty grabbed Dawn's backpack and opened the bathroom door a crack so the boys couldn't peek inside and closed it behind her. "Alright Dawn, spill." Misty said, as she dumped Dawn's backpack next to the sink.

"Spill what?" Dawn asked. "You know what. You walked in here and it looked like your mind was in la la land or something." Misty replied. "Oh that…well…I dunno, I guess I was just feeling happy." Dawn said. "Happy is an understatement. Dawn you were practically glowing!" Misty exclaimed.

"Well, Kenny called me, he seems really interested in talking to me lately, and you know, he seems to be…getting really handsome." Dawn admitted, the steam of the shower increasing her blush. Misty suddenly felt like squealing, the romantic inside her was aching to get out and start screaming like a fan girl, but she knew she had to maintain her composure or Dawn might not trust her with secrets anymore.

"Handsome huh? Could it be that you're starting to think more about Kenny than Barry?" she asked. "Well I'm not sure. But Kenny does seem to be sticking out in my mind after all." Dawn admitted.

"So you haven't decided yet?" Misty asked. "Not yet, no. But if they were racing, I'd say Kenny just caught up with Barry big time." Dawn replied. After that comment, Dawn came out of the shower and dried off. She put on her pajamas and walked out of the bathroom, letting Misty finally take her own shower. "Welcome back to reality." Brock joked. "You guys." Dawn whined.

The coordinator hopped into her bed, with Pikachu and Buneary joining her soon after. "Alright, goodnight everybody, we've got a busy day tomorrow." Dawn said. "Yeah, you've got a contest to win!" Ash replied.

Dawn smiled and rolled over so she was facing the wall and closed her eyes, with the two cuddling Pokémon at the foot of her bed following suit. "G'night to you too Pikachu." Ash rolled his eyes. Pikachu opened one eye and smirked at the trainer, and then closed his eye again to sleep.

"You know Pikachu found himself a new…if you'll excuse the rather unmanly term, cuddle buddy." Brock snickered. "That's fine, guess I'll just have to settle for Riolu then." Ash said rather loudly. Ash glanced over at Pikachu to see if he had gotten a reaction out of the electric mouse.

But Pikachu was already comfortably snoozing with Buneary, who was still awake enough to open her eyes and stick her tongue out at the black haired trainer before snuggling back into the electric mouse's soft and fluffy fur. "I can't wait to tell Dawn how you're treating me." Ash said. Buneary made a face at the trainer, which provoked Ash to make a face back.

"You're not REALLY having an argument with Buneary are you?" Misty asked, coming out of the bathroom in her pajamas. "She's stealing Pikachu from me!" Ash whined. "That's ridiculous, you know Pikachu's been sleeping with Buneary for a while now, why are you so annoyed by it now?" Misty asked.

"I dunno…it just seems like Pikachu wants to hang with me less and less these days." Ash said. "Has Pikachu been mean to you or anything? Has he even shown any other signs of drifting besides wanting to be close to Buneary?" Misty asked. "Well…I-I dunno!" Ash grunted.

"Misty's right Ash, you're just jealous. Trust me on this, Pikachu's still your partner all the way, he's just in love." Brock said. "Yeah, and don't forget, he's just following YOUR example." Misty added flirtatiously. "W-Well…I didn't mean to ignore Pikachu." Ash said.

"But you haven't been Ash; your attention is just a bit more divided now. Before I came back the only thing on your mind was Pokémon, Pokémon, Pokémon. Now you're growing up and you're seeing that there's more to life than Pokémon, and Pikachu's beginning to see that there's more to life than training. He still gets excited about training with you doesn't he? What else do you want from him?" Misty said.

"(Sigh) I guess I can't ask for anything else…I'm gonna shower." Ash grabbed his pajamas and headed for the bathroom without another word. "Ash is still a little kid in some areas." Misty sighed. "Well you know, he wouldn't be Ash if he wasn't." Brock replied.

"Yeah I know." Misty sighed again. By the time Ash got out of the shower, Misty was halfway asleep while Brock was still waiting for him so he could go in. "Cooled off big guy?" he asked quietly. "Yeah, I feel a little better." Ash replied. "Good. Now you'll feel a lot better. Go on, Misty's been trying to wait for you." Brock smirked.

Ash smirked back at his older friend, who gave him a hard but friendly pat on the shoulder as he walked by. When the bathroom door closed, Ash carefully crawled onto the soft mattress, and almost instantly he was wrapped in an even softer pair of arms. He gently grasped at the hands of those arms and gave them a soft squeeze. "Love ya Mist." he waited for the tender reply, but when he didn't get one, he turned his head and saw from the corner of his eye that Misty had fallen asleep.

She had only managed to stay conscious long enough for him to get into the bed, and once she had his arms around him, she had let herself relax, and instantly begin snoozing. Ash chuckled softly and let his head hit the pillow as well, still softly holding onto her hands as he slowly dozed off.

The next morning they were woken up once again by excitement. But the cause this time was not Riolu. "Come on everyone! Contest time!" The group moaned and groaned as their bodies forced them to wake up against their will.

"Dawn, couldn't you just tap us on the shoulder like a normal person?" Misty grumbled as she slung her legs over the side. The water-trainer got a start though when she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrapped around her slender waist. "Hey Mist have you seen my pillow? It has this bad habit of getting up and walking away."

Misty smirked and pulled his arms off of her. Then she got up and threw him her backpack, which he caught. "Found it Ash, good night." she said playfully. "It's not the same." Ash chuckled. Before Ash could get up himself, he found himself tackled by a small blue Pokémon. "There you go, cuddle with Riolu for a while." Misty giggled.

"Hey Riolu, you ready to see your first Pokémon Contest?" Ash asked the excited Pokémon. Riolu squealed with anticipation and happily jumped up and down on the bed. "Glad Riolu's so excited because I've got just the outfit for him." Dawn said.

"Oh no you don't! Piplup may be happy wearing a cheerleading outfit but I'm not gonna let you put Riolu in one of those things!" Ash exclaimed. "Oh relax; I wasn't planning on giving Riolu a skirt. I've got a cute little blue sweater just for him." Dawn said a little too cheerfully. "Oh yeah? Well a little bit of aura influence will fix that." Ash snickered.

Ash readied to channel his aura towards Riolu, but then Misty stopped him. "Hold on a sec, let's see what Riolu thinks of it." Riolu stared at the small sweater and then tried it on for size. "Well what do you think?" Dawn asked. For a moment Riolu didn't even react. But after a while, Riolu's expression brightened and he leaped up to embrace the coordinator in thanks. "Aww, you're welcome Riolu." Dawn giggled.

"Great…" Ash grumbled. After Misty cooled off Ash's temper with a few kisses, the group headed to the contest hall, where Dawn would compete for her fourth contest ribbon. "Feel the port winds, the north winds, and the south winds as they carry their songs and dances…it's contest time! Welcome to the contest from the town of great people coming and going, Chocovine Town!" Marian announced.

The crowd cheered for their town at the top of their lungs, while Ash, Misty, and Brock stood in the VIP section with Pikachu, Riolu, Azurill, Happiny, Ambipom, Piplup…and a snoozing Mamoswine. "Guess Mamoswine moves when it wants." Ash sighed.

Dawn had released Mamoswine to watch the contest in hopes that it would start getting excited about competing, and then possibly trying to get close to her again so it could start training with her. But it seemed that it backfired as Mamoswine was only interested in sleeping. "If Mamoswine actually WANTED to watch the contest, it would certainly make things a whole lot easier." Brock said.

Just then, the two males heard a hushed roar behind them, and they saw Gyarados conversing with Misty. "You gonna let Gyarados watch too?" Ash asked. "Actually I wanted Gyarados to be ready just in case Mamoswine decided to go crazy on us for whatever reason." Misty replied. "Oh, you want me to call out Charizard?" Ash asked.

"Let's not make it look too obvious that we don't trust Mamoswine. Just be ready with his Pokéball just in case." Misty said. Ash nodded and turned his attention back to the snoozing Mamoswine, who had shifted over slightly to get into a more comfortable position. Meanwhile, Dawn was inside the waiting room with Buneary, watching the TV monitor as Marian continued to announce.

"And here is what our winning coordinator will receive…the beautiful and coveted Chocovine Ribbon!" the screen showed the pretty lavender purple ribbon, which gave Dawn a boost of determination. "You just watch Buneary, that ribbon's all ours!"

Dawn suddenly felt a chill go down her spine, and in the corner of her eye, she saw Ursula and her Gabite staring her down. Dawn turned and glared at the girl, who in turn gave her a colder glare back. Dawn could feel the resentment and hatred coming from Ursula, she also knew that she had found herself another rival, but this one was by no means friendly.

"And up next, I'm pleased to introduce our esteemed panel of contest judges! First, the chief of the Pokémon activities committee: Mr. Contesta!" Marian announced. "Thank you Marian! I'm eager to see what will be nothing but spectacular Pokémon today I'm sure!" Mr. Contesta commented.

"Next, the head of the Pokémon fan club: Mr. Sukizo!" Marian announced. "Chocovine Town is remarkable!" the crowd got noticeably louder when the short man said that.

"And last but not least, Chocovine Town's own Nurse Joy!" Marian announced. "I hope you're all as excited to watch the proceedings as me!" the crowd cheered even louder now, including a certain spiky haired young man in the VIP section. "I'm excited to see YOU Nurse Joy!" "Good grief." the other two teens sweat-dropped.

"And with that, let's begin with our first round! The performance round where one Pokémon per coordinator will put on a show! Now please put your hands together for our first contestant!" Once Marian announced the first contestant, the curtains were pulled back, and there stood Dawn with Pokéball in hand.

"Alright! Dawn's up first!" Ash exclaimed. "Now she'll be able to just focus and do her thing since she doesn't have any pressure." Misty added.

"Now Buneary, spooootlight!" Dawn tossed the Pokéball, and the special seal released the small rabbit and a shower of purple hearts. "Alright, 'Bounce'!" Buneary acknowledged and leaped high into the air, "Now use 'Ice Beam'!" Buneary continued to ascend from the power of 'Bounce', but now added on an 'Ice Beam' that she fired as she spun, creating a corkscrew slide of ice that she landed on as soon as she finished.

"And Buneary's made an ice slide to remember!" Marian announced. "Awesome! Way to go!" the trio cheered. Then Buneary jumped onto the slide, laughing as she got to enjoy the slide she had created. "Buneary looks like she's having a ball." Misty said.

"Let's keep it going! Use 'Dizzy Punch'!" Buneary acknowledged and leaped onto her ears, sliding down the rest of the way. Then once she reached the bottom, she used the power of 'Dizzy Punch' to propel herself back up to the top. Dawn then signaled the end of the performance as she took curtsied and smiled towards the judges.

But then Dawn suddenly heard the crowd start to awe and whistle differently then she had expected. She looked up at the big screen and saw Pikachu in his kimono blushing, and Buneary on the other half, blowing kisses at him. Dawn giggled and couldn't help but smile. "Well that's not what we planned, but I like it."

"Hey Azurill, think you could use 'Water Gun' on Pikachu? He's burning up." Misty giggled. Pikachu just chuckled sheepishly and blushed deeper. Finally the judges were ready to make their opinions on the performance of Dawn and her small rabbit Pokémon.

Mr. Contesta: "Buneary's unique qualities were shown in a most appealing way!"

Mr. Sukizo: "That's true! Remarkable as well!"

Nurse Joy: They put together a host of techniques to make a great show, and I couldn't help but smile when Buneary blew a kiss at that cute little Pikachu."

"Hmmph, just like I thought. At least her attitude was decent." Ursula snickered. "Oh dear, rather brusque aren't we?" Jessilina commented to herself. Although the glasses wearing coordinator usually took the side of whoever was opposing Dawn or her friends, she couldn't help but feel that Ursula was a bit too arrogant for her own good.

"Dawn did awesome! What do you think Riolu? Wasn't that cool?" Ash asked. Riolu nodded excitedly; in fact he agreed so much, that he suddenly jumped over the wall, throwing his pompoms in Ash's face. "Hey get back here!" Ash shouted. "Oh dear, it seems that someone's Riolu has gotten loose on the field!" Marian announced.

The crowd started laughing as the officials started chasing Riolu around the field, but the Emanation Pokémon was bent on showing off his speed by using 'Quick Attack' back and forth in front of the judges table. "Looks like this little guy wants a piece of the action!" Marian announced as the officials continued to chase the slippery Riolu.

"Ash! Use your aura! Go out there and get him! Do SOMETHING!" Misty screeched. "I'm trying to concentrate…" Ash said, attempting to make an aura connection with the baby Pokémon. But despite Ash's efforts, it seemed that Riolu either was getting the message, or ignoring it. "No good, Riolu isn't listening!" Ash groaned, slightly out of breath from the focusing.

The crowd was really enjoying it, and even the judges found it amusing that Riolu was giving the officials such a hard time. "Ash, either go out there and get him, or YOU'RE gonna get it!" Misty threatened.

Ash groaned and jumped over the wall as well, and managed to get close enough to Riolu for him to feel Ash's aura call. Riolu suddenly stopped in his tracks and changed direction to run towards Ash, leaving a trail of officials to trip on top of each other like a pile of dominoes.

"Come on Riolu, you've had your fun." Ash knelt down and opened his arms, and the energetic Pokémon leaped into his waiting embrace just before the officials caught him. "Heh heh, sorry about that." Ash sweat-dropped.

As Ash carried Riolu back to the VIP section, he could hear the roaring cheers of the audience giving them a standing ovation. "You can't go running around like that Riolu. Just stay here ok?" Ash said. Riolu pouted, but obeyed Ash's command.

Dawn walked back into the waiting room with Buneary in her arms, and was greeted by the laughter of all the other coordinators who were watching Riolu on the screen. "Oh come on Ash, can't you control Riolu at all?" Dawn sighed.

Eventually Ash managed to get Riolu under control. "He better get better at parenting or Misty will eat him alive." she said shaking her head. Suddenly Dawn felt a chill go down her spine, and she turned to find Ursula glaring at her. "How sweet, having your Buneary blow a kiss to that Pikachu at the end of the routine, I could've poured it over pancakes." she sneered.

"For your information that was all Buneary! I didn't plan that, but I'm sure glad Buneary did!" Dawn countered. "Oh? Do your Pokémon always add things to their routines without asking permission?" Ursula asked. "Look, maybe you didn't know this about Pokémon Contests, but the goal of contests are to make your Pokémon look appealing, NOT to make the coordinator look good!" Dawn hissed.

"Hey!" Dawn turned and saw Jessilinda glaring at her. "Oops, no offense, I realize that's just your style." Dawn sweat-dropped. Jessilina rolled her eyes and turned to pretend to not be listening in on the rival coordinators' conversation.

"But at least Jessilina knows the basics of contests. Even with her style she manages to make sure the focus is on her Pokémon. But you don't really seem interested in making your Pokémon look good or bonding with them, you seem interested only in making sure that YOU look good." Dawn hissed at the arrogant coordinator.

"We all have our motives, what's your Buneary's motive? Does it have a little crush on that Pikachu?" Ursula sneered. "As a matter of fact yes, and I also happen to know for a fact that the feeling is growing more and more mutual.

You could ask Pikachu and his trainer themselves." Dawn said matter-of-factly. "Well then, I can't wait until the first round eliminations so I can ask before you go." Ursula walked away just as Marian spoke back up. "And now let's get on with the show!"

The contest proceedings continued on with a Duskull, Skorupi, Magcargo, and a Marill. Then finally, it was Jessilina's turn to perform. "Looks like I'm up." Jessilina turned to head for the stage, when she was stopped by a friendly call of encouragement. "Good luck Jessilina!"

Jessilina turned around, stunned for just the slightest moment. But she quickly regained her composure and commented back, "Who needs luck when you've got beauty and the skills to match said beauty?" Dawn sweat-dropped as she watched the excited coordinator run onstage for her introduction. "Now for our next coordinator!"

"I know. It's a thrill for you to see me too!" Jessilina exclaimed as she blew kisses to the audience, "Yanmega, let's get this party started!" The dragonfly Pokémon emerged from the Pokéball in a flurry of pink hearts. "Boy, she really doesn't have a wide variety of Pokémon does she?" Brock said. "Yeah, it feels like she uses Yanmega EVERY time." Ash added.

"Yanmega, use 'Silver Wind'!" Yanmega acknowledged the order and swooped downwards with its wings leaving behind a trail of 'Silver Wind', spinning around its coordinator. "And Yanmega begins spinning a powerful 'Silver Wind'!" Marian announced. "Well at least she isn't flying this time." Misty said.

Suddenly, Yanmega glowed in a brilliant bright green, and took off like a shot as it began to spin faster and faster around Jessilina, leaving rings of green and creating a strong, swirling gust of wind. "Now that's fast! Could this be Yanmega's legendary 'Speed Boost' in action?" Marian announced, "And off she goes, spinning like a top!"

"I guess I spoke too soon." Misty sighed exasperatedly. "At least she's showing off Yanmega well." Brock added. Indeed Jessilina was up in the air once again, spinning like a top as the extra speed from Yanmega's 'Speed Boost' created a whirlwind that kept her airborne. "And now Yanmega, it's time to use 'Sonic Boom'!" Jessilina ordered as she continued to spin.

Yanmega stopped and hovered, firing a sound wave into the air that turned and acted like a boomerang. "Next, 'Silver Wind'!" Yanmega flapped its wings and fired the multiple gusts of air, which collided with the 'Sonic Boom' and created a small sprinkle of sparkles.

And then Yanmega flew over to catch Jessilina with its tail and they both struck their final pose and let the sound of the audience's cheers ring loudly in their ears. "They're loving it, and YOU look fab." Jessilina giggled. Yanmega thanked Jessilina for the compliment and went back to enjoying the praises of the audience.

Mr. Contesta: "It's rare to see a coordinator's moves used to show off a Pokémon's qualities."

Mr. Sukizo: "It's true! Which means remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "Jessilina took some risks…and they paid off."

As Jessilina headed back to the waiting room, she passed by Ursula. "That wasn't bad. So sorry you won't make it past round one." she sneered. _"She must hate everybody." _Jessilina thought to herself. When she entered, she found Dawn and decided to stand next to her as Ursula was introduced. "Let's see what our next coordinator has for us!"

"You haven't seen anything yet! Now Wormadam! Let's go!" Ursula gracefully threw out her Pokéball, and out of the flurry of pink flower petals emerged a Wormadam. "A Wormadam huh?" Ash said. "That Wormadam can use ground-type moves. I've even heard it called the sandy cloak." Brock added.

"Wormadam, start with 'Confusion'!" Wormadam acknowledged and glowed purple as it rose itself into the air, "Now follow up with 'Rock Blast'!" Wormadam created rings of rock that swirled around it, and used the power of 'Confusion' to make the rocks explode similarly to fireworks.

"That 'Rock Blast' sure shows what makes it called the worm of the desert!" Marian announced. "Looks like Ursula knows what she's doing so far." Misty said. "She must've been really determined to train after losing in the Wallace Cup." Brock added.

"Great! Now use 'Sandstorm'!" Wormadam dramatically created a whirlwind that summoned a storm of dust and dirt that swirled from below it. "Blah. I'm slightly impressed." Jessilina commented. "You gotta admit though, it's simple, but captivating as well." Dawn added. "I suppose." Jessilina shrugged.

"Confusion'!" Ursula ordered. Wormadam glowed purple again, and this time the power of 'Confusion' took control of the 'Sandstorm' and formed a shape with it, shocking the two watching coordinators, the group in the VIP section, and the entire audience. "What was that?" Ash gasped. "Looks like they worked on 'Confusion' a LOT!" Brock added.

"What a surprise! Wormadam's used that 'Sandstorm' to make a sculpture of itself out of sand!" Marian announced. "Alright, wrap it up with 'Captivate'!" Wormadam's eyes began to spray purple hearts, making the sculpture sparkle and finally explode in a storm of purple, ending the performance.

"An amazing ending to an amazing routine!" Marian announced. Ursula puffed out her chest with pride as the cheers of the audience fueled her ego, ultimately disgusting Dawn and the group in the VIP section. However the crowd just ate up Ursula's performance, and was ultimately cheering louder for her than any other coordinator before her, including Dawn.

Mr. Contesta: "There are three types of Wormadam of course, but that performance put the worm of the desert front and center! An amazing sight to see!"

Mr. Sukizo: "Amazing! Also remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "It seemed like they had synchronized their breathing! I completely loved it!"

"And that's it! The end of the first stage! And our next order of business will be to see who makes it to round two, hang tight everyone, back with the results soon!" As soon as Marian finished talking, Dawn bolted for the VIP section where her friends were, hoping to NOT run into Ursula on the way. Luckily for her, Ursula was too busy taking praise to even bother to notice that Dawn had walked out, and she managed to leave the room without any hassle from her unfriendly rival. As soon as Dawn reached the VIP section, Buneary wasted no time hopping over to Pikachu for a post-performance hug.

"So gang, what did you think?" Dawn asked them. "You and Buneary did awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "And you Buneary, you were the cutest Pokémon out there by far." Misty added. Buneary blushed bashfully at that comment.

"I already know what Riolu thinks by the way he went running around after my performance." Dawn giggled, letting the little Emanation Pokémon jump in her arms. "Yeah…well…Riolu kinda wanted to show off too." Ash sweat-dropped. "Hey Brock, if that's Ash's idea of being a parent, I think you'll have to give him a crash course in babysitting." Dawn laughed. "And if that doesn't work, I'll knock it into him." Misty half-joked.

"What about you Mamoswine? What'd you think?" Dawn asked. Mamoswine replied with snoring, which made Dawn groan with disappointment. "Don't take it personally; it's been sleeping ever since we got here." Misty said. "It's alright; I'm sure once the battling starts it'll wake up." Dawn replied. "Gotta say though…Ursula and her Wormadam were pretty good." Ash admitted.

"Yeah…those two were totally in sync when it came to using a move. The really impressive thing is that Ursula really showed off all of Wormadam's unique talents." Dawn said. "Hmmph, surprised are we?" Dawn turned around and saw Ursula standing there with her Gabite, hands on hips and head held high. "Don't think I didn't notice you slinking out of the waiting area."

"I wasn't SLINKING, I was just coming over here to see my friends." Dawn said matter-of-factly. "It doesn't really matter. Time after time we've been cut out after only the first round, but not in THIS contest, from all that applause and cheering voices I'd say our efforts have finally paid off." Ursula boasted. "Oh yeah you were just eating it up out there weren't you? Made me sick just watching you." Misty spat.

"Oh good, I'm glad we managed to accomplish one thing at least." Ursula replied. "It's not like we were booed off the stage you know! What about all that cheering when Buneary blew that kiss towards Pikachu?" Dawn exclaimed, inadvertently making the electric mouse blush a little.

"Rather cheap way of gaining favor in the eyes of the judges if you ask me. I bet you won't make it past round one, how fitting that you get bumped out by the same person that you took the rightful place in the Wallace Cup from." Ursula sneered.

"Oh yeah? We'll just see about that!" Dawn hissed. Ursula and Dawn just stared at each other for a few moments, lightning sparking in-between them as their anger burned hotly and grew hotter as they stared. Just then, Marian came back out with the results. "Sorry to keep you waiting folks! And now it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for! After careful consideration they've chosen the eight coordinators that will compete in round two, and here they are!"

The screen revealed the eight faces of the preliminary winners all at once, and it was revealed that Ursula, Dawn, and even Jessilina were moving on to round two. "So let's give these eight coordinators a round of applause!"

"We did it! Thanks to you Buneary!" Dawn happily squeezed the small rabbit in her arms, who shared her master's enthusiasm and squeezed back. "Yeah, way to go Dawn!" Ash cheered. "So how does that humble pie taste Ursula?" Misty laughed.

Ursula's fists were clenched and she was obviously furious that Dawn had made it past the first round, but when she turned to face the group, she bore a sickly sweet smile. "Well, congratulations then."

Misty was taken aback by the calm response Ursula gave them. "You mean…you don't mind?" Ash asked. "Oh of course not. I mean sure, I was hoping I could humiliate Dawn by keeping her out of round one, but since she's made it, it gives me an opportunity to deal an even more crushing blow by defeating her myself." Ursula replied. "That's assuming you even make it far!" Misty hissed.

"Oh I will, there's no problem there. If anything, I'm worried that Dawn will lose before I get the chance to face her. So make sure you win Dawn, that way I can exact my revenge in the finals." Ursula turned and walked away cackling, leaving the group to shoot imaginary daggers out of their eyes and into the coordinator's back.

**Dawn's POV**

"_You just wait Ursula. We'll show you what we can do." _I turned towards my Pokémon and knelt down in front of Pachirisu, "Pachirisu, you ready to go?" Pachirisu replied with a look of unbridled determination. That was what I liked to see. Like me, Pachirisu was determined to take Ursula down and give her a taste of what it really means to be a coordinator. After all the nasty things that she had said about me and my friends, there was no way I was gonna let her get away with it.

"You better get going. Good luck Dawn, and kick her can!" Misty exclaimed. I nodded at her and took Pachirisu with me to the waiting room, where I would get ready for what might be the toughest contest battles of my life. Not because this was a big time contest, but because there was more at the stake here than just a ribbon. Ursula couldn't be proven right that she was better than me, and there was no way she could get away with insulting me and my Pokémon.

I went into the room and did a quick adjustment on my hair. Since it was time to really get serious, I switched from pigtails to a ponytail so I could be more comfortable while I battled. I was surprised when Jessilina came up to me while I was fixing my hair.

"I know that usually I root against you…but this time I hope you wipe the floor with that arrogant little twerpette who thinks she's better than me." she walked away before I could reply. I always knew there was something strange about Jessilina, but I could never quite put my finger on it. Nevertheless if she was actually putting our rivalry aside to root for me, I knew I couldn't lose, and I wouldn't.

"And now our eight semi-finalists will face off two-by-two in contest battles as they fight for the coveted Chocovine Ribbon! And so with five minutes on the clock, let's go!" Marian shouted. My first battle was against a young boy and his Weavile, and it didn't take long for me to take him down as Pachirisu's 'Super Fang' dominated the dark/ice-type.

After I headed back to wait, I passed by Jessilina who was up next and I wished her luck, and she seemed surprised that I had done so. Then when I walked into the waiting room, I shook the hand of my opponent and sat down, I didn't even have to look to know that Ursula was watching me, so I just pretended she didn't exist and watched as Jessilina and her Carnivine took down another young boy and his Hippopotas with a combination of 'Vine Whip' and 'Bullet Seed'.

Then finally I saw what Ursula and her Gabite were made of when she wiped the floor with a girl and her Hariyama. Naturally she took the time to relish the applause and she seemed to enjoy seeing her opponent's disappointment.

I wanted so badly to just slap her across the face, but I knew that any lack of self-control would only hurt me later, so I held back. Then I was surprised to see when Jessilina and Ursula were paired up to battle. And although Jessilina went off to a good start with 'Bullet Seed', Ursula showed off that training she spent so much time doing and bounced back with a barrage of 'Dragon Claws', and ultimately Carnivine went down hard.

Finally it was me versus another young girl, but I had to pass by Ursula on the way to the stage since she had stayed behind late to listen to the applause. "Well Dawn dear, I hope you win." she said. I didn't even bother to respond, I was in no mood to argue and I had to keep my focus if I was gonna make it into the final round.

So after I defeated the girl's Marill with Pachirisu's 'Discharge', the time finally came for the final round. I stayed on stage since it was me and Ursula facing each other, and I silently growled when Ursula hurried on stage to keep me from getting any sort of applause for my previous win. _"Ursula, you are going down!"_

"And now the Chocovine Contest moves into its final round! We present our two coordinators! To my left, it's Dawn! And to my right, Ursula!" Marian announced. I heard my friends cheering me on from the VIP section, and I thought I even noticed Mamoswine with one eye open.

Maybe it really did care after all! When I glanced over though I saw Ash, Misty, and Brock staring at Mamoswine with disappointment. _"Guess it went back to sleep when its cover was blown." _I figured. I stared back towards my opponent and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, but I didn't feel nervous. It was mostly the anticipation and excitement of the battle that was getting to me.

But along with those feelings was an intense, burning anger that was growing stronger deep down in my soul. How could anybody who claimed to be a Pokémon Coordinator be so self-centered and arrogant, and I almost cursed the judges for not noticing that this girl's heart was obviously not in the right place. Contests weren't about self-fulfillment.

They were about showing off your Pokémon and making them shine as brightly as possible in the eyes of audiences everywhere. Sure the fulfillment is there when you win, but it isn't meant to be the only thing you battle for, just a bonus. And I was going to make sure that I showed Ursula that. "The time will be five minutes! Begin!" Once the clock started ticking, I knew it would be all or nothing. "Alright Pachirisu! Spooootlight!"

Pachirisu emerged in a flurry of pink bubbles and landed on the ground, growling at Ursula. "Now Gabite, go! Ha ha!" Ursula tossed her own Pokéball, and in a wrap of musical notes, her dragon/ground-type emerged and growled down at Pachirisu. I could tell that Pachirisu was not only still extremely upset at Ursula, but also at Gabite for destroying my poffin the day before. If there was one thing that that meant, it was that Pachirisu was gonna give more than its all. "It's Pachirisu versus Gabite! One Pokémon's cute, and one Pokémon's fierce! But which one will be the winner?" Marian announced.

Although I was determined to beat Ursula and Gabite, I knew in the back of my mind that I had my work cut out for me this time around. Gabite was not only a powerful dragon-type, but it was also a ground-type which meant that Pachirisu's 'Discharge' would be worthless in an offensive assault. I knew that if I were ever going to do damage to Gabite, it would have to be with 'Super Fang' because 'Discharge' would simply fail and 'Spark' would do no more damage than a regular 'Tackle' attack. Of course I didn't have to worry about being on offense since the second the clock started, Ursula launched an attack. "Gabite, use 'Dragon Claw'!"

Gabite crossed its arms and stood dramatically for a moment, and then leaped up into the air and hurtled downwards towards Pachirisu like a spear. "Spin and dodge it!" I countered. Pachirisu leaped up and did barrel rolls in midair to sneak right by Gabite, but I wasn't aware of just how much of an opponent Ursula's Gabite really was.

"Ha. There's no escaping Gabite's incredible speed." Gabite slashed at Pachirisu, who was simply helpless to do anything after getting pounded by that powerful 'Dragon Claw'. I could feel myself starting to get worried when I heard Pachirisu squeal in pain, and I quickly tried to turn the battle around with an attack. "Super Fang', let's go!"

Pachirisu came out of the spin it was knocked into and flew down towards Gabite with its enlarged front teeth. I figured that there was no way Gabite would be able to retaliate right away after an attack like that, but I wasn't prepared for Ursula's next command. "Use 'Aerial Ace'!" Gabite crossed its arms and leaped up into the air with blinding speed, and slammed into Pachirisu over and over again in midair, invoking squeals of pain each time.

Now I was starting to get really frazzled. Gabite was tearing Pachirisu from limb to limb and my points were quickly going down. But I could barely get a moment to breathe let alone think of something to turn the battle around. "Gabite's using its streamlined body to land hit after hit!" Marian announced.

I took a moment to glance down from Pachirisu towards Ursula, and the smug smirk she was wearing on her face made me want to go over there and slap it off, or if possible I could borrow Misty's mallet and knock her unconscious. Not only was she winning, but every single time she heard Pachirisu squeal in agony, her smirk seemed to get more and more sinister.

"Sweet Kiss', now!" I ordered. I was hoping that a status move would turn things around and even the playing field a little. "Use 'Aerial Ace'!" Gabite leaped up and broke up the hearts that had flown out of Pachirisu's mouth and depleted my points further; it seemed that every move I made Ursula had a move to destroy it. Now Pachirisu was starting to sweat and was obviously in pain from the barrage of attacks.

_"I've gotta stay calm. There's still time to turn this thing around…but if every time I attack Ursula counters, and I can't use Pachirisu's electric moves to attack…wait…that's it! Maybe instead of worrying about how I'm gonna take down Gabite without electric-type moves, maybe I should focus more on countering HER attacks WITH electric-type moves! I've been hanging around Ash and Misty too long, I was beginning to think like a gym battler, but now it's time to get back to thinking like a coordinator!"_ I heard Marian announce the time, and I knew that it was time to go into overdrive. "Less than two minutes remaining!"

"I don't even need half that, because this battle's almost over! Use 'Stone Edge', and make it hurt." Ursula ordered sinisterly. Gabite crossed its arms once more, and pointed stones swirled around its body. Then it sent the jagged rocks towards Pachirisu, but this time I was ready for it. "Jump up and use 'Discharge' like a Counter Shield!" I ordered.

Pachirisu hesitated for a moment, but eventually it leaped up into the air, and the electricity from its tail spun like a carousel and blocked the small rocks. "That was awesome Pachirisu! You're really warming up now!" I could feel the momentum of the battle starting to go in my favor, and by the furious expression on Ursula's face, I could see that I wasn't the only one who realized that, but after a moment she seemed calm again, and I heard her say to herself, "She should realize the Aqua Ribbon isn't a toy."

I added another blow beneath the belt to her already long list, I earned the Aqua Ribbon with my skills as a coordinator, and I was gonna make her realize that even if I had to shove that fact down her throat! "Gabite, 'Dragon Rage'!" Ursula ordered.

Gabite crossed its arms again, and this time it launched a flaming ball of fire from its mouth that headed straight for Pachirisu. "Quick! Use 'Spark'!" Pachirisu charged forward in an aura of blue electricity, and fought against the powerful attack until it finally came apart, lowering Ursula's points further. "Dragon Claw'!" Ursula ordered.

I smirked to myself as Ursula kept ordering attacks, all the way through the battle she had been relying on Gabite's speed and ferocity during attacks, but by the way she kept ordering attack after attack, it was obvious that she hated playing defense, however I was just fine with it.

"What's this? Pachirisu stopped 'Dragon Claw' using the electricity in its tail! I've never seen something so brave and courageous! Truly amazing!" Marian announced. "Way to go! That's showing them Pachirisu!" I looked at Ursula again, and I couldn't help but feel a boost of confidence when I saw how frazzled she was, she simply couldn't believe after all the damage she had done in the first three minutes of the battle that she was close to losing anyway, and each second she seemed to get closer. "Only thirty seconds on the clock!" Marian announced.

"I won't lose to Dawn again! 'Stone Edge', let's go!" By the way Ursula ordered that attack, it was clear to see that she was starting to panic. But when the pointed slabs of rock from 'Stone Edge' swirled around Pachirisu before finally pointing towards it in all directions, I suddenly didn't feel so good, but then I came up with an idea.

"Quick! Get your tail up!" Pachirisu pointed its tail up like a lightning rod and created a force-field of electricity that bounced off the power of the rocks. "Yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about!" It was time for me to finally score an attack off the frazzled and nervous Ursula, "Let's use 'Super Fang'!" Pachirisu charged for Gabite to bite down with its sharp front teeth.

"I'm through giving up points! Gabite, use 'Dragon Rage'!" Gabite quickly launched a blazing ball of fire towards Pachirisu, and for a moment it seemed like Ursula would win after all if Pachirisu were to make contact with that 'Dragon Rage'.

But then Pachirisu starting spinning like a saw and literally charged through the flames just in time to bite down on the fins of a surprised Gabite. But almost immediately after, I felt my heart skip a beat. "Time's up! So who gets the Chocovine Ribbon?" Marian announced.

I looked towards the screen to see who had managed to survive the longest. Had my defensive strategy come into action too late? Or had I managed to pull a bad battle out of the fire?

**Normal POV**

"And the winner is…Dawn!" Marian announced. The crowd roared their approval with a gusto that dwarfed the cheers of all of Ursula's performances, and Dawn couldn't help but just run up and embrace her electric squirrel in thanks.

"Yes we won! Pachirisu we won, we really won!" the blue haired coordinator cheered. But then Dawn looked towards Ursula, who was angrily glaring at her before her Gabite walked up to her. "Dear Gabite, you were just amazing out there." she said. _"Well, maybe she cares more than I thought."_ Dawn admitted to herself.

"Awesome! They did it!" Ash cheered. Riolu jumped up and down in total joy, revenge had been carried out for the poffin that gave its life for him and Pachirisu, and he was gonna let everyone see his excitement. "Hey, look who finally woke up." Misty pointed out that the Twin Tusk Pokémon had opened both eyes and had been apparently watching with interest.

Ash wasted no time in seizing the window of opportunity and trying to get Mamoswine excited. "See? That's what battling's all about! Didn't Pachirisu work hard?" Upon hearing the word "work", Mamoswine quickly closed its eyes and went back to sleep. "Mamoswine!" Ash groaned. "Well look at that, Mamoswine's starting to care." Brock said.

"And now here is Mr. Contesta, chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee! He has the distinct honor of presenting the Chocovine Ribbon to Dawn!" Marian announced. Mr. Contesta stepped up to the winners' platform and presented Dawn with the ribbon. "Congratulations again, and much luck in the future."

"Thanks!" Dawn took the ribbon from its case and held to her heart with joy, "Wow…thank you so much…yeah alright! I just won the Chocovine Ribbon and it's mine all mine!" Dawn held up the ribbon with pride, and her two Pokémon leaped up enthusiastically to join the celebration.

Afterwards, she met up with her friends who congratulated her for her victory. "That was awesome Dawn!" Ash exclaimed. "You turned that battle around and gave Ursula a taste of some awesome quick thinking! Just like a gym battler!" Misty added.

"Well to tell you the truth, it was thinking like a gym battler that almost killed me. I was so worried about how I would attack Ursula without electric moves that I forgot that beauty and grace through defense would count too." Dawn said. "Well…in any case, nice work. Mamoswine thought so too." Misty replied.

"Is that true Mamoswine? You liked it?" Dawn asked excitedly. Mamoswine responded with snoring. "Take my word for it, Mamoswine was wide awake once things really got jumping." Misty said. Dawn giggled, "Well if you'll excuse me, I have to take a call." Dawn said.

"A call from who?" Ash asked. "None of your business." Dawn stuck her tongue out at Ash and ran off, leaving the two males in confusion and Misty with a smile on her face. Almost as if on cue, Dawn reached the videophones just as one began to ring. "Hi Kenny!" she exclaimed.

"Hey Dee Dee! Nice job today!" Kenny replied. "You know what? I'm in such a good mood; I won't even kill you this time…THIS time." Dawn warned. "Alright alright, you sure gave Ursula a shock huh?" Kenny laughed. "I guess so, but I don't feel as good about beating her as I thought." Dawn admitted.

"Why not? I figured you would've loved to make her eat her words." Kenny said. "Well I am happy that I defended the reputation of me and my Pokémon, but I feel kind of sorry for her too…I mean…was she ALWAYS that way? What happened I wonder that turned her into such a mean person?" Dawn wondered.

"Well I dunno what to tell you Dawn, but I do know that you were awesome." Kenny said. "Thanks Kenny, I appreciate it." Dawn giggled. "So I suppose you'll be heading to Ash's next gym battle now?" Kenny asked. "Yeah, we're heading to Snowpoint City." Dawn replied.

"It's chilly up there, you got some warm clothes? I could get my mom to send you some!" Kenny exclaimed. "Don't worry Kenny! My mom already has us covered." Dawn giggled. "Oh good, I don't want you to freeze up there." Kenny replied. "I'll be ok, thanks for the concern though."

Dawn smiled warmly at her contest rival and childhood friend, which brought Kenny to smile as well. Dawn was usually so focused on beating her rival, that she would often forget that she grew up with Kenny and he was one of her best friends since they were in diapers. Seeing his smile brought back a lot of memories for Dawn, admittedly not all of them were pleasant, but they still brought her joy nonetheless.

"Well I gotta go, gotta do some more training you know? Talk to you later." Kenny said. "Bye Kenny! And thanks for the call!" the two hung up, and Dawn went to go change afterwards. As she walked into the changing room, she started thinking about her two crushes, and weighed them in her own mind.

"_I really need to make a decision and soon…if I don't…I'll never get out of this rut I'm in! Ok, let's see…what qualities does Kenny have? He's a coordinator like me, so we have something in common, we grew up together so we know each other really well…but he teases me with the Dee Dee name all the time which drives me CRAZY! And he likes to get really competitive with me too, so I can't focus on how I feel…although he does seem to be acting nicer towards me lately…but then again that may just be because of my friendship with him…how can Misty know what Kenny is REALLY feeling anyway? And Barry…I mean…where was he when I was growing up? He said he's from Twinleaf Town but I don't remember growing up with him…all I remember is that he was in the festival back home…but he's just so cute, the way he gets over-animated about things makes me wanna laugh and laugh…! But…is laughter enough to try and spark a relationship? We barely have a friendship…ohh! I need to talk to another girl! Someone not Misty, she already has a boyfriend in Ash…maybe May? But May already has her hands full with Drew…Mom would just embarrass me…Zoey won't be much help; she doesn't really care to have a relationship right now…wait a minute! Of course! Who else to talk to about a childhood friend than another childhood friend? As soon as I get the chance, I'm calling the hot spring!"_

As soon as Dawn finished pondering things, she met up with her friends outside of the changing rooms. "What took you so long?" Ash asked impatiently. "Oh, I was just thinking. Something you wouldn't know anything about." Dawn laughed. "Hey what do you mean? I think all the time!" Ash barked.

"Oh gimme a break Ash, when you do think it's about Pokémon." Misty snickered. "Oh yeah? It wasn't Pokémon that made me want to go get you." Ash said, sure that he had stumped her. He didn't. "True, but it wasn't your brain either. Your heart and your brain are two ENTIRELY different things." Misty replied proudly.

"Hey I just remembered something! Misty you never told us what you did with Phione!" Dawn exclaimed. "Oh yeah! Well, simply put, I gave Phione to May." Misty replied. "Hey, that was a great idea!" Brock said approvingly. "What was so great about it?" Dawn asked. "I'll tell you later." Misty reassured.

As the group walked out of the contest hall, the sun began to set on Dawn's extraordinary day and victory. "Well at any rate, that contest was awesome Dawn; you finally got your fourth ribbon!" Ash exclaimed. "One more and you'll be able to enter the Grand Festival!" Brock added. "Thanks! But I couldn't have done it without you guys!" Dawn said.

"Oh we know, but we won't hold it against you." Misty joked. The group got a laugh out of that, but the atmosphere suddenly tensed when Ursula walked by. "Ursula." Dawn stated. Ursula turned and angrily frowned at Dawn. "You won't get any compliments out of ME, not a chance…but you did a good job I guess." Ursula walked away without another word.

"Uh, thanks I guess." Dawn sighed. "Well now that you've won your fourth ribbon, it's my turn!" Ash exclaimed. "Looks like we're Snowpoint bound!" Misty added. And so with Dawn's fourth ribbon officially under her belt, and a new rival to add to it, the group headed to the Pokémon Center for a good night's rest, and the next day they would be bound for Snowpoint City, and Ash's next gym battle.  
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**A/N: Well there you have it! Did everyone laugh when Riolu ran wild on the field? I kinda pictured what happened when Air Bud went wild in the second movie they did. xD Well hey, if a Pokemon that just hatched is feeding off of Ash's aura, I think that's what would happen lol. And lastly, I would like to thank Fanghur-1123, who told me that I surpassed the 1000 page mark with this chapter! Now if anyone wants a message to say when the next update is, please give a signed review and I'll be sure to send a message saying just that. See you all next time!**


	46. The Drifting Snorunt

**Hey everyone...hope nobody's mad at me for taking so long to update this story...I've just been busy writing for my really big flash animation project for Sonic the Hedgehog...and there was also one teeny tiny issue...my laptop's hard disc crashed COMPLETELY. No hope of retrieval, it didn't even turn on anymore. So I had to wait a whole week before writing a really huge chapter that the AAML chapters require, but I did have time to write short ones for the Dash Adventure, so that's what I did. My laptop just got back a couple of days ago so I managed to finish this, but I just didn't have any time to send the messages, so I apologize for that. However now that my laptop is back (for good I hope this time), I'll be able to send them this time around. Enough excuses! Time for the story! I don't own anything except the said story.  
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Chapter 46

**Misty's POV**

After Dawn won her latest contest in Chocovine Town, she had not only earned herself a new ribbon, but also a new and VERY unfriendly rival. Ursula was actually a rather pretty girl; it's a shame that such a nasty and arrogant attitude had to be tacked onto her attractive appearance. She came up to Dawn and had the nerve to say that Dawn winning the Wallace Cup was a fluke! Meanwhile she had failed to get past round one in that same competition. One thing was for sure, Dawn wasn't going to take that lying down. As for me, I wanted to drill Ursula into the ground after she called me the runt of the litter. When she remembered that Daisy had been in the competition with me, her short-lived admiration of me was just that. Short-lived.

But Dawn made sure that Ursula ate her words and took her down with a little help from Pachirisu learning 'Super Fang'. And ironically enough, at the same time Pachirisu learned that move, Ash's Riolu learned 'Force Palm'! It was comforting to see that Riolu was indeed beginning to grow up since it was still learning moves, but I almost wish that it would stay little for a while, he really is a sweetheart and he looks at me and Ash as his parents. That probably won't be the case once he evolves into Lucario…then again…on the other hand…when it evolves, it won't be pulling foolish stunts such as running onto the contest battlefield to show off his speed. Ash went out and got him before he caused too much trouble, but as his "mother", I couldn't help but feel a little embarrassment that Riolu had gone out and done that. Of course, since he was in actuality Ash's Pokémon, I wasn't really all that surprised.

And then the next day, Dawn got offered to do an interview with two reporters that almost literally came out of nowhere, saying they wanted to interview her on her win in Chocovine Town. Well somehow we managed to get tricked AGAIN and Meowth snatched Pikachu right off of Ash's shoulder. Then they purposely blew their cover when Jessie used a smoke bomb to try and cover their tracks.

But we would get our chance to save Pikachu, we always do after all. Team Rocket started floating off in their stupid Meowth hot-air balloon, reciting their motto for the Sinnoh Region. I never understood exactly why they insisted on having a different motto for every region. But that's not the point, while they were doing their motto, Dawn had Piplup use 'Bubblebeam', and just like that Pikachu was back on Ash's shoulder where he belonged.

And of course being the creeps they were, they tried to get Pikachu back, but a well-placed 'Thunderbolt' put Team Rocket back in their place, and sent them blasting off to who knows where. But then, we heard a loud roar that freaked us all out and caused Pikachu to jump what seemed like thirty feet in the air, Piplup would've done the same had Dawn not been holding him in his arms. What we saw next was the really weird part.

That roar was from a motorcycle, and the rider was an Officer Jenny who leaped off of the STILL MOVING motorcycle, caught Pikachu in midair, and landed back on the bike just before doing a hard skid to brake. Jenny gave Pikachu back to Ash and asked if he was from the same Ash from Pallet Town. Ash confirmed that assumption…and then placed Ash and the rest of us under arrest! Now I was starting to think that déjà vu was completely against us lately, but then she explained that it was only so we could help her out.

Then it hit me, she had a Chatot on her shoulder and she was a lot more aggressive than a normal Officer Jenny, she used to work in Kanto! I remembered visiting the Celadon City Department Store a while after I took over the gym from my sisters to see if they had anything in terms of new water-type Pokémon training equipment. After finding nothing I started heading out, but then the alarms went off in the store and a masked man holding a bag of apparently stolen items ran past the cash registers and burst out of the doors.

Since I didn't see an Officer Jenny going after him, and the Celadon Gym Leader Erika wasn't around, I took it upon myself to try and stop him. I grabbed Gyarados' Pokéball and got ready to stop him, but when I looked outside, an Officer Jenny with a Chatot on her shoulder was already putting handcuffs on him. I was satisfied with that, so I didn't bother to get any details.

And now here she was in front of us, but I couldn't figure out what she was doing in Sinnoh. When I told her that I remembered her and recalled the event that I knew her from, she got uncomfortably close and both her and her Chatot stared me down. I told her that I was the Gym Leader from Cerulean City and that I was doing some shopping that day. But she didn't believe me and she ALMOST arrested me for real.

But Ash bailed me out when he pulled out his Pokédex and showed Jenny my old Gym Leader ID from back when I was travelling with him, of course it had my sisters on it too since technically all four of us were leaders at the time, but right now that didn't matter. Jenny was satisfied with that and backed off. After that I was beginning to wonder if I should ask Prof. Oak for my own personal Pokédex.

And then if that wasn't enough, Brock decided that he was going to flirt with Officer Jenny, I didn't even wanna watch because I knew something really bad was gonna happen to him. Not because of Croagunk mind you, but because of the manner in which this Officer Jenny did things. I just pictured Brock being choked by a half-nelson and being thrown onto the ground for touching her.

I was actually relieved when all that happened was that Officer Jenny's Chatot merely tried to peck his eyes out for getting too close. Dawn scanned Chatot while Officer Jenny explained that when she heard about Team Rocket setting up in Sinnoh, she put in for a transfer and apparently her sergeant was more than happy to oblige.

She then asked for our help since we encountered Jessie, James, and Meowth on a regular basis. Then Ash explained that every time they showed up it was to capture Pikachu. When she heard that, she examined Pikachu rather roughly, she even pulled on his ear! Well naturally Pikachu didn't like that, and apparently sensing hostility, Chatot flew off Officer Jenny's shoulder right before Pikachu launched a 'Thunderbolt' that fried the police officer.

But even after that, Officer Jenny was determined to get our help, so Ash finally gave in and said yes. She sent us to stand out in the open right in the middle of the park while she hid in the bushes. After about five minutes of having people stare at us, I was beginning to feel really stupid. Dawn suggested that Officer Jenny was using us as live bait.

When I thought about it, it made a lot of sense that that was what she was up to. Then two other officers walked by wondering what we were doing, and upon seeing them walk up, Officer Jenny quickly jumped out of the bushes and tried to come up with an excuse. Apparently they didn't buy it since Officer Jenny quickly tried to change the subject and offered to buy lunch. Ash being the glutton he is immediately accepted the offer, which let Officer Jenny off the hook despite our suspicions.

But while we were eating, we saw a group thieves running out of a building, and that got Officer Jenny up from the table to capture them. We rushed out with her, and we saw her pull a bowling glove onto her hand, and she threw two bowling balls at them!

Officer Jenny managed to get two of them, one of them tried to escape, but Chatot used 'Featherdance' to pin them down. Finally the last once managed to turn a corner and we thought that was it, but apparently Officer Jenny had other plans. She threw another bowling ball that actually managed to turn the corner too! Then before he could get up, Officer Jenny threatened to use a super strong bowling ball if he didn't surrender. The crook immediately gave himself up and let Officer Jenny slap on a pair of handcuffs.

It was then we realized she was bluffing, and that there was no super strong bowling ball. And by the time we got to her, the media had shown up and were taking pictures of her capture. But just then, Team Rocket ran up with nets, trying to snag Pikachu again. Officer Jenny stepped in front of us and blocked the swipes, but Team Rocket managed to grab something and immediately ran off. At first we thought that they managed to swipe Pikachu, but when Pikachu announced his presence behind us, we realized that Chatot was no longer on Officer Jenny's shoulder.

Once she realized Chatot was gone, she tried to chase them down, but she tripped over a rock and let Team Rocket escape. After that she told us about how she and Chatot first met. She was in pursuit of a suspect and he had managed to get up after being run over by her bowling ball, when a wild Chatot pinned him down using 'Featherdance'. Ever since then they had been working together to clean up the streets with every transfer they had gone through.

After hearing her story, we offered to help her get her Pokémon back; Ash let out Charizard and Staravia and let them search out Team Rocket. After a few minutes, Staravia came back and pointed over to where Team Rocket was hiding out. Upon hearing that, Officer Jenny took off like a shot and almost left us behind, but once Ash called out for Charizard and the mighty dragon was returned, we chased after the Officer before she got too far out of range. We followed her and Ash's flying-type all the way out into the woods where a log cabin was. Once we got there, Officer Jenny offered to go in alone, but we decided that we would help her out. After all, Team Rocket were our "enemies" if you could call them that.

Officer Jenny thanked us and got out her bowling ball, and rolled it towards the door, breaking it down, then the furious police officer rushed through the hole that used to have a door, demanding that Team Rocket surrender and relinquish her Pokémon. We broke in through the window that Staravia's 'Brave Bird' shattered to pieces.

When they saw Officer Jenny, Team Rocket grabbed Chatot and bolted into the next room. But somehow when we followed, we wound up falling into what seemed like another one of Team Rocket's pit traps. Officer Jenny hurried down the dug out tunnel and helped us out, and once we got out, we were faced by yet another one of Team Rocket's stupid robots. This one ironically enough was shaped just like a bowling pin.

Team Rocket laughed at us and continued piling on the cruel irony as they fired bowling pin shaped missiles that knocked us onto our backs. Officer Jenny simply got up, strapped on her bowling glove and rolled a bowling ball towards the mecha, but unfortunately the most the throw could muster was a slight tilt before it leveled again. Since that didn't work, Ash had Staravia use 'Brave Bird' and Pikachu to spin and use 'Iron Tail'.

And again, despite the power of the two attacks combined, the mecha only wobbled a bit before stabilizing again. Now we decided to try a little water pressure, as Dawn had Piplup use 'Whirlpool' and I had Vaporeon launch a 'Water Pulse'. This time it looked like the power of water would triumph over the metallic monster, but just before they fell over the robot deployed legs to keep it balanced.

But before the power of our water attacks wore off, Jenny launched one more bowling ball at one of the legs, which FINALLY took the robot down. Then apparently something happened inside the robot, because Team Rocket started screaming frantically inside, just seconds before Chatot burst out of the hatch and landed back on the bowling ball chucking police officer's shoulder.

After a happy reunion, the robot got back up and decided to go after their usual target, which naturally was Pikachu. But Officer Jenny decided to try the same bluff she had used to get the previous criminals to surrender…unfortunately stupidity worked in Team Rocket's favor as they called her bluff and charged…but what really caught them off guard was that Officer Jenny didn't even flinch, and simply ordered Chatot to use 'Steel Wing'.

Ash ordered Staravia to follow along and use the same move, and together the two flying-types broke the robot to bits and sent Team Rocket blasting off again. After the celebration, Officer Jenny scolded herself for letting the trio get away, albeit in a rather unusual manner, but they escaped nevertheless. We just laughed and told her that they ALWAYS blasted off after we beat them, it was rather weird.

Later on, we went to say goodbye to Officer Jenny, who had earlier gotten a call and was informed that she was once again being transferred, this time to the Whirl Islands. I decided to give her a few local landmarks to keep an eye on, and after that, we continued on towards Snowpoint City, getting ready to take on a pine forest.

When we got started the next day, we noticed that the sky got dark no less than freakishly fast, it seemed like it was only noon! Then the unthinkable happened, it was actually snowing! We laughed for a while and had some fun, I managed to pelt Ash with about five snowballs while the Pokéball throwing trainer couldn't even nail me once, I made sure to tease him a little on that fact, but Brock eventually got us back on track and travelling.

But as we continued on, we noticed it was getting darker and darker, and it was really starting to get cold. We pulled out some blankets that Brock had smartly packed for us upon our arrival to Snowpoint City, but not even Brock was expecting us to need them before our arrival. The snow was really starting to come down, and it eventually got to the point where we practically freezing!

And now, we were caught in the middle of a freak snowstorm in the mountains. I've seen a lot of crazy things while travelling with Ash, but this was by far the weirdest. As I wrapped my blanket tighter around my body, we pressed on to try and find someplace to rest, but it was quite obvious that we were in a lot more trouble than we were acting. The storm came on so suddenly we couldn't even believe it was happening.

**Normal POV**

"Man…I can't even tell you which direction we're going!" Ash shivered. "That's never changed Ash, but this time I don't blame you for it." Misty replied, her knees involuntarily knocking. "I'd always heard that mountain weather could be unpredictable, but this is insane!" Dawn whimpered.

"Brock, can't that guidebook of yours find us a way out of here?" Misty asked. Brock carefully pulled out his guidebook from his backpack, trying to keep as much skin covered as possible. He opened it up and looked inside, but he somehow knew what the result would be. "No use. Without a landmark this guidebook is worthless." the breeder groaned. "There are no landmarks out here…there's nothing but snow and trees." Dawn shivered.

"One thing's for sure, we've gotta find some shelter and fast!" Ash added. The group pressed on, their faces stinging fro, the ice and snow pelting them. "Look over there!" Misty pointed out a small cave that was just big enough to hold them, "Maybe we can stay there until the storm passes!"

The group agreed and trudged through the snow leading to the cave. "I…I can't anymore." Dawn felt her knees begin to buckle underneath her, and she stopped walking out of fear that she would fall over. "Come on Dawn, you're almost there!" Misty exclaimed. "I can't walk anymore…too cold…too tired." Dawn gasped in a breath of cold air and attempted to take a step. But she felt her knee buckle and so she put her foot down.

"Let's go Ash." Brock walked out to Dawn and placed his shoulder under her arm, while Ash took the other side. The two males helped Dawn over to the cave, where a sort of bench had coincidentally been carved out of rock and sat her down. "Thanks guys." Dawn managed a small smile before she went back to shivering and shaking violently. Even though the cave shielded them from the snow and wind, the cold didn't let up any.

"So cold…Buneary, come on out." Dawn called out her vest wearing rabbit and hugged her close to her body. "Alright! My very own cute little hot water bottles!" she sighed as she felt her body absorb the body heat from Buneary.

Suddenly Pikachu decided to hop out of Ash's blanket and crawled over to Dawn's, where he shared the sheet with Piplup and Buneary. "Aww Pikachu, what about poor Ash?" Dawn asked with sincere concern. "Pikachupi." (Misty.) the electric mouse replied simply.

"Oh right!" Misty scooted over to her boyfriend and hugged him tight, sharing her heat with Ash, and likewise his heat moved into her. "So what about poor Brock?" the breeder asked. "Come over here Brock, our heat is your heat. You too Dawn." Misty said.

The group huddled together to conserve body heat, but there wasn't much to go around due to the extreme cold. "This is really cozy and all but this won't keep us warm forever." Misty said. "I've got an idea! Chimchar, I choose you." Ash called out his small fire monkey who chattered softly upon release. Ash got up and gathered some stray sticks around the cave, his fingers responding sluggishly due to the cold. "I wonder who made this cave; it seems unlikely that it would naturally form a bench for us to sit on." Brock said.

Ash placed the kindling on the ground and sat back down next to Misty who immediately wrapped her arms around him to try and grant him some heat back. "Thanks Mist." he said gratefully, "Alright Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'." Chimchar acknowledged and fired, which ignited the kindling and gave them a warm and welcoming fire. "Alright Chimchar!" they cheered. But before they could start enjoying the heat, a pile of snow fell from the roof, extinguishing the fire just as fast as it started.

"Aww man." they groaned. "I could call out Charizard and we could use his tail for heat." Ash suggested. "That would work except that Charizard is too big for this tiny shelter." Misty replied. "So what'll we do?" Dawn asked. Just then, the group heard a faint echo in the distance. "Did you hear that?" Brock asked. The voice was a little louder this time, and a Pokémon suddenly appeared. "Hey, what's that?" Ash asked.

"Looks like a Froslass." Brock replied. "A Froslass?" Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex to scan the creature. "Froslass, the Snowland Pokémon, and an evolved form of Snorunt. It freezes its opponents to temperatures minus nearly sixty degrees." the Pokédex chirped. "Freezes its opponents?" Dawn whimpered nervously. "Listen, we're already frozen, so you don't have to do anything ok?" Misty told the Pokémon.

But Froslass didn't seem to be acting hostile, as it merely waved its hand at them enticingly, and at the same time, causing something strange to happen. "Whoa, the blizzard…" Ash said in awe. "It's dying down." Brock added. Then they looked back at Froslass, and a small cabin appeared right before their eyes. "Look guys! A cabin!" Ash exclaimed. "Where did that come from?" Brock wondered somewhat suspiciously.

"Awesome! It's gotta be Froslass trying to help us out!" Dawn said. Ash and Dawn ran for the cabin, but Misty and Brock stayed back. "What's wrong?" Ash asked. "I know I'm cold but I'm not going crazy. That wasn't there before." Misty said. "Come on Misty, it's a place to get out of the cold! Who cares where it came from?" Dawn replied.

The younger teens rushed inside, and after some reluctance, the two older ones decided it had to be better than freezing to death outside. When they walked in, they were greeted by the welcoming warmth of a crackling fire, which they immediately huddled in front of in order to thaw out. "Mmm, that feels so good." Dawn sighed. "Yeah, nice and warm." Ash added.

"Thanks a lot for helping us out Froslass." Misty said. "You really saved us." Brock added. Froslass nodded without turning around, and got back to stirring some hot soup in a pot. "That smells really good Froslass!" Ash exclaimed. "If you want, I could help you a little, it's the least I can do for you helping us." Brock got up to assist the Pokémon, but Froslass quickly shooed Brock away. "Well, if you need help just ask." Brock said.

"Boy Froslass sure knows how to be hospitable." Misty said. "I just hope her food tastes as good as it smells!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. Froslass turned around and held out a tray with four bowls of the hot soup. "Thank you Froslass!" they exclaimed happily. The teens eagerly dug in, and moaned ecstatically at how good the soup felt inside their half frozen bodies. "Mmm, that's good!" Ash exclaimed. "Warms you up from the inside out." Brock added.

"I think I'll let Azurill have some, the poor thing must be starved." Misty said. "Hey good idea! I think I'll let Riolu have some of this too." The two trainers called out their baby Pokémon, who quickly accepted the spoonful's of soup that their masters offered. "Taste good huh Riolu?" Ash asked. Riolu wholeheartedly agreed by taking another spoonful. Then Froslass set up a small tub and poured in a few pots of hot water. "I think Froslass made a bath for the Pokémon." Ash said. Seeing the water, Riolu and Azurill quickly jumped into the tub and started splashing with joy.

"Pi piplup?" (Can I go too?) Piplup asked. "Alright Piplup, just be careful with them." Dawn replied. Piplup happily jumped into the tub and started splashing as well. "Now I wish I were a Pokémon, that looks like fun." Ash said. But suddenly, the water became three chunks of ice that encased Riolu, Azurill, and Piplup, and the cabin changed into a cave. "What's going on?" Ash asked in shock. "This isn't a cabin, it's an ice cave!" Brock exclaimed. "And look! This isn't soup, it's shaved ice!" Dawn exclaimed. The group gasped and tossed their meals away, shivering from the sudden return to cold. "Back to freezing." they groaned.

"But how could we have thought this place was a cabin?" Ash shivered as he embraced Misty to look for warmth. "I have a feeling Froslass is behind this! It's causing us to hallucinate!" Brock said angrily. "You're kidding!" Ash exclaimed. "But why? What did we ever do to Froslass?" Misty asked. "Whatever the reason, it must've needed us to come here in the first place." Brock said.

"Well I don't care what the reason is; I'm not letting MY Pokémon become an ice cube! Corsola, come out!" Misty freed herself from Ash's arms and angrily tossed out her water/rock-type. "I'm with you Misty! Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'!" Chimchar acknowledged and prepared to blast a powerful flame at the ice/ghost-type, but then Froslass scratched at Riolu's ice cube, leaving a large dent where it scratched.

Then it held an attack up in its hand threateningly, causing Riolu to panic and inadvertently send Ash an aura message for help. Ash cringed and sent a message back. _"Hang tight Riolu, we won't let you get hurt."_

"An 'Ice Beam', I think Froslass is warning us not to get near Piplup." Brock said. "So what are we supposed to do? Just let our Pokémon stay frozen like that?" Dawn asked. "Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?" Misty shouted. Froslass ignored the water trainer's outburst and used 'Psychic' to make another unconscious Pokémon come into their view. "It's Meowth!" they exclaimed. "So Froslass must've captured Meowth as well." Brock added.

Once Froslass allowed the scratch cat Pokémon to get down, Meowth regained consciousness. "Check please." he said woozily. Then when Meowth regained his senses, he realized exactly who was standing in front of him. "Twoips! So you suckas musta fallen for Froslass' trap like us!"

"Us? Oh yeah, where are Jessie and James?" Misty asked. Well ya see, we was traipsing around in da mountains when we got lost in dat blizzard." Meowth explained. "That's what happened to us!" Dawn replied.

"Den dis Froslass led us to a cabin where we could defrost and recharge." Meowth explained. "Just like us!" Ash replied. "And while we was getting up ta room temperature, we discovered dis joint was just a Froslass made mirage!" Meowth exclaimed. "You were right Brock, it was fake!" Misty exclaimed.

"Den Froslass told me it's been trying ta find its good buddy Snorunt for da longest time, but no matter how much it looks for its buddy it comes up empty handed so I'm being held hostage while Jessie and James go have a look for da little guy!" Meowth explained.

"Snorunt huh? Let's see." Dawn pulled out her Pokédex and searched up the Pokémon Meowth was referring to. "Snorunt, the snow hat Pokémon. Snorunt is said to bring great wealth to whatever home it lives in." the Pokédex chirped.

Froslass then spoke up, and Meowth took it upon himself to translate it. "Now Froslass is saying dat if you want dis Riolu, Azurill, and Piplup back you're gonna hafta look for Snorunt too!" Froslass nodded to confirm the translation. "Is that all? No problem!" Ash exclaimed. Froslass was taken by surprise by Ash's statement, "You could've just told us you were having a little bit of trouble. Right?" Ash asked his friends. They replied with an enthusiastic "Right!"

"You really didn't need to go through all of this; we would've gone to go look for Snorunt anyway." Brock said. "Yeah, I mean we're Pokémon Trainers, we would've been glad to help." Misty added.

"So if we go look for Snorunt, can we please have our Pokémon back?" Dawn asked. Froslass just gawked at the trainers for a moment, but then shook its head as if to get their words out of its head. "Ok, now Froslass is saying dat once a human promised ta help it out and den turned right around and tried ta take its buddy pal away by force." Meowth translated, "Needless ta say Froslass isn't in da people trusting business dese days."

"Now I get it." Ash sighed. "I understand why you did what you did Froslass, but you can't lump every human in the world together in the same category just because one jerk decided to betray you." Misty added.

"The truth is, not every person is bad like that." Dawn said. Froslass remained stone-faced, and the group just stayed silent for a few moments before Ash spoke up. "I've got it! We'll just bring Snorunt back here no matter what!"

"You just wait here and we'll be right back." Brock said. "No need to worry guys, we'll bring Snorunt here and set you free." Dawn added.

"We'll show you you can trust us 100%, people or not!" Ash exclaimed. "So, shall we go?" Brock said. The group nodded and turned to walk out, but a panicked squeal stopped them in their tracks. They turned around and they saw Riolu begging them not to leave with his eyes. "What's the matter Riolu?" Ash asked.

"I don't think Riolu wants you to leave." Brock replied. "Poor Riolu." Misty said quietly. Ash cautiously drew closer to the Emanation Pokémon, but then Froslass cut him off and stopped him from getting any closer.

"Froslass, please, just let me tell Riolu that everything's gonna be ok." Ash begged the ice/ghost-type. Froslass stood its ground at first, but after a few moments it permitted Ash to kneel down in front of the frightened fighting-type. Ash gave Riolu a tight embrace to calm it, and then looked it in the eyes with a kind and caring expression, "We'll be right back Riolu, I promise, just relax." Riolu nodded and gave the raven haired trainer a small smile. Then Ash moved over to Azurill and whispered something in its ear. "Azu Azu." (Ok Daddy.) the Polka Dot Pokémon responded.

Ash smiled and walked back to his friends, "Come on, let's go find Snorunt!" he took off running with his friends following closely. "Hey! If you twoips see Jessie and James out dere you tell them I'm hanging in and chilling out!" But then the clumsy cat fell over, and being frozen solid, he was helpless to get back up. "Hey come on someone help me I ain't an ice cube by nature ya know!"

The three other imprisoned Pokémon got a good laugh at Meowth's expense, but then Azurill turned towards Riolu and spoke up. "They'll be back, don't be scared." Azurill said. "Thank you Azurill." Riolu replied.

"Snorunt! Where are you?" the group had gone right out and started calling for the Snow Hat Pokémon, hoping that maybe it would come out of hiding and make itself know to them. "Maybe we should send out a search party. Why not send out Staravia and Charizard and see if they have any luck?" Misty suggested.

"Good idea Mist." Ash pulled out two Pokéballs and sent out his two flying Pokémon. "We're looking for a Snorunt guys, split up and see if you catch a glimpse of it." Ash instructed. The two Pokémon nodded and took off for the skies. "Well that's two directions taken care of." Ash said.

"Well if they're taking care of those areas, we should probably head this way since Snorunt would've been found by Froslass by now if it had gone that way." Brock said. The three younger teens nodded and followed the eldest through the pine trees.

"Ash, what did you tell Azurill before we went?" Misty asked. "Well…I told it…since it was kinda like an older sibling…it was its job to keep Riolu calm." Ash replied. "I see." Misty said.

"You don't mind, do you?" Ash asked, slightly nervous. "No, I suppose being a big sibling will help Azurill…grow up a little." Misty replied.

"Sorry Mist, guess I should've asked first." Ash sighed. "You're right. But I guess this time, no harm no foul." Misty replied.

"Hey Ash, Staravia's coming back." Dawn pointed out. The group looked up and saw Staravia flying over to report. "Any luck Staravia?" he asked. Staravia shook its head in response. "No sign of Charizard, guess he's still looking." Brock said. "Alright Staravia, try looking over there." Ash pointed off in a different direction, and the bird nodded and flew off. "Thank you! Let us know what you find!" Ash shouted out.

"Let's get going." Brock said. The group nodded and began walking through the snow, calling out the name of their target. Just then, the group saw a flame shoot up into the sky, "Hey check that out!" Dawn exclaimed.

The group looked up and saw a flame dying down. "You think that's Charizard?" Brock asked. "Only one way to find out!" Ash replied. The group ran through the trees and found Charizard standing on the ground, "Did you find it?" Ash asked. Charizard nodded and pointed down the path. "Great! Staravia, we found Snorunt!" Ash pointed Staravia's Pokéball and blasted the red return light into the sky for the bird Pokémon to see.

"Staravia probably saw that, lead the way Charizard!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard nodded and started flying a few feet off the ground, following the path it had seen Snorunt take with the humans running close behind. "Man this forest sure is thick." Ash said. "No kidding, you can't see anything through these trees." Misty added.

The group reached a corner and was suddenly knocked onto the ground by Charizard who had bumped into something. "Anyone get the license number on that truck?" a voice asked. "I know that voice," Dawn said.

The group looked up and saw who it was they had run into. "It's Team Rocket!" they exclaimed, at the same time that Team Rocket had exclaimed that it was the twerps they ran into. "Did you find it?" Dawn asked. "What are you talking about little twerpette?" Jessie replied.

"Be cryptic on someone else's watch! We've not time for your games!" James added, as Carnivine took its master's side and stared down the teens. "This isn't a game; you know exactly what it is we're talking about!" Misty exclaimed.

"For your information red twerpette, we're on a mission to find an estranged Snorunt so we can thaw and reinstall Meowth on the double!" Jessie exclaimed.

"We already know that! Piplup, Riolu, and Azurill have all been captured by that Froslass too!" Dawn replied. "So that means you must've fallen for Froslass' warm and cozy fireside cabin illusion as we did." James said.

"That's right, which means this is no time to argue. I suggest we all declare a temporary ceasefire and work together so we can save all of our Pokémon." Brock said.

"Novel, a ceasefire." Jessie said. "We can always be at each other's throats afterwards. Jess, the important thing right now is to defrost Meowth. Tall twerp, I concur with your plan!" James exclaimed. "Well if James is in, I guess I'm in too." Jessie added.

"It's a deal." Brock said. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Meowth said he had a message for you." Ash said. "A message? What was it?" Jessie asked.

"If you twoips see Jessie and James tell them I'm hanging in and chilling out!" Dawn exclaimed, doing her best impression of the scratch cat Pokémon. "Doesn't that hurt your throat?" Misty asked. "As a matter of fact yes." Dawn replied, as she cleared her throat.

Just then, Ash was forced to duck a small 'Ember'. "Oh yeah! Sorry Charizard, you said Snorunt was over there right? "Ash asked. Charizard nodded in response. "Alright then." Ash said. "Ash look, there's Staravia!" Brock exclaimed.

The group looked up and saw the bird flying over to them. "Charizard found it Staravia, follow us!" Ash exclaimed. "Let's split up and surround Snorunt so it can't run off again!" Misty suggested. "Good idea Mist, alright, we'll head up and around to the right!" Ash exclaimed.

"Which leaves our gang to pursue the left!" James replied. "And that should cover everywhere!" Dawn added. With that, the two groups split ways. "There's the corner!" Brock exclaimed. The group turned it, and sure enough they ran into Snorunt who became frightened upon finding itself face to face with humans. "Snorunt, hold on!" Ash exclaimed.

But Snorunt ignored Ash's plea and turned around to run the other way, but Team Rocket then emerged and blocked the only other way it could run. "Relax; your jogging days are done." Jessie said. "Covering the bases sure has its perks." James added,

Snorunt nervously looked around for another escape route, but it had wandered into one of the denser parts of the forest and had unintentionally trapped itself. "Look Snorunt, everything's fine." Ash said gently, "We're not trying to catch you or anything bad."

"We want you to come home with us and see Froslass." Brock said. "Froslass is really worried about you." Dawn added.

"Worried sick." Jessie said. "All we want from you is for you to participate in a Pokémon reunion." James added.

Still rather skeptical, Snorunt looked back and forth at its two human blockades and thought about their words, but suddenly a blast of energy came out of nowhere and knocked the humans and their Pokémon down. "What was that?" Ash exclaimed.

When the smoke cleared, a Glalie appeared, growling at the small Snorunt. "What's up with that Glalie?" Ash wondered. "Lemme look it up." Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex and scanned the antagonizing Pokémon. "Glalie, the Face Pokémon, and an evolved form of Snorunt. Glalie protects itself by creating ice armor from airborne moisture." the Pokédex chirped.

"I wonder if Glalie and Snorunt are friends." Ash said. "Froslass never mentioned a Glalie to us though." Misty replied. Glalie then fired a powerful 'Hyper Beam' at the teens, that just narrowly missed nailing Team Rocket, and forced the group of trainers to dive out of the way. "Why would Glalie attack us out of nowhere like that?" Dawn asked.

"My guess is that Glalie isn't too happy with us." Misty figured. The group peeked out from behind their hiding place and saw Glalie use an attack on Snorunt that caused it to fall limply on its side. "Glalie just used 'Leer' and look at what it did to poor Snorunt!" Ash growled. "I guess it's safe to assume that Glalie and Snorunt aren't the best of friends." Brock added.

Then Glalie scooped up Snorunt and placed the quivering Pokémon on its head, and then turned around and headed for an unknown location. "Oh no, where's Glalie taking Snorunt?" Dawn asked. "Wherever it is, it can't be good!" Misty replied.

"Come on, let's go after it!" Ash exclaimed. The group took off running after the Face Pokémon to try and rescue the frightened Pokémon it was carrying away. "Don't just stand there, move it!" Jessie exclaimed. "Yes ma'am!" the two adults and their Pokémon started chasing after Glalie as well in order to rescue their friend from the hands of Froslass.

"Glalie, stop!" Ash yelled. Glalie glanced back and saw the group of humans chasing it down determinedly. "Stop this right now!" Dawn shouted. "And give Snorunt back!" Misty added.

"James, do something!" Jessie exclaimed. James acknowledged and ordered an attack, "Carnivine, 'Bullet Seed'!" Carnivine acknowledged and fought the urge to bite James' head first, and instead fired a spray of huge, energized seeds at the Face Pokémon, who took the attack and grunted, but refused to give up its cargo.

"Alright Charizard, Chimchar, you gotta go and help Snorunt!" Ash ordered. The two fire-types acknowledged and charged at the ice-type. Chimchar struck first with multiple 'Scratch' attacks, and then the big strike came when Charizard slammed Glalie with a strong 'Steel Wing' and knocked Snorunt off of Glalie's head.

"It's your turn Corsola, 'Power Gem' now!" Misty ordered. "You too Buneary! 'Ice Beam'!" Dawn ordered. The two Pokémon launched their attacks, but they both missed as Glalie dodged and fired a powerful 'Hyper Beam' that made a direct hit on both of the assaulting Pokémon. "Corsola!" "Buneary!"

The two trainers went to check on their Pokémon when a man riding a snowmobile drove up, "What's going on? What are you doing to my Glalie?" the man demanded. "That's your Glalie?" Dawn asked. "WE didn't do anything! Your Glalie attacked us out of nowhere!" Misty screamed.

"Yeah, and it was trying to take that Snorunt too!" Ash added. "Well I know that, it was acting on my orders." the man replied. "YOUR orders?" Brock asked. "You mean you meant for Glalie to steal Snorunt?" Misty added.

"But why?" James asked. "It's a no-brainer, look." the man held up a piece of paper that listed all sorts of Pokémon, "Snorunt always fetch top dollar on the Pokémon Black Market."

"Pokémon Black Market?" Ash asked. "You're a poacher aren't you?" Brock said. "Guilty as charged. You see legend has it that having a Snorunt will make you rich, so plenty of people want them." the man chuckled and glanced over to Snorunt, "I did manage to catch one around here just the other day, but it ran off on my way home." the man picked up Snorunt and walked over to his snowmobile.

"What are you doing?" Misty shouted. "What's it look like I'm doing? You don't think I'd let a goldmine like this get away AGAIN do you?" the man dropped Snorunt into a tiny cage and closed it, trapping Snorunt.

"Stop it!" Ash yelled. "Give Snorunt back now!" Dawn added. "Sorry, but finders keepers. Now stay out of my way." the man said. "I'll bet when Froslass was telling us about when somebody took away Snorunt by force it was YOU Froslass was talking about!" Dawn hissed.

"No wonder Froslass doesn't trust humans, you must've just barged in and taken Snorunt away from Froslass and just taken off to sell it!" Misty added. "Well your Pokémon poaching days are over!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

"Give Snorunt back right now!" Dawn demanded. "Meowth will thank you for it you jerk!" Jessie exclaimed. "That'll be a first!" James added.

We're taking Snorunt back to Froslass!" Ash exclaimed. "Oh yeah? And how do you intend to stop me?" the man asked.

"Charizard!"

"Gyarados!"

Misty tossed out a Pokéball, and her giant water dragon emerged next to Charizard and roared its challenge, scaring James into a fetal position at the same time. "A Gyarados huh? No big deal for my Glalie." the man said nonchalantly. "Don't be too sure." Misty said. The water-trainer nodded at Gyarados, and the water dragon launched a blazing flame at the Face Pokémon, who barely managed to dodge.

"That Gyarados knows 'Flamethrower'? And that Charizard looks pretty strong too actually." the man said. "So are you gonna give Snorunt back peacefully, or do we have to do this the hard way?" Misty asked. The two giants growled fiercely at the poacher and his Pokémon, clearly wanting to take the evil man down. "Glalie, it's time for our secret weapon!" the man exclaimed. Glalie nodded and began to glow in a bright blue aura.

"What's Glalie doing?" Ash asked. "Use 'Sheer Cold'!" The group gasped as Glalie began freezing the entire surrounding area solid. "Jump!" Brock yelled. The group jumped up and avoided becoming ice statues, and watched as the maximum range of the attack was reached and it went a few more feet. "Ha! Your secret weapon failed!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Oh yeah? Look again." the man chuckled. They looked and saw that Charizard and Gyarados had apparently not reacted fast enough, and had been frozen solid by the one-hit KO move. "Oh no, not again!" Ash exclaimed.

"So now what do you intend to do?" the man snickered. "You may have stopped Charizard but there's no way you'll be able to beat all of our Pokémon! One way or another we're getting Snorunt back!" Ash exclaimed.

"In your dreams punks! Glalie use 'Hyper Beam' quick!" the man ordered. Glalie complied and opened its mouth, allowing a powerful orange beam to go flying out of it. "Chimchar, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash countered.

Chimchar also opened its mouth, and a burning flame blasted out of it, countering the 'Hyper Beam' and causing an explosion that melted some of the surrounding ice. "Ash, get Chimchar to thaw out Charizard and Gyarados! Dawn and I will hold him back!" Misty exclaimed.

"No you don't, use 'Leer'!" the man ordered. Glalie's eyes glowed in an angry red, which frightened Chimchar and brought it to its knees. "Come on Dawn, let's go!" Misty exclaimed. "Right! Buneary, use 'Dizzy Punch'!" Dawn ordered. "Corsola, 'Spike Cannon'!" Misty ordered.

Buneary charged ahead to attack while Corsola launched a furious barrage of sharp spikes at the ice-type. "Use 'Protect' now!" the man countered. Glalie became encased in a glowing green sphere of energy that negated Buneary's barrage of punches and blocked Corsola's spikes.

The two girls growled quietly at their attacks being blocked. "Power Gem' Corsola!" Misty ordered. Corsola charged up a huge orange ball of crystal that was sent flying towards Glalie. "Protect' again!" the man countered.

Once again the attack was blocked. "Next use 'Hyper Beam'!" the man ordered. Glalie fired at nearly point blank range and managed to make direct hits on both Corsola and Buneary, who were sent flying by the sheer power of the 'Hyper Beam'.

"Corsola!"

"No Buneary!"

"It's time we joined the battle! Carnivine, use 'Vine Whip'!" James ordered. "Yanmega, you use 'Sonic Boom'!" Jessie threw out a Pokéball, and her dragonfly Pokémon beat its wings forcefully to exert a powerful sound wave that hurtled straight for the Face Pokémon while Carnivine charged forward to slap it with long, whip-like vines.

But the Face Pokémon was too fast for the attacks and easily dodged them. "Now use 'Hyper Beam'!" the man ordered. Glalie fired another orange beam and hit Yanmega, but Carnivine managed to duck down low enough to escape being hit by the ultra-powerful blast. "They can't lick you! Carnivine, 'Bullet Seed'!" James ordered.

Carnivine cocked its head back and opened its mouth, sending a shower of energized seeds to pelt the ice-type. "Get back in there Corsola! 'Power Gem'!" Misty ordered. Corsola added on to the assault and launched a huge sphere at the Face Pokémon.

"Glalie, 'Protect' and then 'Gyro Ball'!" the man countered. Glalie's 'Protect' rendered the attacks useless against it, and then it immediately switched to offense and spun around at high speed, knocking out Team Rocket's Pokémon and knocking them into their masters, and sending Corsola flying into Misty who also fell over from the impact.

"That was super-effective against a rock-type like Corsola!" Brock exclaimed. And no sooner had he said that, Corsola passed out on top of Misty. "You were great Corsola, take a good rest." Misty returned her exhausted water/rock-type to her Pokéball for a much needed rest. "Don't just stand there Brock, get in there!" Misty exclaimed.

"Right! Croagunk, let's go!" Brock threw out a Pokéball of his own, and his poison/fighting-type emerged from it, croaking with determination at the Face Pokémon. "Brick Break', let's go!" Brock ordered. Croagunk leaped up to slam the ice-type with a hard, barrier shattering punch, but the Face Pokémon dodged that as well. "Quick Chimchar, use 'Scratch' now!" Ash ordered.

Chimchar took advantage of Croagunk distracting Glalie and nailed the ice-type with a sharp 'Scratch' across the face. "Quick Buneary, use 'Bounce'!" "Croagunk, 'Brick Break'!"

Buneary moved in first and used 'Bounce' on top of Glalie's head to bring it lower, and then as soon as Croagunk leaped into the air, Buneary bounced backwards and allowed Croagunk to hit Glalie with the fighting-type move. "I can't lose! Glalie use 'Hyper Beam'!" the man ordered. Glalie opened its mouth again and spewed out a powerful beam that Chimchar and Buneary managed to dodge, but Croagunk didn't move fast enough and got nailed by the blast. "No Croagunk!"

"Next use 'Gyro Ball'!" the man ordered. Glalie followed up its 'Hyper Beam' with a powerful 'Gyro Ball', knocking back the two Pokémon that had dodged the previous attack. "No Buneary!" the small rabbit Pokémon landed in front of Dawn with swirls in its eyes, and the coordinator picked it up and embraced it softly, "You did a great job." Pikachu scampered over to check on the normal-type, who quickly regained consciousness and smiled at the electric mouse.

"Chimchar, you ok?" Ash asked. Chimchar was obviously in pain from the hits it had taken, but the determined fire-type forced itself back to its feet and growled at the Face Pokémon. "How long are you gonna keep this up? My Glalie can't lose!" the man snickered. "We'll keep it up until we get Snorunt back!" Ash replied.

"Well if you wanna keep the beating going be my guest, we can do this all day." the man snickered. "We'll show you what we're made of! Chimchar, use 'Dig'!" The small monkey dove underneath the snow and vanished from sight. "What? Where'd it go?" the man exclaimed. Chimchar then burst out of the snow behind the confused Face Pokémon and screeched with determination. "Now, 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash ordered.

Chimchar enveloped itself in flame and nailed the Face Pokémon who groaned in pain. "Nice shot!" Team Rocket exclaimed. "That 'Flame Wheel' was super effective!" Brock added. "You ready to give Snorunt back yet?" Misty asked.

"Not on your life! Glalie quick, 'Gyro Ball'!" the man ordered. Glalie recovered its balance and began spinning at high speed to hit the fire-type with the steel-type move. "Chimchar, use 'Dig' to dodge it!" Ash countered. Chimchar quickly dove back underneath the snow and dodged the powerful 'Gyro Ball', that Glalie used to hit nothing but a snow covered boulder. "Keep your eyes open Glalie!" the man yelled. "Now Chimchar, 'Flame Wheel' again!" Chimchar burst out from behind Glalie again, and nailed the ice-type Pokémon with another super effective flame attack. "Oh no, Glalie!" the man shouted in disbelief. "Yeah, afraid so!" Ash cheered. Chimchar burst out of its own flames and slid across the snow to slow itself down and to get back into battle-ready stance.

"Nice work Chimchar!" Dawn cheered. "Chimmy's really on fire now!" James exclaimed. "No pun intended I'm sure." Jessie added.

"There's no way I'm giving up my gold mine to a bunch of bratty kids! Glalie, use 'Hyper Beam'!" the man ordered. Glalie fired, and the fire monkey jumped out of the way of the attack, but unfortunately it forced the humans to do the same. "That was too close!" Misty exclaimed.

"It'll get a lot close in a minute!" the man growled. "Not if we can help it! Chimchar, 'Dig' again!" Chimchar ran forward to dive down once more, but this time the man was ready. "No you don't! Glalie, get underneath that little pest!" he ordered. Glalie acknowledged and got down underneath the fire monkey before it could go underground. "Oh no!" Ash cried.

"Use 'Hyper Beam'!" the man ordered. Glalie opened its mouth, and at nearly point blank range the beam hit the fire monkey, lifted it up into the sky and let it fall back onto the ground with a dull puff of snow rising where it landed. "Come on Chimchar you gotta get up!" Ash encouraged. Chimchar pushed itself to its feet under the influence of its friends, but it was obvious the fire monkey was running out of energy fast.

"Heh heh, you put up a good fight there but you're still gonna lose!" the man snickered. "Not if we can help it! Chimchar quick! Use 'Scratch' let's go!" Ash ordered. Chimchar jumped up and reeled back to scratch the ice-type. "Protect', then 'Gyro Ball'!" the man countered.

'Protect' came into play just as Chimchar scratched, which caused the fire monkey to groan in pain from the impact of hitting the shield, and then Glalie's steel-type move knocked the weakened fire-type back onto its side.

Ash rushed to Chimchar's side and helped it back up, "Chimchar you gotta get up! You're our only other fire-type Chimchar; you're the only one who can beat that Glalie!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar stood up again. "Use 'Dig', let's go!" Ash ordered. Chimchar acknowledged and began digging a hole to hide in.

"Don't let it Glalie!" the man yelled. Glalie shoved Chimchar out of the hole and knocked it backwards once again with a powerful 'Gyro Ball'. But instead of staying down, the determined fire-type got back up and charged forward again. "Do it for Riolu!" Ash yelled. Glalie slammed Chimchar backwards again.

"Do it for Azurill!" A 'Hyper Beam' was blasted and knocked Chimchar back.

"Do it for Piplup!" This time a 'Gyro Ball' knocked Chimchar down, and at this point the small fire-type had no energy left. "Ha ha ha ha! You punks can't win, my Glalie is unbeatable!" the man snickered. "Oh yeah? We'll never give up! We're getting Snorunt back and that's that you hear? Go Chimchar! Do it for Froslass!" Ash yelled.

Chimchar hobbled back out towards Glalie with an angry grimace on its face, if it wasn't so weak its flame would be burning extremely hot out of fury towards the Face Pokémon. But then out of nowhere, a figure leaped out from behind a tree and charged past the slowly moving Chimchar. "Now what?" the man growled. "It's Froslass." Ash said in shock.

Froslass charged towards Glalie and gave a hard 'Scratch' attack to stun it and get its mind off of hurting the fire monkey that had been sacrificing its body on Snorunt's behalf. "Looks like Froslass is on our side now!" Misty exclaimed. Froslass then turned around and faced the frozen figures of Charizard and Gyarados, and its eyes glowed blue, and slowly but surely the two giants defrosted and roared in fury towards the Glalie.

"Thanks Froslass! Does this mean you wanna help us?" Ash asked. Froslass nodded to acknowledge, and thanked Chimchar for doing so much and told it to go and take a rest. Chimchar thanked Froslass and limped over to Ash. "You did awesome Chimchar, now just let Charizard finish this off!" Ash exclaimed.

"Hey don't forget Gyarados! I think it could use a little warm up after being frozen so long!" Misty added. Gyarados roared in agreement and glared at the Face Pokémon. "Uh oh…" the man groaned. "Alright Gyarados, 'Flamethrower'!" Misty ordered. The enraged water-dragon spewed a powerful flame from its mouth, and got assistance from Froslass' 'Shadow Ball'.

"Quick Glalie! 'Protect'!" the man yelled desperately. Glalie managed to block the attacks with some difficulty, but once the shield wore off, Charizard came charging in, and grabbed the Face Pokémon by its horns. "Now Charizard, 'Seismic Toss'!" Ash ordered. Charizard flew up and did three somersaults in the air, but instead of throwing Glalie straight down, Charizard swooped down and did an underhand throw and sent Glalie rolling like a bowling ball, knocking the ice-type into its master and together they slammed into the cage and fell unconscious, inadvertently opened the cage and allowed Snorunt to escape.

Snorunt climbed out of the cage and wobbled over to Froslass who had its arms open for Snorunt to jump into. Snorunt eagerly did and happily cried out its name in the safe arms of its friend. "I'm so glad Snorunt is safe now." Dawn said. "Maybe after all this, Froslass will realize that there still people in this world you can trust after all." Brock added.

"And it looks like that poacher won't be poaching Pokémon anytime soon." Misty said. Froslass floated over to the teens with Snorunt still resting comfortably in its arms. "Sorry it took so long, but we kept our promise to you about Snorunt. So can we have our Pokémon back? That was the deal." Ash said.

Froslass nodded happily at the teens, but then Team Rocket ran up in a panic. "Hey! We worked hard! Remember we had a deal too!" Jessie exclaimed. "Yes observe!" James stuck his head into Carnivine's mouth, "I trust my dear Pokémon with my head! So please, can we have our friend Meowth back?"

Froslass and Snorunt sweat-dropped when Carnivine bit down on James' head, "Could we save this for another time?" James asked almost desperately. "Hey don't forget about that guy, we gotta do something about him or he'll just go out and try to snatch Snorunt again." Misty said.

"Here's an idea, hey Charizard, how about you dump them in their own cage?" Ash said. Charizard gave a toothy smirk and picked up the human and ice-type, dropping them into the small cage and locking it. "I'm sure Officer Jenny will show up soon." Ash said. "So for now, you two behave yourselves." Dawn added. "Or else Gyarados will have to get mean." Misty also added.

"Oh yeah? Well we'll just see about that! Glalie, freeze them all with 'Sheer Cold'!" the man ordered. "Whoa, watch out!" Ash exclaimed. Glalie strained itself to try and activate the attack, but the best it could muster was to accidently freeze itself and its master. "Well, it looks like learning crime doesn't pay is tough for some." Jessie said. "Do tell." James added.

Froslass then led the group back to the cave, where the four frozen Pokémon cheered upon seeing the humans return. "Jessie! James! You guys managed ta find da little guy!" Meowth cheered. "That's right, now just stay still and let Froslass work her hocus pocus." Jessie replied.

Froslass waved its hands around mysteriously. And just like with Charizard and Gyarados, the ice slowly melted and freed its captives. "(Sigh) Dat's a load off." Meowth said. The moment they were free, the three other Pokémon leaped into their respective master's arms for a happy reunion hug.

"Ha ha, Riolu!"

"Aww Azurill!"

"Piplup, you're free!"

"Tanks for da thaw." Meowth said. "All in a day's work for the giving." Jessie replied. "But worth every selfless second of it to keep our team intact." James added. "Did you do a good job with Riolu?" Misty asked. "Azu azu!" (I sure did!) Azurill replied. "See Mist, I told you it'd be good for Azurill. And I bet it was pretty good for Riolu too." Ash said.

Just then, Froslass spoke up, and Meowth once again took it upon himself to translate. "Oigent news flash from Froslass! 'Even if my intentions ta find my pally Snorunt were good, I neva shoulda put your buddies in da deep freeze because of it, and I'm sorry!'"

"It's fine, we understand." Dawn said. "The important thing is that it all worked out for the best for everyone in the end." Misty added. Froslass again spoke up, "As a token of Froslass' appreciation, here's directions ta town!" Meowth translated.

"Thank you! That's so sweet!" Dawn exclaimed. "Now this is how people and Pokémon should get along right guys?" Ash said. "You bet." Brock added. "Amen to that." Misty also commented. The group then followed the ice/ghost-type through the forest, and finally they reached a clearing in the snow and found the path they had previously been walking. "Thanks for everything Froslass; we can take it from here." Ash said.

"Only as long as Ash doesn't lead the way again." Misty joked. "My map skills weren't the reason we got lost." Ash replied. "You mean your LACK of map skills and how do you know that?" Misty countered.

"You gotta admit I'm getting better!" Ash exclaimed. "Yes but better than horrible is still bad!" Misty replied. The argument would've gone on longer, but the group suddenly heard a loud exclamation, but when they looked behind them, they saw nothing there. "What was that?" Ash wondered. "Hey where's Team Rocket?" Misty pointed out. "Maybe that was them blasting off again." Brock suggested with a laugh. The group decided to agree for the sake of laughs, and said goodbye to Froslass and Snorunt. And now that they were back on the right track, the group of teens continued on towards Snowpoint City and Ash's next gym battle.  
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**Sorry if this one sucked. Quite honestly I didn't think of this one as one of my best chapters myself. But that's what happens when I'm using the wrong computer to write on. I had to sneak around using any and every computer I could get my hands on, carrying my jumpdrive everywhere I went just to try and write a few paragraphs if I'm lucky. I even used the extremely ancient Word 2003 so that no matter which comp I got on I could write a little bit without worrying about having the file too new to handle. But the next one I guarentee will be better! So please review, and let me know that you all didn't abandon me!**


	47. Pursuing a Lofty Goal

**Heh...h-hey everyone. *dodges flying beer bottles* Ok ok I'm sorry! It's just that I've been real busy with other stuff, like trying to organize the Sonic movie that I've been working on, trying to get stuff done for Vacation Bible School (look that up if you have an empty summer), and plus, the fanfiction private messaging system went all wonky on me, so I couldn't reply to too many revies, so I'm sorry if anyone didn't get one. And to top it all off, the archives I use to send the update messages went somewhere so I couldn't send them. Please forgive me everyone! I swear I'll get the next one out faster! I don't own anything except the story. *Gets hit by a bottle* Ow...  
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Chapter 47

**Misty's POV**

Well after the whole Froslass incident, we were glad to be able to take a day to relax and just do nothing. We stopped in this small town that was famous for its noodle restaurant, so we decided to stop for a while and enjoy a good lunch, and oh wow was it good! What a refreshing aspect, doing nothing for a day. Just some good old fashioned rest and relaxation. We definitely needed it after all the excitement we'd been through in the past week. Of course Riolu made sure the day wasn't COMPLETELY boring. The little guy was all whiny about doing some training, but all of the other Pokémon just wanted to sit around too, even Azurill was in the mood for a lazy day. But of course, Riolu being Ash's Pokémon decided to go off on his own and practice by himself.

When Pikachu pointed out Riolu was missing, Ash tried using his aura to find out where Riolu had gone exactly, and he was shocked to find he had gone off into the nearby mountains all by himself. Ash ran off and we followed, and before long we found Riolu at the bottom of the hill that led to the mountainous region. Ash snagged the Emanation Pokémon who was somewhat displeased that he had been caught, but he didn't know how lucky he was. Brock spotted a warning sign that explained there was a rogue Metagross in the mountains!

A few seconds later, we heard faint screaming and a ping out of nowhere, and just like that the sounds stopped. Ash suggested it was Team Rocket blasting off again, of course I knew he was just joking. So after we took a night to get some sleep, we moved on and started back on our trip to Snowpoint City, and on our way there, we found a town down in a canyon.

**Normal POV**

"Hey look guys, a town!" Ash exclaimed. "I bet whoever built it went through a lot of trouble to put it right in the middle of a canyon." Misty added. "According to the guidebook, that town's called Squallville." Brock said. "Wow, what a view." Dawn added. Just then, a sharp gust of wind blew, forcing Dawn to release Piplup in order to hold down her skirt. "What a wind!" she exclaimed. When the wind died down, the group breathed a gasp of relief. "Hey Dawn, where's Piplup?" Misty asked. "Huh? Piplup! Where are you?" Dawn cried.

The group heard a terrified chirping from up above them, and they saw Piplup flapping desperately to stay airborne and not fall to a painful experience. "Aah! Piplup!" Dawn leaped up to catch Piplup just before the small penguin hit the ground, and managed to wrap her arms around the water-type. "(Sigh) That was close." Dawn said. "You guys ok?" Ash asked. "Yeah, we're ok now." Dawn sighed. "No wonder it's called Squallville, that wind came out of nowhere." Misty said. "What does that have to do with anything?" Ash asked.

"Ash, you really are the king of unintelligence. Squall means a sharp, sudden gust of wind." Misty sighed. Ash made a face at the redhead, "Well you're the queen of using words I don't know." he said. "I'll take that as a compliment, thank you. It's nice to know that even though you beat me in the height department, I'll always be smarter than you." Misty stuck her tongue out at her boyfriend who just stuck his tongue back at her. "Ahh, good times." Brock sighed. Just then, the four teens heard a loud shout echo from the canyon, the group looked around and saw something floating up into the air. "Awesome!" Ash exclaimed.

"What is that?" Misty asked. "It's Pokéringer!" Brock replied. "What's Pokéringer?" Dawn asked. "You'll see! Come on, let's check it out!" Ash and Brock took off running down the path, leaving Misty and Dawn in a state of confusion. "Wait for us you guys!" Misty cried. The two girls managed to catch up with the trainer and breeder just as they reached a low enough cliff that they could see what was happening. "Awesome! They have Pokéringer matches in Squallville too!" Ash exclaimed. "Ok now that you made us run all the way down here, answer our question. What is Pokéringer?" Misty asked.

"Pokéringer is a really fun competitive sport where trainer and Pokémon compete together as a team, just like what they're doing down there." Brock explained. The group averted their attention to the two flying Pokémon down below. A Yanmega and a Wingull were busy fighting for possession of a plastic ring that was floating around via a tiny parachute that was riding the wind. "The object of the game is to grab the ring while simultaneously trying to take your opponent down, and whoever places the ring on one of the three hooks is declared the winner…like what Yanmega just did!" Brock exclaimed.

"Wow, sounds like fun!" Dawn exclaimed. "Come on, let's ask the guy down there when the competition is! I wanna compete again!" Ash exclaimed. "Again? When did you compete before?" Misty asked. "Back when I was travelling Hoenn, I entered with my Taillow and it evolved into Swellow to win!" Ash replied. "And…how come you never called to tell me?" Misty asked suspiciously. "Musta…slipped my mind." Ash chuckled nervously. "Just like everything else in there." Misty playfully knocked his head with her fist before walking past him.

"Hey! I've got a great memory!" Ash yelled. "Let it go Ash." Brock laughed. Ash grumbled before following the others down the cliff to speak with the man whose Yanmega had just won the competition. "The guy sure looks determined." Misty commented. The teens walked up to the man and all simultaneously said, "Hello!" Apparently they had caught the man off guard as he cringed in shock and curled up into a ball with his back turned to them. "Excuse me, something wrong?" Dawn asked. "We're sorry if we scared you." Misty added.

The man suddenly raised his head up and then stood tall in front of the teens. "No no it's quite alright, now what can I do for you lovely young people?" the man asked. "We were wondering if Pokéringer is really popular here in Squallville." Brock said. "And we were also wondering if there's a competition!" Ash added. "Not only are your musings correct, but said-ville is holding a Pokéringer contest this very day!" the man replied. "Wow! Awesome!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "I'd LOVE to get in on that!" Dawn added.

Obviously excited, Piplup jumped out of Dawn's arms and flapped his flippers, but unfortunately for the small water-type, he had forgotten he was a flightless bird, and fell to the ground with a thud. "Piplup! Are you ok?" Dawn asked worriedly. Piplup groaned softly as Dawn bent over to scoop up the small penguin and hold him. "Maybe we'll just sit this one out." Dawn giggled. "Too bad Gyarados can't fly; I'd love to enter the competition too." Misty said. "No offense Mist, but I don't think you'd be able to handle it." Ash replied.

"What do you mean I wouldn't be able to handle it? Listen here Ash, I can handle anything you throw at me and then some and don't you forget it!" Misty hissed. "I didn't mean anything by that Misty! I just meant that it's kinda complicated if you're entering for the first time!" Ash replied nervously. "You did just fine obviously, and anything you can do, I can do better!" Misty hissed. "Guys, knock it off! Misty, you said yourself that you don't even have a flying-type to enter, so it doesn't really matter anyway." Brock said.

"But I…(sigh) you know, you're right. Sorry Ash, I love you." Misty suddenly snared Ash into a tender lip-lock, which caught everyone including Ash off guard, but as Ash began kissing back, Dawn noticed Misty's hand moving towards Ash's waist. _"What's she up to?"_ Dawn thought. Then the kiss broke, and Ash just stood there in a daze before coming back to his senses. "Wow, that was a nice surprise." he chuckled. "I'm sure it was." Misty replied with a smile of her own. "Anyways, I'm gonna enter that contest with Staravia for sure!" Ash exclaimed to the man.

"Ooh, we are fired up aren't we?" the man said. "Hey you bet! Because I'm in it to win it!" Ash replied. "Well in that case, I think it's time I got some more training in with Yanmega, so if you all would be so kind as to move along." the man said. "Wait a second, where is the contest?" Ash asked. "It's right over that ridge, now go on, you should do some training too." the man replied. "Gee, thanks a lot!" Ash exclaimed. So the group headed over to the contest site, where Ash would sign up to join the competition. Misty and Dawn were shocked to see just how many people were watching this thing. "Wow! I can't believe what a huge competition this is!" Dawn exclaimed. "I know! Even Rhonda the news lady is here!" Misty added.

"When you win a Pokéringer contest, the hosting town makes you an honorary citizen!" Brock explained. "And the winner gets other prizes as well, like a whole bunch of special boxes of Pokémon food!" Ash added. "What are you getting so excited about Pokémon food for? You plan on eating it?" Misty laughed. "What? I don't care so much about the prize! I just wanna win and give it my all!" Ash exclaimed. "Well I think you better give it more than your all, because it looks to me that a lot of these teams around here know more about this stuff than you do." Misty replied.

"Oh yeah? I'll show you!"

"Yeah, I dare you to show me!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"OH YEAH?

"YEAH!"

"OH YEAH?"

Before their bickering could continue, Rhonda the reporter walked up with her sadly out of shape microphone holder and the rest of her crew. "Hmm, I smell a scoop, 'Couple Trouble in Squallville, will it blow over?' I like that title!" Rhonda said. "No no no no! They do this stuff all the time, there's no real trouble here, really!" Dawn exclaimed. But Dawn quickly got bowled over by Rhonda in order to get to Ash and Misty who were apprehensively watching the reporter as she stuck a microphone in their face. "So tell me, does she yell at you a lot?" Rhonda asked. "Um…not as much as she used to, but she doesn't unless…" Ash was cut-off by Rhonda who had turned around to talk to herself. "So we're looking at a possibly abusive relationship here."

Rhonda then turned around and stuck the microphone in Misty's face. "Tell me, is there a specific reason you treat him so badly?" Rhonda asked. "She doesn't treat me badly!" Ash exclaimed. Rhonda then turned around to talk to herself again. "He's in denial! What a story this will make!" Rhonda then turned to them again. "Tell me, has it been this way since you first became a couple?" Rhonda asked. "Um…not…hey wait a second! How did YOU even find out?" Misty asked. "News travels fast when you're the one reporting it. I saw you and him together while reporting the Wallace Cup." Rhonda replied.

"Oh wonderful…tell me…what makes you think that the media will have any interest at all in a relationship of two teenage trainers?" Misty asked. "Oh don't play innocent with me, I haven't forgotten who you are, Misty Waterflower, Gym Leader of Cerulean City." Rhonda replied. Misty got a little nervous at the use of her old title, if she were to get put into a scandal, the gym's reputation might lower even further, or worse, get shutdown. "Listen, we do this kind of stuff all the time, we know we don't mean the things we say, it's kind of a way to…build determination!" Misty exclaimed suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Rhonda asked suspiciously. "I mean yeah! The blood gets flowing, the adrenaline starts pumping, and in the end he's more determined than ever to win because he…well…wants to prove me wrong, and I'm happy to say he usually does." Misty explained. "I see…perhaps there's a better story back over there." Rhonda turned around and headed back to where she was before, but not before she got bumped in the head by her microphone holder, who was also the unfortunate victim of a Rhonda outburst. "I swear if you hit me with that thing again I'll stuff that microphone in your mouth!" she screeched. "Sorry Ms. Rhonda." the microphone holder whimpered.

Once Rhonda was out of earshot, the couple sighed with relief. "That was close. Nice job Mist, that was quick thinking." Ash said. "Heh, that was nothing…actually no it was something, I thought we were Sinnoh Star front page scandal stories for sure." Misty laughed lightly. "Well alright, I'm gonna go sign up, see you later?" Ash asked. "Later's too late, I'll see you real soon." Misty planted a quick kiss on the trainer's cheek and headed over to where Brock and Dawn were waiting for her. "You guys ok?" Brock asked.

"Yeah we're fine, but I'll tell you what, she nearly gave me a heart attack." Misty replied. The three found seats near the front by some miracle, and managed to sit down before three other overly-excited kids got to them. But just as they sat down, Misty got back up. "I'm gonna go get something to drink, anyone want anything?" she asked. "But we just got here! And the competition hasn't started yet!" Brock replied. "I figure if I go now I'll avoid the lines later, so anyone want something?" Misty asked again. "I guess a lemonade will do." Dawn replied. "One lemonade! Brock?" Misty asked.

"Uh…just get me a small lemon-lime soda." Brock replied. "Got it, ok, be back in a flash!" Misty took off running, which left Brock and Dawn to wonder why Misty was acting so squirrely. Back at the registration table, Ash was getting signed up for the competition. "Team Name?" the registration lady asked. "Team Ash!" Ash exclaimed proudly. "And what Pokémon will you be entering?" she asked. "I'll be entering with my Staravia, and I'm here to win too!" Ash replied. "So is everyone else kid. Go over there and wait for your team to be called." the lady said.

Ash sweat-dropped and thanked the lady before walking over to the waiting area. "Boy she's real cheerful eh Pikachu?" Ash asked sarcastically. "Pika chu." (Sure is.) Pikachu replied. Although Ash didn't know it, there was someone else he knew that was getting ready to sign up, and it would prove to be a real shock. Meanwhile, back in the stands, Misty had just come back with two drinks, panting as she gave them to her friends. "One lemonade for Brock, and a lemon-lime soda for Dawn!" she huffed before plopping down into her chair.

"Uh Misty, I ordered the lemonade, not Brock." Dawn said. "Oops, sorry! Just switch cups!" Misty exclaimed. "What happened to YOUR drink Misty?" Brock asked. "My…drink. I forgot to get mine!" Misty slapped her head in frustration and ran off again, leaving the two remaining teens to once again wonder what was going on. "You think she's up to something?" Brock asked. "Like what?" Dawn asked back. "I dunno, Misty's really hard to predict." Brock sighed. Just then fireworks began to burst in the sky, signaling the beginning of the event, and Rhonda came up on the big screen for everyone to see. "It's the event you've all been waiting for; yes it's time for the glorious Squallville Pokéringer competition! This special coverage at the Squallville Arena is brought to you by Sinnoh Now!" As Rhonda turned around however, she wound up face to face with her microphone again as it whacked her in the forehead.

"If you don't start paying attention you'll be sleeping in the unemployment line!" Rhonda roared. "Sorry Rhonda." the poor microphone holder mumbled. "Psst, Rhonda, we're still rolling tape!" the cameraman whispered. Rhonda turned around and let the microphone holder drop to the ground as she put her hands behind her back and blushed embarrassedly. "Today's Pokéringer competition will be single elimination. The team that wins all their matches will be the winner! So now let's get this competition underway! The Squallville Pokéringer competition's first matchup will be…Team Ash versus Team Taylor!"

"Awesome! We're up first!" Ash exclaimed. "Let's get going Pikachu!" Ash and his opponent headed over to the balloons where they would be controlling their Pokémon. Ash looked into the stands to find his friends, and saw that Dawn and Brock were there, but Misty wasn't sitting there with them. "Where'd she go?" he wondered.

"Excellent! Ash is up first!" Dawn exclaimed. "I can't wait to see what Pokémon his opponent will use." Brock added. "Hey, where's Misty?" Dawn asked. As if on cue, Misty came running with a blue drink in her cup. "Feraligatrade?" Brock figured. "Tastes pretty good really. So what'd I miss?" Misty panted. "Ash is up first! You're just in time!" Dawn replied.

"Pikachupi!" (Misty!) Pikachu pointed into the stands and spotted Misty who had just sat back down in her seat. "There she is. For a second there I thought she'd miss it." Ash said. "Competitors, take your places!" a backstage official yelled. "This is it Pikachu, let's do it!" Ash hopped into the basket and floated off facing his opponent in midair. At the same time, a ring being suspended by a balloon was let loose into the sky as well. "The balloon ring has been released and the Pokéringer competitors are being raised to the official altitude!" Rhonda exclaimed. "Alright Pikachu, you ready for this?" Ash asked. "Pi pika chu!" (Let's do this!) Pikachu replied determinedly.

Ash clutched the Pokéball he would be using and awaited the command. "Now! Pokéringer Round One: Match One, start!" Rhonda shouted. Ash yanked the Pokéball off his belt and launched it into the air. "Staravia, I choose you!" At the same time, his opponent in the other balloon did the same thing. "Skarmory, let's go!"

Both Pokémon emerged flying towards the ring with incredible speed, as they raced to see who would get possession first. "And both Pokémon race towards the ring at full speed!" Rhonda announced. Finally the ring was grabbed, and the Pokémon that grabbed it immediately swooped down towards the goal. "Now head straight for the goal, quick!" Ash yelled. "Stop them by using 'Swift'!" Taylor countered. Skarmory turned around in midair and opened its beak to launch a barrage of golden stars towards Ash's flying-type, who took the hit hard and accidently let the ring fall as she got hammered by the attack.

"And Skarmory lands a clean hit! Will their strategy slow Staravia down so they can steal the ring?" Rhonda announced. That assumption would prove to be correct as Skarmory appeared from behind Staravia and snatched the ring and took off towards the goal. "Alright! Go for the goal!" Taylor ordered. Skarmory hurried to do just that, but Ash was far from out of it. "Get that ring back Staravia!" he yelled. Staravia regained her balance and swooped down after the steel/flying-type who was surprised to see that Staravia was catching up.

"Looks like Staravia has the speed advantage over Skarmory." Dawn said. "True, but Skarmory defenses are really tough, unless Ash gets a hard hit, I'm not sure he'll be able to get the ring back." Brock replied. "They're getting too close! Skarmory, chase them away with 'Fury Attack'!" Taylor ordered. Skarmory turned around and charged towards Staravia, ready to attack with a vicious barrage of pecks and scratches. "Dodge it!" Ash yelled. Skarmory tried to attack, but Staravia's airborne speed and agility were simply too much for the bulkier and slower Skarmory.

Finally Skarmory got slightly dizzy from chasing Staravia in circles, and accidently released the ring to try and regain its bearings. But that split-second rest would prove to be a huge mistake, as Staravia reacted immediately and took back the ring. "Alright! Now Staravia, the goal!" Ash ordered. Staravia swooped down to head for the goal, but the persistent Taylor wasn't yet ready to throw in the towel. "Get ahead and use 'Sand Attack'!" he ordered. Skarmory unleashed a burst of speed and managed to get ahead of Staravia. Skarmory flapped its wing hard and threw a cloud of sand into Staravia's eyes, forcing the bird to stop and avoid getting off balance. "Now use 'Air Cutter'!" Taylor ordered. Skarmory's wings glowed brightly as it launched a barrage of energy blades at the bird who seemed helpless to do anything. "No, Staravia!" Ash yelled nervously.

But luck proved to be on Ash's side as a sudden gust of wind lifted Staravia up higher into the air and got her out of danger of the attack. "Unbelievable! Staravia was just saved by one of Squallville's famous wind gusts!" Rhonda announced. "That was a really powerful 'Air Cutter' too." Dawn said. "A direct hit and it would've all been over." Brock added. "Ash got really lucky just now." Misty also added.

"Staravia, you ok?" Ash asked. Staravia cringed for a moment, but eventually managed to regain her composure and calmly hover in place. "Awesome! Now quick, head for the goal!" Ash ordered. Staravia started her third attempt to get to the goal, but for the third time, Skarmory moved in to attack and prevent it. "Unleash 'Air Cutter' again!" Taylor yelled. As Skarmory moved in closer and closer, Ash seemed to get more and more focused on it. "Get as close to it as you can…" he said quietly.

"What is Ash doing? Staravia's about to dive headfirst into an 'Air Cutter'!" Dawn exclaimed. "Only Ash knows. Let's see what he's up to." Misty replied. Skarmory flapped its wings and unleashed the attack, and only then did Ash make his move. "Now, dodge it using 'Aerial Ace'!" he roared. Incredibly, Staravia actually picked up speed using 'Aerial Ace' and swooped upwards in the blink of an eye, making the 'Air Cutter' seem like it wasn't even moving, and also surprising Skarmory and Taylor. "That's fast!" Taylor exclaimed in shock.

"Now it's time, go!" Ash yelled. Staravia used the extra speed and agility from 'Aerial Ace' to swoop down for the goal. "Aah! Stop them Skarmory!" Taylor exclaimed nervously. Skarmory swooped down after Staravia, but the small bird was simply too fast for it as Staravia placed the ring on the hook and swooped back up and did a shrill victory cry. "Goal! And Team Ash moves right along to the second match!" Rhonda announced. "Good job Staravia!" Ash exclaimed. Staravia smiled at her trainer and chirped happily as Ash returned her to her Pokéball.

When the balloon landed, Ash shook hands with his opponent. "Good match, that Staravia of yours sure is fast." Taylor said. "Hey thanks, you have an awesome Skarmory too." Ash replied. "I guess, we'll be back next year even faster and stronger! Good luck in the next round!" Taylor headed off to the stands where he would be watching the rest of the battles, while Ash headed back to the waiting area. "Alright folks now it's time for our next match. Who are our next two teams?" Rhonda said. The first profile picture appeared on the screen and caused a loud cheering in the stands. "Whoa, what's with these people?" Misty asked.

"Alright! This team has won four competitions in the past. The unbeatable four time champions, Team Provo!" Rhonda announced. At the mention of the actual name, the crowd got even louder. "Looks like this guy is some sort of local legend." Misty said. "I feel sorry for whoever has to face him." Dawn added. "And facing him will be…Team Paul!"

Ash stopped in his tracks when he heard that name announced, and he turned around to see if it was the Paul he thought it was. "It IS Paul!" he said to himself. And as if on cue, Paul came walking over to the balloon. "Paul, I had no idea you were entered in THIS competition." Ash said, trying to be friendly. "Yeah, so what if I am?" Paul replied, not even bothering to make eye contact. _"Well so much for friendly." _Ash thought to himself. "You could've at least said hi you know." Ash growled. Paul ignored Ash and simply hopped into the basket to make some adjustments to the balloon. "Well aren't you gonna say anything?" Ash asked. "Ok fine. Drop out before I embarrass you in front of everyone here." Paul replied, still refusing to look at Ash.

"Embarrass me? Get real! We're not gonna lose to you again!" Ash growled. "If that's what you wanna think, be my guest. Now beat it, I have to get ready." Paul replied. "Why you…you know what? Fine. Good luck Paul." Ash stuck his hands in his pockets and walked away from the purple haired trainer, doing his very best not to think about going back and punching him in the mouth. "Pikapi?" (Ash?) Pikachu squeaked worriedly. "I'm ok Pikachu…just that Paul really knows how to push my buttons." Ash replied, "We'll beat that guy."

"What do you know? Paul's in the competition too. Suddenly I don't feel so sorry anymore." Dawn said. "Knowing him he probably entered the competition in order to raise his Pokémon's level." Brock added. "That's disgusting, it honestly makes me wanna hurl." Misty spat. "But what kind of flying-type Pokémon does Paul have?" Dawn asked. "Um…what did Reggie say it was? That's right! Paul's got a Honchkrow!" Misty exclaimed. Paul and Provo were now up in the sky. "Now that both second match competitors are in their places, start!" Rhonda announced.

"Honchkrow, stand by for battle!"

"Dragonite, let's go!"

The two Pokémon burst out of their Pokéballs and hurried towards the ring. "So it's a Dragonite versus Honchkrow." Ash said to himself. "I hope that four time champion manages to knock Paul out fast." Misty hissed. "Wishful thinking if you ask me. We all know that whenever Paul enters in something, he usually puts up a really good fight." Brock replied. "A girl can only hope." Misty sighed.

"And Honchkrow zooms to the ring!" Rhonda announced. Indeed, Honchkrow had taken off immediately after its release and was already on its way to the ring. "Honchkrow's got a head start but Dragonite's faster!" Provo roared, his Australian accent shining through his speech, "Dragonite, 'Dragon Pulse'!" Dragonite acknowledged and launched a green ball of energy at the dark/flying-type. "Dodge it!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow did a barrel roll and easily dodged the attack, and just as easily grabbed the ring and headed for the goal.

"No ya don't! Dragonite, get going! Use 'Fire Punch'!" Provo ordered. Dragonite swooped down with its fist cocked back and enveloped in flame. "Dodge it!" Paul countered. Honchkrow looked back and spotted Dragonite gaining on it, and quickly flew up to avoid the attack. "Now, 'Dragon Rush'!" Provo ordered. Dragonite continued the assault and charged forward with a mighty dragon-type move, and this time Honchkrow couldn't move fast enough to avoid it. "Wow, what a powerful move! And a clean hit as well!" Rhonda announced.

"Get it Dragonite!" Provo yelled.

"Take back the ring!" Paul also shouted.

The two Pokémon raced down towards the ring to try and get to it first, and in the end it was Honchkrow who still managed to wind up with the ring. "Alright, use 'Dragon Rush' again!" Provo ordered. Dragonite once again rushed for the dark/flying-type. "Sky Attack'!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow acknowledged and began to glow in a harsh light, but while the attack charged, Dragonite was still gaining ground. "Honchkrow's fast but my Dragonite's faster!" Provo snickered. For a second it seemed that the powerful dragon-type attack would hit, but then Paul felt a slight breeze come from below, and that's when he made his move. "Ride the wind and dodge it!"

Honchkrow gently let the wind lift it up and out of the way of the 'Dragon Rush', and the surprised Dragonite got off-balance and basically became a sitting duck for Honchkrow. "Finish it off!" Paul roared. Now with a fully charged attack, Honchkrow got behind Dragonite and blasted forward with an incredibly powerful 'Sky Attack'. The move hit the dragon/flying-type square in the back, and the pained dragon couldn't recover from the sheer force and power, and fainted right then and there, which gave Honchkrow the obvious victory. "And Honchkrow's powerful 'Sky Attack' ends the battle! Team Paul has surprisingly defeated the competition's favorite Team Provo, and will move on to the second round!" Rhonda announced.

"Wow, Honchkrow did it in one hit!" Dawn exclaimed. "Well one of Honchkrow's abilities is called 'Super Luck', and Paul used it to his advantage and struck Dragonite's weak spot." Brock explained. "That's just like Paul. What do you think Misty?" Dawn asked. Dawn looked over, but noticed that Misty wasn't there anymore. "Where'd she go?" she asked.

"And now for our next match! The competitor's will be Team Jamus and Team Violet!" Rhonda announced. "They call me Mr. Jamus; they also call me the magician of the wind!" Jamus said. Jamus's opponent, a young girl in a tight hoodie jacket with the hood pulled tight around her head, hiding her hair and eyes, merely stayed silent, though she was obviously not impressed with Jamus. "And start!" Rhonda announced. Once the match started, both trainers called out their Pokémon.

"Yanmega, let's go!"

"It's all you Charizard!"

Both Pokémon came out of their balls and faced off. "A Charizard, at least you've chosen a worthy opponent for the great Mr. Jamus!" Jamus exclaimed. "Why don't you just shut up and battle? I'm here to win, not talk trash!" Violet shouted back. "Have it your way." Jamus laughed. "Go Charizard, get that ring!" Violet yelled. Charizard roared and flew up towards the ring, while Yanmega merely waited there. "And Charizard rushes right for the ring, but for some reason Yanmega doesn't seem to be moving!" Rhonda announced.

"Wonder why he's not doing anything." Dawn said. "He's probably trying to read the wind currents and patterns in order to find the right time to make his move." Brock said. "In that case, Violet and her Charizard better be careful." Dawn replied. "Let's see, presently there's a gentle breeze blowing to my right, but my expert forecasting tells me there's soon to be a breeze from above!" Jamus exclaimed. "You hear that? Get ready Charizard!" Violet ordered. "Hey! Make your own predictions!" Jamus yelled. "Just as Jamus predicted, the wind blew, but not in the direction Jamus thought.

Charizard reached for the ring, but the sudden updraft pushed Charizard upwards and away from the ring, and it knocked Yanmega off-balance. "And the sudden wind gust keeps Charizard from getting the ring first!" Rhonda announced. "Hey, you said there would be a downdraft!" Violet screamed. "Even an expert such as myself is entitled to a mistake." Jamus replied. Violet just growled, "Charizard, level off and get that ring!"

Charizard shook its head and swooped down to the ring-toting parachute. "And Charizard makes its second attempt to get the ring! But for some reason Yanmega has yet to make a move!" Rhonda announced. "This next one will be an upward current, with that in mind, ride the wind!" Jamus yelled. But again Jamus was proven wrong as the gust came from above and shot both Charizard and Yanmega downwards. "And another sudden wind gust catches our competitors off guard!" Rhonda announced. "Boy, Jamus obviously isn't that good at predicting wind currents." Dawn said.

"Maybe, but then again, Violet obviously isn't that great either." Brock said. Meanwhile in the competitor's seating, Ash was watching the battle unfold, and the slightest bit of suspicion was starting to reach his mind. _"That Charizard looks really familiar."_

"I'm done listening to you! Charizard, get the ring and then take this creep out!" Violet ordered. Finally Charizard flew up and managed to grab the ring with its claw, and then turned his attention to Yanmega. Jamus whimpered nervously when he saw that Violet had no intention of racing for the goal, she was instead intent on knocking out Yanmega, and being a bug/flying-type, Yanmega was at a serious disadvantage facing off against a Charizard. "And it looks like now that Charizard has the ring, it's going after Yanmega!" Rhonda announced.

"You wouldn't try to eliminate a Pokéringer celebrity in such a cruel and vicious manner would you?" Jamus asked nervously. "Charizard, knock it out with 'Overheat'!" Violet ordered. Charizard opened his mouth and unleashed a furiously powerful blast of fire, which engulfed the bug/flying-type and instantly knocked it out. "Magician of the wind. No amount of magic can beat good ol' fashioned battling." Violet said. Charizard put the ring on the hook and roared victoriously. "Goal! And Team Violet easily takes the victory, and will move on to the second round!" Rhonda announced.

"Hmmph…the Sinnoh winds are tough to predict, but at the moment I confess to being overwhelmed with awe. That's because, I will learn from my loss and return as a greater Pokéringer challenger!" Jamus cackled maniacally and returned the dragonfly Pokémon upon reaching the ground. Violet on the other hand hurried to return her fire/flying-type and ran to the competitor's area instead of staying to accept the applause. "Boy, that Violet sure plays aggressively." Dawn said. "And that Charizard's 'Overheat' was really something." Brock added.

Inside the waiting area, Violet accidently bumped into Ash, which for some reason made her cringe. "Oh hey, that was an awesome match! Your Charizard's got some awesome power!" Ash exclaimed. "Uh, yeah thanks!" Violet rushed by Ash and Pikachu, leaving the two partners confused. "What was that all about?" he asked. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and started walking in the direction Violet rushed off to. "Where ya going Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Pika chu." (Nowhere.) Pikachu replied. "Well alright, but hurry back, we gotta get back in the air!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu gave a thumbs-up and scampered off.

The electric mouse caught the scent of the girl who had just rushed off, and peered around the corner to see if his suspicion was correct. Violet took her hood off and sighed, and that simple act confirmed it for Pikachu. "Pikachupi!" (Misty!) Indeed, Violet was actually Misty in disguise, and it also explained why her Charizard looked so familiar; it was actually Ash's Charizard. Pikachu scampered over to Misty who got a huge sweat-drop on her head when she saw Pikachu standing there with his arms crossed. "Heh…hi Pikachu…I was just uh…looking for the little girl's room." she said nervously.

Pikachu shook his head at the red-head, which gave Misty the impression that the electric mouse wasn't buying her story. "It's true! Guess I can't hold my Feraligatrade I guess." Misty laughed. Pikachu shot a small spark of electricity at the feet of the water-trainer. "Pika pika Pikachupi." (Stop lying Misty.) Pikachu said disapprovingly. "(Sigh) Fine. How'd you know it was me? You caught my scent? Guess you know me too well." Misty laughed. Pikachu laughed as well. "I just wanna show Ash that I can do anything he can do and do it better! Just because he's been in a Pokéringer match before doesn't mean he's better at it!" Misty exclaimed.

"Pi pika pi pika chu?" (Then why are you hiding?) Pikachu asked. "Well…mostly it's because I don't want Ash to know he got beaten by me. I'll take off the disguise after I beat him…but it also has something to do with the fact that I stole Charizard from him. Remember when I kissed him? I took Charizard off his belt." Misty replied. "Pi ka chu." (I get it.) Pikachu replied. "So…you won't tell him it's me right?" Misty asked. "Pika pika chu pi pika!" (Your secret's safe with me!) Pikachu replied. "Thanks Pika-pal!" Misty exclaimed. "Pika Pika-Chu pi Pikaka pika chu?" (Do Brock and Dawn know about this?) Pikachu asked. "Oh my gosh, Brock and Dawn! I forgot all about them! See you later Pikachu!" Misty took off running towards the stands, which left Pikachu by himself to merely chuckle.

"So, what'd I miss?" Misty panted as she sat down in her seat again. "Paul won his match, and this girl with a Charizard beat the guy we met earlier this morning. Where've you been?" Dawn asked. "Guess I can't hold my Feraligatrade." Misty laughed. "Now let's get going with the second round! The next competitors that will match up will be…Team Ash versus Team Violet!" Rhonda announced. _"This really isn't my day."_ Misty thought. "I'll be right back; I gotta get something to eat." Misty said. "Now? Ash is about to get started!" Dawn exclaimed. "I know, don't worry I'll make it." Misty took off running again. "Why's she acting so squirrely today?" Dawn asked suspiciously. "Who knows? Let's just see what happens." Brock replied.

"The two competitors will now prepare to get started!" Rhonda announced. Inside the balloon hallways, Ash and "Violet" were now facing off. "Hey, no matter what happens, let's give it our all." Ash held out his hand for her to shake, and she glanced over at Pikachu who gave a sly wink to her. She smiled slightly and shook Ash's hand back. "Good luck to you too." she said. "Competitors! Take your balloons!" Rhonda announced. "This is it, seeya up there!" Ash exclaimed. Ash ran for his balloon, and Misty took off in the other direction, happy that Pikachu had kept her identity secret.

"Start!" Rhonda announced. "Staravia, I choose you!" Ash yelled. Staravia popped out of her Pokéball and gave a shrill cry of determination. "Now Charizard, let's do this!" Violet shouted. With a loud roar, Charizard popped out of his Pokéball, which immediately gave Staravia a shock. "Star staravia?" (You're competing?) Staravia asked. Charizard grunted and put his claw to his mouth. (Keep it quiet, Misty wants to keep it a secret for now.) Charizard replied. "It seems that the Pokémon are having a small conversation." Rhonda announced.

"What's going on here?" Dawn asked. "I'm starting to wonder…that Charizard looks WAY too familiar." Brock replied. "C'mon Staravia! Focus!" Ash yelled. Staravia shook her head and got back to the battle at hand. "Now, get that ring!" Ash ordered. Staravia acknowledged and flew towards the ring. "Go Charizard, beat Staravia to it!" Violet countered. Charizard also flew up and raced with the bird to get to the ring. "And both Pokémon rush to get first possession!" Rhonda announced. After a quick race, Charizard managed to get there first. "And Charizard gets first possession! Will history repeat itself with Charizard looking to knock out its opponent?" Rhonda announced.

Charizard looked at Staravia and stared intently at the bird. "Why isn't Violet telling Charizard to go after Staravia?" Dawn asked. "If I'm right, it's personal." Brock replied. "Personal, what do you mean?" Dawn asked. "Well, aren't you gonna make your move?" Ash asked. "I think before I do anything, you should know who I really am!" Violet ripped off her hoodie jacket, and as it fell to the ground, everyone in the area gasped in shock, especially her opponent. "MISTY?" he yelled in shock. "That's right Ashy; your Pokéringer rookie girlfriend is on the verge of winning this match! Now Charizard, take it to the goal!" Misty ordered.

Charizard flew past Staravia and headed for the goal, and Ash wasted no time retaliating. "Staravia, use 'Quick Attack' and get that ring back!" he yelled. Staravia regained her balance and blasted forward towards the fire/flying-type. "How'd you even get your hands on Charizard?" Ash asked. "It was easy! Kissing you makes your mind go blanker than usual!" Misty replied, "Charizard, stop Staravia with 'Flamethrower'!" Charizard turned around and blasted a flame at the bird, who merely spun out of the way and hit the dragon with a hard hit to the gut. "And a hard, clean hit! But Charizard is hanging in there and still has possession of the ring!" Rhonda announced.

"Violet was really Misty in disguise!" Dawn exclaimed. "I KNEW that Charizard looked familiar, that was Ash's Charizard!" Brock added. "You know I actually did notice Misty doing something weird when she kissed Ash this morning, she must've snatched Charizard off his Pokéball belt!" Dawn exclaimed. "Well let's see how this plays out then. Charizard's obviously got the size and strength advantage, but Staravia's faster and has more agility." Brock said.

Staravia, 'Quick Attack' again! Snatch the ring right from Charizard's hand!" Ash ordered. Staravia pushed back and got ready to swoop down, but a sudden updraft sent both Charizard and Staravia careening upwards, and by accident, the mighty Charizard let the ring go flying as well. "Oh no!" Misty exclaimed. "Go Staravia, get that ring!" Ash ordered. Staravia regained her balance and flew towards the ring and grabbed it. "Oh man! Alright Charizard, now it's time to get busy! Use 'Steel Wing' and 'Overheat'!" Misty ordered. Ash gasped at Misty's order, as he watched Charizard reel back and prepare his improvised 'Flare Blitz'.

"What is Misty doing? If Staravia gets hit by that she'll be knocked out right away!" Dawn exclaimed. "She's just being aggressive, but I agree, that's a lot for just a Pokéringer match." Brock replied. "And Charizard heads right for Staravia in a blazing fireball! What a move!" Rhonda announced. "Quick Staravia, use 'Aerial Ace' to dodge!" Ash countered. Staravia literally had seconds to react, and managed to only get grazed by the ultra-powerful attack as she did a midair flip and avoided sure defeat. But at the same time, she also let Charizard get to the ring first. "Now, go for the goal!" Misty ordered.

Now in possession of the ring, Charizard swooped down to get the ring to the goal. "Oh man…this isn't good…" Suddenly Ash felt a slight breeze coming from below. "Staravia, ride the wind and get some height!" he ordered. Staravia acknowledged and allowed the sudden wind gust to carry her up into the sky, while Charizard was caught off guard and wound up off balance. "Now's our chance! 'Brave Bird'!" Ash ordered. Staravia became enveloped in a red and then blue flame, and nailed Charizard right in his midsection, which effectively got Charizard to open his claw and release the ring.

"Now, the ring! And then use 'Quick Attack' to get to the goal!" Ash ordered. Staravia charged forward and grabbed the ring, and then used 'Quick Attack' to speed up her descent. "We're not finished yet! Charizard, use 'Heat Wave'!" Misty countered. Charizard opened his mouth and spewed a harsh wave of pure heat towards the bird. "Turn around and push back!" Ash ordered. Staravia turned around and flapped her wings hard, and managed to blow the waves of heat away. "Let's see you blow this away! 'Flamethrower'!" Misty ordered.

Charizard opened his mouth again, and this time a laser beam of flame came out and headed straight for the bird and managed to score a direct hit. But somehow Staravia managed to keep possession of the ring. "Way to hang tough Staravia!" Ash cheered. "But how did Staravia survive a direct hit from Charizard?" Dawn asked in shock. "My guess would be that 'Overheat' Misty had Charizard use. With moves like 'Overheat' or 'Leaf Storm', the user's special attack goes down substantially after use, so Charizard's 'Flamethrower' or any other special attack is a lot weaker than usual." Brock replied.

"Looks like special attacks won't work, so it's time to get in close! Charizard, use 'Seismic Toss'!" Misty ordered. Ash gasped as he watched his dragon charge towards Staravia and grab the bird, getting ready to do his signature finishing move and end the match. "Come on Staravia, hang on!" Ash yelled. Just as Charizard was about to dive down, Staravia began glowing in a bright white light. "Staravia?" Ash exclaimed in shock. "She's starting to evolve!" Brock exclaimed from below. As the figure began to grow in his claws, Charizard stopped the attack and released it. When the glow dissipated, Staravia was now a Staraptor. "Awesome!" Ash pulled out his Pokédex to scan his new Pokémon.

"Staraptor, the Predator Pokémon, and the evolved form of Staravia. Staraptor has an aggressive temperament, and bravely willingly enemies that are far bigger than itself." The Pokédex chirped. "Guess that fits Charizard to a tee." Ash chuckled. The two Pokémon smirked at each other, as they both were well aware the battle had just gotten a lot more interesting after Staraptor's evolution. "This battle's all ours now Staraptor! Head for the goal!" Ash ordered. Staraptor took off flying, its newly evolved form speeding down towards the goal at a rate it had never reached as a Staravia.

"You're crazy if you think we're just gonna give up! 'Steel Wing' now!" Misty countered. Charizard flew down and chased after the bird, but Staraptor merely laughed to itself as it picked up the pace. "Oh no!" Misty exclaimed. "Yeah, this is all over!" Ash cheered. Staraptor finally placed the ring on the goal, and ended the match at last. "Goal! After countless possession changes, a shocking reveal, incredible dodges and attacks, and finally a dramatic evolution right in the nick of time! What a spectacular match!" Rhonda announced. "Yeah Staraptor, you won it!" Ash cheered.

"Nice try Charizard, looks like Pokéringer just isn't our thing." Misty sighed. Charizard grunted and crossed his arms as Misty returned him to his Pokéball for a well-deserved rest. "What an incredible battle!" Dawn exclaimed. "Amazing how Staraptor evolved just when Ash needed the boost the most." Brock added. Down in the competition landing area, Ash and Misty confronted each other. "Well Ash, looks like you beat me. Although if Staraptor hadn't evolved I would've had you dead to rights." Misty said. "I can't believe you stole Charizard from me." Ash replied. "Ah ah ah, if your girlfriend takes something that belongs to you, it's called borrowing, not stealing." Misty said. "Is that one of those unwritten rule things?" Ash chuckled. "Yeah kinda." Misty laughed.

"Well I think this is yours." Misty handed Ash Charizard's Pokéball, "Just do me a favor." she said. "Sure Mist, it's the least I can do for knocking you out of the competition." Ash replied. "If you happen to face Paul, make sure you bring the pain!" Misty exclaimed. "No problem there, me and Staraptor will show him what we're made of!" Ash replied. After a quick hug, Ash and Misty split up. "You knew all along it was Misty, didn't you Pikachu?" Ash asked knowingly. "Pika chu." (Yeah I did.) Pikachu chuckled.

"Well what happened to your food Misty?" Brock asked sarcastically. "Oh, ha ha." Misty replied just as sarcastically. So the group watched as Ash and his brand new Staraptor dominated the following matches, but unfortunately, Paul and Honchkrow did the same, until the inevitable happened, and it was Ash vs. Paul in the final match. "So it's Ash and Paul in the finals. Amazing." Dawn said. "No doubt this'll be a fierce battle." Brock added. "Especially with their rivalry fueling the fire." Misty also added.

At that moment, Ash was confronting Paul. "Paul, let's do this!" he exclaimed. Paul turned back and shot an icy glare at the Pokémon Trainer, then finally turned around and walked towards the balloon. "Staraptor starting to intimidate you a little?" he asked cockily. That caught Paul's attention. "Intimidated? I'm not even impressed. And if you honestly think you can get me to think otherwise, you're an even bigger idiot than I thought." Paul replied. "What was that?" Ash growled. "We'll settle this in the skies." Paul walked over to his balloon and made a few adjustments. "Yeah we will. You're mine Paul." Ash growled to himself.

"And now we're down to the final round, the question is, which team will be crowned our winner? Will Ash and his newly evolved Staraptor come out on top again? Or will Paul and his Honchkrow emerge victorious?" Rhonda announced. "What do you think Brock?" Misty asked. "I really don't know, Staraptor's been awesome this whole competition, but we all know how tough Paul and Honchkrow have been." Brock replied.

"Now Staraptor, I choose you!"

"Honchkrow, stand by for battle!"

Immediately upon being released, the two Pokémon rushed towards the ring. "And Staraptor takes the lead!" Rhonda announced. Staraptor grabbed the ring and took off towards the goal. "Nice job Staraptor!" Ash exclaimed. "Use 'Sky Attack'!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow glowed in a harsh light and charged for the Predator Pokémon. "Staraptor, counter it with 'Brave Bird'!" Ash countered. Staraptor dove down towards the glowing Honchkrow and enveloped herself in a ball of blue fire. The two collided and a huge puff of smoke was created from the resulting crash. When the smoke cleared, Staraptor had been knocked off balance, and Honchkrow was only slightly dazed.

"Snap out of it! Use 'Night Slash'!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow shook its head and charged forward for another attack against Staraptor. "Dodge it with 'Quick Attack'!" Ash countered. Staraptor waited until the last minute and dodged with 'Quick Attack' just before Honchkrow made contact. "Now head for the goal!" Ash yelled. Staraptor flew out to get to the goal, but Honchkrow wasn't far behind. "Dark Pulse' now!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow puffed out its chest and launched dark rings of energy at the Predator Pokémon that got nailed by the attack and released the ring. "Stay strong Staraptor!" Ash yelled.

Staraptor snapped out of her daze and grabbed the ring back. "And Staraptor dives straight for the goal!" Rhonda announced. "Ash is gonna win!" Misty cheered. But just then, a gust of wind shot Staraptor upwards and left her vulnerable. "And another sudden wind gust keeps Staraptor away from the goal!" Rhonda announced. "Honchkrow, ride the wind and use 'Aerial Ace'!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow let the wind blow under its wings, and did a flip to attack the Predator Pokémon. But luckily, Staraptor was strong enough to fight the wind enough and dodge the attack. "Staraptor get out of the wind and head for the goal!" Ash yelled over the wind.

Staraptor managed to regain her balance and fly towards the goal once again. "Use the wind to your advantage with back-to-back 'Aerial Aces'!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow reeled back and charged for Staraptor again. "Dodge it!" Ash yelled. Staraptor managed to dodge Honchkrow's first and second attempt, but its third swoop managed to nail the Predator Pokémon and knock the ring out of her beak. Honchkrow immediately took the ring for its own and sneered at the bird underneath him. "Now Honchkrow, head for the goal!" Paul ordered. "Use 'Aerial Ace' and get that ring back!" Ash countered.

Staraptor did a flip and headed right for the dark/flying-type. "Dodge it!" Paul yelled. Honchkrow easily dodged the attack. "Use 'Quick Attack' and fly down!" Ash ordered. Staraptor swooped up and dove down towards Honchkrow, and in the blink of an eye, a certain pink ring was absent from Honchkrow's beak. "Awesome! Now head straight for the goal!" Ash exclaimed. Paul growled and barked out another order. "Sky Attack'!"

Honchkrow headed straight for Staraptor and nailed her with an ultra-powerful flying-type move, and knocked her off balance. "Night Slash'!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow charged again. "Use 'Quick Attack' to counter again!" Ash countered. Staraptor balanced out and charged to counter, but this time Staraptor missed as Honchkrow dodged it. "We're not falling for that twice." Paul said smugly. Honchkrow connected with the dark-type move and knocked Staraptor down to the ground. "How did Honchkrow dodge 'Quick Attack'?" Dawn asked in shock.

"This is bad, if 'Quick Attack' doesn't work, Ash loses one of his best strategies against Honchkrow's combination of power and speed." Brock said. "Come on Staraptor; show him what you're made of!" Ash exclaimed. "Pathetic…how can he even think that encouragement will do a thing? Finish this up with 'Sky Attack'!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow reeled back and charged. "Honchkrow mercilessly unleashes 'Sky Attack' on a motionless Staraptor! Is this the end of the line for Team Ash?" Rhonda announced. "You can do it Staraptor!" Ash yelled.

Something clicked in the bird's mind then, it was not about to go down and prove that Paul was right about it all along, at this point, it was all about proving the purple-haired trainer wrong and making him eat his words. With a rush of adrenaline, Staraptor leaped back into the air and awaited Honchkrow's next move. "What?" Paul exclaimed in shock. "Yeah, nice move Staraptor!" Ash cheered.

"Amazing! Staraptor just won't quit!" Dawn exclaimed. "Probably because she doesn't want Paul to be proven right about her, there's actually a lot more than just a prize riding on this one match." Brock replied. "What do you mean by that?" Misty asked. "Oh yeah, you don't know this. Chimchar wasn't the only Pokémon that Paul deemed worthless." Dawn said. "You're kidding; Ash has TWO of Paul's castoffs? That's disgusting, Paul could've at least given her to Reggie or something, not just catch them and basically say 'you're a weakling'." Misty spat.

"You won't get lucky twice. 'Night Slash'!" Paul ordered. Honchkrow charged to attack again. "Dodge it!" Ash yelled. With a newly found strength and energy, Staraptor managed to narrowly dodge the attacks, but then Honchkrow got in one lucky hit that finally knocked the ring out of the Predator Pokémon's beak.

"Grab that ring!"

"Get that ring before Honchkrow!"

The two Pokémon flew downwards to get the falling ring, and as they did so, they began doing what looked like a midair dance as they spun in circles as if trying to avoid each other. "Night Slash'!" Paul roared. Honchkrow unleashed the dark-type move on the off guard Staraptor and managed to get a head start and go for the ring again. But the now infuriated Staraptor refused to give up so easily and chased the dark/flying-type down. Upon getting neck-and-neck with it again, Staraptor got in close and started kicking Honchkrow with her talons. "What?" Paul gasped in shock.

"Whoa, what's that?" Misty asked. "Staraptor just learned 'Close Combat'! 'Close Combat' is a fighting-type move!" Brock exclaimed. "And that means it's super-effective against a dark-type like Honchkrow!" Dawn exclaimed. "Well don't be so sure. Remember Honchkrow is also a flying-type, so if 'Close Combat' is a fighting-type move, then Honchkrow does have some resistance." Misty said.

Staraptor finally finished the attack by slapping the crow down hard with her wing. "That was so awesome Staraptor; you can use 'Close Combat'! Alright, keep it up and get that ring!" Ash exclaimed. Staraptor once again swooped down to go after the ring. "Honchkrow, get the ring first!" Paul barked. Honchkrow swooped down to go after it itself, but Staraptor was still able to get there first and head for the goal.

"Night Slash'!"

"Dodge it!"

Staraptor once again dodged Honchkrow's attack, and flew from behind the dark/flying-type. "Yeah, time for a little offense! Use 'Brave Bird'!" Ash ordered. Staraptor swooped down to attack. "You want to play sheer power? I'm fine with that. 'Sky Attack'!" Paul countered. Honchkrow turned around to have another faceoff against Staraptor, and just like before, it was a stalemate, with the only difference being that Staraptor relinquished possession of the ring and let it go flying. "Get that ring!" Both Ash and Paul exclaimed.

Both Pokémon came charging out of the smoke cloud, but it looked like Staraptor was starting to slow down. "So why is Staraptor lagging behind?" Dawn asked. "It must be from all the damage it took earlier, Staraptor's probably reached her limit." Brock replied. "Well with the beating it took it's amazing Staraptor can even still fly, even Charizard would be tired after all this." Misty added.

"The ring is falling right near the goal! Whichever team grabs the ring first will be our big winner!" Rhonda announced. Paul had a smug grin on his face as Honchkrow was quite obviously the Pokémon closest to the ring. "This battle's over." he said. "C'mon Staraptor, you can do it! Get that ring and put it on the goal!" Ash yelled. With one last sudden burst of speed, Staraptor came out of nowhere and blocked Honchkrow from getting the ring, and used her wing to hit the plastic ring and finally end the match.

"Goal! Just when it looked like it was all over for Team Ash, they refused to go down and made a miraculous comeback to obtain the victory!" Rhonda announced. "Yeah Staraptor, you did it!" Ash cheered. Staraptor flew up to the balloon and sighed with relief. Her mission had been accomplished and her pride had been restored. "I thought that Staraptor would use her beak instead of her wing!" Dawn exclaimed. "That would be too conventional after all that's happened don't you think?" Misty laughed. "Well, you can always leave it to Ash to surprise you every time." Brock added.

Back in the balloon landing area, Paul hopped out of the balloon and glared at his dark/flying-type. "We didn't win because your reaction time was too slow." Paul scolded. Honchkrow bowed its head in remorse and returned to its Pokéball. This did not go unnoticed by Ash, who merely watched in disgust as Paul walked away from the arena. But he decided to let it slide this time; after all, he had a ceremony to attend and friends to greet. "Way to go!" they cheered, as he walked onto the battlefield once more. The first thing Ash felt was the embrace of the water-trainer congratulating him, and then the friendly grip of Brock on his shoulder.

"That was amazing Ash! Paul probably couldn't believe he lost huh? What was his face like?" Dawn asked. "He scolded Honchkrow for losing." he growled. "That's just like him. But hey, this is supposed to be a happy time! Come on Ash, they're waiting to take your picture!" Misty laughed. "Oh yeah! Be right back! Come on Staraptor!" Ash, Pikachu, and Staraptor headed over to the stage where he was presented with a plaque and got his picture taken with his Pokémon. "And there you have it everyone! Team Ash has just been handed an honorary citizen's certificate for Squallville Fair, and as promised a large supply of special Pokémon food!" Rhonda announced.

"Whoa! Large supply is an understatement!" Dawn exclaimed. "So why don't we get the gang to dig in?" Ash suggested. "Great idea! Come out everybody!" Dawn exclaimed. "No Dawn wait! Not EVERYBODY!" Misty shouted. It was too late, Dawn had tossed out her Pokéballs, and Buneary, Pachirisu, and Ambipom all appeared. And after a slight delay, so did the eternally hungry Mamoswine, and in a matter of seconds, the huge pile of Pokémon food was nothing more than shredded remains of paper from the boxes.

"Mamoswine! When are you going to learn that others are hungry too?" Dawn screamed angrily. "Forget it Dawn, it's no big deal." Brock chuckled. "And on that note, I bid you all a friendly farewell from Squallville Arena! Goodnight everybody!" Rhonda announced. The group left the arena and began heading back on their original path as the sun set behind them. On the way though, they caught up with Paul. "Hey Paul!" Ash yelled. Paul stopped and turned his head slightly, just enough to get a glimpse of them. "So what do you think? The Starly you didn't care for evolved into a Staravia, and now into a powerful Staraptor! Isn't that awesome?" Ash exclaimed.

Paul turned his head away and replied, "It sure took you long enough." Paul began walking again, leaving Ash dumbfounded and angry. "Long enough'? Hold on a minute Paul! Paul!" Ash yelled. As Paul kept walking on, Ash just growled and clenched his fists. "He hasn't changed." Dawn hissed. "He just refuses to admit that Ash is a better trainer overall than he is." Misty added. "Hey, that's Paul for you." Brock shrugged.

"Well once Ash pulverizes the next gym, he'll be one step closer to getting into the Sinnoh League, where he can beat Paul where it REALLY counts!" Misty exclaimed. "You bet Mist, and now we've got Staraptor on our team too! Let's keep this up and win the next gym!" Ash replied.

And so with the Squallville Pokéringer competition behind them, and a newly evolved Pokémon in their group, the teens continued their journey towards the Sinnoh League, and who knows what will happen next?  
_

**A/N: And there you have it. I recall midniteryder saying that he'd like to see this episode done without a cheesy evolution in order for Ash to win. But obviously I couldn't ignore the fact that Staravia was supposed to evolve, so I just had Misty steal (excuse me, borrow) Charizard and enter the competition under an assumed name, and I made Staravia evolve against Charizard. Hope that wasd to your liking. Now, on to new business. Since I lost all of the archives, everyone needs to review this chapter! And I promise anonymous reviewers, I WILL respond to you in the next chapter to whatever you have to say about this one. Remember folks, you want messages, you gotta review! And I'm still sorry about how long this took!**


	48. Trials and Adulations

**Well...glad to see things have calmed down. And as promised, I have a new chapter right here for you guys. I appreciate all the reviews that you all have given me, at least the ones that actually had something to do with the chapter. And so, I've decided not to reply to the anonymous reviews in this chapter, I promise the next chapter I will.  
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Chapter 48

**Misty's POV**

Yesterday was a lot of fun; we stopped at a town called Squallville where I made my debut in Pokéringer! Of course…nobody knew it was me until I took off the hoodie that was hiding my face. Ash had told me that I might not have been able to handle a Pokéringer contest since I had never done it before; I didn't like that so I decided to enter. One problem, I didn't have a flying-type Pokémon to enter, but I did have my lips…I used them to my advantage and put Ash in a trance while I snagged Charizard off his Pokéball belt. Then while Ash was registering, I managed to sneak off and I found the jacket I wore. I used my sister's name and entered the competition with Charizard.

Ash barely got past an aggressive Skarmory, but he and Staravia managed to pull it out of the fire. Then surprisingly, Paul was entered in the contest as well with his Honchkrow. As usual Paul proved to be a huge pain in the butt, and he also proved to be a worthy opponent as he easily defeated the favorite in the whole competition, and that guy had a Dragonite! And right after that, I wound up going against Ash in the next round. That was when I surprised everyone and revealed who I really was. Charizard had Staravia down for the count, but all of a sudden she evolved into Staraptor, and simply out sped Charizard and took the match.

Now I had some explaining to do, of course Pikachu had found out beforehand since he had caught my scent after I accidently bumped into Ash after my first round victory, so he wasn't surprised. Ash however was quite the opposite. I don't think he was surprised that I had actually competed; I think he was more surprised about the fact that I had actually managed to casually swipe Charizard from him and he didn't notice. Well I gave Charizard back and headed off to the stands where Brock and Dawn were waiting, they too were mildly surprised as well, but they too had spotted subtle hints that "Violet" was really me. Namely that Brock recognized Charizard and Dawn had spotted my hand reaching for Charizard while I was kissing Ash.

The competition continued, and Ash and his brand new Staraptor dominated everyone who had to face him. Unfortunately, Paul and his Honchkrow were doing the same. Somehow we all knew that in the end it would be Ash and Paul in the final round. At first it seemed evenly matched, but after a while Paul and Honchkrow started to pull ahead after Staraptor took a serious beating. And just when it seemed like it was all over for Ash, Staraptor gained a second wind and learned 'Close Combat'! But even then Staraptor was at the end of her rope, as the ring fell towards the goal and the two flying-types raced for it. But thanks to a lot of encouragement from Ash, Staraptor managed to come from behind and knock the ring onto the goal with her wing, giving Ash the victory over Paul!

The prize was an honorary citizenship to Squallville and a whole bunch of special Pokémon food…which Mamoswine immediately ate, much to the dismay of all of our other Pokémon. But in the end it didn't matter, Ash beat Paul at last! On the way out, we ran into Paul who was on his way out as well. It was no surprise to us when Paul basically just shrugged and said that Ash still wasn't any better than he was, saying that it took Ash way too long for him to evolve Staraptor. We watched the trainer walk off into the sunset, something I thought didn't fit him in any way, and decided that it wasn't worth worrying about. Ash had a new Pokémon, and we were on our way to get him a new badge!

**Normal POV**

"Oh man, this forest never ends." Ash said. "For sure." Brock added. "Could you guys maybe stop reminding me how deep this forest is? I'm already scared enough as it is." Misty said nervously. "Come on Mist, there are no bug-types in this forest, we've been walking for over an hour and we haven't seen a single one." Ash replied. "Oh yeah? Well I swear I saw a Spinarak on a tree about twenty yards back!" Misty exclaimed. "Even if you did there's no way it would follow us this far." Dawn replied, taking a second to sip from her water bottle.

"Just relax Misty, once we make it through here, there should be a town right away." Brock said. "Finally. Civilization." Misty replied. "Uh oh." Dawn said, stopping in her tracks. "What's wrong Dawn?" Brock asked. "Is there a bug around here?" Misty whimpered, getting behind Ash for protection. "No Misty, no bugs, I'm just out of water." Dawn sighed. "Oh is that all?" Misty asked. The water-trainer got out from behind Ash and stood tall; apparently her pride was now hiding her fear. "If it's water you want, it's water I've got! Misty calls Staryu!" Misty threw out a Pokéball, and her sea-star Pokémon emerged with a determined battle-cry.

Misty pulled out her own water-bottle and untwisted the cap. "Hey Staryu, could you refill my water-bottle please?" she asked. Staryu nodded and bent its top tip so that it could shoot a soft 'Water Gun' into Misty's bottle. "You're not actually gonna drink that are you?" Dawn asked in disgust. "Why not? It's water isn't it?" Misty replied. "Yeah but it came out of a Pokémon!" Dawn exclaimed. "I'll have you know my Staryu is VERY sterile, you could drink right from its tip if you wanted to." Misty said, "So go on, it's your turn, fill 'er up so we can get out of here!"

"Um, actually I was thinking I would just go over to that nearby spring." Dawn said. "Fine, suit yourself; I was just trying to save you a trip but whatever." Misty replied. "Be back in a sec!" Dawn took off running towards the spring. "You weren't REALLY trying to save her a trip." Brock said knowingly. "You just wanna get out of here as soon as possible." Ash added, snickering at his girlfriend's anxiety. "Well why shouldn't I? When a bug could jump out at us at any second? Staryu, I want you to guard us now, make sure no bug-types come anywhere near here!" Misty hopped back behind Ash and cowered there, as they awaited Dawn's return.

As Dawn reached the spring, she began filling her bottle from the small waterfall. "Hey Piplup, can you believe Misty actually wanted me to drink water that came out of her Pokémon?" Dawn asked. "Pi piplup piplup pip pip piplup." (There's nothing wrong with that water.) Piplup replied. "Are you just taking her side because you're a Pokémon too?" Dawn asked. "Piplup pip piplup." (No I mean it.) "Piplup that's gross, how can you…" Dawn quickly became quiet when she heard a noise. "Did you hear that?" she asked. The noise was heard again; Dawn looked up and saw an Aggron up on the ledge above her, and by the looks of it, it wasn't happy to see her.

"Uh oh, an Aggron!" Dawn cried. Dawn's fear would be justified, as the Aggron charged a 'Hyper Beam' that just barely missed. Dawn shrieked and turned around to run, but slipped on a wet rock and fell into the river. "Aah, help! Help!" Dawn unfortunately was out of earshot, as she continued to be swept down the river. Dawn looked around and spotted a rock close to the river bank, and reached for it as she passed by. Dawn managed to grab ahold, and fought against the pull of the river and pulled herself back onto dry land.

Dawn got on her hands and knees and panted with fatigue, as the water dripped off her clothes and formed a small puddle. "Piplup piplup?" (Are you ok?) Piplup asked. "I'm fine Piplup, thanks." Dawn sighed. Then the full severity of the situation hit her, and she looked around nervously, "But we got separated from everyone! Now we've gotta find our way back!" Dawn then thought of something else. "What's up with Aggron using 'Hyper Beam'? That nasty little maneuver certainly came out of nowhere." Dawn spat, as she pulled out her pink Pokédex.

Aggron, the Iron Armor Pokémon, and the evolved form of Lairon, Aggron's steel horns can destroy the firmest of bedrock and digs tunnels as it looks for iron to eat." the Pokédex chirped. "Whoa! Who knew there was a Pokémon that actually eats iron?" Dawn exclaimed, "Well one thing's for sure, we better be careful we don't run into that Aggron again."

Meanwhile, Ash, Misty, and Brock had gotten worried about their friend and went looking for her. "Hey Dawn where are you?" Ash yelled. "Where could she be?" Brock wondered aloud. "Hey guys! Look here!" Misty called. The two males rushed over to where Misty was kneeling over a water bottle. "It's Dawn's water bottle." Misty said. "Uh oh…I wonder if she might've slipped and fell into the river." Brock added. "Oh boy, we better get moving and look for her!" Ash exclaimed. Suddenly the group heard stomping on a ledge above them; they looked up and saw an Aggron that immediately fired 'Hyper Beam'. The group jumped back to avoid the blast, but the Aggron was determined and jumped down to their level and used 'Double Edge', slamming Pikachu hard. "Pikachu, you ok?" Ash asked. "Pika!" (Yeah!)

"What's this thing's problem?" Misty screamed. Aggron fired another blast that just barely missed the trio. "Hurry, let's get out of here!" Brock yelled. "Right Brock!" the other two replied. Ash, Misty, and Brock ran as fast as they could in order to put distance between them and the rogue Aggron. After sprinting for a minute or so, the trio stopped to catch their breath. "Man, talk about a surprise." Ash panted. "That sure was close." Brock added. "What was up with that Aggron? It's not like we ever did anything to it." Misty said.

"Well…it might not be something we did." Brock said. "Then what?" Ash asked. Brock went to examine the rocks in front of them. "There might be iron in the boulders all around here." Brock said. "What does that have to do with anything?" Misty asked. "Aggron eat iron." Brock replied. "So maybe it was just protecting its territory." Ash suggested. "Yeah…it could be that Aggron thought we were here to cause trouble." Brock replied. "We couldn't have picked a worse time to get split up with Dawn." Ash groaned.

"Oh my gosh, Dawn! I just realized something, if Aggron attacked us, it might've attacked her too!" Misty exclaimed. "We better find her and fast!" Brock replied. "Time to call out the aerial search party Ash." Misty said. "Alright, Staraptor, Gliscor, Charizard! I choose you!" Ash threw out three Pokéballs, and his team of flying-types emerged from them awaiting their orders. "Alright you three, take off and keep an eye out for Dawn and her Pokémon, and lemme know if you spot that Aggron too!" Ash instructed. Charizard punched his claw into his fist with determination, "Charizard…" Ash warned.

Charizard then crossed his arms and turned his head indignantly. "Come on Charizard, if you KO that Aggron we may lose a clue as to where Dawn and her Pokémon are!" Ash said. Charizard sighed and finally decided to obey Ash's orders. "Thanks Charizard." Ash said. Charizard rolled his eyes and took off, and then the other two Pokémon followed suit and took off as well. "Alright, now let's go look too." Brock said. "Right Brock." Ash and Misty followed their older companion through the forest as their search for their coordinator friend began.

"We've gotta find them! And soon!" Dawn had long since placed Piplup back on her head and started running through the forest to try and find her friends. "We've gotta hurry and warn them about that Aggron before it's too late!" Dawn continued to run, little did she know that she had been spotted, but not by friendlies. A smoke bomb suddenly went off right in front of her, and she covered her mouth so as not to breathe it in. "What's going on?" she exclaimed with her hands muffling her voice.

Jessie: "What's going on is strictly behind the back."

James: "Thanks to your intellectual lack."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "Dig it Jack!"

Jessie: "Bringing real chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: Dashing hope, putting fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet!"

James: "When everything's worse, our work is complete!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And James!"

Meowth: "Meowth's da name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "In your face!"

"Team Rocket? Ugh, look I don't have any time for you clowns right now!" Dawn exclaimed. "I don't see any makeup, do you?" James countered. "We're here ta take da centa ring outta your circus!" Meowth yelled. "You're about to be roped and tied! Your Piplup that is!" Jessie threw a lasso at the penguin Pokémon on Dawn's head, but Piplup quickly jumped off to avoid being snagged. Once the initial strike failed, Jessie wasted no time in calling for help. "Assistance Yanmega!" The dragonfly Pokémon emerged from its Pokéball, ready for battle.

"Alright, that's it! Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup acknowledged and fired a stream of bubbles at the dragonfly, but unfortunately Yanmega's speed allowed it to dodge the attack. "Quick Yanmega, use 'AncientPower'!" Jessie countered. Yanmega formed a glowing sphere of energy and fired, but Piplup managed to jump out of the way before the rock-type attack made impact. "Let's see you dodge this! Alright, 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup went big as he summoned his most powerful attack. After forming the giant whirlpool of water, Piplup launched it towards his opponent who was quickly subdued by the swirling water. "Yanmega no!" Jessie cried.

"Yep, afraid so!" Dawn gloated. But suddenly Dawn's confident demeanor vanished as she ran up, snagged Piplup into her arms and took off running in the opposite direction, leaving Team Rocket confused. "What's with her?" Jessie asked. "Retreating's not the norm, even for the young twerpette." James added. "Maybe we got our scare on big time today." Meowth suggested. That suggestion couldn't have been further from the reality. Team Rocket heard a low growl from behind them; slowly they turned around and began screaming in terror as they saw an Aggron ready to fire 'Hyper Beam' at them.

"Let's get out of here!" they exclaimed. Quickly the trio ran off and leaped into the bushes, losing the Aggron and allowing them a second to breathe. "What was up with that angry Aggron?" Jessie asked. "It could be that it doesn't like other people or Pokémon in its personal hangout." James suggested. "That Aggron musta been da real reason for da twerpette's hightailing!" Meowth said. "Typical. Obsessed with saving her own selfish skin." Jessie grumbled. "Neva mind dat, dere's no way dat Aggron won't find us if we just hang out in the bushes all day, we gotta get moving!" Meowth exclaimed. "Right." The other two said. So the trio of crooks started sneaking around the forest again, hoping not to run into that Aggron.

"Dawn! Piplup! Where are you?" Ash, Misty, and Brock had been calling for their friend for quite a while now, and had failed to find any traces of her as of yet. The aerial search party of Charizard, Staraptor, and Gliscor hadn't been able to spot anything either. "Man, I'm getting worried." Ash groaned. "Me too. I just hope Aggron didn't get the chance to attack them." Brock added. "If only she could give us some sort of signal, like a flare or something." Misty also added. "I guess all we can do is keep looking, we can't give up." Brock said. "Right." With that, the trio continued their search.

Dawn finally stopped running as she reached a clearing in the heavy forest foliage. She looked up into the sky, and that gave her an idea. "Got it! Come on out Buneary and Pachirisu!" Dawn tossed tow Pokéballs, and the two small Pokémon emerged from them and faced their trainer. "Alright here's the deal, we got separated from everyone." When Dawn said that, her two Pokémon gave very discouraged looks to the blue-haired trainer. "Hey hold on! I was just thinking, if you aimed your moves towards the sky, and Brock, Misty, and Ash saw them, they'd be able to figure out where we all are!" Dawn explained.

Dawn's Pokémon eagerly agreed. "Alright, let's do it! Buneary, use 'Ice Beam'!" Buneary acknowledged and fired a freezing beam high into the sky. "Now Pachirisu, 'Discharge'!" Dawn ordered. Pachirisu followed up Buneary's attack with a furious blast of electricity. Both attacks did manage to get attention. "Now, the gang MUST'VE seen all of that!" Dawn said. Dawn was right that someone saw it, but not necessarily someone she wanted to see it. Out of the bushes emerged the angry Aggron, who wasted no time firing another 'Hyper Beam' at the intruders. "Now that's someone I DIDN'T want seeing all of that!" Dawn and her Pokémon took off running as the Aggron pursued them, while a certain trio watched the event take place.

"Tsk, just as I thought." Jessie said. "Twerps will be twerpettes." James added. "So let's cop all dose cute Pokémon!" Meowth added. Team Rocket cautiously followed while Aggron continued to chase after Dawn and her Pokémon. "I've had enough Aggron, please stop!" Dawn cried. Dawn may have had enough, but Aggron wasn't satisfied yet. "You know, she does come with an annoying tailgater though." James said. "Annoying? Not at all! Once Aggron tires the twerpette out, getting her Pokémon will be a snap!" Jessie replied. "I love letting big lugs do da doity woik." Meowth added. "It keeps our noses and gloves clean." James snickered. Team Rocket continued to follow, as did Aggron.

Dawn looked back for a moment and saw that Aggron was still in hot pursuit, but when she looked forward again, she noticed she had run out of ground. "Dead end!" she exclaimed. She turned around again and sure enough Aggron was still closing in. "Now what do we do? We've run out of places to run!" Dawn cried. Aggron got closer and readied a 'Hyper Beam'. "This is it!" Dawn whimpered. But just then, Aggron roared in pain and fell to the ground, and then the ground shook a little as a figure roared in victory. Dawn opened her eyes and a huge smile spread across her face when she saw who had saved them.

"It's Charizard!" she exclaimed. Charizard looked back for a moment and gave a thumbs-up to the coordinator and her Pokémon. "Charizard, look out!" Dawn screamed. Charizard faced Aggron again and saw that the steel/rock-type wasn't finished yet. Charizard charged a 'Flamethrower' just as Aggron readied a 'Hyper Beam', and the two attacks fired simultaneously, creating a huge puff of black smoke. Then out of the cloud of smoke came Aggron using 'Double Edge', and the fire/flying-type got caught off guard by Aggron's quick reaction as he hit the ground hard.

"Oh no…Charizard needs help…I guess I've got no choice! Go Mamoswine!" Dawn tossed out one more Pokéball, and this time her heavyweight emerged from it and for a moment seemed determined to battle. "Alright Mamoswine, we've got to help Charizard! So use 'Take Down' on Aggron now!" Dawn ordered. Instead of obeying, Mamoswine decided to lie down and go to sleep. "It's not naptime!" Dawn screamed. Meanwhile, Charizard was busy holding off Aggron with a powerful 'Heat Wave', but it seemed that with every attack, Aggron merely became more determined to fight back.

Aggron readied a new attack, one that would surely make Charizard feel serious pain: 'Stone Edge'. "Aah! Look out Charizard!" Dawn cried. Unfortunately Charizard couldn't just merely get out of the way, if he had dodged, the pointed stones surely would've hit Dawn and her Pokémon, so instead he decided to take the super-effective hit himself. After taking that hit, Charizard fell to one knee, panting with exhaustion and growling in fury as Aggron stared him down. "Come on Mamoswine! You've got to help Charizard! I guess there's only one thing left to do!" Dawn hurried over to Mamoswine holding one of her homemade poffins. "Mamoswine, have a poffin!"

Despite his recent disobedience, Mamoswine always seemed tame enough to enjoy one of Dawn's poffins, as it eagerly ate it up. But then Aggron fired another 'Hyper Beam', sending Charizard flying backwards and eventually knocking into Mamoswine, who was now enraged at its antagonist. "Charizard, Mamoswine, are you alright?" Dawn asked. Charizard was in a critical state at this point; he had underestimated the strength of his opponent and wound up being defeated. However Mamoswine seemed perfectly fine as it charged forward with a 'Take Down' just as Aggron charged with a 'Double Edge'.

The two attacks collided, and in a battle of brute strength Aggron once again came up on top as Mamoswine got knocked backwards by the 'Double Edge'. "No, Mamoswine!" Dawn cried. But the twin tusk Pokémon wasn't through yet. Mamoswine then launched an 'Ice Shard' at the Aggron, but again Aggron was able to counter as it fired an 'Ice Beam' and made Mamoswine's attack worthless. "Come on Mamoswine, you can do it!" Dawn and her Pokémon cheered their ally on as it battled against their pursuer. Mamoswine once again attempted 'Take Down' against Aggron, but 'Double Edge' once again proved to be more powerful as Mamoswine was knocked backwards once again, and this time the frail cliff they were standing on shattered as the enormous Pokémon hit the ground, and together they fell down to the ground with Aggron roaring in victory from above.

"Oh man…what a day…shoulda stayed in bed." Dawn sighed, "Is everyone ok?" All of Dawn's smaller Pokémon sounded off to acknowledge, but the two larger Pokémon remained silent. "Mamoswine, Charizard, what about you?" The first thing Dawn noticed was that Mamoswine had a huge swollen lump on his left hind leg. "Does it hurt?" Dawn gasped. The coordinator very gently touched the wound, and the twin tusk Pokémon responded by groaning in agony. "This is no good! If we stay here like this Aggron or Team Rocket will find us for sure!" Dawn exclaimed.

Then Charizard groaned a little, and Dawn noticed that Mamoswine's body was crushing Charizard's wing. "Oh no, Charizard! Ohh, Ash will never forgive me for this! I've got to do something…I guess I can start by getting Mamoswine into its Pokéball." Dawn reached for her Pokéballs, but started to panic when she noticed that one of them was missing. "What could've happened to Mamoswine's Pokéball?" Dawn got down on her hands and knees and began checking everywhere for the twin tusk Pokémon's ball, and her other Pokémon helped out. "Mamoswine's Pokéball MUST be around here somewhere!"

After a while longer however, they still hadn't found it. "Or maybe it isn't…Aggron could be back any minute too! I guess we've just gotta hide Mamoswine…but where?" Dawn looked around and spotted a small clearing next to a large tree. "Ok, let's move Mamoswine over there, right after we make two comfy beds for Mamoswine and Charizard. Alright Ambipom, I need your help!" Dawn tossed her final Pokéball into the air, and her two-tailed monkey popped out and awaited orders. "Ok Ambipom, I need you to get up into that tree and chop down some of those leafy branches for Mamoswine and Charizard." Dawn said.

Ambipom nodded and climbed up into the tree, and used multiple 'Double Hit' attacks to chop down tree branches, which Dawn and her other Pokémon used to make a soft bed of leaves for the two larger Pokémon. "Great. That should do the trick." Dawn then walked over to Mamoswine and Charizard, who were still obviously in a lot of pain. "Don't worry Charizard, we'll get you out of there in a sec. Come on Mamoswine, we made a nice soft bed for you over there so you can rest, you can do it." Dawn placed a poffin in Mamoswine's mouth, and the twin tusk Pokémon groaned as he ate it.

Then slowly but surely, Mamoswine stood up, but its hind leg was buckling under the pressure the rest of its body was putting on it. "Great! Just like that Mamoswine, you can do it!" Dawn's other Pokémon gently pushed Mamoswine towards the tree, until Charizard was finally free. "Alright, now let's take a look at…(gasp)!" Dawn was shocked to see Charizard's wing bent out of shape by Mamoswine's incredible weight. "Does it hurt bad?" Dawn asked. Charizard growled and stood back up, but when he tried to stretch out his wing he roared in agony as he found he wasn't able to.

"Don't do that Charizard! You might make it worse!" Dawn exclaimed. Charizard growled and turned his back towards the coordinator. "Oh man…look, I know I'm not Ash, but I DO care about you and I'm worried about you! Please, just come over here and rest in the bed we made you." Charizard looked at Dawn for a moment and walked over to the tree, but instead of lying down onto the bed of branches, he leaned against the tree, being careful not to put pressure on his hurt wing. "Well…if you change your mind, the bed is waiting for you." Dawn sighed.

Charizard looked again at the coordinator and watched as she went back to help her Pokémon walk to the bed. "Thanks a lot for helping everyone." Dawn said. Dawn's Pokémon happily replied, they were glad to be helping their friend. "That's it, just a little further Mamoswine!" The twin tusk Pokémon finally made it to the bed of branches, and lied down on its side and sighed with relief. "Alright, good job Mamoswine! Now let's cover Mamoswine up with leaves so no one can see a thing!" Dawn and her Pokémon grabbed the leftover branches and started organizing them so they covered as much of Mamoswine's body as possible, with the exception of its wound of course.

The whole time Dawn was working, Charizard had been discreetly watching as the coordinator did all she could to help her Pokémon. Finally, Dawn finished as Mamoswine just looked like a big pile of branches…of course the twin tusk Pokémon was still groaning in agony. "Mamoswine, are you in pain?" she asked. Dawn was feeling really bad for her Pokémon, despite the constant disobedience it displayed, she still considered it one of her good friends. "Oh what am I gonna do?" Then something popped into her mind: The things Brock had taught her, Misty, and Ash the day Pachirisu got sick. _"'When a Pokémon gets sick, you've got to stay calm. They can pick up on a trainer's anxiety and in the end it only makes things a lot worse.'"_

_"Right. It's time for me to step up and do what I gotta do." _Dawn walked over to face the twin tusk Pokémon and gently caressed its giant face. "No need to worry Mamoswine. You see Brock taught me everything I need to know about giving first aid. Yeah, I'll make sure you get all better, no need to worry." Dawn said soothingly. Mamoswine looked stared at the coordinator questioningly, but was nevertheless grateful for the care Dawn was giving it. "And Charizard, I'm gonna make sure your wing gets fixed up too, so you just relax and let me take care of everything." Dawn said.

Charizard smirked and closed his eyes as he leaned against the tree. "Alright gang, come with me." Dawn walked off with her other Pokémon, leaving Mamoswine and Charizard by themselves. Charizard decided to take this opportunity to have a small chat with the twin tusk Pokémon. "You know she really does care about you."

"Yes! Here it is!" Dawn bent over and picked up some leaves that were on the ground; she remembered what Brock had told her about that particular plant. _"'You see, this plant has medicinal qualities that ease the pain for a Pokémon's wound. It's the amazing gel-like substance in the plant that does the trick.'" _

"Ok gang, I need you to find THIS plant." Dawn said. Her Pokémon acknowledged and went on a scavenger hunt to find the special leaves. After a few minutes, Dawn's Pokémon came back with a plethora of leaves. "Nice job gang! Alright, let's hurry back to Mamoswine and Charizard!" Dawn rushed back over to the tree, where she saw Charizard and Mamoswine apparently having a conversation. "Think about what I said, ok?" Charizard walked back over to his side of the tree and leaned back. "Here we go!" Dawn crushed the leaves and the gooey substance dripped onto Mamoswine's wound. "Just relax, you'll be just fine." Dawn gently rubbed the gel all over Mamoswine's wound, and then carefully wrapped a bandage around it. "How's that feel?" she asked.

Mamoswine groaned softly, and then Dawn moved over to Charizard. "Come on Charizard, let me try and help you." she said. After a few moments of hesitation, Charizard sat down and allowed Dawn to tend to his wound. "You let me know if it hurts, ok?" Dawn said. Dawn carefully wrapped a bandage around Charizard's wing, making sure to straighten it out to allow it to heal properly. "I hope that's not too tight. Now Piplup, can you use 'Whirlpool' for me?" Dawn asked. Piplup nodded and formed a huge whirlpool over its head. "Aah! Too big Piplup! A little bit smaller than that!" Dawn cried.

Piplup acknowledged and shrunk down the whirlpool so that it filled the small bucket Dawn had in her backpack. "Ok, good. Now Buneary, use 'Ice Beam'." Dawn said. Buneary fired and froze the water into a big chunk of ice. "Ok Ambipom, now hit the bucket against the ground to get the ice out, and then use 'Focus Punch' to break the ice into chunks." Dawn said. Ambipom acknowledged and used her two tails to break the ice out of the bucket, and then with a hard 'Focus Punch', the ice broke into little chunks that Dawn wrapped into a cloth and placed onto Mamoswine's wound.

"Alright, now for Charizard. Piplup, 'Whirlpool', Buneary, 'Ice Beam', and Ambipom, 'Focus Punch'." Dawn said. The procedure was repeated as the Pokémon made another pile of ice that Dawn placed on Charizard's wing. "Alright, that should do it. Now what's next?" Dawn said, "That's right! We need to find an Oran Berry! Now…what was it Brock said?"

_"The problem is, the soil here is just too dry for them."_

"So we have to find some moist soil. Come on everyone, be right back you two!" Dawn and her smaller Pokémon went off again, so Charizard once again went to talk to Mamoswine. "You see what I mean?"

"Ok everyone, we have to find a place with moist soil." Dawn said. The Pokémon nodded and split up to find a place with soil moist enough to allow Oran Berries to grow. This time, it was Dawn herself who found what they were looking for. "Hey everyone! Look at them all!" Dawn pointed up on a ledge where multiple Oran Berry trees were growing, each one filled to the brim with berries.

"Can you go and get some Ambipom?" Dawn asked. Ambipom nodded and climbed up the ledge. Upon reaching the trees, Ambipom used her two tails to pick the berries off the trees and used her arms to carry them all. Then Dawn spotted a different tree next to the Oran Berry trees. "Hey Ambipom, when you're finished can you go and get those bananas over there? We can feed them to Mamoswine and Charizard once they start feeling better." Dawn said. Ambipom nodded and hopped up the tree to grab some of the bananas, but unfortunately her arms were already too full, so she wound up dropping some of the berries.

"Uh oh, hey Piplup, 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup summoned a huge whirlpool and caught the berries before they wound up getting squashed all over the ground. "Nice job Piplup." Dawn sighed. From above, Ambipom chattered apologetically for dropping the fruit. "No need to worry Ambipom, just grab whatever you can and let's head back." Dawn said. Ambipom nodded and grabbed a few more bunches before hopping back down to the others.

"Nice work. Ok everyone, let's give Ambipom a hand." Dawn grabbed a few banana bunches and handed one off to each of her Pokémon, and then grabbed a couple for herself. After that, they all walked back together to where Mamoswine and Charizard were still resting. Dawn again noticed Charizard apparently conversing with Mamoswine, but had no idea what they were saying to each other. "You really should – oops." Charizard spotted Dawn coming and nonchalantly walked back to his place on the tree.

"Look Mamoswine, I brought you an Oran Berry. Now eat it all up." Dawn placed the berry into the twin tusk Pokémon's mouth, and Mamoswine chewed it up and swallowed it. "That's the way; you're going to feel great in no time!" Dawn said. Mamoswine sighed and fell asleep after the healing snack. "That's right, you just rest, and everything will be just fine." Dawn said quietly. Next Dawn walked over to Charizard, who eyed her when she got in front of her.

"I have an Oran Berry for you too if you want it." Dawn said. Charizard hesitated, but then smirked and took the berry from her hands. "So what were you saying to Mamoswine before?" Dawn asked. Charizard shrugged and took a bite of the berry. "Fine. Well if you need anything, just let me know." Dawn said. Dawn walked back over to Mamoswine and sat down in front of it. "Well I guess there's nothing we can do but wait here. If we send out another signal, Aggron or Team Rocket may find us." Dawn said.

Dawn's Pokémon all frowned and spoke up worriedly in their own individual languages. "Hey no need to worry, I'm sure Ash, Misty, and Brock will find us in no time! In the meantime, whaddya say we get a little rest ourselves?" Dawn said. The Pokémon nodded and got comfortable to fall asleep. "Come on you guys, where are you?"

After a while, the sun began to set, and on a cliff somewhere, three teenagers were still looking for their friend. "Man, Dawn sure knows how to disappear." Ash sighed. "You'd think we would've at least found a clue by now." Misty added. "Where is she?" Brock wondered aloud. Then, Pikachu spotted something on the ground, and hopped off of Ash's shoulder to check it out. "What's up Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu scurried over to the object and showed it to the humans. "Whoa, that's a Pokéball!" Ash exclaimed. "It must be Dawn's!" Misty added.

"But Dawn wouldn't just drop a Pokéball like that, something must've happened." Ash said. "I bet you that Aggron has something to do with this." Misty growled. "We gotta find her before the sun goes completely down, let's hurry!" Brock exclaimed. "I'll return Staraptor, Gliscor, and Charizard; once it gets too dark they won't be able to help anymore anyway." Ash said. Ash pulled out three Pokéballs and fired their return lasers into the air. Soon after, Staraptor and Gliscor appeared. "Ok you guys, return." Ash returned the two Pokémon, but got worried when Charizard didn't show up. "Uh oh." Brock said.

"Charizard…" Ash sighed exasperatedly. "You think he found Dawn and tried to fight that Aggron?" Misty asked. "I KNOW he did. Come on guys, let's go." The trio walked off to try and find their missing friends. Meanwhile, Dawn and her Pokémon were still resting by the tree, when they heard a sound. "(Gasp) Come on, let's hide!" Dawn exclaimed quietly. Dawn's Pokémon hid in the shrubs they used to cover Mamoswine, while Dawn and Charizard peered behind the tree to see what was coming. "Oh no, it's Team Rocket!" Dawn exclaimed worriedly.

Charizard smirked and pounded his fists together, apparently despite his injury; the dragon was still extremely willing to battle. "No Charizard! You'll give us away!" Dawn whispered nervously. Charizard sighed and went back behind the tree. While spying, the coordinator overheard Team Rocket saying they would use a tree to hide from Aggron. THEIR tree. "This is bad. Ambipom, do you think you could scare Team Rocket off without giving us away?" Dawn asked. Ambipom chattered to acknowledge and snuck off to a nearby bush. Grabbing a huge rock with her tails, the monkey chattered mischievously and banged the rock against the ground, making a loud bang that scared the snot out of Team Rocket.

"I think Aggron must be a mind reader!" Jessie whimpered. "I predict we leave!" James added. "Retreat!" Team Rocket took off running in the opposite direction in fear. "Wow! That was amazing! Nice job Ambipom!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom chattered happily in response. Dawn got up holding everyone's Pokéballs. "Ok, it's back in your Pokéballs you go gang." Dawn said. But suddenly the attitudes of all the Pokémon changed as they all frowned at the coordinator. "Huh? What's wrong?" Dawn asked. All the Pokémon gently put their hands on the snoozing Mamoswine, showing their trainer that they didn't want to leave their friend alone.

"I understand, you're all worried about Mamoswine too." Dawn said. The Pokémon nodded slowly to acknowledge. Dawn's eyes began to water slightly at the touching gesture her Pokémon were making. "You're awesome." she said, her voice cracking the slightest bit. Charizard was watching this even take place and smirked as he leaned against the tree, but suddenly, the ground began to rumble again, which made the dragon clench his fists in anger. "It's Aggron again! What'll we do?" Dawn exclaimed. Pachirisu suddenly ran off towards a nearby bush. "Pachirisu, where are you going?" Dawn whispered.

Aggron was about to get to them, and Charizard was already warming up a 'Flamethrower' for a last ditch battle, but suddenly the bushes behind Aggron began to rustle, which got the rock/steel-type's attention. Aggron rushed over to where the sound was coming from, and Pachirisu scampered away in time so Aggron didn't spot it. "Wow, thanks a lot Pachirisu!" Dawn said. Pachirisu chattered happily in response. "Wow…it's getting really dark now…I don't think they'll find us today gang. Let's eat some of the bananas and then get some sleep. We'll find them tomorrow." Dawn said. Dawn's Pokémon nodded and helped themselves to the bananas. Afterwards, the Pokémon settled down to sleep, which left Dawn to act as lookout.

The poor coordinator was simply exhausted after the day's events, and even now she was still doing her very best to make sure her Pokémon stayed optimistic, but even she was getting discouraged at this point. Dawn yawned as quietly as she could, but sleep was beginning to overcome her. Charizard noticed this and went over to Dawn and placed his claw on her shoulder. "Hmm? Is something wrong Charizard?" Dawn asked wearily. Charizard pointed his thumb towards himself, telling the coordinator that he would take watch and allow her to get some sleep. Dawn smiled at the dragon, "You know what Charizard, you have a heart of gold." Dawn lied down and closed her eyes, leaving the dragon to take watch.

Meanwhile, somewhere in a cave, Ash, Misty, and Brock were getting some rest of their own. "Oh man, I hope they're ok…I'm gonna go out and look some more!" Ash tried to rush off, but Misty held him back. "Come on Ash, you gotta try and relax." She said. "But Misty…" Ash whined. "Ash, it won't do you any good to get all worked up over this, all we can do is wait until tomorrow." Misty replied. Ash hesitated, but eventually sat back down next to his girlfriend, who gently hugged his arm and leaned against his shoulder. "We'll look again once the sun comes up." Brock said. "Ok Brock." Ash sighed.

"You know I'm pretty sure that lost Pokéball belongs to Mamoswine, and sine it's empty, that must mean Mamoswine's out there somewhere as well." Brock said. "If you ask me, if Dawn called out Mamoswine, that means they ran into Aggron and she was trying to defend herself." Misty said. "Thanks for the vote of confidence Mist." Ash shook his head in discouragement, and Misty put her hand over her mouth as if she was trying to push the words back into her mouth. "Sorry Ash. I'm sure they're ok. After all, Charizard's out there too, he'll protect them." Misty said.

"I guess…I just hope they're ok." Ash sighed. "I'm sure they are. Now come on, let's get some sleep." Brock replied. Misty called out Azurill to use 'Water Gun' and put out the fire they had lit, and the trio of trainers lay down to rest for the night, they had a long day ahead of them.

Later that night, Dawn opened her eyes after a long time of trying to sleep, but she found that once she had the freedom to sleep, she couldn't. Dawn got back up and checked up on Mamoswine's wound. "Go ahead and get some sleep Charizard, I'm not going to." Dawn sighed. Charizard shrugged and sat down to rest while Dawn examined the wounds of the Pokémon. Dawn's moving around woke up Buneary, who upon seeing her trainer awake, bounced over to see what was up. "Hey Buneary…can't sleep either huh?" Dawn said. "Buneary." (Nope.) Buneary replied. "You miss having Pikachu next to you I bet." Dawn giggled. Buneary blushed slightly and bashfully hid her face behind her ears. "No need to worry Buneary, you don't have to be embarrassed with me. Hey, I was thinking, since the ice is all melted, how about another 'Ice Beam'?" Dawn said.

"Buneary bun." (Sure thing.) Buneary fired into the bucket, and a thin layer of ice covered the bucket that Dawn crushed into pieces. "Perfect. Thanks Buneary." Dawn said. Buneary smiled and hopped back over to the other Pokémon to try and get some sleep, while Dawn placed some ice on Charizard's wing. The sudden temperature change startled the dragon, but he relaxed when he saw it was just Dawn. "You've earned a little pampering for yourself Charizard, I just wanna thank you for helping us." Dawn said. Charizard smirked and blew a soft 'Ember' that Dawn had to duck.

"I guess that's your way of saying you're welcome huh?" Dawn sweat-dropped. Charizard shrugged again and went back to sleep. "You sure are something." Dawn smiled and shook her head, and then walked back over to Mamoswine and placed the remaining ice on its wound, and the rest of the night went without any other incident.

When the sun came up, Ash was already up and packed, he was ready to go before Misty and Brock were even awake. "Come on you guys, it's dawn!" Ash exclaimed. The older teens woke up suddenly and looked around for their missing friend. "Where is she?" Misty asked. "Huh? Oh no, I didn't mean it's Dawn, I mean it's dawn, as in the sun's up finally." Ash replied. Brock sighed and got up, while Misty just frowned and fell back on her side. Misty, let's go!" Ash whined. "You're too old to be whining Ash." Misty replied.

"But we gotta find Dawn and Charizard! You guys said we'd look when the sun was up, and it's up!" Ash said. "Ash, if you don't shut up by the time I count to one, I'm gonna cut out your tongue and use it as a pen wiper." Misty hissed. Ash immediately backed off, he knew that when it came to waking up, any threats that Misty made during the waking up process were no bluff. "Come on Misty, we DO gotta find them." Brock said. Now Misty whined and forced herself to her feet. Ash had a comeback all locked and loaded, but his fear of a mallet to the head kept him quiet.

"Alright, Staraptor and Gliscor, I need you again!" Ash threw out two Pokéballs, and again his two flying-types emerged and took off, already knowing what they were looking for. "If we don't find them today, we're gonna have a real problem on our hands." Ash said. "We will, don't worry." Brock replied.

Elsewhere, Team Rocket had formed yet another robot, this one in the shape of a Golem. "You know, there's nothing like a monster-sized machine to brighten my day." Jessie said. "Our giga-Golem's gonna make succotash outta dat Aggron!" Meowth added. The robot stomped its way over to the angry rock/steel-type that was STILL hunting down the intruders of its territory. It heard the stomping of the robot, and roared its challenge.

"Aggron's got good timing." Jessie said. "A bully like that is ALWAYS looking for a fight." James added. "Yeah? Well dat's one bully who's about ta see da world from both sides!" Meowth had the robot charge at Aggron, confident that the metal monster they were inside would be powerful enough, but they were quickly proven wrong as Aggron pushed them backwards easily and sent them rolling in the spherical robot, and then Aggron quickly followed up with a 'Hyper Beam'. Team Rocket screamed as they rolled along, but some quick lever pulling by Meowth got the robot back on its feet.

"Boulder Holder fire!" James yelled. "With ire!" Meowth pressed a button, and the robot's mouth opened and unleashed a rocket propelled rock that nailed Aggron and knocked it over. "Now that's how you bully a bully!" Jessie said with satisfaction. But Aggron was only more determined than ever, as it got back up and roared in fury. Then it quickly started up 'Double Edge' as it turned its shoulder towards the robot to make a hard tackle. "Aah! Here comes 'Double Edge'!" James yelled in fear. Aggron made a direct hit, and this time Team Rocket kept on rolling until it slammed into a huge tree. Some bushes fell off of an object, and the trio of crooks were extremely shocked to see what that object was. "Aah! Mamoswine uncovered!" James exclaimed.

"If she can hide that, she can hide ANYTHING." Jessie added. Dawn jumped in front of Mamoswine and spread her arms out to act as a blockade. "Stop! You leave my Mamoswine alone!" she screamed at them. "Demands require a position of power." Jessie replied. "Which our missiles will demonstrate." James added. Now Dawn's Pokémon joined their trainer to protect Mamoswine. "Stop it! Can't you see Mamoswine's hurt?" Dawn screamed. "A tiny detail to match your tiny twerpette frame." Jessie said. "Let's see ya block dis!" Meowth pressed a button and another missile came flying out of the Golem's mouth. Dawn and her Pokémon screamed in fear, but then Charizard came to the rescue once more, and used a mighty 'Steel Wing' to block the missile and deflect it, and in doing so, revealed that its wing had been fully healed.

"Thanks Charizard!" Dawn exclaimed. Charizard roared its challenge at the Team Rocket trio, who were less than thrilled to see the dragon back in the battle. "Isn't there anything that can keep this thing from getting in our way?" Jessie hissed. "Classic troublemakers are always the worst!" James added. "For the last time, leave Mamoswine alone!" Dawn screamed. Luckily, the battle had not gone unnoticed, as a certain ground/flying-type had spotted them and was on its way to report back. "Hey Ash, here comes Gliscor!" Misty exclaimed.

"Did you find Dawn?" Ash asked. But Gliscor didn't reply just yet, it was having trouble stopping its descent. "Oh no…oh no! Pull up Gliscor!" Ash got clobbered by the fang-scor Pokémon, who groaned apologetically for hitting its master again. "Don't worry Gliscor, did you find Dawn and Charizard?" Ash asked again. Gliscor nodded and pointed in the direction that it had seen them. "Sounds like there's trouble. Let's go!" Ash exclaimed. After being helped up by Misty, Ash had Gliscor take off again, and they all rushed to follow the ground/flying-type to where their friends were.

"Twerpette Mamoswine, targeted." Jessie said. "Dis one won't be so easy ta block. Boulder Holder away!" Meowth fired another missile, and this time it was big enough that the still weakened Charizard wouldn't be able to block it, but then out of the sky came a figure of black, and with a swipe of its claws, it deflected the missile back towards Team Rocket thanks to the angle it had. Meowth had the robot jump out of the way, but was understandably frustrated. "Now what?" the trio exclaimed.

"A Gliscor?" Dawn said. Gliscor licked its face as it smiled at Dawn, and just like that Dawn's face lit up. "It's Ash's Gliscor!" Dawn exclaimed. "Enough's enough! Meowth, give them a blast they'll never be able to bounce back!" Jessie hissed. Jessie hit the button herself with her fist, and the robot fired an absolutely huge boulder at the group. The group screamed in fear, but then this time, Mamoswine woke up and snorted, and quickly got in the line of fire, and used its powerful tusks to bounce the boulder back.

Team Rocket got knocked backwards since Jessie and Meowth were fighting for the controls. "Mamoswine? Is your leg ok?" Dawn asked. Mamoswine nodded in response. Mamoswine and Charizard glanced at each other for a moment, and the dragon smirked at the twin tusk Pokémon, who simply went back to growling at its adversary. Just then, Ash, Misty, and Brock came rushing out of the bushes. "There they are!" Ash yelled.

"Hey, you guys alright?" Brock asked. "We're fine! Thanks for finding us you guys!" Dawn exclaimed. But then suddenly, Mamoswine charged forward with a powerful 'Take Down', and knocked Team Rocket right out of their machine. "Looks like the medicine worked Mamoswine!" Dawn exclaimed. Mamoswine looked back and grunted in acknowledgement. "Was Mamoswine hurt?" Ash asked. "And what are those three clowns doing here?" Misty hissed.

"One twerpette's bad enough but now the whole ever-loving twerp litter is here!" Jessie exclaimed. "So let's rumble!" Meowth added. Hearing that got Charizard's adrenaline up, and the dragon roared its challenge at the trio. "Looks like Charizard's ready to go too!" Dawn exclaimed. "Charizard was hurt too?" Ash asked. "I'll explain later, right now, we've got some battling to do!" Dawn replied.

"Right! Alright Charizard, you got it! Let's take them down!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard roared again in response. "I'll show you what happens when you threaten your elders, Yanmega use 'Steel Wing'!" Jessie threw out a Pokéball, and her dragonfly Pokémon came out and immediately started an attack. "Oh yeah? Charizard, counter with your 'Steel Wing'!" Ash yelled.

Charizard's wings started to glow, and the dragon easily bounced back Yanmega's attack. "Now use 'AncientPower'!" Jessie ordered. Yanmega formed a huge sphere of glowing rock, and launched it at the dragon. "Do a barrel roll Charizard!" Ash countered. Charizard did just that and dodged the super-effective attack. "Alright, now use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard acknowledged and fired a blazing flame at the dragonfly, who took a direct hit from the attack and slammed into Team Rocket, set their machine on fire, and sent them blasting off.

"We're fools! We had the chance when the twerpette was touring solo!" Jessie exclaimed. "I told ya when ya start small ya STAY small!" Meowth replied. "Whoever coined the phrase: 'easy does it' didn't have twerps making it difficult to do anything except for what we're doing right now!" James yelled.

"We're blasting off again!" *PING*

The group didn't have the chance to celebrate however, as Aggron came stomping over to them, its temper at full flare. "So now we gotta deal with that Aggron?" Ash yelled. Charizard got into battle-ready stance, but then noticed Mamoswine placing Dawn and all her Pokémon on its back. "Mamoswine, do you want us all to battle together?" Dawn asked. "Mamo!" (That's right!) Mamoswine replied.

Dawn smiled and punched the air with her fist. "Alright Mamoswine, let's go!" Dawn exclaimed. Mamoswine bellowed its approval, as did all of Dawn's smaller Pokémon. Aggron came charging with a hard 'Double Edge', but this time they were ready. Mamoswine charged to meet the attack, "Hit it with your tusks Mamoswine!" Dawn ordered. Mamoswine obeyed, and used its powerful tusks to render Aggron's attack useless.

Enraged, Aggron fired a 'Hyper Beam' at the twin tusk Pokémon, but again Mamoswine's tusks defended it against the power. "Now Mamoswine, use 'Ice Shard'!" Dawn ordered. Mamoswine obeyed without question, and launched a shard of ice at the rock/steel-type. Aggron took the hit dead on and fell onto its back. "Mamoswine's doing what Dawn's saying to do!" Ash exclaimed. "I guess something must've happened that made Mamoswine respect Dawn again!" Misty added.

"Alright, keep it up Mamoswine, use 'AncientPower'!" Dawn ordered. Mamoswine fired a blast of glowing rock that hit Aggron while it was still down, and the iron eating Pokémon started to run off in fear. "Hey, we're not done with you yet! I think Charizard's earned the last blow after all it did for us, what do you say gang?" Dawn asked. Even Mamoswine agreed as they laughed heartily at the cowardly Aggron. "It's all yours Charizard!" Dawn exclaimed.

Charizard smirked and took off after the Aggron. It picked up the rock/steel-type, did three midair flips and threw the beast down to the ground, where it officially had enough and fainted. Charizard roared in victory, and the rest of the group cheered. "Looks like Aggron's had more than enough." Brock said.

"You did an awesome job Mamoswine! Yes!" Dawn cheered. Now the other three teens came up to the them to offer their congratulations. "Way to go Dawn." Ash said. "You and Mamoswine are quite a team." Brock added. "Thanks you guys. No need to worry." Dawn said. "So you played Pokémon doctor for Mamoswine and Charizard huh?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, I remembered all the first aid techniques Brock taught me and used them on Mamoswine and Charizard, and boy did they work. Piplup and the whole gang helped me out too." Dawn said. Dawn's Pokémon all laughed bashfully at the praise. "And let's not forget Charizard, he saved us from Aggron twice!" Dawn exclaimed. Charizard crossed his arms and closed his eyes; he had an image to protect after all.

"Oh hey Dawn, I think this belongs to you." Misty said. "Mamoswine's Pokéball! To think this whole mess happened because I lost it. Thanks Misty." Dawn said. "Well actually, the credit goes to Pikachu, he found it for you." Misty said. "Oh ok, thanks so much Pikachu." Dawn said. Pikachu squealed happily in response.

"You know Dawn; I think that thanks to this whole mess, Mamoswine finally respects you again." Misty said. "Well if you ask me, I think Charizard talked to Mamoswine a little bit and convinced it. Thanks again by the way Charizard." Dawn replied. Charizard just rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah! Now that Mamoswine's feeling better it'll want some of those bananas." But Dawn found that the twin tusk Pokémon was already helping himself.

"Mamoswine!" Dawn cried. "Well you know what they say; the more things change the more they stay the same." Brock laughed. "At least there's no need to worry about storing leftovers." Misty added. The group laughed at that comment. And so with Mamoswine finally showing respect to Dawn thanks to her love and care, and a little help from Charizard, Dawn has a trusted partner and friend in Mamoswine once more. And now the group would make their way through the forest for Ash's next gym battle.  
_

**A/N: Well guys? What'd you think? I think I like what I did, having Charizard talk to Mamoswine and get it to realize just how much Dawn cared for it. And this chapter may also have helped out the relationship Dawn and Charizard have. Also, I've decided something else. I like the idea of having fake chapters, so I've decided that from now on, instead of wasting three hours sending individual messages to everyone one by one, I'll publish a chapter saying when to expect the real chapter. What do you guys think? Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review!**


	49. The Lonely Snover

**Ok everyone, I know how long it took for me to write this, and I earnestly beg your forgiveness, that is if anyone is still reading this story. But I decided not to send the fake warning chapter because I was just SO anxious to publish it before I wound up losing every single reader I had. And as promised, I will now reply to anonymous reviews.**

**SulliMike23: Glad you understand dude.**

**lightningblade49: Well we'll see about Brandon and Ash, I realize that's coming up soon, and I'm honestly looking forward to it. And yeah, after getting Mamoswine to obey her, I think Charizard would be willing to listen to Dawn now.**

**dewdrop6: Glad you like it. Hmm, Twinleafshipping? Well we'll see, I won't make any promises on either side just yet.**

**tray125: Yeah you said dude a lot, but that's ok. xD**

**Aditya Shukla: Thanks.**

**sparky1001: lol, yeah he's cool. xD**

**Polly: Thanks. Oh, and as for Pidgeot, I actually just now came up with an idea, but IF it comes into play, it won't be for a LONG time. And as for Staryu, well, just read the chapter. And I'm not hinting anything about the evil Togepi, sorry. =P**

**Anna: Well Charizard opens up a lot of possibilities that weren't available before, and since Ash is a much smarter and wiser trainer now, he knows when it's necessary to use him. I do try to keep the focus on other Pokemon, but Charizard is Charizard, what can I say? xD Oh, and as for Dustox...I'm afraid not. Dustox went off with its true love and that's the end of it. I can't just undo that. My apologies.**

**BossCandi: Glad you like the story. Oh, well even if I'm wrong about Dawn, it really doesn't matter in my opinion. xD It's a fanfic, I could make Dawn 20 for all I care. xDD I chose thirteen because I wanted Dawn and Misty to be close enough to each other that they could relate to each other.**

**Agent900: It's not necessarily school that kills me. I do a lot of work in my church and I usually have a lot to do there and at home and a whole bunch of different places. Plus I do have a second obligation to the Dash Adventure and making sure that stays alive. Oh...um...fan character...yeah see, I have issues with that kind of thing. I planned Brad and D. Shad out myself, I can't just take requests and make it connect. Saban from the gangster episode was also planned out myself, even if the chapter was requested by looneytunerian, the characters were mine. I'm sorry, but I doubt I'll be able to use your character. =(**

**Hoenn Master: Sigh, I'm sorry for all the things that have happened to you, and I will pray for you believe me, but if I may make one request please. Don't spam up my review pages with prayer requests. If you REALLY wanna get ahold of me, I have a deviantART page, I'm a moderator on the Sonic ZONE forum, I have Chatango, I have MSN, and of course you could get an account here and PM me. But PLEASE don't send a bunch of reviews telling me what's wrong. I don't want you to stop reviewing, or stop talking to me, I'm just saying there are other ways to contact me.**

**Ok, now that that's all over and done with...next chapter time! I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 49

**Misty's POV**

We had a pretty scary experience a couple days ago, we had lost track of Dawn when she went to get water thanks to a rogue Aggron. We spent the whole day searching for her and Piplup, and after a while, Charizard disappeared too. The whole time that was going on, Ash was growing more and more worried. I wasn't offended by Ash's concern for Dawn's well-being, maybe a month or so ago I would've been, but a lot's happened since then. Ash was worried about one of his best friends, and also one of his best Pokémon friends too since Charizard disappeared as well.

After a while we were forced to give up the search until the next day, the sun was going down and we just couldn't search in the dark. We were tired, we were hungry, and we had been blasted at once or twice by that angry Aggron. Ash was really worried still, and now that it was dark, he was still getting more and more anxious. I reassured him that both Dawn and Charizard would be fine until tomorrow; it took a little bit of doing though mind you. I may be his girlfriend now, but when he gets worried about someone, it's REALLY hard to get his mind off of those people, even for me.

Honestly if Ash had had his way, we probably would've been searching all night. It's amazing how much his energy seems to last when he's determined. What finally cooled him off completely was that Brock reassured him that we'd begin the search again at dawn. Little did he know that Ash had taken that statement to heart. The EXACT moment the sun peeked over the horizon, Ash was up and already waking US up. He kept saying that it was dawn. Now we thought that he meant Dawn was walking up with Piplup and Charizard so we got up to see what was going on. But we were pretty disappointed and also a little annoyed when we found that it was dawn the time, not Dawn the person.

But Ash kept shoving Brock's promise into our faces so we pretty much had no choice but to go out and look for her again. We packed up our stuff and headed on out again, with our two remaining aerial search parties, Staraptor and Gliscor, flying around the surrounding area to see if they could spot Dawn or even the angry Aggron. Eventually Gliscor came back, fell on Ash during its descent, and pointed to where it had spotted Dawn. Gliscor seemed to be worried, so we hurried over to see what was going on; we found Dawn and her Mamoswine facing off against Team Rocket's machine, no surprise there.

Mamoswine and Charizard combined to knock out Team Rocket and send them blasting off, and then the angry Aggron returned for a rematch. But this time, Dawn was ready as Mamoswine had apparently regained respect for the coordinator overnight. Dawn and Mamoswine worked as one and managed to send that Aggron crying to its mommy wherever she was in the forest. Dawn explained that Mamoswine had gotten hurt defending itself against Aggron, and she took care of it all night long, it was great to see that Dawn had finally overcome her first somewhat rebellious Pokémon, which did wonders for her confidence level, although some things didn't change, as Mamoswine immediately went and had a victory feast on the bananas Dawn had picked for it the day before, proving that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Now with our group back together, we went back on our way towards Snowpoint City, and we eventually found ourselves staring at a spectacular view.

**Normal POV**

"Fantastic view, isn't it?" Brock said as he stared out towards all the beautiful green treetops.

Misty whole-heartedly agreed as she gently laid her head down onto Ash's free shoulder, "There's something kind of relaxing about a view like this, it just feels so calm and peaceful." she sighed contentedly.

Ash couldn't help but softly laugh when his beautiful red-headed girlfriend decided to rest herself on his shoulder, not that he would mind, as far as he was concerned, Misty could perch on him anytime she wanted. "You know what? I want Riolu to see this too." Ash reached for a Pokéball and gently tossed it down, releasing his newly obtained Pokémon.

Riolu emerged from the Pokéball and hopped up to land on Ash's other shoulder, which forced Misty to have to stand up straight once more. "Isn't the view awesome Riolu?" Ash asked. Riolu looked out past the cliff and gasped in awe at the natural beauty of the treetops.

"Looks like Riolu agrees with us alright." Dawn smiled at the happy and awestruck face the little emanation Pokémon was making, as a new Pokémon in a big world, it was no surprise to anyone that Riolu would be amazed at such a simple yet eye-pleasing sight.

The rest of the teens also smiled, and then turned around when they heard a faint sound coming from behind them. They looked up into a nearby tree and laughed happily when they saw four Cherrim, with their leaves blossoming thanks to the sun's rays stimulating them, and they did a small dance together as if they were welcoming the teens to their part of the forest.

"Aww, look at the Cherrim!" Dawn clasped her hands together in happiness as she watched the grass-types do their little dance, "They're so cute!" she squealed.

"Yeah, but you know? I kinda get restless on a day like this; I just can't wait to battle it out at the gym in Snowpoint City!" Ash clenched his fist with determination and stared off into the distance, perhaps imagining the exhilarating experience of battling at the gym.

"Oh yeah!" Dawn exclaimed, turning her attention to the still slightly mesmerized trainer, "You seem totally ready for it too!" she said.

"Of course I do, I'm always ready!" Ash replied matter-of-factly. Riolu then hopped off of Ash's shoulder, which gained some attention, "What's up Riolu?" Ash asked with some confusion. Riolu then began to punch and kick the air, albeit rather clumsily as he was still just a baby, he was feeding off of Ash's determined aura and showing how he felt about it. "Looks like Riolu's ready too." Ash laughed.

Misty shook her head in exasperation, although her face still bore a playful smile, "I feel sorry for Riolu." she said, hoping that Ash would comment.

Ash of course obliged, "Feel sorry for Riolu? Why? Because he won't be able to battle at the Snowpoint Gym?" he asked, positive that that was what Misty was referring to.

"No, for having you for a trainer, it must be like having a twenty-four hour adrenaline rush." Misty smirked at her boyfriend, who was slowly beginning to smirk back.

"I'll have you know that I can be very relaxed when I wanna be." Ash bent down to pick up Riolu and hold him. The trainer held the excited little Pokémon at shoulder's length, "Isn't that right Riolu?" To respond, Riolu innocently punched Ash in the nose with his tiny paw, which gained laughter from everyone except Ash who was just smiling with slight embarrassment.

"Too late big guy, you've already got Riolu's energy up." Brock laughed as he watched his friend struggle with the baby Pokémon in his hands.

"In that case, maybe what he needs is a good workout, what do you say to that Riolu?" Ash asked. Riolu squealed excitedly and shoved Ash's hands away so he dropped to the ground, "I'll take that as a yes." Ash laughed.

"Well if we're gonna stop here, maybe I should start lunch up so that we have something to eat after Ash is finished wearing out Riolu." Brock suggested.

"Sounds good to me Brock, I'll help you unpack." Dawn went with Brock to the nearby clearing to start unpacking equipment, leaving Ash and Misty to do some training.

"So what's first Ash?" Misty grabbed two Pokéballs and held them out for Ash to choose, "Should I use Azurill again so Riolu has an equal match, or do you want one of my older Pokémon to go easy on him?" she asked.

Ash looked down at the two Pokéballs, then back up at Misty. He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked, "I want you to use Staryu against Riolu, but don't go easy on him Mist! Because then when it's time for a real battle to start, Riolu won't be able to handle it!" he said.

Misty frowned and pulled the Pokéballs back, "But Ash you know that my Staryu is WAY stronger than Riolu is right now, I don't wanna hurt him." Misty looked away as if she felt guilty.

Ash smiled reassuringly, "You're not gonna hurt him Mist, Riolu's tough." Ash used his finger to redirect her gaze back at him, "Besides, you won't even know what we're up to half the time, I'm gonna be using my aura to tell Riolu what to do." Ash winked and grinned mischievously.

Misty smirked as well and raised an eyebrow at him, "Well fine then Mr. Aura Guardian slash Pokémon Master, but don't be surprised if Staryu and I come out on top anyway." Misty grabbed her older Pokéball and rushed off to one end of the field and prepared for her second battle against Ash's Riolu.

"Come on Riolu, let's do this!" Ash hurried over to the other end of the field, with Riolu running as fast as his little legs could carry him to keep up with his much faster trainer. "Alright Misty, make the call!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

"Misty calls Staryu!" Misty under-handed her oldest Pokéball, and her faithful and longtime partner emerged from it with a determined "Hyahh!". "Welcome back to the battlefield Staryu, let's show them not to ever underestimate your power!" Misty exclaimed determinedly.

"Wow, it seems that every time Ash and Misty battle, the excitement really starts building between them." Dawn said as she looked back and forth between her two battling friends.

"That's Ash and Misty for ya." Brock chuckled and went back to starting a fire for their lunch. "Hey, if you guys need a referee I can wait a little while." he said.

"Nah that's ok Brock, we'll wing it!" Ash exclaimed determinedly, "Your move Misty!"

"Alright then! Staryu, let's start this battle off with 'Water Gun'!" Misty ordered. Staryu obliged immediately and launched a powerful stream of water towards the emanation Pokémon, who was slightly intimidated by Staryu's power.

Ash then began to speak through his aura in order to calm Riolu down, _"It's ok Riolu just stay cool! Use 'Quick Attack' to dodge it!"_ Ash ordered. Riolu regained his determined expression and swiftly got out of the way of the blast of water. _"Now get up close and use 'Force Palm'!" _Ash ordered.

"He's probably coming with 'Quick Attack' Staryu, so use 'Rapid Spin' to move out of the way!" Misty countered. Staryu quickly spun to go into the opposite direction, expecting Riolu to run right by it with a 'Quick Attack', but Riolu was easily able to stay on target due to Staryu's premature dodge, and hit the sea star with a powerful 'Force Palm'. "Gah, I forgot about that 'Force Palm'!" Misty grumbled, slapping her forehead with her palm in disbelief.

"Aww yeah, time to keep the momentum going!" Ash exclaimed aloud. _"Now Riolu, I want you to use 'Quick Attack', but DON'T try to hit Staryu, just run in circles around it and try to make it dizzy!"_ Ash ordered. Riolu acknowledged the aura command and began running around in circles around the sea star Pokémon. _"Wait for the right move Riolu…" _

"Ok fine, you wanna make Riolu a target? Staryu, use 'Swift'!" Misty ordered. Staryu waited for the right time and fired the flurry of stars at the emanation Pokémon, and Riolu reeled back in pain from the attack. "Follow up with 'Bubblebeam'!" Misty ordered. Staryu continued to attack and nailed Riolu with another special attack.

"Aw no, Riolu!" Ash cried. Riolu hit the ground with a painful thud, and struggled to get back up and continue the battle. "Come on Riolu, don't give up yet!" Ash exclaimed. Riolu fought and fought, but just couldn't handle the battle any longer and submitted to the exhaustion. Staryu was obviously the more powerful and experienced Pokémon, and Riolu just couldn't keep up. Ash walked over to Riolu and picked him up into his arms, and the emanation Pokémon was obviously distraught over his second loss to Misty and her Pokémon.

"Hey, don't feel bad Riolu, you were up against a really tough opponent, and you did great!" Ash said reassuringly. Riolu whined a little and looked away from Ash sadly. "Aww, come on Riolu, you just need some more experience and you'll be able to battle with the best of them! All you gotta do is not give up!" Ash said. Riolu looked up at Ash and smiled slightly, and Ash smiled back at the little emanation Pokémon. "Why don't you go and help Brock make lunch?" Ash put Riolu down and allowed the little one to walk over to Brock.

"I had a feeling I shouldn't've let Riolu battle Staryu, it's just too strong for him." Misty said, shaking her head slightly in guilt.

"Don't feel bad Mist, it was my suggestion and my responsibility, I thought using our aura would give us enough of an element of surprise to balance it out." Ash sighed sadly.

"So…now what? Do you wanna train with someone else? Remember you do have gym battle coming up." Misty said, looking back up at Ash who was still slightly dazed.

"Yeah I guess I do, don't I?" Ash sighed. Ash clenched his fists and looked up, trying to pump himself back up, "Well Charizard probably doesn't need any training…alright Mist, I want you to use Grotle again, and I'm gonna use Chimchar. That way Grotle can work on applying his defensive techniques, while Chimchar can work on getting more power behind his attacks." Ash said determinedly.

The change of heart and attitude that had become apparent in Ash forced Misty to smile, and she eagerly nodded and snagged Grotle's Pokéball off of Ash's belt. "I'm ready Ash!" she exclaimed, her determination and excitement building as well.

"You sure are grabby with those Pokéballs." Ash laughed, hanging his head down and shaking it back and forth. Ash looked back up and smirked at his girlfriend, "How about next time you ask for it huh?" he said.

"That wouldn't be as much fun!" Misty exclaimed cheekily. Misty got ready and got into her windup, "Alright, Misty calls Grotle!" Misty threw the Pokéball, and Ash's large and bulky grass-type emerged ready for battle. Grotle was slightly surprised for a moment to be facing Ash upon his release, but when he looked back and saw Misty had summoned him, he couldn't help but give a pleased smile. "Ok Grotle, you ready to go?" Misty asked. Grotle nodded and faced Ash again with a determined look on his face.

"Alright Grotle, I like that look on your face!" Ash exclaimed approvingly. Ash reached for another Pokéball off his belt, "Now Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash threw the Pokéball onto the field and his small fire-type emerged ready for battle. "Alright Chimchar, we're doing some gym training for the Snowpoint City gym! You're facing off against Grotle so I want you to give it your all!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar chattered determinedly and stared down Grotle. From the sidelines, Riolu was watching in awe. "Get us started Misty!" Ash exclaimed.

"You got it! Alright Grotle, use 'Razor Leaf'!" Misty ordered. Grotle acknowledged and reared back for a moment and then jerked his body forward to unleash a barrage of razor sharp leaves at the tiny fire monkey.

"Now Chimchar, dodge it and use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash countered. Chimchar nodded and leaped up into the air and managed to dodge the 'Razor Leaf' attack, and then when the smoke cleared, Chimchar landed and immediately retaliated with a powerful flame.

"Quick Grotle, dodge it and use 'Bite'!" Misty ordered. But Grotle didn't move, the order to dodge had stunned him and he instead took the super-effective attack full on. "(Gasp) I'm sorry Grotle!" Misty cried guiltily, both hands now covering her mouth in shock. But Grotle simply shook off the pain and lumbered forward to bite down on Chimchar's arm. "Whoa, awesome Grotle!" Misty exclaimed cheerfully.

"I can't believe how much more powerful Grotle's gotten lately." Brock said as he took a sip from his coffee mug.

"I know! It's almost impossible to believe that Grotle ever had any problems to begin with!" Dawn replied. While this was going on, Riolu was still watching in awe, he was amazed at the level of power the other Pokémon battled on, and he couldn't wait until he got to their level.

"Chimchar, knock Grotle off with 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar nodded and turned back to Grotle, launching a powerful 'Flamethrower' at point-blank range, and forcing the huge grass-type to back off. After Grotle shook off the pain, he and Chimchar exchanged friendly smirks. "Alright, that's enough for now." Ash said.

Upon hearing that, Grotle let his guard down and began panting with fatigue after taking two really powerful hits from the fire monkey. Chimchar walked over to Ash and Misty who were now standing over the weary grass-type. "Hey, nice job Chimchar." Ash said. Chimchar chattered in thanks. "You did awesome too Grotle, for a tough matchup you battled really hard." Ash knelt down in front of Grotle and placed a hand on his hard shell, "I bet you're tired, why not heal yourself with 'Synthesis'?" Ash suggested.

Grotle nodded in agreement and looked up into the sun, letting its rays beat down on the bushes on his back. Grotle began glowing in a gentle light, and slowly began to heal after the tough battle. "I didn't know Grotle knew a healing move." Misty said.

Ash got back up to face Misty, "Well Grotle knew 'Synthesis' all the way back when I first captured him as a Turtwig." Ash explained. Just then, Riolu sensed something strange in the vicinity, and relayed the message to his master via aura. "What's wrong Riolu?" he asked.

Suddenly, a freakish gust of freezing wind blew in from out of nowhere, freezing the entire group in a huge chunk of ice. Unbeknownst to the group, the culprit behind their freezing had hopped out from behind a bush and was currently celebrating over its prank well done. But the culprit then spotted something that made it nervous, Chimchar's flaming tail was slowly thawing it out of the ice, and the culprit behind their freezing quickly scurried back behind the bush to watch what would take place. Chimchar finally completely thawed out, and fell down on his butt, shaking his head woozily over what had just happened.

Finally Chimchar came back to his senses, and noticed that Ash and the others were still completely frozen. Chimchar quickly got up and launched a 'Flamethrower' at the chunk of ice, thawing out the other members of the group, and they too fell to the ground in shock, groaning woozily. "Man, that came out of nowhere." Dawn groaned.

"That must've been what Riolu was trying to warn us about." Ash said, as he tried to get his still half-frozen limbs to work, "What kind of weird weather was that anyway?" he wondered.

"I think we should take that as a sign and get going." Brock got up and shook off the leftover ice shards, then went over to pack up their supplies. Ash, Misty, and Dawn soon followed suit.

Meanwhile Riolu was searching around with his aura, looking for the source of the feeling he had felt before they were frozen. "Hey Riolu, come on!" Ash exclaimed. Riolu hesitated, but eventually gave in and rushed over to his master to help pack up the supplies and equipment.

After a while, the group got back to walking, and Riolu was still keeping an eye out for their apparent antagonist. Unfortunately in doing so, Ash was starting to get stressed thanks to their connection. "Come on Riolu, try to relax, you're starting to make my neck hurt." Ash pleaded as he rubbed his aching neck. But then, Riolu stopped in his tracks as he felt something, then he tried to take one cautious step forward, but instead fell onto his face rather clumsily. "Hey are you alright Rioluuuuuu!" Ash tried to step forward as well, but he too fell onto his face.

"Are you alriiiight!" Brock had tried to check on both Ash and Riolu, but for some reason he too fell onto his face.

Both Misty and Dawn were amused at Ash and Brock's clumsiness, as they couldn't help but giggle a little. "Look at you two, why don't you get it togethaaaaah!" Finally only one teen was left standing, as Dawn fell to the ground as well. "Man that hurt." she groaned.

"What was that you said about getting it together?" Ash chuckled and sat up straight, helping Riolu to do the same.

"I wonder why we all tripped like that." Brock wondered.

"Hey Misty, aren't you gonna join the rest of us klutzes down here?" Ash joked.

"No thanks, I'd rather stay on my feet." Needless to say, Misty was not about to keep the pattern going, so she cautiously looked around, and spotted something wrapped around her shoe. She lifted it up slightly and pointed it out to the others, "Hey guys, check this out." she said.

The group looked at Misty's shoe, and then Brock looked at his own shoe, and noticed that he had the same thing wrapped around it. "Hey, we all have these things…kinda looks like a 'Grass Knot' attack, doesn't it?" he said.

"Do you think a Pokémon did this?" Dawn asked.

"If that's the case, then that freak snow storm from before must've been 'Powder Snow'!" Brock said as he helped Dawn back to her feet.

"I'll bet you anything that the culprit is still hanging around too, probably watching us fall for its tricks." Dawn said angrily.

"That must've been what Riolu was on the lookout for." Ash realized, "Alright Riolu, you're the one who sensed the culprit, where is it now?" Ash asked. Riolu closed his eyes for a moment and pointed towards over a nearby bush. "Looks like Riolu senses something behind that bush over there!" Ash exclaimed.

"Then let's get over there and check it out!" Dawn hissed, stomping over to the bush.

"The others did the same, "Yeah, whoever did it is gonna get it big time!" Ash growled.

Then suddenly, Riolu stopped and suddenly ran away, which confused the group, "Hey Riolu, what's wrong?" Ash asked. The group soon found out EXACTLY what was wrong, as large root-like objects suddenly shot out of the ground and grabbed them. "What's going on?" Ash yelled, as he tried to wrestle with the roots and break free.

"I don't believe this." Brock growled as he too tried to break free.

"Let us down right now whoever you are!" Misty screamed furiously.

"No DON'T let us down!" Dawn screamed, as she looked down and saw just how high up they were.

The group wrestled with the vines a little more, but then Ash spotted something that seemed to be dancing on the ground. "Hey, check that out!" he exclaimed.

"It's a Snover! Now I get it, this must be Snover's 'Ingrain' attack! I bet the 'Grass Knot' was its idea too." Brock explained.

Ash pulled out his red Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon that had been messing with them. "Snover, the Frost Tree Pokémon. Snover live mainly on snowy mountains with little human contact, but are known to approach people out of curiosity." The Pokédex chirped.

"That's one way to put it, guess it had to catch us before it approaches us." Dawn moaned.

"Hey let us down from here already! This isn't the right way to make friends you know!" Misty shouted as she tried to wrestle out of the vines again.

Just then, Riolu came from behind a bush and charged to attack Snover, "Yeah, go for it Riolu!" Ash cheered. Riolu launched a 'Force Palm', but missed when the panicky Snover leaped straight up to avoid being nailed. "Don't give up Riolu! Go with another 'Force Palm'!" Ash ordered. Riolu turned around, but never got the chance to move forward again as Snover had created another 'Grass Knot' to trip up the Emanation Pokémon. Then Snover used 'Ingrain' again, and one more root shot out of the ground and wrapped up Riolu, who immediately began struggling to get free. After a few moments though, Riolu sighed and gave up. "Don't feel bad Riolu, you did your best." Ash consoled.

"So now what are we gonna do? It doesn't look like Snover's gonna let us down anytime soon." Dawn said, as she watched the Frost Tree Pokémon jump up and down in joy over its victory.

"I know what to do!" Ash reached for his Pokéballs and managed to grab one, "Now Grotle, I choose you!" Ash threw the Pokéball down to the ground, and Grotle emerged from it ready for battle. "Grotle quick, use 'Razor Leaf' and get us down from here!" Ash ordered.

"Ash wait!"

Grotle acknowledged and jerked its body forward, sending a barrage of razor sharp leaves at the roots holding its master and his friends up. When the leaves hit the roots, as expected, they were chopped down, but then the group fell to the ground with a painful thud, and Riolu immediately got back up and charged to attack again.

Snover backed up a few steps, and calmly plucked off a piece of grass and started playing a mystical sounding melody, and immediately Riolu began to grow drowsy and stopped just short of Snover. "Oh no, that's 'GrassWhistle'! Be careful, don't listen to it!" Brock yelled, but as he grew drowsy as well, it was obviously too late, "Or else you'll fall asleep." Brock fell flat on his face and started to snore, along with everyone else who were forced to do the same.

Snover stopped playing once the group was asleep, and calmly went over to Ash and started gently shoving on his shoulder to wake him. Ash groaned a little and started to wake up, "Morning Mist…" But when Ash finally opened his eyes, he remembered what had just happened to them, and as expected, there was Snover right there. Ash sat up with a start and shouted, "Waah! Snover?" Before Ash could react, Snover was hugging Ash friendlily, which only confused Ash even more. "Uh…glad to meet you too."

By now the 'GrassWhistle' had worn off and the others were waking up on their own. Dawn was the first to notice that Ash was being smothered by Snover, "Aah Ash! What's Snover doing to you?" she asked worriedly.

"I guess Snover's showing me what it's like to be friendly." Ash replied, still really confused by what was going on. Then Snover released Ash and pulled a small white ball off of its body, and held it out to Ash. "Hey, what's that?" Ash asked.

"I think it wants you to eat it Ash." Brock replied.

"Be careful, for all we know it may be another prank." Misty said, her eyes narrowed towards the Frost Tree Pokémon.

Ash gave in and took the ball from Snover and examined it for a moment. "Looks normal enough." he said.

Now the other three humans came in closer to take their own look, "Is that thing even edible?" Dawn asked skeptically.

Ash broke the ball in half and handed the other half to Misty, "Here, take a piece."

As Misty examined her half of the white ball, Snover plucked another one off of its body and handed it to Dawn for her to try, "Um…thanks Snover." Dawn said nervously. Dawn took the white ball and broke it in half as well for Brock to have a piece, and together the group warily ate the small white pieces, but were soon greeted by an extremely pleasant outcome.

"Wow! This is delicious!" Brock exclaimed.

"And cold! It tastes just like an ice pop!" Dawn added, covering her mouth with her hand to try and warm up her mouth a little.

"Yeah, and it's really sweet too!" Ash added.

"Who would've thought there could be a Pokémon that makes ice cream wandering around?" Misty added.

"Hey, thanks a lot Snover, that was delicious." Ash said. Snover was about to reply, but the still skeptical Riolu was still upset at Snover for everything it had done before. Snover backed off slightly in fear. "Hey, relax Riolu! Sorry Snover, Riolu's still a little upset about what you did to us before…hey I've got an idea, why don't you let Riolu try one of your ice balls?" Ash suggested. Snover smiled and plucked white ball off of its body and handed it to Riolu. Now Riolu's curiosity had been peaked, and his anger quelled for the moment. Riolu took a small bite, and he too was overcome by the pleasure of the sweet taste as he squealed with glee.

"You like it a lot, don't you Riolu?" Misty giggled. Riolu nodded at the redhead and squealed again, which only caused Misty to giggle some more, "You're so cute."

"I guess that's why Snover was using all those moves on us, it was so we couldn't do anything else except stop and give this delicious stuff a try." Brock said.

"If you ask me, I think Snover just wants to be friends." Dawn added.

Yeah, but that was a pretty intense way of stopping us though." Ash chuckled. Snover also laughed sheepishly, as it scratched the back of its neck embarrassedly. "Hey you know, now that I've eaten something, I just realized that I'm really hungry." Ash laughed.

"Ash, you're ALWAYS hungry." Misty rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, but soon blushed out of embarrassment when her stomach began to growl as well. "Well…isn't a girl entitled to a small hunger pang every now and then?" she said nervously. The group laughed and decided to set up camp right where they were since the sun was beginning to go down.

The sun went down completely after a while, with the only source of light being the crackling fire that Brock had cooked dinner over. Snover had joined the other Pokémon, and was enjoying a bowl of Brock's homemade Pokémon food. "Wow, check that out." Ash said, taking a moment from his meal to glance at the Pokémon.

"Snover must've been really hungry; it does a heart good to see such a healthy appetite." Brock said, taking pride in his job well done.

"How do you like Brock's Pokémon food Snover?" Ash asked. Snover waved back happily, acknowledging that it was indeed enjoying its meal.

"I hope it's at least half as good as your berries! Now you make sure to eat it all ok?" Brock said. Snover rocked from side to side in happiness, for the first time in a long time, it was surrounded by other Pokémon and even trainers who had given it kindness, companionship came only once in a very long while for Snover, so it was as pleased as it could be.

But eventually dinner ended, and the other Pokémon were withdrawn back into their Pokéballs for the night, which meant it was time for Snover to go. Brock picked up its bowl and waved goodbye to the Frost Tree Pokémon as it slowly walked away. "Seeya Snover, take care of yourself!" Brock called out. Snover waved back and took a few steps, but then turned around again and waved, calling out farewells in its own language.

"Bye Snover, take care!" Ash exclaimed, still waving goodbye to the grass/ice-type. Snover turned to walk away again, but it just couldn't keep its eyes off of the group it had grown to like in such a short period of time. It turned back to the group with a sad expression on its face, which the group couldn't help but notice.

"Snover looks kinda sad." Dawn said, her face now showing the same sorrowful expression as Snover's.

"No…it looks…lonely." Misty said, her voice obviously showing sympathy for the Frost Tree Pokémon.

"I wonder…if maybe Snover doesn't have any friends." Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck in thought. "We can't just let Snover go like that…Hey, hold on Snover!" Ash called out, using his hands as a megaphone, "Do you wanna have breakfast with us too?"

Upon hearing that, Snover immediately turned around, its eyes wide with shock, once the shock wore off, it ran over to Ash, its arms flailing uncontrollably. Snover continued to call out "thank yous" in its own language in a desperately grateful tone, as it hugged Ash's legs tightly for allowing it to stay for the night. "Hey, you're welcome Snover." Ash laughed.

"Now that that's settled, let's hit the hay! I dunno about you guys but I'm exhausted." Dawn said, as she stretched and yawned with fatigue. Her eyes drooped slightly after doing that, and she trudged into the tent for a little privacy while she changed into her pajamas.

"You did good Ash." Misty said, reaching up to knock Ash's hat off and ruffle his hair playfully.

"Hey, cut that out." Ash laughed and reached down to put his hat back on. "Well I just couldn't let Snover go like that, you know?"

"I get what you mean." Misty nodded, "I can relate to it you know. Loneliness is everything it's cracked up to be."

Ash and Misty watched as Pikachu and Buneary cuddled up next to each other next to Dawn's sleeping bag. "Well that's two Pokémon who don't have to worry about being lonely." Misty said, admiring the sweet sight of the Pokémon couple enjoying each other's company. Then Snover naively walked over to the two Pokémon, and sat down in-between them, and hugged them close to it as a gesture of friendship. "Make that three." Misty giggled, sweat-dropping in the process. Pikachu and Buneary laughed and sweat-dropped as well, while Snover merely looked back and forth at the two Pokémon in confusion.

Later on, the group finally fell asleep in their sleeping bags. Ash and Misty were holding hands as they slept in adjacent sleeping bags, Pikachu and Buneary had carefully moved over once Snover so fell asleep so they were in front of the Frost Tree Pokémon instead of being cut-off from each other. Little did they know however that they had a trio of stalkers watching them. A mechanical arm suddenly weaved its way out of a nearby bush, and started trying to make a grab. "Careful Meowth! Don't disturb the drowsy duo!" Jessie hissed.

"If you do we're guaranteed to get a premature blastoff right here and now!" James added.

"Hey if you tink it's so easy den you do it! Using dis dumb ting to nab one a dose Snover berries without bumpin' Pikachu or Buneary is like tryin' ta thread a needle with a sledgehammer!" Meowth replied angrily, as he used his trusty remote control to maneuver the mechanical arm without disturbing the group. Meowth finally got over to Snover, but froze when Pikachu's ear twitched. Team Rocket whimpered in fear at the sight of Pikachu regaining consciousness, but were relieved to find that Pikachu had only become conscious for a moment just to cuddle up closer to Buneary.

Team Rocket sighed with extreme relief, and finally caught their breaths when Pikachu comfortably dozed off once more with no suspicion of their presence whatsoever. "Thank goodness for hard heads and soft hearts." Jessie commented. Finally the mechanical arm managed to discreetly snag a Snover berry off of Snover's body, and quickly retreated back behind the bush.

Team Rocket split the berry into three pieces, "Bon appetite!" they each took their piece of berry and ate it, and just like the teens, they were overcome by the pleasurable sensation on their tongues. "Our taste buds are in paradise!" they all exclaimed quietly.

"One taste of perfection and there's no turning back!" James said passionately, tears flowing from his eyes and his fists clenched softly out of reflex.

"Full speed ahead to Shangri-La!" Jessie pointed at Snover, signaling Meowth to make the official grab and steal Snover for their own needs. Meowth had the arm grab a large net, and it reached over and instantly scooped up the now panicking Snover. Fortunately, its cries had not gone unheard, Pikachu and Buneary were now wide awake and watching it all happen, and they shouted to wake the humans up.

"Not you guys again!" Ash growled, letting go of Misty's hand in order to form an angry fist.

Jessie: "Isn't that just like a twerp to be in denial?"

James: "When it comes to Snover berries we're masters of guile."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "And sticking with style!"

Jessie: "We're Snover berry picking at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing all hope while I'm stuffing my face!"

Jessie: "A berry by any other name's not as sweet."

James: "When my tummy's full my work is complete."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And it's James!"

Meowth: "Meowth! Dat's a name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "And we're in your face!"

During their motto, Team Rocket had neglected to notice that the whole group had changed out of their pajamas and were now back in their regular clothes, Ash himself had just finished strapping on his right glove as he glared furiously at the trio. "What do you think you're doing with Snover?" he growled.

"I don't think, I KNOW!" Jessie said, holding up her hand dismissively, "We're gifting this cute little frozen berry machine to the big boss!"

"No you won't!" Ash grabbed a Pokéball off his belt and threw it, "Grotle, I choose you!" Grotle emerged from the Pokéball and stared down the trio of thieves, "Razor Leaf', go!" Ash ordered. Grotle acknowledged and jerked its body forward, sending a barrage of razor sharp leaves at the net that held Snover captive. The net was chopped open, and Snover fell with a thud, but quickly got up and scampered over to Ash and hid behind his leg.

"Hey! I thought you had good taste!" Jessie exclaimed angrily, her fists clenched and a sweat-drop on her head.

Now Ash got back to the battle and barked out another order, "Quick Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu jumped up and wasted no time in shocking the three thugs with a high voltage blast of electricity. Team Rocket groaned and fell on their faces, but they definitely weren't ready to give up yet.

"Impudent little imps!" Jessie reached for a Pokéball, "Yanmega, use 'Silver Wind'!" Jessie threw the Pokéball, and her dragonfly Pokémon came out and launched a barrage of silver, half-moon shaped blasts of wind at the group, who were now desperately trying to dodge them.

"Carnivine, come out and fight the good fight!" James also threw out a Pokéball, and his grass-type emerged for battle as well, but as usual, Carnivine turned back and bit onto James' head affectionately, "Come on! I said fight the good fight not bite the good bite!" James threw Carnivine back in the direction of the battle and barked out an order, "Now 'Bullet Seed'!" Carnivine acknowledged and launched its own barrage at the group, and that gave Team Rocket the chance they needed to escape.

"And with that, we must fly." Team Rocket jumped back into their balloon and started to float away, "Bye bye!"

Needless to say, Ash didn't appreciate being used for target practice, so he got his head back in the game and barked out an order, "Grotle, use 'Razor Leaf' again and don't let them get away!" Grotle acknowledged and launched the attack, but the range the attack needed was so great that it fell just short of the balloon. Grotle growled at that fact. "Ok Pikachu, use 'Iron Tail'!" Ash ordered. Pikachu jumped onto the side of the cliff and started bounding towards the balloon. When he finally got close enough, Pikachu leaped up and activated the 'Iron Tail', and successfully put a huge tear inside the balloon, sending Team Rocket blasting off.

"Who said you could deflate our egos?" And with that, Team Rocket vanished into the sky.

"Serves you right!" Misty shouted, swinging her fist angrily.

"You ok Snover?" Ash asked. Snover nodded happily at Ash in response.

"Well now that that's over with, let's get back to sleep." Brock suggested.

The group quickly got back into their pajamas and tried to head to sleep, but Snover was still slightly nervous. "Hey Snover, would you feel better if somebody stood guard for you?" Ash asked. Snover hesitated, but eventually nodded again out of fear.

"Pika pika chu Pikapi." (We'll do it Ash.) Pikachu said, waving off his master so he could get some sleep.

"Thanks Pikachu. You too Buneary." Ash replied, lying back down onto his pillow.

"Bun buneary bun." (You're welcome.) Buneary replied, sitting down next to Pikachu. The humans finally fell asleep, leaving Pikachu and Buneary as the only ones awake, Snover had easily fallen asleep thanks to the presence of its two bodyguards.

"Why do you think Team Rocket wants Snover?" Buneary asked, wondering what was so important about Snover.

"If you want my guess, I'd say they're just hungry and they were thinking through their stomachs. Those berries Snover grows sure are tasty after all." Pikachu replied dismissively.

"You think they'll try again?" Buneary asked.

"I always think of it this way: They don't give up on something until they blast off a second time. So until we launch them again, keep your guard up." Pikachu replied.

Buneary nodded and finally settled down into Pikachu's soft yellow fur and dozed off, giving Pikachu the first watch, this time to protect Snover. The next morning, the group woke up and were pleased to find Snover happily playing with the other Pokémon, and Brock immediately began work on breakfast.

"Wow, what a beautiful day it's going to be today!" Dawn exclaimed happily.

"Yeah I'll say." Ash agreed.

"Nice day for travel." Brock added.

The group turned and watched Snover interact with the Pokémon, and couldn't help but laugh when Snover grabbed a piece of Chimchar's food after pointing to something in the distance to distract the fire monkey, and Chimchar reacted rather angrily as it pointed an accusing finger at the Frost Tree Pokémon, who immediately smiled and gave Chimchar its food back, invoking laughter in all the other Pokémon. "Boy I'll tell ya, Snover sure likes pulling practical jokes." Ash said with a smirk.

"Just don't get any ideas about catching it; with Haunter and Rotom back at Prof. Oak's ranch, he's got enough trouble to put up with." Misty said, eyeballing her boyfriend suspiciously.

"I say we get ready to head on out before Ash's trainer instincts kick in." Brock laughed, taking a drink of his morning coffee.

"Alright alright, we'll get ready." Ash laughed with a sweat-drop. Ash got up and called out to the Pokémon. "Hey guys, as soon as you're done eating we're getting out of here!"

The Pokémon shouted their acknowledgement, and in no time at all, the group was packed up and all the Pokémon were returned to their Pokéballs, with the exception of Grotle who was last up. "Ok, now for Grotle." Ash was about to return Grotle to its Pokéball, when his face fell in confusion at the sight he saw.

"What's the matter Ash?" Misty asked, looking up from packing her backpack and noting her boyfriend's facial expression.

"Take a look at that." Ash replied, still obviously confused.

Now Dawn and Brock looked up as well, "Look at all those wild Pokémon." Brock said.

"They're all perched on Grotle's back." Dawn also noted.

The group walked over to Grotle and figured out why all the tiny flying-types were perched on the grass-type's back. "There are nuts growing on its back." Ash said in shock.

"And I'll say this much, Grotle's a lot more tolerant about this kind of thing than your Bulbasaur is." Misty said.

"I guess this sort of thing happens once Grotle adjusts to its evolution." Brock guessed.

"That's awesome!" Ash reached for one of the nuts, "You mind Grotle?" he asked. Grotle shook its head and smiled. Ash took a nut and examined it for a moment, "I wonder if they're any good." Ash nibbled a piece of the nut, and groaned a bit at the flavor. Curious as to what it tasted like, Pikachu took the nut from Ash and bit onto it himself, and his reaction was the total opposite of Ash's, as Pikachu not only approved of the taste, but liked it so much that he actually finished it off.

Brock couldn't help but laugh, "Guess you either love it or hate it right?"

"Ok, so Snover grows berries on its body, and Grotle grows nuts! Pokémon are so full of mystery!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Of course that's part of what makes them so intriguing." Brock replied.

"Wow Grotle, that's awesome." Ash said. Suddenly though, all the Pokémon perched on Grotle's back flew off at once, confusing the group.

"Hey, what's with the hasty retreat?" Misty wondered.

Then out of nowhere, a cage came out of the sky and grabbed Grotle and Snover, forcing the humans to jump back to avoid getting grabbed. Grotle and Snover cried for help as the cage rose into the air thanks to an all-too familiar hot-air balloon. "Team Rocket!" Ash growled.

"That's right! And we've just added two productive new members of our nutty little family!" Jessie cackled, waving mockingly at the group below.

"Rare fruit and nut berry Pokémon are always welcome!" James added.

"And since da Boss is gonna love the fruits of our nutty labor we'll be fat with cold cash!" Meowth added.

"We're on the fast track to fortune so we've gotta dash!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Gone in a flash!" they shouted.

Ash immediately leaped into action, "I don't think so! Quick Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" he ordered. Pikachu fired a powerful bolt of electricity at the Team Rocket balloon, but when the attack hit, the balloon was left unscathed. "Now what?" Ash growled.

"We're so glad you brought that up twoip!" Meowth grinned evilly.

"We're impervious to 'Thunderbolts' which makes YOU thunderdolts!" Jessie mocked.

"We love revolts!" James added, making faces at the teens down below.

Ash growled and barked out a different order, "Alright fine! Grotle, use 'Energy Ball' and destroy Team Rocket's cage!" Grotle acknowledged and charged a powerful 'Energy Ball' in its mouth. Grotle fired, and the cage burst open immediately, and the balloon slowly began to rumble and descend. Unfortunately, thanks to the shaking, Grotle was slowly losing grip and was starting to fall out of the open cage. Finally Grotle fell out, and began the long fall to the ground. "No, Grotle!"

Snover panicked for a moment, but quickly regained its senses as its eyes began to glow green, and a multitude of vines burst out from underneath Grotle, and caught and slowly lowered Grotle to the ground. "Grotle are you ok?" Ash shouted, as he and the others ran to chase after Team Rocket. Grotle nodded in response. After getting the acknowledgement, Ash turned his attention back to Snover, "Hey don't worry Snover! Just go ahead and jump and we'll catch you!" But unfortunately Snover was too afraid to jump, as it clung to the bars of the cage for dear life.

"We're one step ahead of you!" Jessie said matter-of-factly.

"Meowth, show them what Jessie meant!" James exclaimed.

"Big dough well spent!" Meowth pulled out a small remote and pressed the button, and two rockets came out from the sides of the basket, and when they kicked in, Team Rocket started blasting away.

"We'll never catch them on foot!" Misty exclaimed.

"Then it's time for Charizard!" Ash threw out a Pokéball and the mighty dragon emerged with a roar. "Let's go after them Charizard!" Ash leaped onto the back of his dragon and took off after the hot-air balloon.

"Talk to the flames twerps!" Team Rocket cackled as they continued to put distance between them and the teens.

"Let's try and slow them down for Ash! Ash, pull up a second!" Misty shouted. Ash nodded and had Charizard pull up. Misty grabbed for a Pokéball and threw it out. "Alright Surskit, use 'Ice Beam'!"

"Piplup, let's help them out with 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn also ordered.

Surskit emerged from its Pokéball and fired the ice-type move and flanked Piplup, who was already firing his own attack. But unfortunately Team Rocket was moving too fast and the attacks couldn't reach them. "They're going too fast!" Misty hissed.

"Looks like it's up to us Charizard! Floor it!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard roared and accelerated further, but even then he couldn't catch up to Team Rocket. Meanwhile down below, Misty, Dawn, and Brock were still running after Ash and Team Rocket, but Grotle tripped up again as its lack of speed stopped it again. Grotle just laid there on the ground, disappointed that it couldn't help its new friend. But a few flashbacks of its short time with Snover reignited its determination, and with a loud battle-cry, Grotle stood back up and stared into the sun, activating its 'Synthesis' move. Once Grotle became reenergized, Grotle's claws suddenly extended out, and Grotle roared out another battle-cry.

"Get back here with Snover!" Misty screamed. Suddenly the group noticed Grotle running along the side of the canyon. "What's Grotle doing?" Misty asked.

"Grotle's using 'Rock Climb'!" Brock replied, "Hey Ash! Backup's on the way!"

"Come on Charizard, you gotta go faster or Team Rocket's gonna get away!" Ash pleaded. Charizard glared at his trainer, he was already flying at full speed, he didn't need Ash to remind him that he was going too slow. Then suddenly, Ash looked over to the side of the canyon, and saw Grotle running along the side of the canyon. "Grotle, wha?" Ash reached for his Pokédex to scan Grotle and figure out what was going on.

"Rock Climb'. A Pokémon using this move can scale rocky surfaces." The Pokédex chirped.

"So Grotle's using 'Rock Climb'…that's awesome Grotle! Go for it!" Ash shouted.

"Hey, what's with the sidewinder?" Jessie asked nervously.

"Does it have Velcro on its feet or something?" James added.

Grotle was now side by side with Team Rocket, angrily growling at them. "My sixth sense is telling me this is not cool." Jessie said, her eyes narrowed at the Scratch Cat Pokémon.

"Don't forget dat sticky green stinka can't touch us if we're flying high in our beautiful balloon." Meowth replied, pointing towards the sky.

"Airtight argument." James commented.

Team Rocket emerged from their basket again, "Up the throttle! Bye dear Grotle!" Jessie laughed. Team Rocket's balloon began to ascend, and Team Rocket cackled evilly as they were sure their escape was guaranteed. But Grotle would not be denied. Grotle leaped onto the top of the cliff and used the power of 'Rock Climb' to propel itself high into the air with its front-right claw extended out. "Grotle can fly too?" the trio cried out. Grotle blasted through the balloon and shredded it to pieces, sending Team Rocket blasting off once more as the balloon and basket exploded. "We're blasting off again!" *ping*

Grotle landed on the top of the cliff once more and spotted Snover tumbling helplessly towards the ground. "Snover, snap out of it!" Misty screamed at the top of her lungs. Snover couldn't respond, but Grotle had heard and was determined to save its new friend no matter what. Grotle leaped against the canyon once more and activated 'Rock Climb' again to catch up to the falling Snover.

"Happiny, come on out and catch Snover, quick!" Brock tossed out a Pokéball, and his super-strong baby Pokémon emerged from it and scampered off to try and catch Snover.

"You should've thrown it harder Brock! Happiny won't make it in time!" Misty exclaimed.

"Come on Charizard, let's grab Snover!" Ash exclaimed. Charizard swooped down and got Ash in range, but when Ash reached for Snover, he missed by an inch and Snover continued to fall, "Aww no, Snover!" Ash shouted. There was only one more chance; it was up to Grotle now. Grotle yelled out one last battle-cry and used 'Rock Climb' to leap into the air and snag Snover in mid-air with its mouth. Grotle made the catch, and Snover regained consciousness and looked behind it to see Grotle happily smiling at it. Grotle then looked down and saw that Happiny was now in range, and dropped the Frost Tree Pokémon down to the ground where Happiny made an easy catch.

Then Grotle landed with a loud thud, causing dirt to fly up all around it from the rumble it made. Grotle then took a few cautious steps to turn around before falling down from exhaustion. The first ones on the scene were Ash, Pikachu, and Charizard, and Ash wasted no time leaping off of the dragon's back to embrace his exhausted grass-type. "Grotle! You were incredible!" he exclaimed happily. Snover also came over now and hugged Grotle out of thanks for saving its life. "You were awesome too Charizard, thanks for your help." Ash added. Charizard just crossed his arms and puffed out a weary ember, he wouldn't admit it, but that really long full-speed flight had left him winded.

Now the other humans finally made their way over to Ash and the others, and put their hands on their knees and panted breathlessly. "Grotle, you did great." Misty complimented, speaking in-between breaths. Grotle thanked Misty for the praise wearily.

"You did good too Happiny." Brock made sure to say. Happiny thanked Brock for the praise as well, and returned to its Pokéball without a second thought.

"That was the most amazing teamwork I've ever seen!" Dawn exclaimed, her breathing also extremely heavy. Grotle just chuckled softly in the arms of his trainer and his new friend Snover, there was a distinct satisfaction in doing what it had just done, but it would be more than content to not have to do that again for quite a while.

Once the excitement wore off, and the three sprinting humans got their breath back, the weary Pokémon returned to their Pokéballs, and the group resumed their walk towards Snowpoint City, and it wasn't long before they reached their next checkpoint. "Alright, we're almost at the foot of the mountain." Dawn said.

"Ok Brock, which way do we go now?" Misty asked.

Brock pulled out his map book and analyzed it, "Let's see…getting to Snowpoint City…" Brock was suddenly cutoff when a young voice cried out in excitement.

"Wow it's a Snover!" the voice, apparently male, exclaimed.

Then the group started hearing many other young voices, and they saw a bunch of little kids running towards them, and one other young lady trailing behind them. "Now now, don't rush or you're likely to trip and fall." she said gently. And of course, Brock was the first one to take notice of her.

"Wow excellent!" he exclaimed passionately. Brock ran over to the kids and young woman and stared into her eyes, "Excuse me kind and beautiful teacher! My name is Brock!"

"Here we go." Dawn sighed with a sweat-drop.

"Brock's gonna be an awful influence on those kids." Misty added, a sweat-drop also evident on her head.

Meanwhile, Brock was busy trying to impress the teacher of the children, who was merely staring at Brock in confusion. "I happen to have some delicious Snover berries, why don't we relax with a cup of tea? My friends can watch your children and I'll put the kettle on right away." he said chivalrously. But Brock's attempt was once again cut short when Croagunk executed a sharp 'Poison Jab' into his backside. "Aaaaaah! Just…as soon…as the pain…subsides…" After doing many different poison induced poses, Brock finally fell over and was dragged away by the poison frog, leaving the teacher in bewilderment. The children on the other hand, were luckily young and naïve enough to not understand what had just happened.

Now Ash, Misty, and Dawn made their way over to them with Snover. "Hey there." they said.

"You'll have to excuse our friend; he's got a weakness for beautiful women." Misty rolled her eyes as she said that.

"I suppose I should be flattered that he finds me attractive then." the woman replied with a sweat-drop.

Then Snover greeted the children with a wave of its hand, and the confusion immediately wore off as the children swarmed Snover and started playing with it, and Snover happily played along with them. Then Snover pulled off a few berries from its body and held it out to the children and teacher. "I think Snover wants us to eat it." one of the little girls said.

"I wonder if it's good." One of the boys added.

"Are you sure we can have it?" the teacher asked skeptically.

Suddenly Brock came back, and rushed over with the answer, "Have no fear! Snover berries are absolutely delicious!"

"You recover fast." Dawn commented.

"He always has." Misty added.

Satisfied with Brock's reassurance, the teacher took the berries and split them into six equal pieces. "Then let's eat!" they exclaimed. They each took their piece of berry and tried it, and they all happily commented on how delicious the berries were.

The teacher leaned over to face Snover, "You're sweet too, thanks Snover." she said gratefully. All the children also thanked Snover, and went back to climbing all over the Frost Tree Pokémon, who was more than happy for all the attention.

"Look at all those kids playing with Snover. That's great." Ash said.

"Kinda makes me wish I were a little kid again." Misty sighed happily, leaning on Ash's shoulder.

"Say, are you four Pokémon trainers by any chance?" the teacher asked.

"That's right! I'm challenging every gym I can so I can get into the Sinnoh League!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

"As for me, I'm a Pokémon coordinator." Dawn added.

"A coordinator? So you must be here to compete in the Sandalstraw Tournament!" the teacher assumed.

Sandalstraw Tournament? Why does that sound so familiar?" Dawn wondered to herself.

"You mean you didn't know?" the teacher moved aside and directed the group's attention to a small town in the distance. "Look, that's Sandalstraw Town over there, and very soon they're having their contest." she explained.

"Hey that's super-close to here." Ash said.

"Duh Ash, we're looking at it." Misty sighed exasperatedly. Ash chuckled sheepishly at that.

"Now I remember! Kenny's mom told me about the Sandalstraw contest a while back. She never was really good with timing and places." Dawn said.

"You know what that means, Kenny's probably gonna be there too." Misty replied.

"Hey yeah! That settles it! I wanna be in the Sandalstraw contest too!" Dawn raised her hand towards the sky.

"Great, be sure to give it your all." Ash replied.

"That's what I do! There's no way I'm gonna let Kenny beat me again!" Dawn exclaimed determinedly.

"So we're stopping in Sandalstraw Town before Snowpoint City." Brock said.

"Now there's just one last thing to take care of." Ash walked over to Snover, who was still playing with the little children. "Snover, we gotta go. But look at you and all your new buddies, I'm glad. There's nothing better than a bunch of good friends."

"He's right you know. And if you ever get lonely, you can always come visit them right here." Dawn added.

"You're ALWAYS welcome to come back anytime Snover." the teacher said, affirming the suggestion.

Finally the group started on their way, and was given a cordial farewell by Snover, the teacher, and her young students. "Well that worked out great, whaddya say we head on over to Sandalstraw Town?" Ash asked.

"Sounds good to me Ash." Misty replied.

"Yeah! And one thing's for sure, Kenny's gonna see up close and personally just how good I've gotten!" Dawn exclaimed determinedly.

And so with a full head of steam, Dawn led the way over to Sandalstraw Town, where her next contest would take place, and Kenny would most likely be waiting for them.  
_

**A/N: Well you may have noticed I used a different style of writing this time. I made a new paragraph everytime the speaker changed. Jolly Green suggested that I do this, to prevent too much confusion. So now it's up to you everyone. Do you prefer this style? Or would you like me to go back to the old way I did things? Review and let me know. By the way I PROMISE I'll try to get the next chapter out faster!**


	50. Stopped In the Name of Love

**Hey guys...well I hope I came out a little faster this time, I really can't tell these days. xD However I DO know that I made it in time for Thanksgiving! 11:20 means it's still technically Thanksgiving day so I did NOT miss it. =P Anyways, anon review replies, and my apologies to anyone I did not get around to replying yet, I promise, I will!**

**Hoenn Master: Don't worry about it dude, there's no hard feelings, just keep on reading. ^^**

**lightningblade49: Sorry dude, I do what I can when I can, but believe me I'm trying.**

**Polly: Well I tried to give Staryu the spotlight for a bit, hope you're at least semi-satisfied...as for Goldeen, its back at the gym with Daisy. I knew I wouldn't have any use for it so I left it behind. Pidgeot...all I can say is we'll see.**

**Anna: I'm sorry, but Dustox is gone. Just like Butterfree. I'd like to do it, believe me, but there are some things I just can't do.**

**sparky1001: I dunno yet, I'll see what I can use and what I can't.**

**Aditya Shukla: It's definitely a possibility.**

**tray125: I'll be looking for you! ^^**

**Lucas: There'll be fluff here, but not necessarily with Ash and Misty.**

**And now without further ado...next chapter! I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 50

**Misty's POV**

So yesterday consisted of some very interesting events. We ran into a Snover that had the heart of a prankster, and it did various things to us all day long in order to get our attention and get us to take a break and try one of the berries that it grew on its body. They really were delicious, kinda like ice cream. Snover's real intentions were revealed then. All it wanted was to be friends with us. We decided to let Snover stay for dinner, and it looked really happy all the way through dinner, surrounded by all of our Pokémon. When we had to say goodbye though, it gave us a really sad look, it must've been lonely.

We decided to allow Snover to stay the night with us; little did we know that Snover was going to become a target that night. Team Rocket showed up late last night and tried to kidnap Snover for the berries it grew. Luckily Pikachu and Buneary were able to alert us to the trouble before they could get anywhere. Ash, Grotle, and Pikachu teamed up to rescue Snover and sent Team Rocket blasting off, and the rest of the night went without incident. The next morning Snover had breakfast with us too, and we decided to let it travel with us until we got to the foot of the mountain, and before we got going, Ash noticed that Grotle had all of a sudden started growing nuts on its back.

They apparently weren't human-friendly, because Ash tried one and thought it was gross, and for Ash Ketchum to not like food, that means something. Pikachu however thought it was one of the best things he had ever tasted, and happily finished off the one he had taken from Ash. Somehow though we should've known that Team Rocket wasn't done yet, as they dropped a cage on both Snover AND Grotle, and tried to make their escape in their balloon. Grotle burst the cage open with 'Energy Ball', but lost its footing and had to be rescued by Snover's 'Ingrain' move. However when it was Snover's turn to jump, it was too scared to try, and that gave Team Rocket one last opportunity.

Meowth activated two rockets that shot from the side of the balloon, and they started speeding away. There was no way we would catch them on foot, so Ash called out Charizard and took off after them in the sky. We tried our best to help out on the ground as we sprinted through the canyon, but Surskit and Piplup's attacks just couldn't keep up with Team Rocket, and Charizard just couldn't gain enough momentum to catch up to them. It looked like Snover was doomed to become a Team Rocket Pokémon, when all of a sudden Grotle started RUNNING against the canyon wall! Grotle had learned 'Rock Climb' in a last ditch effort to save its new friend.

Grotle almost lost Team Rocket though when they started to ascend, but Grotle wouldn't give up, and used the power of 'Rock Climb' to leap high into the air, and Grotle shredded Team Rocket's balloon and sent them blasting off once again. But now Snover was falling to the ground unconscious. Brock called out Happiny to catch it, but it was pretty obvious Happiny wouldn't be able to get there fast enough. Then Ash and Charizard tried to make the grab, but Ash missed and that left only one more Pokémon who could save Snover.

Grotle activated 'Rock Climb' one more time, and leaped into the air and caught Snover in its mouth. Then once they flew into range of Happiny, Grotle let Snover drop, and Happiny easily made the catch behind Grotle, who had just landed with a loud thud. Grotle then fell from exhaustion, panting wearily from the feat it had just accomplished. Ash congratulated Grotle and returned it, and once that was over, we started walking once more. After a while, we ran into a young teacher and her VERY young students, who were excited to see a Snover and the kids started playing with it. Brock tried to hit on the teacher of course, but Croagunk wouldn't allow that.

Snover then tried to get the children and teacher to eat one of its berries, and the quickly recovered Brock assured them that Snover's berries were absolutely delicious. They loved it of course, and the kids were now extremely happy they had met Snover. Before we left, the teacher explained that the nearby town was holding a Pokémon Contest, and Dawn eventually recognized it as the one that Kenny was gonna be participating in. How perfect! Now I could get Dawn and Kenny together without any interfering thoughts of the hyperactive and slightly arrogant Barry. So we headed over to Sandalstraw Town as it was called, and by the time we got there, it was almost dark.

**Normal POV**

"So Dawn, do you have any idea what you plan on doing now that you're joining the Sandalstraw Contest?" Misty asked curiously.

"No idea, at least not yet. First thing I wanna do when we get to the Pokémon Center is that I wanna think about what I've done with who and how often. I don't want Kenny to be seeing anything I've already done a hundred or so times." Dawn replied. Suddenly, Piplup plopped off from Dawn's head, and started walking around all wobbly. "Hey Piplup, are you alright?" Dawn asked worriedly. Piplup blinked a few times, and shook off whatever was bothering him. "That was weird." Dawn said.

"Piplup's probably just tired from battling with Team Rocket earlier. It is getting late after all." Brock figured.

"So much longer until we get to the Pokémon Center?" Misty asked.

"It shouldn't be too much longer." Brock pulled out his guidebook and looked up the Sandalstraw Town Pokémon Center, and then looked ahead and saw that they had actually reached their destination. "Oh wait, this is it!"

"What a cute little Pokémon Center!" Dawn gushed, obviously intrigued by the rustic design, "I wonder if Kenny's here yet?" she wondered.

"Why, are you looking forward to seeing him?" Misty asked, her eyebrow raised and a mischievous smirk on her face.

"Well of course I'm looking forward to seeing him! He's still my friend you know." Dawn replied, her eyes wandering around. Dawn didn't wanna look Misty in the eyes, she was afraid she might blush if she did. Of course in her own denial, she neglected to notice she already was blushing.

And as if on cue, just as Ash and Co. were walking into the Pokémon Center, Dawn bumped into someone, and who else would it be except Kenny? "Hey, are you alri…Dawn? What are you doing here?" he asked, his face suddenly tinted a very slight shade of pink.

"K-Kenny! Um, well we were on our way to Snowpoint City for Ash's next battle and uh…well we heard there was a contest here, and I remembered that your mom told me you'd be here so…n-not that I only came because YOU'D be here! I came to win and don't you forget it!" Dawn hurried off and went over to Nurse Joy to check in for everyone.

"…Nice to see you too Dawn." Kenny stammered in shock. Once he came to his senses, Kenny turned his attention to the others, although he was trying VERY hard to ignore the mischievous smirk on Misty's face. "What was up with her?" he asked, pointing behind him where Dawn was.

"She's probably just surprised to see you, that's all." Misty shrugged, although still smirking.

"Well…you two are obviously still alive so I would guess that Dawn managed to get the Lunar Wing." Kenny said, making conversation, albeit rather carefully. He wasn't careful enough.

"And how do you know about what happened with Darkrai?" Misty asked, her eyebrow raised curiously at the male coordinator.

Kenny blushed a bit more, which naturally did not go unnoticed by the redhead. "W-Well uh…you see I kinda called Dawn to show off my new Pokétch application, and she told me all about what had happened, that's all." Kenny explained nervously.

"So you're here for the contest right?" Ash asked.

Misty scowled. She had Kenny right she wanted him, and Ash, albeit unintentionally, had let him off the hook. "Of course he's here for the contest, you think he's here to do sightseeing?" she said, rather angrily.

"Geez Mist, I was just making conversation." Ash replied, putting his hands up defensively.

"That's what I was doing." Misty turned her head away from Ash and walked away to see what was taking Dawn so long.

"Geez, what's with her?" Ash asked, crossing his arms in frustration.

"She was probably enjoying watching me squirm." Kenny said with a sweat-drop.

"You were squirming? Why?" Brock asked curiously.

Kenny sweat-dropped again. "Eh…"

"I'm gonna get Ash if it's the last thing I do." Misty stomped her way over to their room after Nurse Joy had sent her in the right direction, and upon reaching the room, she opened the door and it made a loud bang upon hitting the side of the wall, startling the coordinator who already seemed nervous enough.

"Misty, what are you doing?" she exclaimed fearfully, her hand placed on her chest as she tried to regain her breath.

"Ash let Kenny off the hook. Well he may have gotten away this time, but my dense, thick-headed boyfriend won't be there to save him every time. I'm gonna get him to admit he likes you even if I have to choke him to do it!" Misty grumbled, plopping herself on the couch and crossing her arms angrily.

"Um, actually Misty, there WAS something I wanted to talk to you about, but you seem a little upset so maybe it can wait." Dawn turned to walk away, but Misty's voice froze her in her tracks.

"Hold it." Misty got back up and walked over to Dawn, who had refused to turn around and face her while in her angry state. But she didn't have to, as Misty easily turned Dawn around and got her to look her in the eye. "What's the problem?" she asked, obviously trying to practice self-control.

"W-Well, I was so shocked to see Kenny, you know? The way I did see him, you know? Well…you know, my heart was just…you know…" Dawn mumbled, her head drooping back down as she talked.

"Yeah I see your point there." Misty replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. The red-headed girl went over to lean on the wall and looked at Dawn again, "You know you said 'you know' like four times in that sentence? Now why don't you try again, this time use words that'll get your point across."

"Well…I was so excited to go and compete with Kenny, and show him what I could do in contests…but without the contest atmosphere, you know…" Dawn suddenly stopped herself and covered her mouth with her hand, "I'm sorry, I'm not gonna do that anymore, I promise." She said apologetically.

Misty smiled and closed her eyes, shaking her head with amusement. "Don't worry about it, go on." She said encouragingly, her eyes opened again.

Dawn smiled back and continued, wringing her hands nervously, "I was just caught off guard I guess. When Kenny and I are practically at each other's throats as rival coordinators, any feelings I have are kinda ignored, all I really care about at that point is trying to get the last word and make sure I win. But when we're just talking as friends…I start to realize that he's more than just a rival, I start to remember all the good times we had as kids, we grew up together Misty! But…he's changed so much, we both have really, and at the same time, we're still exactly the same. You know ever since you told me that he may like me…I dunno if I even dare say love…I've been thinking about him really differently. He still teases me with the 'Dee Dee' nickname, but I've started looking beyond that…he's been acting a lot nicer around me than he used to, he's been there for me when I needed him…and Misty…I think I really do love him." Dawn finally finished.

Misty had been patiently listening to Dawn speak from her heart, and couldn't help but smile after she was done. She actually laughed a little, which caught Dawn's attention.

"What's so funny about that?" Dawn exclaimed angrily.

Misty stopped leaning against the wall and motioned for Dawn to calm down. "I'm not laughing at what you said Dawn. I just find it funny that you're so confused about who you think you should try and get together with, when you've weighed the two options: Kenny or Barry, and Kenny has come out on top each and every time. I mean, I know you told me that you felt his height was an issue, but is that REALLY that big a deal, when you take all the other things you just mentioned into consideration?"

"I don't know Misty; maybe I'm just being desperate because Barry hasn't shown any real interest in me. The only way he knows ANY of us is because we're friends with Ash, and even with him he acts really competitive, and not necessarily in a good way. But his antics are so cute, and he's really cute too. But I'm starting to wonder if cute is enough." Dawn replied.

"Listen, tomorrow is a new day, and you know Kenny's here, and I guarantee he'll wanna hang with you tomorrow morning. Tonight I want you to think about this: First of all, think about all the stuff you just told me about him, and REALLY debate this with yourself. But don't debate with your head, use your heart, because in the end, your heart's gonna be the one that's right." Misty went over to Dawn and hugged her, in an attempt to give her a little bit of tranquility on the inside. "I'm gonna shower, I'll be out in a few minutes ok? Try to relax, but don't forget." Misty released the coordinator and went into the bathroom, leaving Dawn by herself.

By this time, Ash and Brock had come in. "Hey Dawn, you alright?" Brock asked, noting Dawn's blank expression.

"Dawn, hello?" Ash waved his hand in front of her face, and when that didn't get any reaction, he snapped his fingers in front of her face. Dawn blinked a few times and shook her head, and suddenly she saw Ash and Brock staring at her in confusion.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"You zoned out, you were just kinda staring blankly into space." Ash replied.

"Oh." Dawn then started looking around, "Uh, where's Kenny?" she asked.

"Kenny went to his room, but he told us to tell you goodnight and that he'd see you in the morning." Ash replied.

Dawn couldn't help but blush. Of course after the heart to heart she had with Misty, it would've been hard to do anything else. "That was…nice of him." She said, turning away from the boys.

"Hey, are you alright Dawn?" Brock asked, now concerned with Dawn's strange behavior.

"Yeah I'm fine! Just fine!" Dawn was hiding her face from the boys, which made them worried something was wrong.

"Are you getting sick or something?" Ash went over to Dawn, but she quickly retreated.

"Dawn, if you're getting sick you should let me know so I can help you." Brock scolded.

"I'm not sick! I promise!" Dawn exclaimed.

Ash and Brock were about to corner the coordinator, when Misty came out of the bathroom in her pajamas. "What's going on here?" she asked confusedly.

"Something's wrong with Dawn and she won't tell us what!" Ash replied, beginning to get frustrated.

Misty looked over to Dawn, and she noticed Dawn begging her with her eyes to get the boys away from her. Misty thought fast and went over to confront the boys and block them off from her. "What's wrong with Dawn is none of YOUR business." she said matter-of-factly.

"Misty, if she's sick, then it IS my business, now what's going on?" Brock asked angrily.

"If you MUST know…" Misty heard Dawn gasp quietly, she was thinking that she was about to explain exactly why she was acting weird. "Dawn's going through something that only girls through." Misty said indignantly.

"What's that?" Ash asked naively.

Misty sighed and face-palmed, why couldn't it be easy? "It happens once a month, and it's no fun." she specified carefully. Now Dawn was panicking despite that Misty had saved her, why would she bring up such an embarrassing moment? Even if it wasn't really happening?

Brock immediately got it and backed off, but Ash was still confused. "What are you talking about?" he asked again.

Misty was now on the verge of a conniption, so for Ash's sake, Brock pulled him away. "She's talking about something you don't need to know about. Now let's go and leave them alone for a minute." Brock grabbed Ash by the wrist and dragged him away, despite all his protesting.

Dawn then looked at Misty with a rather upset expression. "You HAD to go THERE? You couldn't think of ANYTHING else?"

"Look I'm sorry, maybe you'd like them back?" Misty replied sarcastically.

Dawn rolled her eyes and just sighed. "They told me Kenny asked them to tell me goodnight, and he'd see me in the morning."

"Sounds he's looking forward to seeing you." Misty replied.

"Seems like it." Dawn sighed wearily, "My brain's tired."

"Get some sleep Dawn, and tomorrow you'll be able to just relax and enjoy Kenny's company for a little while." Misty said.

"Yeah…yeah I think I'll do that." Dawn walked towards the bathroom to take her own shower and opened the door, but stopped before she went in, "Hey Misty?"

"Yeah?" Misty asked, turning back towards the coordinator.

Dawn smiled at the redhead, "Thanks." she said gratefully.

Misty smiled back at her, "Anytime Dawn."

Dawn nodded slightly and headed into the shower, leaving Misty by herself, since the boys were out on the balcony. Curious, Misty went over and listened through the glass to hear what they were saying. Evidently Brock was explaining what Misty was trying to say, and when she watched, she could tell Ash was getting more and more grossed out, until she finally heard him cry out.

"No more Brock! La la la la la I can't hear you!"

Misty let out a small laugh and covered her mouth, and quickly headed to the bed to try and start falling asleep. Then she heard the balcony door slide open, and heard Ash walking towards the bathroom to knock. "Hey Dawn uh…are you uh…finished in there?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah Ash, I'll be out in a sec!" Dawn replied.

Ash leaned against the wall and waited until Dawn came out in her pajamas, and when Ash passed her, she couldn't figure out why he was refusing to look at her. "What happened to Ash?" she asked.

"I think Brock freaked him out. He explained a little bit about our uh…once a month thing." Misty replied.

Dawn's lips started to upturn into a small smirk, and it eventually turned into a huge smile, "Poor Ash, he must be terrified." she snickered.

"I'm sure after tonight he'll be ok. His brain tends to forget stuff he gets way too shocked by." Misty giggled.

Dawn giggled as well and got settled into her bunk, and then Ash came out. "Goodnight Ash." Dawn said, trying very hard to keep a straight face.

Ash turned his head over to Dawn and stared blankly for a moment before replying. "…goodnight." He mumbled. Then he walked over to Misty, who looked like she was about to burst out into laughter. Ash hesitated to get into the bed; all of a sudden he was all freaked out to be next to Misty.

Misty looked at him and pouted like a little girl, holding out her arms like she wanted a hug. "Come on Ashy." she whined.

Ash still hesitated, but he couldn't resist Misty's face and eventually smiled, and scooted in next to her under the covers, and he was immediately embraced by the redhead. After a few moments, Ash relaxed in her embrace and got comfortable. "You just love seeing me squirm don't you?" Ash asked with a smirk.

Misty nodded happily and just cuddled up closer to him, "You know I love you though."

Ash chuckled softly and just relaxed, by this time Brock had returned and he quickly turned off the lights and headed into his own bunk to sleep. Goodnights were exchanged, and the morning would prove to be very interesting.

The next morning Dawn woke up and immediately got dressed, she had spent the whole night pondering her situation, and she had finally come to a decision. She was gonna tell Kenny how she felt. _"This'll be easy…all I gotta do is tell Kenny that I love him and that I'd like to be his girlfriend…but what if I should wait? Oh man what should I do?"_ Her late night decision was quickly changed, she decided instead to wait for Misty and ask her approval. Luckily she didn't have long to wait, as Misty was now getting out of the bed as well, being careful not to wake Ash in the process.

Dawn mouthed a message to Misty and waved her over. Misty was a little curious, so she decided to go along with it, and followed Dawn into the bathroom. "So what's up?" Misty asked.

"Well last night I thought I had made a decision, but I wanted to run it by you first." Dawn replied nervously.

"Ok, so what did you finally come up with?" Misty asked.

"Well I figured that I would just go up to him and explain how I feel, isn't that enough?" Dawn asked.

"Ahh, the direct approach." Misty nodded, scratching her chin in thought.

"So you do approve right?" Dawn asked hopefully.

"It sounds decent, but don't just go up to him saying 'Kenny I love you', you have to ease into it. Why don't you get him to spar with you in a contest battle, and then invite him to get some lunch?" Misty suggested.

"Alright…yeah I'll do that!" Dawn suddenly lunged forward and embraced the water-trainer tightly, "Thanks Misty, for everything!" Dawn released the redhead and took off running; she had a mission to complete.

"Good luck Dawn." Misty sighed hopefully. With that out of the way, Misty went back to her normal morning routine.

Meanwhile, Dawn was running down the Pokémon Center corridor, a determined look on her face as she ran on, she hadn't forgotten to place Piplup on her head before she left of course, as the penguin was hanging on for dear life on the bluenette's hat. _"This is gonna be so great! All I gotta do is make sure I stay focused on the plan! Now I just have to find Ken-!" _Dawn's train of thought was cutoff when she suddenly rammed into someone in the hallway. "Ow, hey watch where you're…Kenny?" Dawn was rubbing her head in anger until she noticed it was Kenny.

"Hey Dawn, I was coming to see you, although I have to be honest, I really wasn't expecting to run into you like this AGAIN." Kenny laughed. Kenny got back up and held out his hand to help the dazed coordinator, and Dawn blushed slightly at the gesture, and hesitated to take it. "What's the matter?" he asked innocently.

Dawn's mind was racing; this was NOT part of the plan. She looked at his hand for a few moments, just wondering what his hand would feel like, would it be warm? Would her mind start making things up when she touched it? Like if maybe his hand wasn't all she was imagining it in reality, but her emotions would make it seem that way. After all that thought, she finally took his hand and was easily helped up by the male coordinator. She suddenly realized that she was a lot closer to him than she had intended, and in that split second, her brain and heart received yet another shock. _"Oh my gosh, he grew!"_ That one half-inch she had on him had apparently vanished since the last time they had seen each other, as they were now exactly eye to eye, and that only made Dawn blush more. In order to keep from being noticed, she quickly turned around and went to pick up Piplup, who was evidently still dizzy from the crash and was wobbling around aimlessly. "Thanks Kenny." she said without turning around.

"No problem Dee Dee." he replied with a sneaky grin.

That did it. All those tender thoughts she was thinking about him were immediately thrown out the window upon the mention of that name. Holding Piplup under her arm, she stomped over to him and growled, "How many times do I have to tell you NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" she screeched furiously, as she pounded his head with her fist.

"Ok ok, I'm sorry!" Kenny replied fearfully, trying to block the assault of his coordinator friend.

Dawn huffed and walked past him, Piplup now placed back on her head, but she had barely taken two steps when Piplup fell off again. "Hey Piplup, you ok?" she asked curiously. Piplup shook his head for a moment and then laughed bashfully. "Guess you're still a little dizzy. Come here, I'll carry you." Dawn placed Piplup in her arms and walked over to the lobby, with Kenny now walking beside her. She and Kenny were about to walk outside, when she looked down the nearby corridor and thought she saw something familiar. "I know that hairdo." she said quietly.

"What was that Dawn?" Kenny asked.

The split second she took to look at Kenny was all it took for the figure to vanish. "Maybe I'm seeing things. Never mind. Hey, would you mind coming outside with me to have a contest battle? I could use a little practice." Dawn asked.

"Sure thing, I could use a little more training myself, I always gotta be ready to beat you after all." Kenny laughed and ran outside, provoking Dawn to chase after him.

"Hey, get back here Kenny!" Dawn laughed as she chased after her childhood friend. Dawn quickly made her way outside, and Kenny called out his Prinplup in order to start the contest battle. And then, Ash and the others came out of the Pokémon Center as well, they had apparently taken a lot longer than she realized. "Morning everyone!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

The trio greeted back, and Dawn threw out her other Pokéballs so they could start their training. "Aright everybody, come on out!" With a loud pop, all four of Dawn's remaining Pokémon emerged from their balls and cheered upon release, "Alright gang, we're closing in on our fifth ribbon, so let's train like there's no tomorrow!" The Pokémon cheered their approval.

"Don't forget though, I'm in that contest too, and I'm not just gonna let you get that ribbon." Kenny taunted playfully.

"You might as well, because there's no way we're gonna lose! Right gang?" Dawn asked her Pokémon for clarification, and they cheered in agreement, all except for Piplup who was now wobbling all over the place, and finally fell backwards onto his butt. "Whoa, Piplup?"

"Hey, are you feeling alright?" Ash asked, looking down at the apparently still dizzy penguin.

Piplup looked up at the concerned humans and just shook his head in embarrassment. He got up and stood tall with his flippers proudly on his waist, but after a few seconds he fell back down and looked up at Dawn. Dawn squatted down in front of her confused penguin with concern on her face, "You've been acting strange lately…are you certain you're alright?" she asked.

"It might just be because of our collision a while ago, I know I'M still feeling a little woozy." Kenny suggested.

"Yeah, that might be it. Thanks Kenny." Dawn replied gratefully.

Misty smiled inwardly at the friendly interaction the two coordinators were having, it really looked like Dawn was on the right track. But when Misty heard a voice coming from around the corner of the Pokémon Center, she froze. _"Oh no, NO. It just CAN'T be."_

"Aaah! Look out look out look out look out look out look out!" Someone came running from around the corner and rammed into Ash and Dawn, knocking them both over and causing both their hats to fly into the air.

"Hey Ash, Dawn, you ok?" Brock asked. The two hats fell back down from the sky, and landed on the wrong heads. After a quick exchange, the boy who had just run them over spoke up again.

"Hey you! Why I oughta, what do you think you're doing?" the boy exclaimed angrily, holding his head in pain as he got back up, "I'm gonna make you pay a fine for that!" the boy opened his eyes and suddenly cried out in shock. "It's you guys!" he exclaimed pointing at them.

"B-B-Barry? You're here too?" Dawn exclaimed in shock, her face red with blush. THIS was DEFINITELY NOT part of her plan, which upon seeing Barry, had immediately been tossed out.

"Who else would it be?" Barry asked. Barry noticed Misty had turned her back towards everyone, "What's wrong with her?" he asked.

_"It isn't Barry. It can't be Barry. It's gotta be someone who looks and sounds just like Barry. He CANNOT be HERE of all the places in all the towns in all of Sinnoh, he CANNOT be HERE interfering with Dawn's feelings! Now when I turn around he'll be gone, and I'll see Dawn hugging Kenny and finally being happy. Three…two…one…"_ Misty turned around and opened her eyes, and much to her horror, there was Barry, staring at her along with the other now very confused members of the group, all except for Dawn, who Misty noticed was obviously having an internal struggle with herself.

_"Both Kenny AND Barry HERE in the same place? What am I gonna do now? Oh man, back to square one, just when I think I've made a decision something like THIS happens? Who do I choose?"_ Dawn thought to herself. Dawn looked over to Misty for help, but she could tell just by her face that she was EXTREMELY upset, and she knew why she was upset too. She definitely wasn't happy to see Barry there. "What are you doing here Barry?" she asked, now looking over to the blonde trainer.

"Wait a sec, you guys know each other?" Kenny asked in confusion.

"And just a cotton-pickin' minute! YOU know THEM?" Barry asked Kenny in shock.

"Yeah, Dawn's one of my best friends, and these are her other friends: Ash, Misty, and Brock." Kenny replied.

"I know that! I know them too you know!" Barry exclaimed.

"You know Barry too Kenny?" Ash asked.

Barry answered for him, "Of course, best buddies, ain't that right Kenny ol' pal?" Barry asked.

"Yeah…although we only met each other like fifteen minutes ago." Kenny replied with a sweat-drop.

"S-So lemme get this straight, you both are friends?" Dawn asked, seeming to not want to believe it.

"Oh yeah, see, I just found that Kenny and I are from Twinleaf Town," Barry stood next to Kenny and wrapped his arm around his neck, "So that means we're practically like brothers. The deal is Kenny's going to enter the contest, and then I'LL enter Pokémon Ping-Pong for a double win! We're gonna do some special training!"

"So if you two are brothers because you're from Twinleaf Town, what does that make Dawn, who is also from Twinleaf Town might I add." Misty asked, her eyebrow raised at the blonde trainer.

"Hmm, you know I never thought about that…well it really doesn't matter, I never wanted a little sister anyway." Barry replied dismissively. Misty smirked, she KNEW Barry would say something like that; she was sure now that Dawn would snap.

"So I don't matter enough to you huh? Well let me tell YOU something jerk, who said I even WANTED to be part of your little Twinleaf team? You two have a great time together and I'm gonna go and do something useful! Like figure out how to beat the snot out of Kenny in the contest, and maybe for good measure, I'll join YOUR whatever it is tournament, and take you down there too!" with that said, Dawn snatched Piplup and ran back into the Pokémon Center with tears running down her cheeks.

"Dawn, wait!" Kenny shouted, his hand reached out as if trying to grab her, "Dee Dee…" he sighed.

Misty's smirk had long since vanished after watching that, she knew Dawn had crushes on both boys, but she had no idea it was so deep-rooted, or just how susceptible she was to being hurt. But even through all that, Misty had taken note that Kenny was concerned for Dawn, but Barry was just confused as to what had happened. Misty then walked up to Barry, "Can I help you?" he asked.

Within the next two seconds, Barry was now groaning on the floor after being bashed by Misty's mallet, "I hope you're satisfied." she hissed. After that, Misty ran after the coordinator who had run off in tears.

"Boy, she's got issues huh?" Barry said, getting up rubbing his head. The rest of the group frowned at Barry in disapproval, Kenny more than anyone else. "What? A guy can't have an opinion?" Barry asked.

"You didn't have to say THAT!" Kenny growled, his fists clenched in anger, "You basically told her that she doesn't matter to you!"

"If I were you Barry, I would go apologize." Brock suggested, rather strongly.

"Apologize? Are you nuts? I can't do that with hammer girl waiting to hit me again!" Barry exclaimed.

"Then wait until they come back, and then apologize!" Ash exclaimed.

"(Sigh) Fine, I guess MAYBE what I said was a LITTLE uncalled for. I didn't MEAN to hurt her you know." Barry replied.

"I'm sure you didn't, but you have to be careful with your words." Brock said.

"Alright, I'll try to be more careful from now on." Barry sighed in defeat.

"Good, that's how a Twinleaf Town resident does things." Kenny replied in approval.

_"Gee, Dawn must think more of Barry's opinion than I thought." _Misty was jogging through the Pokémon Center in search of the hurt bluenette that had run off, she was just about to go back outside thinking she had run back out to chew Barry and Kenny out some more, when she spotted a familiar white cap on the floor inside an open room. Quietly making her way in, Misty looked around and noticed a mirror, and on the reflection she saw Dawn on the other side of the floor next to the bed, quietly sniffling as Piplup did his very best to console her. "Dawn, you ok?"

"Do I look ok to you Misty?" Dawn wept, looking up at the water-trainer, "He just doesn't care Misty, neither of them do, why do I even bother getting my hopes up?" she hiccupped.

"Dawn…it…i-it's not that he doesn't care, I'm sure right now he's feeling VERY sorry for saying that to you," she said as she silently recalled bashing Barry's head, "You can't just give up like this."

"And why not? Give me one good reason why not!" Dawn demanded.

"Because you owe it to yourself not to! Come on Dawn, this isn't you! Don't let your emotions take control of your common sense! Are you really going to give up on ever finding love, because Barry, who we BOTH know has a big mouth, decided to say something stupid?" Misty asked incredulously.

"I'm just so lost." Dawn sighed.

"Well I'm not. I know for a fact that both Kenny and Barry are regretting the way you feel right now, not to mention me, Ash, Brock, Piplup, and all your other Pokémon too! Come on back outside ok?" Misty pleaded.

"J-Just give me a minute, ok?" Dawn begged. Misty sighed and walked out of the room, leaving Dawn and Piplup to themselves. "What am I gonna do Piplup?" Dawn asked wearily.

"Pi pi plup." (I don't know.) Piplup sighed, patting his master on the shoulder.

Dawn sighed and started to get back up, maybe Misty was right, maybe she was being too hasty in her judgment. After a few moments of deliberation, she decided she would go back outside and make nice with the two males who had unintentionally hurt her. "Come on Piplup, let's go back out there and get some training done!" Dawn said determinedly.

"Pi plup!" (Alright!) Piplup leaped into Dawn's arms, and together the two rushed back outside, where apparently Kenny and Barry had been waiting for her.

"Dawn, are you ok?" Kenny gently placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed softly, which caused Dawn to freeze up.

_"Come on brain, he's just touching my shoulder, don't just stand here like an idiot, SAY SOMETHING!" _Dawn blinked a few times and finally replied, "Yeah, I'm ok."

Now Barry walked over to Dawn and scratched the back of his head nervously, "Hey listen, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything…so…I'm sssss….ssssssoo…" Barry seemed to be having a hard time getting the word out, "Sssssooorry."

"See, now was that so hard?" Misty asked teasingly, the water-trainer was greatly enjoying Barry's squirming; it was obvious that Barry's pride was NOT enjoying this sincere apology thing.

"When you're trying to be the strongest trainer ever, it's hard to let yourself look anything other than awesome and powerful." Barry replied with frustration, and then Barry turned back to Dawn, "So come on! Accept my apology already or I'll fine you for making me look uncool for an extended period of time!" he stomped childishly.

Dawn smirked and rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Hmm, I don't know, you don't seem to mean it." she said mischievously. Misty was quietly congratulating Dawn for making Barry earn his way back into the group's good graces.

"Oh come on, whaddya want me to do? Get down on my knees and beg?" Barry asked incredulously.

"Now there's an idea!" Dawn laughed.

"WHAT? I am NOT gonna do that." Barry turned his back to the coordinator and crossed his arms, he had already been humiliated enough, there was no idea he was gonna do that.

"Alright alright, apology accepted Barry, since it looks like that's the best I'm gonna get." Dawn finally sighed jokingly.

The group laughed at the blonde trainer who was now stomping like a little kid again, "Stop laughing at me or I'll fine you all!" he roared.

After the group's laughter calmed down, Dawn noticed that Kenny's hand was still on her shoulder, and it seemed like he was gently squeezing it as if to comfort her. Dawn could feel her face heating up a little, so she decided to try and shake it off by putting up her fist in determination, after all, she did have training to do. "So Kenny, how about that contest training?" she asked.

"Sure thing Dawn, let's do it!" Kenny replied. The two coordinators took the field, which got Barry excited too.

"Alright Empoleon, come on out!" Barry threw out a Pokéball, and his powerful starter Pokémon emerged, "As long as they're gonna train for the contest, Empoleon and I will get ready to dominate the Pokémon Ping-Pong competition with our super smash hits!" Barry exclaimed, as he and Empoleon swung a Ping-Pong paddle and flipper respectively, which of course caused the entire group to sweat-drop.

Suddenly, Piplup started to panic, as his body suddenly started to glow white. "Piplup what's wrong?" Dawn panicked, noticing her penguin was in distress.

"I wonder if that light means what I think it means." Brock said.

"It sure does, Piplup's starting to evolve!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Evolve?" Dawn asked in shock.

"You got it, Piplup's gonna become Prinplup!" Ash replied excitedly.

But suddenly, Piplup tightened his whole body and began straining to use an attack, as his body glowed a different kind of white. "T-That looks like 'Bide'!" Dawn gasped.

Finally the glowing light dissipated, and Piplup was still a Piplup. "The evolution stopped." Ash said.

Piplup panted in exhaustion for a few moments, before finally collapsing and falling on his back unconscious. "Piplup no! Please say something!" Dawn knelt down and held Piplup at arm's length, but the penguin Pokémon was making no signs of regaining consciousness.

"Let's get Piplup to Nurse Joy quickly!" Brock exclaimed.

"Right!" the group quickly followed the breeder into the center, all except for Barry who needed a moment to process what had just happened, "Hey wait up!"

The group rushed in, and Dawn took the lead so she could get to Nurse Joy, "Nurse Joy, there's something wrong with my Piplup!" she cried.

Nurse Joy put down her paperwork and rushed to the examination room, "Follow me, quickly!"

The group followed the Nurse to the examination room, where she took Piplup from Dawn's arms and hooked him up to wires to get his vitals. Dawn hands were clasped and held up to her mouth in worry as she watched the Nurse work; first her crisis with Kenny and Barry, and now her best Pokémon friend was unconscious. "Please be ok Piplup." she whispered. She bowed her head and closed her eyes in worry, as she tried to hold in her emotions.

Dawn then felt a feeling that had very quickly become a familiar one. She looked up and saw Kenny standing next to her, his hand placed comfortingly on her shoulder, he was giving her a reassuring smile, which got her to relinquish a small smile in return. And to herself, Misty also smiled, as she saw that Dawn and Kenny were obviously becoming more comfortable around each other. Hopefully these small steps forward would eventually lead Dawn to take the next step and get into a relationship with her fellow coordinator._ "Now the only thing I have to worry about is figuring out how to keep them together and how to keep Barry away from them."_

Finally Nurse Joy took off the stethoscope she had been using to examine Piplup and stood up straight. "Nurse Joy, how's Piplup? Everything will be ok won't it?" Dawn asked hopefully. Kenny gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze to reassure her.

"Dawn, don't worry. Your Piplup just used up a lot of its energy. A good rest is all that's needed right now." Nurse Joy replied.

The entire group sighed in relief at the prognosis, and Dawn immediately felt her whole body relax at the good news, but she also felt slight disappoint when Kenny let her shoulder go. _"That actually felt kinda good."_

"Your Piplup is a very determined little Pokémon, I'm glad to say that he'll be ready to go after tomorrow." Nurse Joy said.

"Thank goodness." Dawn sighed, "Um, is it ok if I stay here for a little while Nurse Joy?"

"Of course. Take all the time you'd like." Nurse Joy smiled and walked out with Chansey, "Just call if you need anything." Nurse Joy closed the door behind her, leaving the teens by themselves.

"Um…guys, if you don't mind, I'd like some time alone with Piplup, is that ok?" Dawn asked pleadingly.

"Sure thing. Come on guys, let's go." Brock said.

"Yeah! I got some serious Pokémon Ping-Pong training to do! Seeya later Dawn!" Barry rushed out of the room with Empoleon following, and one by one the rest of the teens walked out as well. After a moment or two, Dawn looked up and noticed Kenny hadn't walked out yet, he was standing in the doorway with a concerned look on his face.

"Are you sure you're alright Dawn? If you want I'd be glad to stay here and keep you company until Piplup wakes up." Kenny said softly.

Dawn smiled and shook her head, "No need to worry Kenny, I'm alright, really. I'll catch up with you guys later, I promise." Dawn gave her childhood friend a sincere smile, which caused him to smile back, and finally walk out.

A little while later, Dawn had made good on her promise and had caught up with the others for dinner, somehow she wasn't surprised that she had found herself seated next to Kenny; however she was VERY surprised to find Barry on the other side of her. And if she had looked carefully, she might have noticed Misty scowling whenever she looked at Barry, and smiling whenever she looked at Kenny. "You know, it's really a surprise, I had no idea Piplup was so close to evolving!" she exclaimed as she took another bite of her roll.

"It's not surprising to me! It's all because of what a great trainer you are!" Kenny replied.

Misty smiled, until she heard the next sentence coming out of a different mouth.

"Yeah, Kenny's right! Great job Dawn!" Barry added.

"Gee, thanks you guys." Dawn replied, her face slightly tinted pink from the compliments.

"Although I should warn you, the evolutionary road from Prinplup to Empoleon only gets harder and harder, you just mark my words." Barry said smugly.

"But the reward's more than worth the hard work, compared to Piplup, Prinplup's twice as big, which gives you twice as much of a chance to show what you've got in a contest!" Kenny added.

"Sounds exciting!" Dawn exclaimed.

"You know something Dawn, you're gonna have to change the way you do battle. Remember it was the same thing for me when Turtwig evolved into Grotle." Ash said.

"That's right…" Dawn mumbled.

"I think that example is overdoing it a little Ash. There's a, literally, HUGE difference between Turtwig and Grotle. But Piplup and Prinplup aren't too different in size; I highly doubt Dawn will have to redo her entire battle strategy when Piplup evolves. At most she'll have to change bits and pieces of it." Misty said.

"Oh yeah! Well in all honesty I don't think that would matter anyway, I've already gone through that whole process once when Swinub evolved all the way up to Mamoswine." Dawn replied, "I'm gonna have a Prinplup soon…I'm starting to get really psyched!" Dawn took another bite of her roll, and didn't notice Brock's now thoughtful expression.

"Hey Brock, what's up?" Ash asked, noting the breeder's change of attitude.

"Hmm?" Brock was taken out of thought by Ash's comment, "Oh, it's nothing."

Ash was still confused, but decided to drop the issue.

"Well guys, it's getting late and I'm sure Piplup's gotta be awake by now. Brock, can I have some Pokémon food for Piplup? The poor thing's gotta be starved by now." Dawn said.

"Yeah, sure Dawn." Dawn and Brock got up from the table, leaving the others to themselves.

"I gotta say, I'm impressed with how Dawn's improved as an overall trainer. I remember when we both left Twinleaf Town she didn't even know how to use a Pokéball properly!" Kenny laughed slightly, recalling the event.

"I'm the one that taught her how, she was about to throw one without making it bigger first." Ash also laughed.

"Well she's got a long road ahead of her once her Piplup evolves into Prinplup. Getting an Empoleon is one of the toughest things even a trainer of MY caliber's had to deal with." Barry said.

The two teens sweat-dropped at Barry's statement; they were having such a good time, that they didn't notice that Misty was being uncharacteristically quiet, she too was also now deep in thought, as she had come to a sudden realization.

Meanwhile, Dawn was on her way to Piplup's recovery room, holding a tray with a bowl of Pokémon food on top. When she opened the door she noticed Piplup was staring at his reflection in the window. She walked up to him, and Piplup quickly turned around when she noticed his trainer walk in. "Glad you're awake, want something to eat?" she asked. Piplup shook his head sadly and turned his back to her, which caught Dawn off-guard, "O-Ok then...maybe later." she stammered, putting the bowl of food down next to the nightstand.

Dawn knelt down next to the bed and placed her arms onto the mattress. Piplup still had his back turned to her. "Piplup I'm sorry…I should've known you were going to evolve. But hey! Isn't it great?" She didn't notice it, but that comment had caught Piplup's attention. She folder her hands and leaned her chin against them and her elbows leaned against the mattress, she was as pleased as could be at the situation, "Wow, soon you're gonna be a Prinplup! Awesome!" Piplup suddenly turned around to face her, chirping desperately.

Dawn mistook it for fear, and grabbed the flippers of her faithful starter. "Hey! It's natural to be scared, but you'll be fine! I'm going to be right there with you, 'kay?" Piplup broke free of the coordinator's gentle grip and went into a panic trying to convey his message. Dawn grabbed Piplup and laid him down on the bed, but he was still squirming desperately, "Piplup stop! You've got to calm yourself down, please!" Dawn exclaimed. Suddenly Piplup started glowing again, and Dawn let go as Piplup involuntarily stood up. "There's that light!" Dawn gasped, "Piplup, just let it happen this time!"

But Piplup refused to let the evolution take place. He summoned all of his strength and started glowing in his own counter light. "Are you using 'Bide' AGAIN?" Dawn asked in shock. Finally the light vanished, and Piplup was still a Piplup, but he had once again been left drained of strength, as he panted with exhaustion. "That WAS 'Bide'!" Dawn knelt down again and grabbed onto Piplup's flippers again, "Piplup why do you keep on doing that? See, if you evolve into Prinplup, then you'll get bigger and be able to learn all sorts of amazing new moves! And then we'll be able to win more contests and…" Piplup had heard enough. He threw Dawn's hands off of him, shocking Dawn further, and also hurting her inside. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Piplup shouted in anger and opened the Pokémon Center window, and hopped out of it to run into the forest next to the Center. Dawn rushed to the window and watched as her starter Pokémon ran away, "Piplup wait! Piplup!" she cried. But it was no use, Piplup wasn't coming back. "What am I gonna do?" Dawn asked herself, "I gotta get help!" Dawn ran out of the room to look for her friends.

The friends she was looking for were currently being shoved through a Pokémon Center hallway by Barry and Empoleon, shouting protests at the trainer and his fully-evolved starter. "Chill! Look, you'll enter Pokémon Ping-Pong too, so OBVIOUSLY you'll need to train!" Barry explained, "We'll all train together!"

"Wait a second Barry! I never said I was gonna enter!" Brock said.

"And I didn't even know what Pokémon Ping-Pong even was up until today!" Misty added.

"But Brock, Misty, don't you get it? We can't lose! The doorway to becoming the world's strongest Ping-Pong team is about to open before our eyes!" Barry exclaimed excitedly.

Barry and Empoleon continued to push the frustrated teenagers through the hallway, but stopped when Dawn suddenly came running around the corner, and rammed into Kenny once again. "We really gotta stop meeting like this." Kenny laughed, but then noticed Dawn was out of breath, and was obviously in a panic, "Whoa, what's the matter Dee Dee?" Kenny had used that name again, but not maliciously this time, he was sincerely worried about her.

Dawn ignored the name usage, she was on too important a mission to care about it right now, "You gotta help me, it's Piplup! Come on, follow me!" Dawn took off past them towards the exit, and her friends followed. They eventually reached the forest. "Piplup ran away into the forest! He almost evolved again and used 'Bide' to stop it…after that…oh I just don't know!" Dawn cried.

"I get it…it all makes sense." Brock said.

"I think I get it too." Misty added.

"What do you get? What's going on here?" Ash asked.

"Ash, remember Bulbasaur? He didn't wanna evolve, so he stopped himself from doing so." Misty said.

"Exactly. Piplup wanted nothing to do with evolving which is why he's using 'Bide', and seeing as how exhausted he seems, he must've been doing it for a while." Brock explained.

"I don't understand it…poor Piplup…he must be starving by now…one thing's for sure, we've gotta look for Piplup now!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Right, let's split up!" Ash said determinedly, "Misty, Brock, let's go this way!" Ash pointed off in the direction he intended for them to go.

"Prinplup, come on out and help!" Kenny called out his starter to help them search, "Come on Dawn, I'll go with you and search this way!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Right, thanks Kenny!" Dawn replied gratefully.

"Alright, let's go!" Ash yelled. The two search parties took off running in opposite directions, leaving only Barry and Empoleon.

"Hey! Wait for me you two!" Barry took off running after Dawn and Kenny, finally accounting for all the humans.

"I can't believe I was so stupid, Piplup must hate me so much right now!" Dawn said sadly, as they ran through the forest.

"There's no way Piplup could hate you Dawn, maybe he's a little frustrated, but he'll never hate you, we just gotta find him so you can fix this!" Kenny replied.

"Hey, what's that light over there?" Barry stopped and pointed through some trees, where a bright light was shining.

"Let's check it out." Kenny led the way for the two other teens, when they got through the shrubbery they saw a waterfall with Piplup underneath it, he was using 'Bide' again to stop the evolution process. When the light disappeared, Piplup collapsed and fell off the rock he was sitting on, and fell into the water below.

"Piplup, oh no! Are you ok?" Dawn ran out of the shrubs and picked up her exhausted penguin, "You used 'Bide' again to stop from evolving didn't you? Why do you keep doing that? You DO want to evolve don't you?" That comment set Piplup off again, and the penguin shoved his trainer away for the third time that night, chirping furiously at her. "What is it Piplup? Why are you so mad?" Dawn asked cluelessly. Piplup turned to run away again, but when Dawn made a move to follow, he fired a 'Bubblebeam' in anger to keep her busy.

While the water splashed in the coordinator's face, Piplup leaped for the bushes and vanished from sight. "Piplup, come back!" Dawn ran after the penguin through the bushes.

"Come on Barry, let's go after them!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Right!" he replied. The two males chased after Dawn and Piplup, but they would soon find trouble.

"Oh man, where could Piplup have gone?" Dawn turned her head in all directions looking for her angry starter Pokémon, but then she heard a desperate plea for help coming from Piplup, and she quickly ran towards the sound. She gasped when she saw Piplup squirming desperately to get out of a spider web. "Piplup! Hold on!" Dawn ran to save her penguin Pokémon, but before she could get there she was knocked down by a 'Sludge' attack from behind. Dawn fell and rolled onto her side, and looked around nervously for where the attack came from.

She looked into the trees and spotted an Ariados glaring down at her. "Aaah! Ariados!" The Ariados fired more 'Sludge' attacks, forcing Dawn to run and jump all over the place in order to avoid getting nailed. "Kenny, Barry, help!" she cried.

"I'd like to Dawn, but…we're stuck!" Kenny yelled. Dawn looked and saw that her two friends and their Pokémon had been caught in another spider web that had been made by two more Ariados.

"I'm gonna fine you for hindering the progress of the world's soon-to-be strongest trainer!" Barry yelled furiously as he and Empoleon struggled to break free of the sticky strings.

"Don't worry guys; I'll get you out of there!" Dawn turned to help them, but the two Ariados fired warning shots at the coordinator, forcing her to stop. "Alright, that does it! Mamoswine, come on…huh?" Dawn reached around her waist and noticed something that caused her heart to drop, "I forgot my Pokéballs at the Pokémon Center!"

The Ariados fired another shot at Dawn, who just barely managed to dodge it. "Dawn, forget about us! Go free Piplup first so you can defend yourself!" Kenny yelled.

Dawn nodded and took off in the other direction, but the first Ariados fired another shot and knocked Dawn to the ground with the explosion. Finally, Piplup had seen enough, and managed to point his head upwards so he could fire a 'Bubblebeam' towards the antagonizing Ariados. "Now's my chance!" Dawn got up and ran for the web again, but now the other two Ariados had taken their attention off of Kenny and Barry and were chasing down the female coordinator.

"Oh no you don't! Prinplup, use 'Bubblebeam' and help Dawn get to Piplup!" Kenny ordered. Prinplup stopped struggling for a moment and fired a beam of bubbles at one of the other Ariados, who was effectively stopped from attacking.

"There's an idea!" Barry exclaimed, "Empoleon, take out that other one with 'Hydro Cannon'!" Barry ordered. Empoleon opened its beak and launched a super-powered ball of water at the other Ariados; unfortunately the attack was aimed wrong thanks to the webbing.

"Dawn, look out!" Kenny shouted.

Dawn looked back and noticed the 'Hydro Cannon' attack bearing down at her, she did a face-plant to avoid the attack that just barely grazed her hair, and flew past her, instead the water-attack hit the webbing that had trapped Piplup, and the explosion destroyed the web and sent Piplup flying into the air.

"Mistake! Sorry!" Barry yelled.

But Dawn didn't even take heed, all she saw was her penguin falling back down to earth. "Don't worry, I'll catch you!" Dawn ran underneath the penguin and caught him gently into her arms, "You're safe." she sighed. Piplup also couldn't help but sigh, but their moment of peace would soon be broken by an angry hiss. "Uh oh…" A whole mob of Ariados came crawling out from the branches of the trees, all of them growling angrily at the coordinator, "Whoa, there's a lot of them…"

All the Ariados charged up their most powerful attack, "I-Is that what I think it is?" Dawn whimpered. A bunch of orange colored balls of energy formed on their heads, confirming her fears, "It is! It's…Hyper Beam!" she squeaked. The attacks continued to charge, as Dawn stood frozen in place.

"No! Dee Dee!" Kenny struggled and fought to break free of the webbing, but it was just too strong for the young boy, "Someone help!" he shouted.

The two teens struggled to break free, when finally Barry got an arm free, "Hey, I got loose!" he exclaimed.

"Get free and help her now!" Kenny yelled.

Barry ripped off the remaining webbing and broke free, and hurried to get Dawn out of the way, "Hey don't just stand there, get moving!" Barry tackled the young girl and got her out of the way, but Dawn accidently let go of Piplup at the same time the 'Hyper Beams' were fired.

"Oh no, Piplup!" Dawn cried as she hit the ground with Barry. But when Dawn looked, she saw that her penguin was just standing there taking each blast, "Piplup no!" she screamed. But then Piplup took the final blast, and the white glow he had been enveloped in suddenly reached out and hit every last one of the surrounding Ariados, and sent them flying into the sky. "That was 'Bide'." Dawn gasped.

Dawn was helped up by Barry, "Thanks for the save Barry." she said gratefully. Barry nodded with a smile in response. Then the coordinator went over to her panting Piplup and picked him up, "Thank you so much Piplup." she said gently, hugging the penguin close to her. Piplup chirped with exhaustion and relaxed in his trainer's embrace. Finally Dawn went over to Kenny, who had stopped trying to escape the webbing and decided to let Dawn come and help him.

Dawn gently pulled off the webbing covering the male coordinator's body, and he stretched his body out upon release, "That's much better! Thanks Dawn." he said gratefully.

"Thank YOU Kenny, for helping out." Dawn replied.

"Aww, well it was really Prinplup you know." Kenny laughed bashfully as he bent down to free his Pokémon.

"Hey! Don't forget about Empoleon! After all it was its 'Hydro Cannon' that got Piplup free." Barry exclaimed, as he hastily threw the webbing off his starter.

Dawn laughed and then sighed contentedly, something about being here with the two males was heartwarming for her, but right now she had more important things to worry about than deciding which boy she wanted a romantic relationship with, like repairing her already existing relationship with her Pokémon. She looked over and spotted a lake, and that was when she got an idea, "Could you guys excuse Piplup and me for a sec?" she asked.

"What for? Anything you have to say you can in front of – ooof!" Barry got elbowed by Kenny, who glared at him in anger.

"We'll be right over here if you need us." Kenny smiled at his childhood friend, who smiled back at him in thanks.

Dawn walked over to the lake, smiling as she heard Barry's voice fading away, he was probably complaining about the elbowing Kenny gave him. She knelt down and put Piplup down, "I dunno how to thank you Piplup, you saved my life again." she said gratefully. Piplup stood tall and put his flippers on his waist. Dawn giggled, "Piplup, remember? This very same thing happened once before a long time ago on the first day you and I met…and because of what happened that day in the forest, I chose you at Prof. Rowan's research lab."

Piplup started chirping frantically at that statement, as if he was trying to relay a message to his coordinator master. "Piplup, what's the matter?" Dawn asked.

Suddenly they heard a loud rumble through the bushes, and the angry yells of Kenny and Barry. "What's going on over there?" Dawn grabbed Piplup and ran through the bushes and saw Prinplup and Empoleon being held in midair by two mechanical arms.

"Whoever's doing that, you're gonna get fined! Empoleon, 'Hydro Cannon'!" Barry ordered.

"Alright Prinplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Kenny also ordered.

The two Pokémon charged their attacks, but suddenly the hands on the two arms started spinning at super-fast speed, which caused Prinplup to faint from dizziness. Empoleon held on to consciousness, but it too was just as helpless as its pre-evolved counterpart. "Alright, who's out there? Come out and fight like a man!" Barry shouted furiously.

The arms withdrew into the forest, and then a robot emerged from the trees with its eyes shining brightly like headlights on a car. "What the?" the two males said in shock.

"There's only three people I know who use stupid robots like that, and they're always together. Team Rocket!" Dawn hissed.

"What? Those losers again?" Barry growled and shouted back at the robot, "Do you have any idea how much I'm gonna fine you for stealing Empoleon?"

"And if you know what's good for you you'll give back Prinplup too!" Kenny added.

Team Rocket ignored the outburst and had the robot reach out its arm again after it had deposited Prinplup and Empoleon into traps. The arm weaved its way through the trees and went for Piplup, but Dawn refused to give him up as she too was raised into the air, "There's no way I'm letting you have Piplup!" she exclaimed as she strained to hang on.

But then the hand spun again, slower this time, after all Team Rocket wasn't a fan of actually hurting anyone, just stealing Pokémon. The hand spun just fast enough to loosen Dawn's grip on Piplup, and surely enough the coordinator was forced to let go and she fell towards the ground. "Dee Dee!" Kenny shouted in worry.

Barry once again leaped into action, literally that is as he leaped forward to get underneath the coordinator and try to catch her. Barry's longer and stronger legs made it possible to get to her which was something Kenny wouldn't have been able to, but instead of catching her, he merely broke her fall as she landed on Barry and knocked him down once more. "Sorry again Barry." Dawn said.

"I'm so angry at those creeps for stealing Empoleon, I'll let this one slide and I won't fine you!" Barry growled, his anger towards Team Rocket slipping into his voice.

"Uh, thanks." Dawn just sweat-dropped before turning her attention back towards Team Rocket, "Give Piplup back right now!" she screamed.

By this time, Ash and the others had found Dawn and her team. "What's going on here?" Ash yelled.

"Team Rocket again! They stole Piplup, Prinplup, and Empoleon!" Dawn replied.

"What? They'll pay for that!" Ash growled.

Then the beak of the robot opened up, revealing the team of crooks, and Piplup was deposited into the robot as well just as they started their motto.

Jessie: "Chitter-chatter is that the lurid lilts sound of hot-air I'm hearing whether I like it or not?"

James: "It's putting my poor eardrums on the spot."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "Dere's a plot!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "Dashing hope, putting fear in its place!"

"Save it for someone else, you're Team Missile right?" Barry said dismissively, he made it blatantly obvious he wasn't interested in Team Rocket's motto.

"You must be deaf or somethin'! You heard da twerpette call us Team ROCKET like three times!" Meowth hissed.

"I have a tendency to forget losers like you…but one thing I WON'T forget is the fact that you still haven't given back Empoleon and the amount of your fine is rising even as we speak!" Barry replied.

"Piplup, Prinplup, and Empoleon belong to us!" Dawn screamed.

"Such twerpish denial. The fact is we're the only team worthy of a great evolutionary set like this." Jessie said.

"Oh yeah? Well I think the Twinleaf Trio happens to be a way better team than you!" Barry yelled. That comment confused everyone, including Dawn and Kenny.

"Twinleaf Trio?" they asked.

"Yeah, we Twinleaf Town dwellers gotta stick together, and the fact that we all have a Pokémon on the evolution line makes it even more awesome!" Barry replied.

"The Twinleaf Trio…I like that!" Kenny laughed.

"The Twinleaf Trio…how…catchy." Misty turned around and growled to herself, _"I'm never leaving Dawn behind with Barry again; she's gonna be SOOO confused once this is over."_

"Hey! Don't forget we're the ones with your Pokémon so no matter what split-second name you come up with we're still the winning team here!" Jessie exclaimed.

"I'll fix that right now!" Ash yelled, "Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt' let's go!" Pikachu jumped up and fired a furious blast of electricity at the robot, but then the robot held up its flipper, which had three metal rods on it. The rods conducted the electricity into the robot and traveled down towards the two trapped Pokémon, who wound up getting zapped by the electricity. "Oh no!"

Jessie laughed, "The more zapping you insist on doing, the more zapped your Pokémon friends will be feeling." she said.

"You're powerless against our Piprinoleon so just give it up!" James exclaimed.

"Although watchin' you dopes do da dumbest tings over and over takes its toll, we got our prize! Drive!" Meowth closed the beak of the robot, and it sat down so that large and powerful wheels could pop out from underneath.

"Let's slide!" Team Rocket laughed.

The robot blasted past the group of teens, but Dawn had not missed her desperate Pokémon crying for help from one of the containment bubbles of the robot. "Piplup, no!" Dawn sprinted for the robot and leaped onto its tail before it reached full speed.

"Dee Dee!" Kenny ran after them, with the others following closely behind.

Meanwhile, Dawn was carefully making her way over to the spot where Piplup was stuck, "You ok Piplup?" she asked.

"Plup pi plup!" (No I need help!) Piplup shook his head fearfully.

"Don't worry; I'll get you out of there!" Dawn yanked on the bubble glass, but to no avail, "No good!" Dawn looked around for another solution, and spotted a hatch at the top of the robot, "Hang on Piplup, I'm coming for you!" Dawn carefully climbed her way up the robot, almost slipping on a foothold on her way up, but she eventually managed to reach the hatch, "Alright Team Rocket, you're gonna pay for taking Piplup!" Dawn twisted the hatch handle, it wouldn't budge at first, but eventually she managed to loosen it. Finally she opened the hatch and she jumped into the robot where Team Rocket got shocked by her presence, proven by their outbursts.

"It's the young twerpette!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Piplup belongs to me!" Dawn had her fists clenched at her sides in anger, "Give Piplup back now!"

"Hmmph, we get the word 'now', it's the 'give back' part of your pointless demand that falls on deaf ears." Jessie said, her hands at her hips confidently.

"Not to mention our Piprinoleon is private property!" James pointed an accusing finger at the coordinator, "And you're trespassing!" James shouted.

Dawn growled and took a very discreet step backwards, she really wasn't in any position to defend herself since she had left her Pokéballs behind, and without Piplup she had no means of getting Piplup back. But suddenly a 'Bubblebeam' blasted through the grate next to where Dawn was standing, and out came Piplup. "Piplup it's you!" Dawn exclaimed.

Piplup shouted off at Team Rocket in anger, and Meowth translated it, "That impudent little twoip Pokémon's sayin' if we want da twoipette we're gonna hafta go through Piplup foist!"

"Impudent's a big word, but well used." Jessie snickered.

James pointed his finger again, "Compared with capturing Empoleon and Prinplup, catching you will be a day at the beach!"

Piplup replied by jumping up and down in fury, shouting at the trio again, "Whoa, tough talk! Piplup says it'll take us apart like it did all dose scary Ariados! Hmmph, big mouth!" Meowth translated angrily.

"Don't overdo it! I can still protect you!" Dawn said to her Pokémon. Piplup's presence had given Dawn a confidence boost, but then Piplup started trying to explain what he had been trying to explain to Dawn all along.

"Now Piplup's sayin' dat it's gonna protect da twoipette just like it did way back on day one! 'I'll always be here to protect you' is what I'm hearin'. Hmm…I dig where Piplup's comin' from. I always wanted ta protect da boss by keepin' dat pompous Persian mucho miles away!" Meowth exclaimed.

"I get it now…that's why you've been using 'Bide'…so you wouldn't evolve…" Dawn knelt down in front of Piplup, "And I also realize that YOU chose ME, because of what happened that day in the forest." Dawn said. Piplup nodded to confirm.

Suddenly Meowth started bawling, "Waaah! Oh, gets me right here! I neva heard a beautiful story like that!"

"Will you stop wearing your heart on your sleeve?" Jessie hissed.

"Indeed…now you saps let Meowth's sappiness be!" James pointed his finger once more.

Dawn ignored them completely, as she grabbed onto Piplup's flippers, "That means we'll be the most special of special partners forever…now use 'Whirlpool'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup jumped up and launched a powerful 'Whirlpool' at the trio, and the robot's head blew up as a result, sending Team Rocket flying out of it.

Dawn and Piplup jumped down from the robot remains and went to check on Prinplup and Empoleon, who had been shaken up by the explosion. "Oh my, are you ok?" she asked. Dawn and Piplup helped the two other Pokémon back up.

"Tacky twerpette!" Jessie screamed angrily, "The only arrogance I can stand is mine!"

"I think a Pokémon battle would be just what the doctor ordered!" James got back up and grabbed a Pokéball, "Alright Carnivine, hop to it!" Carnivine emerged, and then went back to bite on James' head, "Why you can't seem to hop to it without biting is beyond me!" James threw Carnivine back in the right direction, "Use 'Vine Whip'!"

Jessie joined the battle with her own Pokémon, "Quick Seviper, use 'Poison Tail'!" Seviper went to make the attack, as did Carnivine.

"Quick Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Dawn ordered. Piplup fired and knocked Seviper and Carnivine back. "Excellent!" Dawn exclaimed. But then Piplup started to glow again, "Oh no, not at a time like this!" Piplup used 'Bide' again to stop the evolution, which caught Team Rocket by surprise.

"I'm tinkin' Piplup's getting' ready to evolve!" Meowth exclaimed.

"But if we end up with a pair of Prinplup the boss's gift will be kaput and our evolutionary set spoiled! Piplup, evolve not!" James yelled.

"Stop! If it wants to evolve let the poor thing evolve! We can head this heist into an Empoleon triple-play! And if we were to give three tops of the evolution heap to the boss he'd be so giddy he'd give us the shirt off his back!" Jessie said.

"I don't like it Jess." James moaned.

"Stop being so literal and trust me!" Jessie turned her attention back towards Dawn and Piplup, "Seviper, let's go!"

"Carnivine, you follow suit as well!" James yelled.

The two Pokémon closed in the coordinator who could do nothing except brace for the impact as Piplup was still fighting the evolution.

"You get away from them!" a voice shouted, "Prinplup, use 'Bubblebeam' now!"

"Empoleon, 'Hydro Cannon'!" another voice shouted.

Upon hearing the orders, the two Pokémon jumped into action and knocked the other two antagonizing Pokémon backwards.

"Dee Dee, are you ok?" Kenny shouted as he ran towards them with the others close behind.

"We're fine! Thanks guys!" Dawn replied.

Kenny rushed over to Prinplup and slid onto his knees to embrace his starter Pokémon, "Prinplup, you're alright!"

"Empoleon!" Barry also hurried over to embrace his starter, who was more than happy to accept.

But then their attention turned towards Piplup, who was still fighting the evolution. "Looks like Piplup's still fighting evolving." Brock said.

"Yeah…" Dawn sighed as she watched her beloved starter fight off the evolution.

"Time to put the kibosh on this calamity!" James yelled.

"Now Seviper, 'Poison Tail' pronto!" Jessie ordered.

"Carnivine, beguile with 'Bullet Seed'!" James also ordered.

The two Pokémon attacked once more, but this time the others were ready.

"You'll never get anywhere near Dawn and Piplup as long as I'm around! Prinplup, use 'Metal Claw'!" Kenny ordered.

"That goes double for me! The Twinleaf Trio watches each other's backs no matter what! Empoleon, 'Hyper Beam'!"

Prinplup and Empoleon launched their own attacks and bounced Team Rocket's Pokémon back onto the ground.

"Come on Seviper show some spine!" Jessie screeched.

"Carnivine, upright!" James shouted.

The two Rocket Pokémon pushed themselves back up after taking a beating from the attacks from Prinplup and Empoleon, and then finally Piplup stopped glowing and chirped determinedly, "Hey, the evolution stopped!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Then this one's all yours Dawn! Finish them off!" Kenny said.

"Yeah, show them that they should never mess with the Twinleaf Trio!" Barry added.

Dawn laughed and got back into the battle, "You got it! Alright Piplup, let's wrap this up with 'Whirlpool'!" Piplup acknowledged and threw a powerful blast of swirling water at the Rocket Pokémon, who got trapped in the attack and flew towards the Rocket humans (and Meowth of course) and got blasted off once more.

"Dat Piplup's a lot tougher dan meets dee eye. We may have made a royal mess but I'm satisfied nonedaless." Meowth said.

"Will you put a cork in the prose?" Jessie hissed.

"We pummeled our Piprinoleon and you want to wax poetic?" James added.

"We're blasting off again!" *Ping*

The teens watched Team Rocket blast off into the distance, and then the misty remains of the 'Whirlpool' explosion began to gently fall like a light snowfall around them. Dawn knelt down in front of Piplup once more, "Piplup, thank you." she said. Piplup turned around to face her. "Looks like you saved me again." she giggled. Piplup nodded happily. "I know you treasure the memory of the day you and I meant, and that's why you wanna keep on as my Piplup…" Now Dawn's eyes were starting to water and her voice began to crack as she started getting emotional, "I'm sorry…forgive me for not understanding your feelings."

Piplup just waved her off with a wink, dismissing the whole thing and letting her know that he forgave her whole-heartedly. Dawn wiped her eye and picked Piplup up into the air, holding him over her head and laughing happily, "I want you to stay being my Piplup FOREVER! I promise we'll ALWAYS be a team!" Piplup chirped with a happiness it had lacked the whole day, finally the message had gotten through.

Dawn lowered her arms and held Piplup tightly with love, and then turned to face her friends, "And thanks you guys, especially you Kenny, and Barry too, I dunno what would've happened if you guys hadn't been there to back me up." she said.

"Aww Dee Dee, you don't have to thank us." Kenny replied.

"Hey! Speak for yourself! I for one will be glad to accept whatever praise she may have for me!" Barry exclaimed.

Kenny groaned and spoke up again, "Well, you don't have to thank ME anyway."

Dawn giggled, "Ok fine, I won't." she stuck her tongue out at Kenny playfully, "And one more thing, don't call me Dee Dee."

Kenny laughed and walked stride for stride with Dawn back to the Pokémon Center with the others following close behind, with one exception. "Hey guys! What about me? Aren't you gonna tell me how awesome I was back there? Gah! Come on Empoleon!" Barry ran after the group back to the Pokémon Center.

When they got there, the group said goodnight and went to their respective rooms, after that long day they were exhausted so they decided to just hit the sack right away, with the exception of one redhead who was determined to pull Dawn aside one more time, "Come here." Misty grabbed Dawn by the wrist and dragged her into the bathroom, much to the confusion of their two male companions.

"What's the matter Misty?" Dawn asked.

"TWINLEAF TRIO? What's all that about?" Misty asked incredulously.

"Oh that. That's just something Barry came up with; don't ask me why though, because I have no clue." Dawn replied.

"Well where does this leave you then?" Misty asked.

"What do you mean?" Dawn replied.

"You know what I mean. The whole Kenny versus Barry situation, you can't choose them both!" Misty exclaimed.

"I don't know Misty, both Kenny and Barry were great tonight, Barry saved me twice actually! I just don't know Misty, right now I don't wanna worry about it. Right now I have to deal with how I'm gonna keep Piplup from evolving. We'll see what happens ok?" Dawn replied, hoping that Misty would drop the subject.

Misty sighed and walked out of the bathroom, _"Dawn was so close! If Barry hadn't shown up for a stupid Ping-Pong tournament, Dawn and Kenny would've been happily in love together! But nooooo, Barry shows up and ruins everything! One of these days…one of these days…"_ Misty made her way into the bed where Ash was already snoozing, and just fell asleep; she was too frustrated to bother anymore.

The next morning, the whole gang gathered together in the Pokémon Center lobby to meet up with their no longer tired Pokémon. They were greeted by Nurse Joy who had Piplup, Prinplup, and Empoleon standing with her, "Piplup, Prinplup, and Empoleon are all completely recovered now and they're doing just fine." she said. Piplup hurried and leaped into Dawn's waiting arms while Prinplup and Empoleon went to stand next to their trainers.

The group gleefully thanked Nurse Joy for healing their Pokémon. "Hey! Now we can get back to some serious Pokémon Ping-Pong training! The Twinleaf Trio is gonna take the tournament!" Barry exclaimed.

"Uh yeah, sure Barry." Dawn sweat-dropped.

"And now Dawn, I have something I'd like to give to you." Nurse Joy said. Chansey walked over to Dawn holding a small chest.

Dawn took the chest into the palm of her hand, "What is it?" Dawn opened it and it revealed a rather plain looking but smooth rock.

"It's an Everstone." Nurse Joy replied.

"An Everstone? What's that?" Dawn asked.

"An Everstone has the power to prevent Piplup from evolving ever!" Brock explained.

"Now Piplup won't have to keep on using 'Bide'! Isn't that great?" Nurse Joy said with a smile.

"It's great…but…how did you know? I never told you Piplup was fighting evolution." Dawn said.

"You can thank that young man right there." Nurse Joy pointed towards Kenny, who immediately turned slightly pink.

"Kenny?" Dawn asked.

"Well…I could tell that you were worried about how you were gonna stop Piplup from evolving, so…last night after everyone went to their rooms, I went over to Nurse Joy and asked her to give you an Everstone to give to Piplup." Kenny said bashfully.

Dawn felt her mouth drop slightly, she was shocked for a moment, but then she felt her heart swell with indescribable joy, that was the sweetest thing anyone could've ever done for her, and it had been done by Kenny. Dawn's eyes began to twinkle and her lips upturned into a big smile, and purely on impulse, she rushed over and embraced the male coordinator tightly, "Thank you so much Kenny! You can't imagine how happy you made me!" she squealed.

Kenny was caught off-guard by the sudden display of affection, his face had practically flashed red when her body came into contact with his, but after a moment or two, he slowly got his brain working again, and his arms kicked back in shortly after, as he slowly got his arms around Dawn's waist to reciprocate the gesture, "Y-You're welcome Dawn, glad I could help." he replied.

Dawn opened her eyes for a moment and saw Misty smirking at her while she was embracing Kenny, and in response she merely rolled her eyes and broke the embrace, although she did find herself somehow wishing she hadn't, as she had found it more enjoyable than she thought she would, "Don't think this changes anything though, because you're still going down in that contest!" Dawn exclaimed determinedly.

"We'll see about that! In fact, why don't we go outside and have a practice battle right now? I'll show you what I'm made of!" Kenny replied, his brain finally functioning properly again and his face a normal color.

"You're on!" Dawn exclaimed. The two coordinators rushed outside and started battling with Piplup going up against Prinplup, while the others watched on the sidelines with the exception of Ash and Barry who were busy playing Pokémon Ping-Pong. One thing was for sure, the relationship between Dawn and Piplup had grown much stronger, and apparently so had the relationship between Dawn, Kenny, and Barry. With the contest coming up, only time would tell the outcome of the whole situation.  
_

**A/N: Dawn just can't seem to catch a break can she? And Misty's pretty ticked too by the looks of things. Well we'll see what happens in the next chapter! Oh yeah! I have a couple of announcements! Number 1: I recently won a contest on deviantART with my fic "Our Own Sunset", so I want you my readers to go onto my deviantART (I'm whocares4972) and go to my journal and vote on which scene from AAML: Diamond and Pearl version gets drawn by a prize artist!**

**Number 2: I need another flash animator for my Sonic project...if you know how, please message me and I'll let you have my recently registered Skype account so we can discuss the sprite movie. In payment, I will take a chapter request for this story or I'll write you a oneshot! Please help! I'd really like to get this movie of mine going! **


	51. Old Rivals, New Tricks

**Merry Christmas! Huh? Oh...that passed already...well...Happy New Year! Oh...it's almost February already...I'm sorry everyone! It's been literally forever since I last updated, and I know this isn't a decent excuse, but this chapter really threw me for a loop. At first I wasn't going to make a Dawn/Kenny/Barry love triangle, but I thought it'd be a great challenge for me...little did I know what I was getting myself into. I had no clue what I was doing with this chapter, I had no idea what direction to take it. It finally took a Brad Stine comedy skit to get me to realize what I needed to do. And so I started writing again. Thanks Brad! Also, my other projects have been taking a lot of my time, I recently started a video comic, bringing RaianOnzika's SATDD manga to life with my team of voice actors. And then there's real life but...who wants to hear about that? Again my apologies everyone! I hope this chapter is satisfactory! Oh yeah! Anon reviews!**

**Hoenn Master: Because I could use it to my advantage. And yes, in the SHOW, Dawn is ten, but then again so is Ash. In THIS story, the ages are mentioned in the very first chapter. I made Dawn thirteen years old, and Misty's fifteen, I wanted them close enough together that they could still relate with each other. Oh btw, I really hope I have more than what you calculated, especially since I'm only half-done with the story at most. I'm going all the way to the end of the Sinnoh Saga with this story.**

**Polly: Oh in the anime. Well after Corsola showed up, she kinda took over Staryu's role. Kinda sad yeah, I liked Staryu.**

**Anna: Indeed. Well remembrance I can do, sure, I'll find a way. ;)**

**sparky1001: Mamoswine gets attention in this chapter don't worry lol**

**Aditya Shukla: We'll see what happens with Ambipom**

**Agent900: On average? Uh...I can't give ETAs, it all depends on inspiration and how much time I can devote to it. What with two other projects going on and real life, there are way too many factors involved for me to calculate an average. Sorry. And no, I don't play Minecraft. And thanks. Oh, uh...my review page is a mess now, please don't experiment anymore. xD**

**And with that I say, enjoy!  
_**

Chapter 51

**Misty's POV**

I don't know whether to be furious or thrilled. On the one hand, we arrived in Sandalstraw Town and met up with Kenny, and for a while there I thought for sure that Kenny's presence and Barry's absence would help Dawn realize her true feelings and stop being so confused as to which one of her male friends would be the best choice for her. And for a while there, it seemed like it would work! Dawn had pulled me aside after accidently running into, and knocking down, Kenny, and she gave me the most sincere and heartfelt explanation she's ever given me before. She had said that she was almost sure she loved Kenny, I couldn't believe it! She had finally figured it out! And the next morning she was on her way to ease Kenny into her confession.

But then the unthinkable happened, for whatever reason, Barry was there too! He came running around the corner like a maniac and ran over Ash and Dawn and knocked them to the ground. I think I felt my heart stop because I felt REALLY sick when I saw that blonde-haired knucklehead show up JUST when Dawn was about to go through with her plan! Once Barry appeared, Dawn panicked, she had no idea what to do anymore, and then after the awkward introductions, Barry had the gall to say that Kenny was his best friend and practically his brother because they were both from Twinleaf Town, and that left Dawn out of the group because Barry had commented that he didn't really want a sister.

Dawn got mad at both of them, and ran off crying into the Pokémon Center. To top it all off, Barry didn't even realize that what he had said was wrong, until I smashed him with my mallet and took off running after Dawn. I did notice one thing before I left though, Kenny was absolutely FURIOUS at Barry for doing that to Dawn, and I took that as a sign that Kenny was very concerned for Dawn's wellbeing. The rest of the day consisted of Dawn trying to help Piplup through his evolution process. See Piplup was fighting evolution by using 'Bide', and the poor thing was just exhausting himself in the process. We would find that Piplup cherished the memory of the day he and Dawn met so much that he refused to evolve because it would ruin the memory for him since he was a Piplup back then too. He didn't wanna become a Prinplup and change what reality would be.

Dawn finally realized that and she decided that she wanted Piplup to stay a Piplup forever and ever, just like Ash and Pikachu, Dawn and Piplup would probably become friends with a bond that couldn't be broken no matter what the circumstances, that was very heartwarming for everyone. But the REAL heartwarming moment came the next morning. Dawn had been given an Everstone by Nurse Joy in order to keep Piplup from evolving, but Dawn had never told Nurse Joy what was going on. When she asked how she knew, she said that Kenny had been responsible for explaining the situation, and it was because of Kenny that she got the Everstone. I don't know if it was instinct, gratitude, or maybe even love that made her do this, but Dawn leaped into Kenny's arms and thanked him with all her heart for what he had done. Kenny was more than a little shocked, and it took him a while before he could even get his arms around her.

They're so perfect for each other, why can't she see that? Why is her mind so fogged up that she can't see the potential happiness standing right in front of her just waiting to be accepted? Now that I think about it, I know exactly what's got her so confused, or rather who. Barry's presence ruined it for her; does that mean she likes him too? I personally don't think so, if anything it's like when a thirteen year old girl falls in love with her favorite rock star, it isn't real. True love is much more sincere, and she's never confused when it's just her and Kenny. When it's her and Barry, she still isn't sure, and that's my argument for this situation. I WILL make this work.

**Normal POV**

"Pokémon Ping-Pong!" Barry shouted as he and his Empoleon practiced their Ping-Pong smash swings, "We're gonna dominate that tournament!"

"Not if we beat you Barry!" Ash and Pikachu were also practicing their Ping-Pong moves. After being convinced by Barry to join the tournament it had suddenly become an obsession for Ash, "I tell ya, I'm feeling confident about this tournament, I think Pikachu and I will go all the way!"

Dawn stood and watched as her Ambipom stood next to Ash and used her two tails to mimic their movements; apparently Ambipom still had some of Ash's influence inside of her, seeing as how she was determined to train for Ping-Pong alongside him. Ambipom finally ended with a backflip and her friendship symbol. "That's great Ambipom! Make sure you don't forget that move you just did ok?" Dawn said.

"Dawn!" Kenny came running out of the Pokémon Center with his Prinplup.

"Hey Kenny!" Dawn replied cordially, ever since Kenny gave her (albeit indirectly) an Everstone to help Piplup, Kenny brought her an immediate feeling of happiness, of course, that didn't she made up her mind just yet.

"So what are you guys up to?" he asked.

"Pokémon Ping-Pong!" Dawn replied.

"What? Don't tell me Barry got YOU hooked on that too." Kenny sighed.

"(Giggle) No, but Ambipom sure seems excited about it. I think it's because she used to be Ash's Pokémon, since she's still always around him she get excited about things he does." Dawn explained.

"Makes sense, but if I were Ambipom I'd be more worried about contest training, today's the day it takes place remember?" Kenny replied.

"Of course I remember, but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun on the side." Dawn said.

"Hey I'm all for relaxation and fun, but I'm saving that for another day. If I win today I'll get my fourth ribbon and I'll be all caught up to you again." Kenny said.

"Ha! Yeah like I'm just gonna let that happen," Dawn laughed, "As a matter of fact we're putting on the final touches for the contest now."

"You are?" Kenny asked.

"Do the words Pokémon Ping-Pong mean anything to you?" Ash asked. Ambipom then began swinging her two tails like they were Ping-Pong paddles.

"Wow, that's cool!" Kenny exclaimed, "So is Ambipom gonna be in the first or second round?"

Dawn smiled and turned towards Ambipom, "I'm putting Ambipom in for both rounds." Ambipom turned towards her trainer and smiled as well.

"Both rounds? Um, Dee Dee…" Kenny was cut off by Dawn.

"Ah ah ah, I told you, you can't call me that." Dawn waggled her finger at the male coordinator, she would've exploded at him but she was still too happy about the Everstone.

"Right, sorry…Dawn the last time you planned to use Ambipom all the way through, you didn't make it past round one." Kenny pointed out.

"That was then, this is now! Zoey helped me figure out what was wrong with my 'Rainbow Swift' and now I know exactly how to make sure that Ambipom is still the star of the show!" Dawn replied. Ambipom did her friendship symbol and started doing jump rope with it to affirm that statement.

"Well as long as you're confident, I'll take your word for it." Kenny said, "Hey, I just noticed something."

"Oh, what's that?" Dawn asked.

"Where's Misty?" Kenny replied.

The group looked around and noticed Kenny was right, their redheaded Gym Leader friend was nowhere to be found. Misty was in fact cooped up in their Pokémon Center hotel room, plotting her master plan on how to get Dawn and Kenny together. "Ok, so the odd factor here is Barry, so if I manage to get Barry away from Dawn and Kenny things should fall into place! Except how do I do that? Maybe I can recruit Ash and have him battle Barry all day, but then Barry would get bored if Ash beats him too many times…I can bribe Ash with a kiss and have him throw the match…his pride wouldn't let him…rrraaahhh!" Misty got up and threw her clothes from her backpack up into the air in frustration, resulting in clothes falling down all around her, including one blue bra that fell on her head and just hanged there, "Where's May when you need her? She's good at this stuff."

"Mist, you ok?" Ash asked, peeking in the doorway.

The minute she heard Ash's voice, the redhead yelped in shock and rushed to pick up her undergarments from the floor and her head and put them back in her backpack so Ash couldn't see them, "Don't you know how to knock Ash Ketchum?" she shrieked angrily as she continued to pick up her clothes.

"Sorry Misty, didn't mean to scare ya." Ash chuckled, walking into the room, "You ok?"

"Yes Ash I'm fine, now could you please go? I have work to do here." Misty sat back down in her chair and started thinking again, but she was soon distracted when a strong pair of arms gently wrapped around her shoulders and a head rested on one of them, "Ash…"

Chuckling, Ash planted a kiss on Misty's cheek which quickly made his face heat up, "Whatcha working on?" he asked softly.

Misty giggled at Ash's outward display of affection and blushed slightly, "You wouldn't be interested." she replied through tittering.

"Try me." Ash kissed her again, he was really enjoying making her happy, not to mention himself.

Misty giggled again, Ash was in a romantic mood for whatever reason, not that she would really question it, "You promise not to laugh?"

"Only if it's not funny." Ash laughed.

Misty shoved Ash's head off of her shoulder and laughed, making him laugh too, "I'm trying to figure out a way to get Dawn and Kenny together, but Barry's in the way…by the way if you tell anyone anything about this, I will severely injure you." Misty warned, her expression suddenly dead serious.

"Don't worry Mist, my lips are sealed." Ash replied, putting up his hands defensively, "Um, just for the record though, isn't this more along the lines of something MAY would do?"

Misty face-palmed and sighed, "Yes Ash, this is something May would probably be better at, but do you see what I see? I see a distinct lack of bandanas around here, so someone's gotta step up and take over that role."

"So what exactly is the problem?" Ash asked.

"Since I don't wanna lose you, I'll put it as simply as I can. Dawn likes Kenny, Kenny likes Dawn, Dawn is confused because she thinks Barry is cute and she has to choose between both of them. Dawn doesn't realize Barry doesn't like her that way, Kenny doesn't realize just how deep his feelings for Dawn run. Now the big problem, how to get the two coordinators together and keep Barry out of the equation." Misty watched Ash's expression carefully, and the two just stared at each other for a few moments, "When did I lose you?" she sighed.

"You lost me at 'Dawn thinks Barry is cute', run that by me again please." Ash said.

Misty just groaned and turned around in her chair so that her back was pointed towards Ash, "The point is I need to keep Barry away from Dawn and Kenny so I can try and get them to admit their feelings for each other without Dawn's brain being rattled by Barry being there."

"I still don't get the issue with Barry." Ash scratched his head in confusion.

Misty turned back around, "Well I won't blame you for that one, I honestly don't get it either, but who am I to argue with her? All I can do is try to lead her in the right direction. Barry isn't right for her, his attitude doesn't match her personality, but Kenny is much sweeter and more sincere, not to mention he actually CARES."

"But doesn't Kenny harass her with that nickname?" Ash asked.

"You wanna know what I think? The first time I heard him say that name he said to annoy her, but if you examine the way he's acted lately, he hasn't said that way. He's said it like…like the way you call me 'Mist'." Misty replied.

"Well I wouldn't notice, I don't see stuff like that." Ash chuckled, putting his hand behind his head.

"I know, I know, you don't have a romantic bone in your body." Misty waved her hand dismissively and turned her back towards Ash again.

"Oh come on," Ash moved up again and this time reached around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder again, "You don't mean that do you?" he asked, nuzzling his nose into Misty's neck.

"Are you enjoying wiping your nose with my neck?" Misty tried to act annoyed, but she just couldn't resist the urge to giggle as Ash's nose tickled her neck, "Say, I know you didn't come in here just to act all lovey-dovey, what did you want?"

"Oh yeah, the guys were wondering where you were, they sent me to go find you." Ash replied.

"(Sigh) I suppose I can take a break from my matchmaking service and have something to eat." Misty got back up and took Ash's arm, "And in case I wasn't clear the first time, you tell anyone or even let on about anything I told you, I swear you won't live long enough to make it to Snowpoint City."

Ash gulped nervously and just nodded, and together the two walked back into the Pokémon Center lobby, where they found Dawn, Kenny, and Barry sitting down on benches. Brock was busy pounding something into paste in a bowl with Happiny. "Hey guys!" Ash said.

"Hey Ash, looks like you finally convinced Misty to come out of hiding huh?" Brock laughed.

"I wasn't HIDING smart guy, I just had some work to do is all." Misty replied.

"What work could you have to do out here in Sinnoh?" Brock asked.

Misty gulped silently, but she quickly came up with an excuse, "Just because I'm on the road doesn't mean I completely abandoned my Gym Leader title, I was talking to Daisy on the videophone and giving her a few tips here and there about how to take on opponents efficiently, I can't let the gym just fail because I'm not there to put Daisy through battling boot camp."

"Makes sense to me." Dawn said.

"Well come on, sit down, take a break." Brock said, gesturing towards the bench. The couple nodded and sat down.

"So Dawn, you ready for the contest?" Misty asked.

"Well since I'm up for my fifth ribbon, I'm being extra careful, obviously contest experience and presentation are super important, so it's Ambipom and me." Dawn explained. Ambipom did her friendship symbol and chattered happily.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Misty replied.

"I gotta tell ya Dawn, I love how confident you look about this, there's a sparkle in your eye that wasn't there the last time we competed." Kenny said.

"Well I've been through a lot since the last time we saw each other, between dealing with my confidence issues and learning how to tame Mamoswine, it's given me a while to grow a lot as a trainer, a coordinator, and overall as a person." Dawn replied, "Meeting up with Ash, Brock, and Misty has taught me more in such a short period of time than I ever would've traveling on my own."

"Not to mention if you hadn't met me, you wouldn't even HAVE Ambipom to begin with." Ash commented.

"How can I forget?" Dawn rubbed Ambipom's head with affection, "Ambipom's the sweet and precious friend I traded Buizel to Ash for a while back. So tomorrow I'm dedicating my win tomorrow for Ash as well!"

Brock turned around from his medicine making, "Great to have no pressure, right Ambipom?" he chuckled.

"Hate to remind you Dawn, but dedication or not, I plan on winning that contest, and for me to win, you have to lose." Kenny added.

"Oh of course, I could also dedicate tomorrow's contest to our rivalry, your progress has always kept me on my toes, and it's forced me to keep on going in order to improve my coordinator skills in order to make sure I always stay one step ahead of you." Dawn stuck her tongue out playfully at the male coordinator, who just laughed in response.

"Don't listen to her Kenny; I'm sure you'll do your best too." Barry commented.

"Well duh, I can't be chasing Dawn around forever." Kenny replied.

"Although I bet you wouldn't mind that TOO much, am I right Kenny?" Misty said with a smirk.

Kenny tried his best not to let Misty's words get to him, but he couldn't help but blush the slightest bit, "I-I don't know what you mean by that!" he said, suddenly leaping to his feet, "What I DO know is that this win belongs to Prinplup and me!"

"Looks like it's a battle between the youngest members of the Twinleaf Trio! This is gonna be exciting for sure!" Barry exclaimed, "And then we follow it up with a victory at the Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament!"

"Well I dunno about you, but all this talk about battling has gotten me in the mood for some training!" Ash exclaimed, "Hey Barry, how about you and I spar for a little while?"

"Ash, what about me? I thought I was your sparring partner." Misty pouted.

"That's ok Mist, my Pokémon need to get used to other different types of Pokémon attacking them besides water-types. Besides, I'm sure you'd rather do something ELSE." Ash winked at his girlfriend, which made Misty smile as she realized what he was getting at.

"Oh yeah…that's true Ash, I'm glad to see you've decided to display common courtesy and give me a break." Misty replied, also winking discreetly.

"So whaddya say Barry? You in the mood for a battle or two?" Ash asked.

"I'll take your little challenge Ash, there's no way I'm gonna let you get away with blanking me in Hearthome City, vengeance will be mine! Let's go Empoleon!" Barry rushed outside with Ash, leaving Misty, Brock, Dawn, and Kenny to remain inside the Center.

"Well if Ash and Barry are gonna train, then I'm gonna go out and do the same thing!" Kenny also got up and headed to the battlefield.

"Wait for me Kenny, you're gonna need a sparring partner too!" Dawn hurried to follow her friend out, which just left Misty and Brock.

"You planned that whole thing didn't you?" Brock said knowingly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Misty giggled innocently.

Meanwhile, the four teens outside were taking their spots on the battlefield. "Let's make this quick Barry, we don't wanna take too much time away from Dawn and Kenny's training!" Ash exclaimed.

"Fine with me Ash, let's make it one-on-one!" Barry replied.

"Ok then! Staraptor, I choose you!" Ash threw out a Pokéball, and his newly evolved Pokémon emerged from it with a shrill cry, "Ready to go Staraptor?" Ash asked. Staraptor cried out in determination.

"Whoa! That Staraptor looks awesome Ash!" Barry exclaimed.

"Thanks! It evolved from Staravia during the Squallville Pokéringer competition, and it just so happens Paul was there too, and I beat him!" Ash replied.

"What? You actually beat Paul? That's impossible!" Barry shouted in shock.

"Oh yeah? Why don't I show you the move that gave Staraptor and I the victory!" Ash yelled back.

"I dare you Ash! Ok, I'll bring the fight of flight to you! Staraptor, show 'em what for!" Barry pitched out a Pokéball, and his own Staraptor emerged to face off against Ash's.

"Let's see what you're made of Barry! Alright Staraptor, take off and use 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash ordered. Ash's Staraptor acknowledged and took off into the sky, and immediately did a midair flip and charged for Barry's Staraptor.

"Oh no you don't! Staraptor, dodge that and then use 'Tackle'!" Barry countered. Barry's Staraptor opened its wings to take off, but Ash's Staraptor had moved so fast that it never got the chance to get going before it was tackled onto the ground, "Oh no, Staraptor!" Barry shouted.

"Nice job Staraptor!" Ash exclaimed. Ash's Staraptor swooped back into the air after her successful attack and awaited further orders, "Check that out Barry, Staraptor's got some serious speed on her doesn't she?" Ash gloated, he was obviously loving being able to tell Barry he was wrong.

"I'll admit your Staraptor's fast, but I'm willing to bet my Staraptor's faster! Staraptor, get in the air and get in close with 'Close Combat'!" Barry ordered. Barry's Staraptor shook off its pain and took off to get in close and attack with its talons.

"Now Staraptor! Time to show off that 'Close Combat' you learned!" Ash countered. Ash's Staraptor charged forward as well, and the two Staraptor battled each other with multiple midair flips and loops as they each looked for an opening in the other's defense. Finally Barry's Staraptor managed to find an opening and nailed Ash's Staraptor with a hard kick to her head. "Aah! Staraptor, no!" Ash cried.

"Yeah! Keep it up Staraptor! More 'Close Combat'!" Barry yelled. Barry's Staraptor continued to hit Ash's Staraptor with its talons, further weakening the newly evolved Pokémon.

"Come on Staraptor, hang in there! Use 'Aerial Ace' and get away from there!" Ash yelled. Ash's Staraptor suddenly gained a second wind, and used 'Aerial Ace' to not only break free of Barry's Staraptor's assault, but also managed to fight back with a hard hit. "Yeah, that's the way!"

"But how?" Barry asked in shock.

"Guess you still haven't learned what a little faith can do!" Ash replied, "Finish the job Staraptor! One more 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash's Staraptor did a loop-de-loop and charged forward again.

"No way Ash! This battle just got started! No way am I letting you win already! Staraptor, go head on and counter with 'Wing Attack'!" Barry's Staraptor regained its composure, and its wings started glowing a bright white as it moved in for the attack.

"_Barry's Staraptor may be stronger than mine, but mine is way faster!" _Ash thought to himself, "Staraptor quick, use 'Quick Attack' to get around, and then follow through with 'Aerial Ace'!" Ash's Staraptor acknowledged and used 'Quick Attack' to blow past Barry's Staraptor and then turned right around with and nailed it with an 'Aerial Ace'.

"No! Not again!" Barry shouted. Barry's Staraptor fell out of the sky and squawked weakly, signaling its defeat. "Again? What's it gonna take for me to win?" Barry returned his Staraptor to its Pokéball for a rest, while Ash congratulated his for a job well done.

Ash returned his Staraptor to her Pokéball, and noticed that Dawn was currently talking to Kenny about contest techniques. _"Guess Misty was right, she really must like Kenny better, she barely even noticed Barry battling me."_

"You just got lucky this time! I don't care if you beat Paul or not, I'll never admit you're better than me!" Barry stomped his feet childishly.

"Oh don't be such a sore loser Barry, you need to learn how to take a loss and learn from it instead of pouting and whining about it." Dawn said, walking over to them with Kenny.

"I'm NOT a sore loser! I just hate the fact that I lost!" Barry growled.

"Sounds like being a sore loser to me." Kenny laughed.

"Oh what do you two know anyway? I'm the eldest member of the Twinleaf Trio! You two should respect me as such." Barry crossed his arms and stood tall with a proud smirk on his face.

"Maybe when you start acting like a responsible adult, people will start treating you like one." a voice said.

"There's a voice I just love hearing." Ash replied.

Misty came walking over with Azurill in her arms. Brock was next to her holding Happiny. "Let me guess, you beat him again?" Misty asked knowingly.

"Is it that obvious?" Ash asked with a laugh. A Pokéball light flashed and seconds later Riolu popped out and started playing with Happiny and Azurill who had hopped out of their respective trainers' arms.

"Why else would Barry be jumping up and down like a four year old throwing a temper tantrum?" Misty laughed.

"I am not!" Barry yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Don't worry about it Barry, just move on, we'll battle again later." Ash said.

"Fine, whatever, right now I have Pokémon Ping-Pong training to do. At least with that I KNOW I have an obvious advantage." Barry went over with Empoleon and started swinging his Ping-Pong paddle around.

"It's just as well, now you and Kenny can get some contest training in Dawn." Misty said.

"Well it's about time! Come on Kenny, let's get to work!" Dawn called out all of her Pokémon including Mamoswine, who thanks to their recent adventure, no longer needed to be watched over like a hawk.

Ash walked off the battlefield and over to Misty who gladly greeted him with a kiss on his cheek. "What was that for Mist?" he asked.

"For being such a good helper." she replied happily.

"I thought you said you had nothing to do with it?" Brock raised an eyebrow at the water-trainer, who merely shrugged and placed Ash's arm around her shoulders.

"Alright Kenny, here we come! Ambipom, 'Double Hit', let's go!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom leaped into the air as her tails glowed purple, but then she looked up and noticed something hurtling towards her opponent. "I think that's 'Ice Shard'!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Prinplup, get out of the way quick!" Kenny yelled. Prinplup unfortunately didn't have enough time to react; luckily Ambipom was there and managed to shatter the 'Ice Shard' into a million pieces with her 'Double Hit' attack. "Wow, thanks Ambipom." Kenny said.

Dawn put her hands on her hips and frowned, she only knew one Pokémon that was capable of using 'Ice Shard'. "Hey, Mamoswine, was that you?" she asked disapprovingly. Mamoswine blinked nervously and finally decided to just play dumb and pretend to be asleep. Dawn smirked at this and crossed her arms, her eyes closed, "Aha! You know what I think?" she said as she opened one of her eyes and stared at the Twin Tusk Pokémon, "You wanna compete too Mamoswine, don't you?" Dawn put her hands on her hips and leaned towards Mamoswine, who was determined to play dumb. "Aww, guess I was wrong." Dawn said sarcastically, turning her back towards the giant Pokémon, "Ok, so let's get back to practicing Ambipom."

While Dawn had her back turned towards him, Mamoswine opened one eye to check and see if the coast was clear. Feeling it was, Mamoswine discreetly launched another 'Ice Shard'. "Uh Dawn…" Kenny mumbled.

Dawn shushed Kenny with a wave of her hand, and she merely tilted her head slightly to the left and easily dodged the slow moving ice-type attack, then she turned back towards Mamoswine, "Busted! You KNOW you want to be in the contest with us!" Dawn said. Mamoswine once again blinked nervously and pretended to sleep some more, but it was obvious to everyone other than Mamoswine that he wasn't fooling anyone, including Piplup who was now chirping furiously. Dawn squatted down in front of Piplup, "Now now, Mamoswine is acting like this on purpose, don't you get it?" Dawn turned her head back towards Mamoswine, "I'm sure you'll enter a contest with me someday Mamoswine. Isn't that right?"

Mamoswine refused to admit he cared, and just continued to feign sleep, "Mamoswine, what're we gonna do with you?" Ash sighed.

"I think Mamoswine just wants attention Ash, you gotta remember how Ambipom used to act back when she was your Aipom, don't you?" Brock asked.

"Yeah," Ash said, as he had a flashback in his mind, "Do I ever. I was chasing Aipom all the time because she kept snatching my hat."

"Just like Primeape, eh Ash?" Misty laughed.

"Yeah, it too I guess." Ash walked over to Ambipom, "I know you'll be great, we're rooting for ya!" Ash said. Ambipom smiled at her former trainer and did her friendship symbol at him.

"Well we've goofed around long enough; it's time for some serious contest training!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Sounds like a good idea to me!" Kenny replied.

And so the two coordinators spent the majority of the day training for their upcoming contest, while everyone else did their own thing, although there was a significant amount of Pokémon Ping-Pong training done by Ash and Barry. Once the sun began to set, Dawn and Kenny were finishing up their final battle.

"Alright Ambipom, this is it! Finish it with 'Focus Punch'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom charged forward once more with her two tails ready to punch her opponent.

"Take Ambipom's attack head-on, and counter it with your 'Metal Claw'! This is for the win!" Kenny yelled. Prinplup acknowledged and charged towards the advancing Ambipom, and with a loud crash, the two attacks collided, and the Pokémon were forced to back away due to the stalemate in power.

"Alright you guys, I think that's more than enough training for today. Remember your Pokémon still need energy for tomorrow, that's when it'll really count after all." Brock said.

"Yeah I guess you're right." Dawn sighed.

"Well I'll tell you what, that was a lot of fun." Kenny replied.

"It was fun, wasn't it? And not only that, I feel more than ready to win tomorrow!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah sure, but like I keep saying, I'M gonna win that contest." Kenny replied.

"Oh yeah?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, Dee Dee." Kenny replied.

"Don't call me that!" Dawn hissed.

"Why? I LOOOOOVE calling you that." Kenny teased.

But instead of retaliating, Dawn found herself blushing, Misty's idea that Kenny used 'Dee Dee' as a petname came back to her and was amplified by Kenny's last statement.

"Uh…Dawn?" Kenny said, confused as to why Dawn had suddenly changed her attitude.

Dawn blinked a few times before she was able to reply, "Um, yeah, well…don't call me Dee Dee ok?" Dawn screamed in Kenny's face, grabbed Piplup and took off for the Pokémon Center, leaving Kenny more than a bit confused.

"What got into her?" Kenny asked himself.

"Who knows?" Brock replied.

Dawn kept running until she wound up bumping into yet another person, this time a girl, "Sorry Misty!"

"Hey, where's the fire?" Misty asked her.

"Come over here." Dawn grabbed Misty's wrist with her free hand and dragged over to a corner, "I just got a little nervous, that's all."

"Why?" Misty asked simply.

"Because Kenny told me that he loves to call me 'Dee Dee', I know he didn't mean anything by that, we were just messing around. But what you had said about 'Dee Dee' being a petname got to me." Dawn replied.

"I see…hey Dawn, you hungry?" Misty asked.

"Huh? Hungry? Yeah I guess I am, why?" Dawn replied.

"Why don't you and I get something to eat? Get your mind off of things." Misty said.

"Yeah, that sounds really good!" Dawn replied.

"Great! Ok, get cleaned up and I'll meet you in the cafeteria." Misty said.

Dawn nodded and went off to their room to get cleaned up, and Misty hurried to find her boyfriend. She finally found Ash talking to Barry, probably about Pokémon Ping-Pong again, "Hey Ash!"

"Mist, how are ya?" Ash asked.

"I'm fine; um…can I talk to you, alone?" Misty said quietly.

"Well well, are you gonna let your girlfriend boss you around?" Barry asked.

"She doesn't have to boss me, I LIKE talking to her, it's part of being in love." Ash smirked at Barry and walked over to where Misty had led him, "So what's up Mist? You want a hug and kiss?"

"Boy, what's gotten into you today? All of a sudden you seem more like Brock than you seem like you." Misty smirked.

"Hmm, maybe I should stop taking his advice." Ash replied.

Misty playfully slapped Ash's shoulder and giggled, "Ok, I'm taking Dawn to dinner, and I need your help."

"Name it." Ash said.

"Hey, what are you two whispering about?" Barry came up and got in between the couple.

"Do you mind?" Misty screamed furiously.

"Yeah I do mind, I don't like being left out!" Barry shouted just as loudly.

"Barry, if you don't wanna be left out, then find your own girlfriend." Ash said.

Misty's eyes widened in horror, "Or! Or you could just back off and go practice Pokémon Ping-Pong some more!"

"No, I like that idea Ash! I'll find my own girlfriend, one who's prettier than yours, and hopefully nicer too." Barry said.

"Fine you do that, and leave me alone with my, beautiful, sweet, perfect girlfriend." Ash smiled at Misty, but the smile quickly turned into a frown when he saw she wasn't smiling back.

"And I think the best place to start is within my own Twinleaf Trio! I'm off to find Dawn!" Barry rushed off, and that's when Ash realized he had severely screwed up.

"Oh no…" Ash face-palmed, but was quickly taken out of that when Misty grabbed his collar and started violently shaking him.

"You thick-headed, brainless, monumentally idiotic bonehead! Do you realize what you've just done? I don't know why I ever trusted you with my plan, now Barry's on his way to try and convince Dawn to be HIS girlfriend!"

"I didn't mean to Mist!" Ash replied in fear.

"You NEVER mean to! Everything you do is either by chance or by accident! It was by chance you decided to enter Pokémon Ping-Pong, it was chance that got you to remember me enough to go back to Kanto and get me, come to think of it, it was chance that you even MET me! I don't know why I even put up with you!" Misty screamed furiously.

"Sounds like you're sorry you ever met me!" Ash replied, his anger level reaching her own.

"Maybe I am!" Misty screamed, "I'm tired of your total incompetence ruining everything I try to do, and this one was your biggest blunder ever! Thanks to you, Dawn's happiness is ruined! I was gonna tell you to keep Barry AWAY from Dawn, and here you've done the EXACT OPPOSITE!"

"Well if that's what you REALLY think of me, then why don't you just go back to Cerulean where I can't 'ruin everything you do'?" Ash growled.

"Maybe I will!" Misty replied, "But not before I fix your mess, I refuse to let Dawn suffer because you don't know how to keep your mouth shut."

"Fine, I'd say goodbye but you want me to keep my mouth shut, so whatever." Ash grunted and stomped away from the redhead, furious that she'd dare imply that he was so stupid that everything he did was an accident.

Misty on the other hand, huffed and ran to find Dawn, she had to beat Barry to her or everything she'd been working towards would be all for nothing, it wasn't like she had anything else to look forward to now, she'd all but officially broken up with Ash at this point, so her only goal in the Sinnoh Region was to make sure Dawn's love story had a happy ending…unlike her own, _"It's your own fault Ash, if you weren't so immature we wouldn't be in this mess…well…now I have to clean it up, as usual."_ Misty was obviously furious, and her heart shattered to pieces, but NOTHING was going to stop her from completing her mission.

Dawn came walking down the stairs, and once she reached the bottom she was run over by someone, "Misty, what's the matter?" Dawn asked as she got up and dusted herself off.

"I gotta tell you something I found out!" Misty replied, out of breath.

"What is it?" Dawn asked with concern, Misty was obviously distraught about something.

"Uh…" Misty stammered, _"Gotta think fast!"_ she did just that. "I overheard Ash and Barry talking, they made a bet that Barry could never get a girlfriend, and he's planning on trying to get to you just so he can win their bet!"

"He's gonna what?" Dawn exclaimed, "W-What am I gonna do?"

"Spurn him, don't give him an inch, if the only reason he wants to get close to you is to prove Ash wrong, he doesn't deserve you!" Misty replied, _"This might work out better than I ever imagined!"_

Suddenly Dawn spotted Barry walking up to the two, "Here he comes!"

"Oh man, I gotta go, don't let on that I told you anything, but remember, don't give in!" Misty rushed up the stairs, and by this time Barry had made it to Dawn.

"Hey there Dawn." Barry said coolly.

"Hello Barry." Dawn replied, her attitude cold.

"You know, I've always thought you were quite a looker, maybe the two of us could get together later and discuss it over dinner?" Barry said, leaning against the wall.

Dawn smiled, but this smile was a rather arrogant one, "Sorry Barry, but I've already got plans, maybe some other lifetime." Dawn shoved Barry out of the way and walked past him, giving the blonde-haired boy a shock.

"This isn't over yet, there's no way I'll let Ash win this!" Barry exclaimed to himself.

Brock was busy reading the latest breeding magazine, when suddenly the door to the room opened and slammed, "What the? Misty?" he said in shock.

Misty leaned against the door panting with exhaustion, "Ha! That oughta keep Barry from getting anywhere near Dawn!" she said proudly.

"What have you done now Misty?" Brock asked suspiciously.

"Oh nothing, all I've done is make sure that Dawn will clearly be able to realize who's best for her." Misty replied.

"Not that this is any of my business, but why is Dawn's love life any of YOUR business?" Brock asked.

"Because Brock, as a romantic, it's my duty to make sure that the perfect matches are made each and every time, just like Dawn and Kenny." Misty explained.

"And you and Ash, right?" Brock teased.

At the mention of the trainer, Misty's temper immediately ran up again, "Don't even talk to me about that ridiculous idiot who almost ruined Dawn's life with his big mouth, if it weren't for me Dawn would probably be getting ready for a date with…uggh, BARRY right about now. Just don't even MENTION Ash, like FOREVER." she hissed.

Brock stared at the water-trainer in shock, he had never seen Misty THIS angry at Ash before, and just like Misty was concerned for Dawn's love life, he couldn't help but wonder if Misty and/or Ash had said or done something they would BOTH regret for the rest of their lives, "Misty, you haven't done anything stupid right?"

"You're calling ME stupid? Ash is the one who's stupid! Telling Barry to find his own girlfriend, that's exactly what we've been trying to AVOID!" Misty replied.

"Misty, did you break up with Ash?" Brock pressed.

After a few moments to gather her courage, she replied, "Yes Brock, I did, it's over between us." Misty suddenly felt herself wanting to cry, but she wasn't going to let her emotions show anymore, so she took a deep breath and continued, "As soon as I see Dawn and Kenny together officially, I'm heading back to Cerulean and retaking my position as Gym Leader, where I won't ever have to see, hear, or think about Ash Ketchum ever again." Misty walked off to the balcony and closed the door behind her. Convinced that the one-way window would keep Brock from seeing her, Misty gave in to her tears and broke down sobbing.

Brock stared at his own reflection in the one-way window/mirror for a few moments before leaning back in his chair and running his hand through his spiky hair. "I gotta do something." Brock got up and decided to recruit some help, there was only one person who had been talking to Misty on a frequent basis the past few weeks besides Ash himself: Dawn.

On his way to the lobby, Brock saw Ash walking down the hallway, his mannerism pretty much the same as Misty's now. "Hey Ash." he said.

"Hey Brock." Ash mumbled, still walking.

Brock turned around as Ash walked by him, "Ash, I wanna talk to you."

"Not in the mood." he replied.

"Listen Ash, I know about what happened between you and Misty…" Brock saw Ash's fists tighten up, "I love you like a brother man, and I can tell you're hurting, and I can tell you from personal observation that Misty's hurting just as much as you are…meet me outside in like five minutes, I KNOW you wanna find a way to fix this, I'm willing to bet you love her too much to just give up." Brock continued his search for his coordinator friend, confident that Ash would come through.

Brock now ran into someone else, but it wasn't Dawn, "What's up Kenny?"

"Hey Brock…actually I'm glad I ran into you, something weird is going on around here." Kenny replied.

"Yeah tell me about it." Brock sighed.

"Wait, you know?" Kenny asked.

"I'm sure we're talking about two different things…hey have you seen Dawn?" Brock said.

"No, I was actually looking for her." Kenny replied.

"Well if you see her, tell her I'm looking for her…and if you see Barry, keep him occupied, challenge him to a battle, I can't have Dawn preoccupied with something else, not when Ash and Misty's relationship hangs in the balance." Brock said.

"Hangs in the balance? What is going on around here?" Kenny exclaimed exasperatedly.

"No time to explain Kenny, let's just say they had an intense argument and I need Dawn's help to sort things out." Brock continued on, leaving a very confused Kenny in his wake.

"Geez, how long is this hallway anyway? Maybe I took a wrong turn somewhere." Brock turned the corner and bumped into someone, someone a lot shorter than him, "Dawn, finally!"

"Yes, you found me!" Dawn exclaimed, going along, "Were you looking for me?" she asked.

"I need you to go talk to Misty, she and Ash…broke up just now." Brock replied.

Dawn gasped, "They did what? But why? That's impossible!" she exclaimed.

"Misty's mad at Ash for accidently provoking Barry to try and uh…get together with you." Brock explained.

"She's what?" Now Dawn was getting upset, "That does it, I'm settling this once and for all, she's ruining HER life for ME? That's where I draw the line. Where is she Brock?"

"She's in the room, on the balcony, just watch out, you should know by now that when Misty's upset, it's VERY hard to reason with her." Brock replied.

"Well SHE should know by now that I'm just as stubborn, especially when it comes to my friends!" Dawn ran off to find their room, and eventually made it without any run-ins, and just as Brock said, Dawn found Misty on the balcony, "Misty, we need to talk!"

Misty jumped in shock and feverishly tried to rub the tears away from her eyes, "H-Hi Dawn! You ready to get something to eat?"

"Don't even try it! You broke up with Ash over ME? How could you be so stupid?" Dawn exclaimed.

Misty clenched her fists, "I see Brock doesn't waste any time. Looks like Ash isn't the ONLY one with a big mouth."

"He didn't tell me to make you mad…" Dawn was cutoff.

"I know why he told you, so you could convince me to change my mind. Well you both can forget it! Ash Ketchum is an insensitive, BIGMOUTHED jerk!" Misty replied.

Dawn growled, "Insensitive huh? Is that way he gave you this?" Dawn reached for Misty's waist and grabbed a Pokéball, and immediately Vaporeon emerged from it and looked at Misty with concern, "A testament of his love for you! Now you tell me how insensitive he is, giving you a Pokémon you've wanted for years!"

Misty stared at Vaporeon, who merely stared back with a longing look in her eyes, "W-Well…" Misty crossed her arms and closed her eyes, "It doesn't change the fact that he almost ruined everything!"

"What about those Luvdisc when we went Phione watching! Remember what that lady said?" Dawn asked.

"The Luvdisc…" Misty mumbled, "W-Well she said it was just a legend! Doesn't prove a thing! Face it Dawn, as soon as I get you and Kenny together I'm going back to Cerulean!"

"Oh for crying out…" Dawn suddenly came up with an idea, "Well in that case Misty, I guess I'm gonna be single for a LOOOOOONG time!" she exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Misty asked suspiciously.

"Well if the only way to keep one of my best friends is to stay single, I will. How can you expect me to be happy with ANYONE if I know the minute I'm attached, I'll lose YOU?" Dawn replied.

"You can't do that!" Misty shouted.

"Can and will!" Dawn sat down next to Misty, "I appreciate you trying to help me Misty, but the truth is, it's gonna have to be MY decision in the end, and you're one of my best friends, when I met you for the first time I saw how much you care for Ash, and how much he cares for you. And after a while, I started to love you too, you're like the big sister I never had! And Brock and Ash, they're my brothers! You guys are practically my family, and I couldn't stand to lose any of you because they had a fight."

"Oh Dawn…" Misty hugged her coordinator friend, "You mean that?"

"Of course I mean it!" Dawn replied, "So come on Misty, you KNOW you don't wanna do this, you love him, and you KNOW he loves you. At least think about it?"

"(Sigh), alright Dawn, I'll think about it…for YOUR sake." Misty said.

"That's good enough for me!" Dawn got back up, "Now come on, let's eat!"

Misty and Dawn walked out of the room and headed down to the cafeteria. Meanwhile, Ash was waiting outside for his meeting with Brock.

"Glad to see you listened to me big guy." Brock said, as he walked out of the Pokémon Center.

"You know me too well Brocko." Ash chuckled dryly, "I can't just let her go like this, I've gotta find a way to make things right."

"The only way to fix things is to talk to her, calmly and with love, speak from your heart, and I'm sure she'll listen." Brock said.

"Sounds good to me Brock, anything to get my Misty back. Do you know where she is?" Ash asked.

"My guess would be she's still with Dawn, check the cafeteria." Brock replied.

"Ok…um…Brock, can you come with me?" Ash asked.

Brock smiled and placed his hand on Ash's shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze, "Sure thing big guy." the two men walked back into the Pokémon Center, and were immediately confronted by Kenny.

"Uh guys, why is Barry asking me questions like what's Dawn's favorite flower?" Kenny asked, positive that they knew something about it.

"I'll explain everything in a minute, right now; I have to take care of something." Ash replied.

Ash and Brock walked by Kenny, who was absolutely baffled at what was going on, "Relationships in trouble, Barry trying to get Dawn's attention, Dawn freaking out when I say something, what is this world coming to?"

Ash and Brock found Misty and Dawn inside the cafeteria having sandwiches, "Alright Ash, this is it." Brock said.

Ash nodded and made his way to the table.

"I told you Misty, here he comes now." Dawn whispered.

Misty gulped down her mouthful of food and refused to make eye contact with him, _"Now what do I do?"_

"Misty, please don't send me away, I wanna talk to you." Ash said, his voice showing his desperation.

Misty looked at Dawn, who merely nodded slowly at her. Sighing, Misty went to the corner of the cafeteria, still refusing to look at Ash, who followed her there, _"Ok, this is it."_

Misty turned around with her arms crossed, "Make it fast."

"Yeah…so…how are you?" Ash asked nervously.

Misty shook her head and began to walk away, her stubbornness was still at large and she didn't want to give in.

"Misty wait!" Ash exclaimed. Ash sighed with relief when Misty stopped, _"It's now or never…time to do what Brock said, speak from my heart."_

Misty turned around again, "What Ash?" she asked.

"Re…re-remember when Darkrai invaded your dream and turned it into a nightmare?" he said.

Misty tensed, but at the same time her expression softened, as her mind raced at the remembrance of that event, "Yeah, I do…" she said hesitantly.

"W-Well, I had to go into your fears to find your soul, and I saw a lot of pictures of um…me and Angie, me and Anabel, May, Dawn, I even saw Melody a couple of times…" Ash explained.

"And?" Misty asked.

Ash slowly made his way closer to Misty, seeing that her body wasn't tightening, he felt a little more comfortable getting nearer, "Well…I saw your biggest fear…"

Misty tensed all of a sudden, obviously she knew what her own biggest fear was, "You saw THAT?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Ash cautiously reached for Misty's hands, and his heart suddenly soared when she didn't pull them back as he held them in his own, "You probably didn't hear me say it but…I promised that your worst fear would NEVER come true, and I still intend to make good on that promise, I don't know if you still feel the same or not…" Ash's heart fell a little at his own words, "But I still love you, and I always will…" Ash decided to go for broke, and brought Misty in for a hug, silently praying that Misty would accept his apology and come back to him.

Misty wasn't sure what to do, she was in a daze now. He had confessed his love to her…AGAIN, how could she be so cruel as to reject him now? It wasn't even that, she didn't WANT to reject him, she wanted with all her heart and soul to accept him back into her life as the one thing she had always wished him to be, HER boyfriend, and perhaps later in life…her partner, husband, father of her children…_ "Ok Misty, your imagination's running wild here…why are you being such a jerk? You know he loves you, and you still love him…come on Misty, give up this stubborn streak, he's still the sweetest boy in the world, and he's all yours." _Misty wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and rested her head on his shoulder, and as she felt Ash's strong arms gently tightening their grip around her, she couldn't help but let some sorrowful tears escape her eyes. "I'm so sorry Ash." she whimpered.

Ash smiled and closed his eyes, it appeared that Brock was right, he spoke from the heart and now here he was, holding Misty in his arms like he loved to do so much. He felt the water dripping onto his shoulder, and imagining the pain Misty was feeling made his heart heavy, "I'm sorry too Mist." he sighed, tears starting to drip from his eyes as well.

Dawn and Brock watched as the newly reformed couple held each other tightly, "So, mission accomplished?" Dawn asked.

"Looks like it." Brock replied.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on here?" Kenny exclaimed, walking over to the cafeteria.

"Let's just say, everything's alright now." Dawn replied.

"Glad to hear it, but why is Barry asking me weird questions like what Dawn's favorite color?" Kenny asked.

"Oh, it must be that stupid bet he made with Ash. He said that Barry couldn't get a girlfriend so he's trying to prove him wrong, and the only girl he knows is…me." Dawn replied.

"What? He can't do that!" Kenny shouted.

"Why not? It might be fun to see how far he goes to get my attention." Dawn snickered.

"But-but, I-I mean what if he goes TOO far? I mean, what if he…" Kenny was cutoff.

"You know Kenny, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous." Dawn winked.

"Jealous? Me? Don't make me laugh! I'm just concerned is all; can't a guy be concerned for the wellbeing of his best friend without being accused of being jealous?" Kenny replied.

"Apparently not, seeing as YOU'RE the one making a big deal of all this." Dawn laughed.

Suddenly Barry showed up, "Hey Dawn! I gotta ask you something; do you have a favorite food?"

Dawn smirked, "Why does it matter?"

"Uh because, I was just wondering." Barry replied.

"Sorry, my favorite food is my personal business." Dawn said matter-of-factly, "Now if you both will excuse me, I'm heading to bed, I have a contest to win tomorrow!" Dawn walked off to the stairway, making sure to swing her hips just to try and torment the boys a little, if there was one thing she decided about this whole thing, it was that whoever wanted her was going to have to EARN her.

Later on, Ash and Misty had finally made their way back to the room; both of them were in an absolute bliss now that their relationship had been salvaged. When they found Dawn and Brock, they spoke up, "Hey guys, Misty and I wanna say something." Ash said.

"What's up?" Brock asked.

"We just wanted to thank you, for being such good friends and not letting us do something stupid. Brock, you're the big brother I've always wanted, never giving up on me OR Ash no matter what the circumstances. Dawn, you're my little sister, and I can't thank you enough for talking me out of breaking up with Ash." Misty replied.

"All that stuff Misty just said? Well that goes double for me." Ash added.

The room suddenly took on a light and soft atmosphere, as the friends hugged and laughed and enjoyed the family moment. Finally Dawn walked out onto the balcony, and Misty followed, "So…SIS, who did you finally decide on?" Misty asked.

"Neither one of them." Dawn replied.

"Come again? I told you I'm not breaking up with Ash now, I'm not going ANYWHERE." Misty said.

"I know, I know. But there's something that I realized about an hour ago. Have you ever noticed how guys are called males and girls are called females?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah…" Misty replied, confused as to where she was going with this.

"Well there's a reason for that. If I want a male all I gotta do is go down there and capture their hearts, and it'll be for free. But for THEM to get THIS male, there's gonna be a FEE involved." Dawn replied.

Misty laughed, "I see where you're going with that." she said, "So you're gonna make them earn you huh? I can't believe I didn't think of that."

"Well you were already attached, so you didn't have to." Dawn shrugged.

"Well good luck with it Dawn, I'm gonna try and focus on keeping MY relationship afloat." Misty said.

"GOOD, stop worrying about MY happiness and worry about YOURS, that way you actually STAY happy!" Dawn replied.

Misty smiled and walked back inside, and quickly found Ash and gave him a swift smooch on his lips which he was more than happy to reciprocate, of course in the process they had grossed Brock and the Pokémon out and scared them out of the room and onto the balcony.

"I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you," Misty muttered as she smothered Ash in kisses, "Did I mention I love you?"

Ash laughed as he held her in his arms, "I love you too Mist, you have no idea how much it hurts when we're mad at each other."

"Take my word for it, I KNOW how much it hurts." Misty replied.

"Yeah I suppose you do." Ash smiled and planted a sweet kiss on Misty's forehead before getting up, causing Misty to whine like a little puppy wanting attention, "Hey, I gotta go shower, we can't forget that Dawn has a contest tomorrow, I'll be back."

Misty sighed and fell backwards onto the bed, and awaited her Ash's return. After a while, the whole group finally settled down for bed, with Ash and Misty closer together than they had ever been before.

The next morning, the group was woken up early by a knocking on the door, Brock got up and was greeted by Barry, who rushed in pushing a cart with covered platters on it, "Good morning Barry." Brock said sarcastically.

Barry bumped into Dawn's bunk, causing the coordinator to wake up with a start and shriek in shock, "Barry? What are you doing in here?" she shouted angrily.

"Good morning Dawn! I thought you'd enjoy having breakfast in bed! I got you some waffles!" Barry exclaimed, revealing the food underneath the tray. However Barry wasn't prepared for Dawn's reaction.

"Barry get out of our room and take this junk with you!" she shrieked.

"Junk? I woke up really early to get you this stuff!" Barry shouted back.

"Did I ASK you to do this? I don't have to be up for another hour! GET OUT!" Dawn tossed the tray cover at Barry who ducked it and ran out of the room in fear.

"Ok, definitely NOT one of my better ideas…but I'm not giving up! I WILL prove Ash wrong!" Barry ran off to plot his next move.

"Forgive me for prying Dawn but…I think he might be trying too hard." Misty said, as she stretched and forced herself to get up.

"He's trying to bribe me into liking him, but I know that he isn't sincere so breakfast in bed doesn't prove squat to me," Dawn also forced herself to stand as the excitement had left her incapable of going back to sleep, "But I'm not gonna tell him that, I wanna see how long it takes for him to realize that he can't buy my affections."

"But if he's trying to get you for the sole reason of winning a bet with Ash, it might NEVER be sincere!" Misty replied.

"Don't underestimate me Misty, you said it yourself, I'm a pretty girl who deserves nothing but the best, and whether that best be Kenny or Barry is still up to THEM. I'm looking for sincerity and honesty above all else. If Barry REALLY has any TRUE feelings for me, he'll come around, when he realizes what a catch I am." Dawn walked into the bathroom to get ready for the contest, while Misty just gaped in shock.

"Wow, just two days ago she was panicking because she wasn't sure which boy she liked, now she's turned completely around and she's letting THEM come to HER." Misty said in awe.

"Maybe you and Ash should get into fights more often; it was your talk with her that triggered it." Brock replied half-jokingly.

"I'll pass on that if you don't mind." Misty said indignantly, "The last thing I want is another fight like the one yesterday, that was AWFUL."

"Yeah it was, on all of us." Brock replied.

Dawn poked her head out of the bathroom, "Misty can you help me with my hair?" she asked.

"On my way." Misty joined Dawn in the bathroom, grabbed a hairbrush and began the long task of untangling Dawn's bedhead.

When it came time to leave for the contest, both Kenny and Barry greeted Dawn cordially and allowed her to take the first step out the door, Dawn silently beamed at the attention she was getting from BOTH boys, this was going better than she had ever imagined! Now that THEY were trying to gain HER affections, the ball was officially in HER court, which meant that she would be free to choose whoever for whatever reason she deemed worthy, _"I am going to ENJOY this."_

Finally they reached the contest hall, and Dawn and Kenny walked through the coordinator hallway, which earned several objections from Barry who argued that he wouldn't be able to try and get Dawn to like him if she was off in a restricted area, after a while however, Ash, Misty, and Brock were able to corral the frustrated trainer, who pouted and crossed his arms in anger when he got to the bleachers.

Meanwhile, Dawn and Kenny were able to be alone, _"So, now Barry's gone, let's see if Kenny tries anything." _What Dawn wasn't even aware of though, was that Kenny already WAS trying something, and she was apparently unaware, as Kenny made sure that their arms swung in opposite directions, allowing their hands to bump into each other softly, after a moment or two, Dawn realized what was going on and blushed slightly, _"Subtle, shy, SINCERE, he wouldn't gain anything by touching my hand, so it must be just because HE wants to…well he'll LOVE this."_ Dawn stopped in her tracks, which piqued the interest of the male coordinator next to her.

"What's the matter Dawn?" he asked.

"Nothing Kenny," she said with a smile, "Before we go in there, I just wanna tell you something."

"Sure, what is it?" Kenny asked.

Dawn grabbed Kenny's hand and held it up like she was building determination, "Let's both go in there and be the best we can possibly be, we'll show them what residents of Twinleaf Town can really do!"

There was nothing feminine or flirtatious about the way Dawn grabbed his hand, it was more like the way two male best friends would give each other a handshake, but even that type of contact was enough to make Kenny's heart beat a little faster, _"What's going on with me? Dawn's never made me feel this way before…"_

"Kenny, you ok?" Dawn asked, although she knew what was causing the silence, the blatant contact of their hands was making Kenny's mind shut down.

He was in such a daze; Kenny had forgotten that Dawn was waiting for a response, "Oh! Right, yeah Dawn, I hear ya!" purely on impulse, Kenny strengthened the bond, "We'll both show them exactly what we're made of!"

The two coordinators both let go of the other's hand, and rushed into the lobby to await their turn in the contest. Finally Marian came out, and began the opening announcements.

"Prepare yourselves to be charmed with an unbelievable assortment of Pokémon as we bring you exciting contest interaction between Pokémon and coordinator! So without further ado, it's time to witness the matches of the Sandalstraw Town Pokémon Contest!" Marian announced.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group had been escorted to a special VIP area, they had been informed that Dawn had requested they sit there so that her Pokémon had room to cheer for her, which of course included Mamoswine, who was apparently asleep, but had a pink pom-pom on his head. "Let's cheer 'em on gang!" Ash exclaimed.

The Pokémon all began cheering, especially Ash's Riolu who was currently wearing the blue sweater Dawn had given him. And then Barry said something for the first time since he had been separated from Dawn, he was evidently starting to feel the buzz in the air, "Wow, I've never been to a real contest before, there's a lot of excitement around here!"

"Yeah Barry, people from all around Sinnoh are watching this contest on TV too!" Ash replied.

"These contests get national coverage?" he exclaimed in shock, "Maybe I should think about becoming a coordinator!" The rest of the group sweat-dropped at that.

Back in the lobby, Dawn and Kenny were standing next to each other as they watched Marian speak on the television and show off the ribbon to the camera, "Our victorious contest coordinator will receive the prestigious Sandalstraw Ribbon! And after five wins the coordinator is eligible to compete in the Grand Festival! And now it is my distinct honor to introduce our panel of judges! Our head judge: Mr. Contesta!"

Mr. Contesta: "Thank you! I can't wait to see the many brilliant performances I'm sure are in store for us today!"

"Next, from the Pokémon fan club, Mr. Sukizo!" Marian announced.

Mr. Sukizo: "Sandalstraw Town's remarkable!"

"And finally, Sandalstraw Town's own Nurse Joy!" Marian announced.

Nurse Joy: "Thank you, and I wish the Pokémon and their coordinators the best of luck."

"And I'm your announcer Marian! The pleasure is all mine! So now let's begin with round one! The performance stage where all of the Pokémon get to show off their moves! So here is our first entrant: Jessilina!" Marian announced.

Jessilina rushed onto the stage, "Hello sweethearts! Mime Jr., let's get this party started!" Jessilina tossed out a Pokéball, and Mime Jr. emerged in a flurry of pink hearts, "First, 'Teeter Dance', go!" Jessilina ordered. But instead of beginning to dance, Mime Jr., got down on its hands and knees and closed its eyes, and judging by Jessilina's expression, that was exactly what was supposed to happen. After a few moments, everyone began to wonder what was going on.

"Whoa, no one's moving down there." Ash remarked.

"Yeah, what's up? I thought 'Teeter Dance' was up next?" Barry asked.

"Must be another cheap Jessilina gimmick." Misty replied.

But then suddenly, Mime Jr. began giving off pink waves of energy, and that was when Jessilina called it out, "Now! The moment's here so let's dance!" Mime Jr. acknowledged and did a midair backflip and landed back on the hat on its head, and began slowly spinning like a top while its body glowed in light blue aura.

"Who would've thought? That hold was part of a planned strategy to create an even flashier move!" Marian announced, "And not only that, that 'Teeter Dance' has taken the whole audience by storm, it's a hit! I think we're witnessing a new presentation style, AWESOME!"

"What am I doing?" Ash wondered, as his body danced involuntarily.

"I don't know but it's sure a lot of fun." Barry replied, his body doing the same exact thing.

"It WOULD be fun except that it's Jessilina doing the move." Misty hissed, as she tried her hardest to resist the move.

"You don't like her much do you?" Barry asked.

"It's a long story." Misty replied.

"You gotta give her this though; it's a neat move to use in a Pokémon Contest." Brock added.

Back in the lobby, the waiting coordinators watched Jessilina and Mime Jr. do their thing, they had been left unaffected by the 'Teeter Dance' thanks to the fact that they were watching from a TV. "Wow, Jessilina's sure changed her style." Dawn said.

"Awesome, and the effects of that 'Teeter Dance' have spread throughout the entire stadium as well!" Kenny added.

Finally Mime Jr. stopped dancing, and that marked the end of their presentation, "Now cue the applause!" Jessilina was right, she had walked away from her flight technique, and the audience gave her a standing ovation for giving them a brand new style.

Mr. Contesta: "Truly an innovative and enjoyable presentation that really brought out Mime Jr.'s unmistakable charm within."

Mr. Sukizo: "Also, remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "That Mime Jr., those moves, so sweet! So charming!"

"And now for our next performer!" Marian announced, allowing another coordinator with a Seedot to take the stage. While all this was going on, Barry was watching in amazement at the moves he was currently being exposed to, how had he not known anything about this before?

Finally it was just about time for Kenny to take his turn, "Looks like I'm up!" he exclaimed.

"Show 'em what you're made of!" Dawn replied.

"You got it!" Kenny rushed off and reached the curtain just as Marian announced it was his turn, "Now Machoke, go!" Kenny threw out a Pokéball, and his Machoke emerged as pink bubbles swirled around its kneeling form, "Use 'Focus Energy'!" Kenny ordered. Machoke roared out a battle cry and flexed its muscles; they pulsed with power as the adrenaline flowed through its body.

"Oh please, they give him points for THAT? I can do that!" Barry started flexing his muscles and striking poses, which earned sweat-drops from everyone.

Then a huge machine lowered an absolutely enormous barbell in front of Machoke, "And now an enormous barbell weighing three times more than Machoke's own weight has been lowered onto the stage!" Marian announced.

"Now use 'Strength'!" Kenny ordered. Machoke took a deep breath and focused all its power into one feat of strength, as it grabbed ahold of the barbell and lifted it up into the air using only one arm.

"Unbelievable! Machoke is lifting that humongous barbell with only one arm like it was nothing!" Then Machoke went all out, "Machoke just switched arms! Incredible!"

"Wow, that's so cool!" Ash exclaimed.

"I gotta admit, I CAN'T do that, I gotta catch me a strong Machoke one of these days." Barry added.

"You know how you get a strong Machoke Barry? You start at the bottom with a Machop and work your way up from there." Misty replied. The redhead still had issues with Barry, as HE still had issues realizing that hard work was the absolute best way to get strong Pokémon.

"You know, contest moves are usually beautiful and graceful, so I think it was a smart choice for Kenny to show off how powerful Machoke is." Brock said.

Back in the lobby, Dawn was watching in admiration, "Wow, Kenny really nailed it. Everyone knows exactly what he wanted to show us about his Machoke now." she said.

"Seems like the smell of sweat to me." Jessilina commented, turning her head indignantly, "Annoying."

"Guess we're back to being rivals huh?" Dawn sighed to herself.

On stage, Kenny was almost done, "Ok Machoke," Kenny ran towards the barbell and leaped into the air, "Wrap it up!" Kenny grabbed ahold of the barbell and held himself up in the air, signaling the end of their performance.

"Wow! How'd he do that?" Dawn exclaimed.

Mr. Contesta: "Truly a fantastically straightforward performance that showed off Machoke's appeal."

Mr. Sukizo: "And, remarkable too!"

Nurse Joy: "Such well-developed biceps, Machoke couldn't go wrong."

After accepting the applause, Kenny returned Machoke to its Pokéball and ran back inside, and the first person he ran into was Dawn, "Hey Dawn! What'd you think?" he asked.

"Amazing! Who knew you could show off a Pokémon like that? And who knew YOU had the abdomen strength to hold yourself up like that?" Dawn replied. She had to fight keeping a smirk off her lips, as she saw Kenny's face start to heat up a bit at the compliment.

"W-Well…well you're not beating me this time! After all I did see you win the Wallace Cup." Kenny exclaimed, trying to keep his nervousness hidden.

"Oh yeah, you mentioned that once before." Dawn replied.

"I still don't know how Misty managed to keep up with you, but either way, with three ribbons I'm still down by one, but so…my main goal is to win and get ahead of you." Kenny replied.

Dawn blushed softly at the compliment, "Thanks Kenny, you're embarrassing me." she giggled.

Kenny was caught off guard by her soft response, he expected her to shoot a competitive comment back, but seeing her giggle and made happy by his words, warmed his heart somehow. "W-Well you're not reading me!" Kenny exclaimed suddenly.

"Huh?" Dawn asked.

"What part of 'I'm gonna beat you' don't you understand? My goal is to get you and that's that!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Huh? Get me?" Dawn asked.

Kenny blinked a few times and blushed furiously when he realized what he accidently said, "I mean my goal is to win and get AHEAD of you! That's what I meant!" he exclaimed nervously.

Dawn smiled, the fact that he was hiding meant to her that he really did care…but she wasn't ready to give in yet, she was waiting for just the right time to make her final decision. Of course, there was nothing wrong with a little shameless flirting just to toy with him was there? "I dunno, it sure seemed like you meant to say you wanted to get ME, is there something I should know about Kenny?" she asked teasingly.

"It was just a slip of the tongue I swear! Listen I gotta go; I have to get ready for the next round! And I better be seeing you in the final round, got it?" Kenny rushed off in total shock and embarrassment, _"WHAT is going ON here? All of a sudden I can't get Dawn out of my head!"_

Dawn giggled to herself, she found it amusing to see Kenny all frazzled by her. But right now, she had something else to focus on, and that was to steal the show and make it round two. Dawn grabbed a Pokéball and ran towards the stage, and burst through the curtain just as Marian announced her turn, "Ambipom, go! Spooootlight!" Dawn tossed the ball and her two-tailed monkey emerged from the flying musical notes produced by the Pokéball seal. "Now 'Double Team' into 'Focus Punch'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom acknowledged and split into eight, and together the Ambipom used 'Focus Punch' and shattered the musical notes that had been floating around, causing sparkles to fall down onto the audience, "Great way to start!"

"Keep it up Ambipom!" Ash exclaimed from the stands.

"Wow, she's not doing bad at all." Barry commented.

"It's the perfect balance of great moves and speed, and the two of them are totally in sync." Brock said.

"Kinda makes it hard to believe that Ambipom used to be Ash's." Misty teased.

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed. Misty couldn't help but giggle.

Back in the lobby, Kenny was watching Dawn at work, "You're doing great Dee Dee, show everyone what I know you can do!" he said to himself.

"Next use 'Swift'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom acknowledged and began making stars, but then before they actually got launched, Ambipom slapped them hard with her tails, sending stars flying in all directions.

"They did it! They nailed the Pokémon Ping-Pong move!" Ash exclaimed.

"Using that move was a great idea for sure!" Brock added.

"Well she DID have an awesome coach after all." Barry smirked arrogantly.

"If you're such a great coach, why did you wake her up a whole hour before she needed to be awake and ruin her mood this morning?" Misty asked. Barry sweat-dropped at that.

Ambipom then began spinning like a top in the air, and a whirlwind of stars followed the monkey as she spiraled upwards, "And finally, wrap it up with 'Double Hit'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom had now been enveloped by the whirlwind, and used 'Double Hit' to slow it down and cause it to immediately break up, when it vanished, Ambipom was standing there with Dawn, doing a closing pose with her. And in the VIP section, a certain Pokémon had been woken from his sleep, and was now in complete awe at what he had just seen.

Mr. Contesta: "The synchronicity between coordinator and Pokémon was impeccable; I would have LOVED to see more of that!"

Mr. Sukizo: "True, remarkable!"

Nurse Joy: "Ambipom's performance was charming in every way, the move where it swung its tail was lovely too."

"Sounds like high praise from the judges to me." Misty said.

"Hey, check out Mamoswine." Ash replied, directing their attention to the twin-tusk Pokémon who was staring in awe.

"Looks like he liked it." Brock said.

"What'd you think Mamoswine? Weren't Dawn and Ambipom great?" Ash asked.

Mamoswine replied by closing his eyes and beginning to snore. "Oh man." Ash sighed.

"Mamoswine's really intrigued don't you think?" Brock said sarcastically.

"He's just in denial, when Dawn says it's his turn, just watch Mamoswine wake up." Misty replied.

Dawn then walked into the VIP section with Kenny, who had given her congratulations upon seeing her after her performance. She sighed and placed her hands on the top of the barrier, as she anxiously awaited the results of the first round.

"Relax Dawn; you gave an awesome performance out there." Ash said.

"I've never seen you and Ambipom work better." Misty added.

"Thanks, but the wait for the results can be so nerve-wracking…and then there's him…" Dawn looked past her friends to look at Kenny, who was now talking with Barry, "He said his goal was to get ahead of me, he told me he's determined to win this contest and beat me."

"Well you know you gotta accept his challenge! That's what a rival's supposed to do!" Ash replied.

Dawn had pretty much ignored Ash's statement; she was still looking at her coordinator friend. Kenny noticed Dawn staring at him, and couldn't help but blush a little as he gave her a thumbs-up. He hoped Dawn wouldn't notice his face turning a bit red since she wasn't close up to him, but someone was.

"Hey Kenny, you alright? Your face is kinda red." Barry mentioned.

"I'm fine! Really! I'm just a little winded that's all!" Kenny replied a little too loudly.

Dawn smiled and turned back towards the stage; Misty joined her. "If you wanna know what I think, I think he's trying to impress you." she said.

"If that's the case, he's doing it unnecessarily. I've ALWAYS been impressed with his coordinator skills. You know he actually told me his REAL goal before I went on to perform…he said he wanted to get ME, not get AHEAD of me." Dawn whispered.

"And he denied it right away right?" Misty asked.

"Of course. But I did flirt with him a little, just to see his reaction, he blushed so badly." Dawn giggled.

"So I guess now you're convinced of his feelings for you?" Misty asked.

"Yeah I think so. But I'm not changing my mind; I'll wait for him to make the first move. If he wants me, he's gonna have to come to me." Dawn replied.

Finally Marian returned, "Ladies and gentlemen! The long and suspenseful wait is finally over! After careful consideration by our panel of judges we now present on-screen the eight talented coordinators who will be moving on to the second round!" she announced.

The screen revealed the profiles, and it showed that both Dawn and Kenny managed to make it to the second round. "We're in!" Dawn squealed.

"You and Ambipom did it!" Ash exclaimed.

"Now remember, stay calm during round two." Brock said.

"Right Brock, thanks." Dawn sighed.

Now Kenny walked over with Barry, his blush long gone by now, "Dawn, don't forget that our battle has just begun!"

"You bet!" Dawn replied.

"You can ALSO bet that I'm gonna win! I'll have my fifth ribbon before you and then I'll be waiting for you at the Grand Festival, got it?" Kenny said.

"I'M the one who's getting a fifth ribbon first; I'm not losing to YOU." Dawn replied.

"Yeah, that's what I like to hear!" Ash exclaimed, "From BOTH of you!"

"But don't forget, rivalries may be fun, but friendships are irreplaceable. Don't ever forget that you two are friends first, and rivals second." Misty said.

"Of course, I couldn't imagine life without Dawn, she's the main reason I keep working so hard at being a coordinator!" Kenny replied.

"Wow, that's exactly the same way I feel!" Dawn replied.

"_Yes!" _Misty thought victoriously.

"Well then may the best coordinator win, that's me by the way. And like I said before, I can't wait to battle you in the Grand Festival!" Kenny said.

"Same here, except I'M the best coordinator!" Dawn replied.

The battle rounds began fast, and Dawn and Kenny immediately began to dominate their battles with their combination of power and style. Eventually Dawn had to face off against Jessilina and her Seviper, but she easily took care of them with Ambipom's 'Double Hit'. As everyone expected, the two coordinators who would compete for the Sandalstraw Ribbon were Dawn and Kenny. "Well Kenny, you got what you wanted, it's me and you in the final round!" Dawn said.

"Sure is, you've been awesome all the way through this contest." Kenny replied.

"Thanks, you've been great too!" Dawn said.

"But all that ends right here, I'm giving you everything I've got!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Trying to impress me Kenny?" Dawn asked with a smirk.

"Impress you?" Kenny replied. He shook his head and got refocused, "If by 'impress' you mean 'take you down with my awesome coordinator skills' then yeah, I guess I am trying to impress you!"

"If you say so Kenny, but if that's the case, then you're not gonna impress me because that ribbon is mine!" Dawn replied.

"We'll see about that!" Kenny said.

Finally Marian called for the two coordinators, and just before they split, they shared a friendly handshake, a sign between them that today they were rivals, but like Misty said, they were friends first and foremost. The two took their respective places on the stage, and Marian announced the start of the battle, "Alright Ambipom, spooootlight!" Dawn tossed the Pokéball once more, and Ambipom emerged from the musical notes, swinging her tail like a Ping-Pong paddle.

"Now Prinplup, let's go!" Kenny tossed out his ball, and his faithful starter emerged from a flurry of multi-colored stars.

"You can do it Ambipom!" Ash cheered from the stands.

"Why are you cheering for Ambipom? Shouldn't you be cheering for Dawn?" Barry asked.

"Dawn and Kenny are both my friends, I can't pick between both of them, but if I cheer for Ambipom, it feels better since she used to be MY Pokémon." Ash explained.

"So in other words, you're copping out." Misty teased.

Ash sighed, "Ok fine, maybe I am."

The group laughed at that, all except for Mamoswine who seemed to be mesmerized by what was happening on the field, and Riolu who didn't exactly know what was going on.

"Ambipom, don't let your guard down, Kenny's an awesome coordinator!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom nodded determinedly.

Kenny was taken aback by the compliment, but he quickly refocused, "Don't let Dawn distract you Prinplup!" he exclaimed. Prinplup turned around and raised an eyebrow at Kenny, "D'oh, you know what I mean!" Kenny said, trying to fight back a blush. Prinplup shrugged and got back to the task at hand, as Marian made some final announcements.

"Looks like even Prinplup knows what Kenny feels." Misty giggled.

"What do you mean by 'what Kenny feels'?" Barry asked.

"_Oh crud, I said that out loud? Think fast!"_ Misty panicked, "I-I mean that Kenny's good at trash-talk, but in the end the fact that he's battling a friend makes it more...pressuring!"

"Oh good, for a second there I thought I'd have to give up on my bet with Ash." Barry replied.

"_He would've given up?" _Misty thought incredulously, _"NOW who's got the big mouth?"_

"You don't HAVE to go after Dawn you know; think about how Dawn would feel if she found out that you were faking it this whole time!" Ash replied.

"Yeah, your Twinleaf Trio would break up so fast your head would spin!" Misty added.

"I guess…it would be kinda…wrong." Barry admitted, "Alright fine, I'll find someone else, but mark my words Ash, you WON'T win that bet!"

"We'll see." Ash replied with a smirk.

Misty suddenly embraced the Pokémon Trainer tightly, whispering in his ear, "You did it Ash! You got Barry to back off! I'm so proud of you!"

Ash blushed and grabbed Misty's hands and pulled her off him, at first she was hurt by the rejection, but then she remembered who was around, and sure enough, Riolu was staring at them with his face also red via aura connection. "Nothing to see here Riolu, go back and cheer for Dawn." Ash said.

Riolu's blush disappeared and he smiled, and he turned back to the field to cheer. "I'm still proud of you though, you'll get a full hug later when Riolu's not around." Misty winked. Ash beamed at her and turned back to the stage, now that Marian was done with her announcements, the clock began to tick down from five minutes.

"Alright Prinplup, use 'Drill Peck'!" Kenny ordered. Prinplup charged forward spinning like a drill as it prepared to hit Ambipom hard with the flying-type move.

"Counter it with 'Swift' Ambipom!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom acknowledged and swung her tails, which launched a flurry of stars that negated Prinplup's attack and knocked the penguin back, depleting Kenny's points slightly, "Now use 'Double Team'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom did just that, as she split into eight different Ambipom.

"That won't stop us! Now use 'Bubblebeam'!" Prinplup fired in a sweeping pattern, which rapidly took out all the fake Ambipom, and depleting Dawn's points slightly.

Now that the fakes were gone, the final blast of 'Bubblebeam' was free to hit Ambipom, but then Dawn came up with an idea, "Ambipom, hit it back with 'Focus Punch'!" she ordered. Ambipom swung her tails and smashed the incoming attack back, which blasted through the rest of the attack and sent the hit move back towards Prinplup, and gave Kenny the biggest shock of his coordinator career.

"Hey, that was a Pokémon Ping-Pong move!" Barry exclaimed.

"Way to go Ambipom!" Ash cheered.

"So what was that about Pokémon Ping-Pong being a waste of time?" Dawn exclaimed.

Kenny growled, "Hit 'em back with 'Metal Claw', quick!" he countered. Prinplup's fin began to glow from the influence of 'Metal Claw', and the penguin copied Ambipom's previous action and hit the 'Bubblebeam' back at them, which only caused Ambipom to once again do the same thing, and so on.

"This is turning into a Pokémon Ping-Pong match! A first for a Pokémon Contest!" Marian announced. One thing was for sure, the crowd was sure enjoying it, especially those who would probably be either watching or participating in the Pokémon Ping-Pong match the next day.

"Wow Kenny, I know I said I wouldn't be, but I have to admit, I'm impressed." Dawn said.

"Really?" Kenny asked hopefully, but then he realized what was happening again and he shook his head to refocus, _"Gotta stop thinking like this!" _he thought. "I wasn't exactly sleeping while you guys were practicing! Now Prinplup, 'Bubblebeam'!" Prinplup smashed the previous attack back at Ambipom, and then added on to it by firing again. This time Ambipom looked on in intimidation, there was no way her 'Focus Punch' could knock back all those bubbles.

"No need to worry Ambipom, use 'Double Hit'!" Dawn ordered. Ambipom acknowledged, and her tails glowed purple as the super-fast attack popped all the incoming bubbles and depleted Kenny's points further.

"Now, 'Drill Peck'!" Kenny ordered. Prinplup followed the last of its 'Bubblebeam' and got ready to attack.

"Ambipom, 'Focus Punch'!" Dawn countered. Ambipom flipped backwards and used both her tails as individuals to launch a two-sided 'Focus Punch', which brought Kenny's points down just because of the appeal.

"Awesome!" Barry shouted excitedly.

"Ambipom sure can rock!" Ash exclaimed.

The two attacks collided, and the two Pokémon slid back to their respective sides of the field, although Prinplup seemed noticeably more shaken than Ambipom. "Now, jump and then use 'Metal Claw'!" Kenny ordered. Prinplup acknowledged and put its fins together, as it leaped up into the air and spun like a drill as it nose-dived Ambipom.

"Alright, take their attack head-on! Use 'Double Hit'!" Dawn countered. Ambipom leaped up to meet the attack in the air, but then Prinplup used the 'Metal Claw' to open up Ambipom's defenses and stop the attack, "Oh no!"

"This is it Prinplup! Use 'Drill Peck' max power!" Kenny ordered. Prinplup hit Ambipom dead-on, and the monkey slid across the field and fainted from the incredible power of Prinplup's attack.

"No, Ambipom!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom chattered woozily, and the judges gave three red X's to Dawn as Ambipom was no longer able to battle, which meant that Kenny had won.

"Alright Prinplup, we did it pal!" Kenny rushed onto the field and embraced his starter Pokémon, "Thanks Prinplup, you really battled hard!"

Meanwhile Dawn gently helped the groaning Ambipom into a sitting-up position, "Ambipom, you were great," Dawn softly hugged the monkey, "Now you deserve a good, long rest." Ambipom was grateful, but she couldn't shake the feeling of failure that was looming over her now, she had lost, she had failed both her masters, Dawn AND Ash.

"Oh man, Ambipom." Ash sighed.

"It was just too much to take." Misty added.

"Well, Kenny and Prinplup ARE steadily leveling up." Brock said.

Back in the hallway, Dawn met up with Kenny. "So I guess now you're gonna hold this over me huh?" Dawn asked with a smirk.

"Nah." Kenny replied. This answer came as a sincere shock to Dawn. "I realize we've been rivals all day because of the contest, but now that I won, I'd really rather go back to being friends, at least until the NEXT time we face each other." Kenny said.

Dawn smiled and blushed ever-so-slightly, Kenny couldn't even notice it. "If that's what you want Kenny."

"It's what I want, trust me." Kenny replied.

"Then you got it!" Dawn hugged the coordinator and quickly backed off, and now it was Kenny's turn to be shocked, "I'm gonna go back and change, you go back out there and accept that ribbon of yours, you sure earned it!" Dawn ran off to the changing rooms, leaving Kenny in a daze.

Kenny just stared in the direction Dawn had run off in, until Prinplup started tugging on his pant leg. "Huh? Oh, sorry Prinplup." Kenny said bashfully. Kenny tossed out Machoke, and together the three walked back out to the field, where he was given the Sandalstraw Ribbon by Mr. Contesta. "Check it out guys, this ribbon belongs to you." he said.

Back in the VIP section, Dawn had changed and joined her friends to watch Kenny during the award ceremony. "Hey, do you guys think maybe today I got too hung up on getting my fifth ribbon?" she asked, as she applauded Kenny on his job well done.

"I dunno about that Dawn, but I will say this, if I were going for my last gym badge, I'd be hung up for sure!" Ash replied.

"Yeah, it's that feeling when you're SOOOO close that you just can't think of anything else!" Barry added.

"Even so, you and Ambipom performed really well today, and I think you two should be very proud." Brock said, "You save that ribbon for the next time."

"Thanks Brock." Dawn replied, "Alright guys, you heard what Brock said? We'll do it!" Dawn's Pokémon cheered in agreement.

"And that concludes the Sandalstraw Town Pokémon Contest! So until we meet again for our next get-together, take care!" Marian ended the contest, and the crowd began to thin out. The group headed back to the Pokémon Center expecting to be able to relax, but they got a surprise from Kenny.

"What? You're leaving already?" Dawn asked, obviously disappointed.

"Yeah, I finally got as many ribbons as you, but I've still got a whole lot more work to do. Plus I wanna catch some new Pokémon as well." Kenny replied.

"Man, you need to learn to chill out more!" Barry exclaimed.

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black." Kenny said. The group laughed, with the exception of Barry of course. "Well, I'll see you guys." Kenny turned to walk out, but was stopped.

"Kenny, can't you stay just one more day, please?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah! The Twinleaf Trio needs to dominate the Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament! Speaking of which Dawn, I watched during that whole contest battle, Ambipom's tails are great! Actually they're not just great, they're awesome! So why not go nuts with Pokémon Ping-Pong?" Barry said.

"Ambipom and me?" Dawn asked.

"Doing Pokémon Ping-Pong?" Ash added.

"Ambipom, do you want to?" Dawn asked. After some consideration, Ambipom smiled and did her friendship symbol, "Well alright then! Looks like I'm entering the Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament!"

"Awesome! Now how about you Kenny?" Barry asked.

"Well…I dunno…" Kenny replied hesitantly.

"Oh please Kenny? It'll be fun! Come on, just stay one more day?" Dawn asked pleadingly.

Kenny looked into Dawn's eyes and felt his face begin to heat up again, he didn't understand why he was feeling this way, or why it had been happening during his journey whenever he saw her; he simply couldn't resist those big, blue eyes. "Well…alright." he said. This answer was rewarded with another swift hug that ended almost as quickly as it started, but either way, he was shocked.

"This is great! Tomorrow we're gonna show everyone some awesome Pokémon Ping-Pong!" Dawn exclaimed.

And so with the whole gang together for one more day, and the Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament coming up the next day, things were sure to turn out interesting.  
_

**A/N: Well, did you like it? I tried to add some more AAML fluff, and there was a LOT of AAML drama as you could tell. But it gave me the furnishings to change Dawn's point of view on her potential relationships, and then there was the Brad Stine joke, were you able to spot it? If not, just ask me and I'll lead you to it on YouTube. SO now we see that Dawn's gonna let THEM come to HER, but is Barry really changing targets? Misty sure hopes so, and now Ash is on her side as well, keeping Barry at a distance with their rivalry. I'm trying my best to get Dawn and Kenny's relationship to be a balance between rival and friend, but it's getting hard for me, since I SOOO want them together. There, I said it, I'm a Penguinshipper ok? I'm sure anyone who read this story could tell anyway. Well, I promise I'll try to hurry the next chapter up! And one more thing anon reviewers, please don't use the reviews as a way to tell me things, I can't answer you anyway unless I find a way to contact you. With that said, stay tuned!**


	52. To Thine Own Pokémon Be True

**I guess I can only apologize for taking forever so many times...but I suppose I should say it again huh? My loyal readers, I once again apologize for taking so long to bring you an update to this story, it's just that I have so many projects and so many real life obligations that I can't keep up the way that I used to...not that that's any excuse for keeping you all waiting...you know, I think I'll take this opportunity to throw a little shoutout to some authors you should probably check out if you need a good read while waiting for me.**

**Texas Longhorn: TL is one of the few authors I look up to on this site, his amazing ability to make you feel the pain (or happiness) the characters feel in the story is absolutely uncanny. And everything connects! And one thing I REALLY admire his ability to write battles, they're just INCREDIBLY realistic, I feel like I'm watching it happen! Write on Texas Longhorn, write on.**

**EeveebethFejvu: She's amazing, what more can I say? She hasn't written anything Pokéshipping in a VERY long time, but to this very day I still consider her one of the best AAML authors I've ever read. Her expression of emotion, her incredible ability to stay in-character even during the transition proces from best friends to boyfriend and girlfriend, it feels so natural with her. When she writes fluff, it's REALLY fluffy, and when she writes drama...get ready for a heartstopper, because she knows what she's doing. Outstanding author she is.**

**nyislandersgirl: Her future fics are some of the best I've read on the internet, not just this site, the ENTIRE internet. I love her OC AAML children: Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth. They feel so real that it's almost like they belong together in a big Pokéshipping family. I honestly can't imagine having an AAML family without those kids. Even when I myself would imagine writing an AAML family story, I find myself wanting to ask her if I can borrow her OCs because they just fit SO perfectly. Oh yeah, and if you want fluff, she's the answer to your problems, because she writes SUPER fluffy. Keep up the good work!**

**SprucetonSpook: Another version of an AAML family, except Ash and Misty aren't the parents. In her world, Ash is still a kid, and so are the others, Misty, Brock, you know. But now Ash's dad has returned, and no, it's not Giovanni, don't be so disrespectful. =P (Sorry, had a Stephen A. Smith moment) Like all the other authors mentioned above, she's an outstanding writer, and everything I can say about her has already been said above, so take my word for it, she's AWESOME. xD**

**livezinshadowz: Awesome story he's got, he doesn't update often either, kinda sounds like me. xD But at any rate, he's got an awesome story as well, he's a really good author, and I'm out of adjectives so just go check him out. xD**

**KeytoDestiny: Now this is an author I can say something different about. But not because she's anything less that the above authors, but because her specialty is not Pokéshipping. No, her specialty lies in the couple of Dawn and Kenny. This author was instrumental in my development of the Penguinshipping aspects of my story, and I thank her so much for that.**

**Just for the record, none of the authors I mentioned know that I gave them this plug, at least not yet anyway. xD So go on and check them out, if I like them, I guarantee you will too. ^^ Anyway, now I have a few anonymous reviews to reply to.**

**Hoenn Master: I'm sure what you said was in Latin, that's part of the Catholic thing right? At any rate, the way I say "Ok" is my own style, and it's too small of an issue for me to even worry about. I'm sure you liked the chapter, and that's all that matters to me.**

**lightningblade49: Sorry to tell you dude, but the Ping-Pong episode WILL be important, because I'm making it very important, hence why it's happening here.**

**Darky: Here you go D**

**Agent900: Your review saying you were out of fics to read is what inspired me to mention all those authors up there. xD**

**sparky1001: Yep, he's lots of fun. xD**

**Anna: Well I can't go too fast, remember I've got a whole series to go through.**

**Polly: Well I thought about it, but it seems to be more along the lines of fangirlish enthusiasm than actual crush, so that didn't click with me.**

**Aditya Shukla: Dunno, guess we'll see.**

**That's everything. I would like to once again apologize to all my readers regarding how long it took for me to get this out, and I will try my hardest to get the next one out faster. But for now, enjoy this chapter! I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 52

**Misty's POV**

Yesterday proved to be really stressful for all of us, and for a whole bunch of different reasons. The day started out great, for Dawn at least. Everyone was outside watching Ash and Barry train for the Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament, and Dawn's Ambipom was training alongside with them. Dawn had a plan to use those techniques in the contest I guess. Eventually Kenny came out too, and Dawn was really happy to see him, since she was still feeling the effects of the affectionate gesture Kenny had made, giving her an Everstone so Piplup wouldn't evolve. I was in our room, trying to think of a plan to get Dawn and Kenny together, so what else was new?

I was so frustrated with the whole situation, anytime Barry came into the equation; I lost my train of thought. There was just NO WAY I could keep Dawn and Kenny together, without Barry being right there with them. Especially since Barry all of a sudden came up with this whole "Twinleaf Trio" idea. What's that all about anyway? I was just about ready to give up, and just like my usual temperamental self, I decided to act dumb and throw my clothes all over the room in frustration. And of course, just when one of my bras landed on my head, Ash walked in. Of course he had to walk in at that EXACT moment. I shrieked, of course I did, I don't care HOW close Ash and I get, until the day we're married, my undergarments are my business and my business alone. Only Dawn's seen me in them, which really makes no difference since we're both girls, so she's the only exception.

But back to the matter at hand, I quickly put away all my "important" clothes and shoved them back into my backpack before heading back to the desk I was sitting at and trying to get Ash to go away. I still had work to do after all. But then something in Ash suddenly took over his mind apparently, as he all of a sudden became very affectionate towards me. I wasn't going to complain obviously, I love it so much when he puts his arms around me; he asked what I was doing that I was cooped up in the room…so…I told him, I told him how I needed to find a way to get Dawn and Kenny together without Barry interfering. Naturally he didn't get it, he's still a real dope sometimes when it comes to romance, I suppose I can only be grateful he's not a dope about being romantic with me.

Either way, I gave him another rundown and he finally managed to get the idea of what was going on, and he promised to give me a hand with my mission. After that, I left the room with Ash and found the gang, sitting around doing nothing it seemed. All except for Brock, who these days always seems to be pounding something into a medicinal paste. Dawn and Kenny were having a friendly rivalry moment, when I suddenly turned it around and got Kenny to blush when he realized something he had said. I've gotten to be an expert at finding hidden messages in things, so it was really easy to do.

Eventually Ash managed to distract Barry with a battle challenge, which left Dawn and Kenny to get a little time to themselves. And it worked, she and Kenny sparred with each other all day long, and for them, it was great for bonding time. Dawn rushed into the Pokémon Center though, totally frazzled by Kenny's playful teasing, she had had a blush attack to be perfectly honest. I offered to give her a quick dinner, just her and me so I could help her get her head back together, but I knew I needed Ash's help, once again to be Barry repellant. I hurried over to him, and coincidently, he was currently with Barry, discussing Pokémon Ping-Pong…then things got bad…

Ash accidently got Barry all riled up with a dumb bet, and he went to try and make Dawn his girlfriend just to prove him wrong…I got so mad…he got so mad…we actually broke up with each other, that's how upset we were. If it weren't for the unconditional support of our friends, I'd probably be on my way back to Cerulean by now. Brock got Dawn's help, and together they convinced both me and Ash that we had made a grave mistake. Ash later came up to me, and confessed his love to me once more, and in my brokenness, I was so, SO happy to accept him back as my boyfriend, I never thought the feeling of Ash's hugs could feel better than they already did, but I was wrong…this was the most heartfelt discussion we'd ever had as a couple. I love him; I love him like no one else. Oh yeah, and Kenny won the contest after all, did I mention that? He beat Dawn in the final round.

After the contest, Kenny wanted to leave and get a head start on the next contest, but Dawn managed to convince Kenny to stay one more day and join the Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament with her, Ash, and Barry. Dawn had made a serious turnaround in her relationship issues too…she decided through our fight, don't ask me how, that if either boy wanted her, they would have to earn her. It's definitely a different way to approach things, and it should work out the way I want it too, since it's obvious Kenny likes her, Dawn admitted that fact herself actually…you know what, all this stuff going on around me, contests, gym battles, I'm getting tired of only being involved in drama, I wanna get involved in something I can enjoy…I'm gonna join Pokémon Ping-Pong too!

**Normal POV**

Ash rushed outside, and upon getting the breath of fresh air he needed to get going, Ash leaped into the air and shouted with excitement, "Alright! Ok Pikachu, it's time for some Pokémon Ping-Pong training!" he swung his arm like he had a paddle, and Pikachu did the same with his paw down on the ground.

Then Barry came from around the corner with Kenny, and he too was extremely pumped, laughing from all the excitement, "It's finally time for my Sinnoh Pokémon Ping-Pong conquest!" Barry faced off against Ash, and the two began swinging at air, although Barry actually had a paddle in his hand.

Kenny on the other hand, made his way over to Dawn, who had just come outside with the others, "That's all I've been hearing all day long, I didn't even get a good morning from him." he laughed.

"Well I got a good morning, but that was about it from Ash, he's so excited about that tournament, I'm actually thinking about joining in myself." Misty replied.

"Now you're talking!" Barry exclaimed, breaking the stare down between him and Ash, "How about you Brock? You gonna join up too?"

"I think I'll sit this one out thanks. I'd much rather just sit in the stands and watch, it's kinda my thing these days." Brock replied.

"That's fine, the Twinleaf Trio doesn't need any extra competition anyways, we're gonna make it all to the way to the top of the heap and then I'll show just who's the best out of the three of us!" Barry exclaimed, going back to swinging his paddle towards Ash.

"Just for the record, I agreed to stay because Dawn asked me to; I didn't say I was entering the tournament." Kenny clarified.

"Oh come on! It's not a trio if we're not all in it! How can I be the champion of the trio if the trio is only a duo?" Barry whined.

"Not to slow you down or anything CHAMP, but you've been going on and on about Pokémon Ping-Pong ever since we got here, and yet you've never even explained to us how it works! What are the rules?" Misty asked, her hands on her hips with annoyance towards the blonde.

Barry fell over sideways and groaned, which earned laughter from the whole group. Then Barry got up and sighed, "Alright, I'll tell you…ok first of all you have a Pokémon and its trainer that form a team…" Barry got cutoff.

"We could figure that out on our own Captain Obvious, how about telling us something we don't know?" Misty said, her arms crossed and her eyes closed. It was still very clear to everyone that Misty had a personal problem with Barry, since she very rarely acted more than barely civil towards him.

Well, it was to everyone except Barry himself, who thought Misty just enjoyed driving people crazy, "If you'd stop interrupting I'd get to some new stuff." he growled. After taking a deep breath to regain his composure, he continued, "Anyway, the only one allowed to use a Ping-Pong paddle is the trainer, while the Pokémon gets to use a part of its body instead."

"Is that it?" Dawn asked, not believing that it could be so simple.

"Weeellll, other than the fact that the trainer always serves the ball that's really about it." Barry replied.

"And the scoring, Mr. Know-It-All?" Misty asked smugly, her hands on her hips once more.

"You know Ash, I think your girlfriend needs a lesson in treating people nicely, if she treats everyone the way she treats me, it's amazing that anyone can stand being around her." Barry growled.

"I don't treat EVERYONE that way, in fact I only treat people like Paul this way, and since you insist that Paul is so awesome despite the way he uses his Pokémon as tools instead of companions, it seems only fitting you get the same kind of treatment." Misty hissed back.

"You keep saying he does these things! Paul is a powerful trainer, why shouldn't I wanna be like him?" Barry asked incredulously.

"It's the METHOD that makes the difference." Misty replied, "Why don't you try training a Pokémon from the ground up instead of just catching a new one every time one doesn't work out for you?"

"What do you think Empoleon is? It didn't start out as an Empoleon you know! I raised it from a Piplup to a Prinplup, all the way to what you see today, a powerful Empoleon ready to climb to the top of the heap of not just the Pokémon Ping-Pong world, but the top of the Sinnoh League as well!" Barry exclaimed determinedly.

"You'll never win if you try to get there using Paul's methods!" Misty hissed furiously. Misty was now right in the face of the blonde trainer, although Barry still had the obvious height advantage.

"I don't use Paul's supposedly 'cruel' methods, when have you seen me treat my Pokémon badly? Like you keep insisting Paul does?" Barry asked.

"I haven't, but you need to understand that the most important thing about Pokémon is friendship, not strength, that's why me and Ash keep beating you in battles, our friendships with our Pokémon is where our strength COMES FROM, and when you understand that, then, and ONLY then, can we ever become friends!" Misty replied.

"Then we can be friends right now! I get that your friendship with your Pokémon is what makes you strong! What more do you want from me?" Barry exclaimed.

"I want you to acknowledge that Paul's method of training is not appropriate. Ash has two of Paul's castoffs! Do you realize that? Both Chimchar and Staraptor were deemed 'unworthy' by your so-called trainer idol, and Ash took them in and turned them into awesome battlers!" Misty said.

Misty and Barry continued at it, while the rest of the group watched in shock. "Uh Brock, shouldn't you stop them or something?" Kenny asked.

"I'm not getting involved in that; I like my head where it is thanks." Brock replied.

"Well someone has to do SOMETHING! I don't wanna stand here all day and watch them argue!" Dawn exclaimed.

Everyone looked at Ash expectantly, "Waah! What are you all looking at me for?" he asked worriedly.

"Go over there and cool your girlfriend off." Kenny said.

"Are you crazy? How am I gonna do that?" Ash asked.

"There's only one way." Brock snickered, moving his eyebrows up and down.

Ash sighed and started over to Misty, "You guys better not mess with me about this later." he warned. Ash carefully made his way to Misty, who was still shouting furiously at Barry, and naturally Barry was shouting back. He took a deep breath, grabbed Misty by the shoulders and forced his lips onto hers.

Misty shouted protests through the kiss and tried to pull away at first, but Ash was too strong and kept the kiss locked, and eventually, Misty mellowed out as the pleasure of Ash's lips on hers soothed her fury and she deepened it, while Barry just watched in annoyance, "Ok, I get it, I'll stop." Misty sighed, as she finally broke the kiss, her face now red with blush rather than fury.

"Look, can we just get back to the subject of Pokémon Ping-Pong?" Barry asked wearily.

"Fine, but we're not finished here." Misty assured, pointing a finger at the blonde.

Barry rolled his eyes and pulled a Pokéball off his belt, "Alright Empoleon, let's get some training done!" Barry threw the ball, and out came his starter who immediately came next to its trainer and began swinging its flipper while Barry swung his paddle, "Let's show these guys who the best Pokémon Ping-Pong players here are!"

"You keep saying that Barry, but I'm still willing to bet that me and Pikachu will come out on top in this thing!" Ash replied determinedly.

"If I were you I'd be careful about throwing the word 'bet' around." Misty warned.

Ash laughed nervously as he remembered the last time he made a bet with Barry, albeit unintentionally. "I still think I'm gonna win!" Ash repeated.

"We'll see about that!" Dawn exclaimed, "Don't forget Ambipom and me are entering too! We're not entering just for the fun of it; we're going for the win too!"

"Now you're talking!" Barry replied.

"Let's do this thing!" Ash added.

"Hey wait a minute!" Misty exclaimed, I already said I was thinking about entering myself, and if I'm entered in something, you better watch out!"

"That just leaves two! Come on guys, join in!" Barry said excitedly.

"I dunno…" Kenny said hesitantly.

"Oh please Kenny? It'll be so much fun!" Dawn pleaded.

Kenny once again felt his heart melt when Dawn looked at him with her big, blue eyes. How could he say no? _"Why is she able to do this to me all of a sudden? It almost feels like I can't control myself!"_ he thought. "Alright, I guess I could join in with Prinplup." he said.

"Alright!" Dawn hugged Kenny and soon let go, but that quick embrace was enough to heat Kenny's face up, "So now that leaves Brock."

"I already said it, I'm sitting this out, someone's gotta be in the stands to cheer you guys on." Brock replied.

"Fine, it's your loss." Barry shrugged.

"So Misty, who are you going with?" Ash asked.

"Uh…" Misty suddenly realized she hadn't thought about that, "I don't know…" she admitted bashfully.

"You could use Vaporeon, "Ash suggested, "She could use her tail to hit the ball."

"I've got it!" Dawn snapped her fingers as an idea came into her mind, "Misty, you should use Azurill!"

"Azurill? In a Pokémon Ping-Pong match?" Misty pondered it for a moment, "Well a Ping-Pong match shouldn't be nearly as intense or dangerous as a battle, so I don't think it'd be so bad."

"It'd also be a great training experience too. Azurill could sharpen its coordination and raise its overall strength and stamina." Brock explained.

"Perfect Mist! It's a win-win! You get to train with Azurill without the danger of Azurill getting hurt!" Ash exclaimed.

Misty smiled and called out Azurill, who leaped into her arms upon release, "How'd you like to be my partner in a Pokémon Ping-Pong match, Azurill?" Misty asked her young Pokémon. Azurill squealed and nodded excitedly, nuzzling Misty's cheek affectionately, "Alright then! Azurill is my Pokémon Ping-Pong partner!" Misty declared.

"Great! Now there's only one thing left to do!" Barry exclaimed excitedly.

"And what's that?" Ash asked.

"We gotta go register for the tournament! Come on! Let's get going!" Barry took off running towards the arena, with the others following closely behind him. After a short jog, the group made it to the arena, and there was already a large group of young children and teenagers, and a few adults as well, all in line to register for the tournament.

"Gangway! Coming through!" Barry ran at full-speed through the crowd, knocking over a few unlucky people as he stopped abruptly at the registration table, where a now upset woman was glaring at Barry angrily. "I'm here to register!" Barry declared proudly.

"So are all these other people!" the woman hissed.

Barry looked back at the large group he had shoved through, and noticed that they were all snarling at him, "Guess I got a LITTLE overexcited…heh…" Barry lowered his head and nervously made his way to the back of the line, he could feel the eyes of everyone he had knocked over shooting daggers into the back of his neck. When he finally made his way back to his friends, who were smart enough to stay in line, they laughed, "Shut up, just shut up." Barry grumbled.

"Maybe you should get in the back of all of us, just in case." Kenny suggested.

"Or the middle might be better, so we can protect you from any angry bowling pin people you knocked over." Misty snickered.

Barry growled and got in-between Ash and Kenny, but the decision would prove to be justified, as one young girl came by after registering and stomped on Barry's foot. "Ow! You little brat! I'm gonna fine you for that!" Barry yelled, as he hopped on one foot in pain.

"She probably doesn't have anything for you to fine anyway." Kenny said.

"Then I'm gonna fine her parents!" Barry growled.

The group sighed and just rolled their eyes, and after a short wait, that felt ten times longer than it really was because of Barry's constant impatient complaining, they made it to the registration table, where the woman had since cooled off, and greeted them cordially, "Alright, just write your name in here, along with the Pokémon you're going to be teaming up with. After you turn in your paperwork, you're registered." she explained.

"Great, and thanks for everything!" the group replied.

"Obviously I'm going with Pikachu as my partner, right bud?" Ash said.

"Pi ka chu!" (That's right!) Pikachu replied excitedly, punching the air with his paw.

"And I'm choosing Ambipom!" Dawn exclaimed, "I get the feeling Ambipom really likes Pokémon Ping-Pong, and Barry agrees." Ambipom chattered happily, affirming Dawn's statement.

"I'm next! Azurill and I are gonna wipe the floor with you guys!" Misty exclaimed determinedly.

"Azu Azu!" (Yeah!) Azurill affirmed.

"Me next, I'm entering with Prinplup." Kenny said, "I guess this could be fun, maybe it'll be worth staying an extra day."

"Of course it'll be worth it! Come on, stop being such a party pooper, you're with your friends, you're with me! This is gonna be great!" Dawn exclaimed.

"If you say so." Kenny sighed, smirking at his childhood friend.

Finally Barry was the last one, and the woman glared at him as he filled out the information, "I'm going with Empoleon." he said quietly. Barry handed the woman his paperwork, and slinked around the corner of the building, not wanting to feel the woman's sharp gaze on him anymore.

"That was…un-Barry-like to say the least." Dawn commented.

"He probably wants to get as far away from her as possible." Misty laughed.

"Well after the rude introduction, I'm not surprised." Kenny added.

"So Brock, are you sure you won't join us?" Dawn asked.

"I'm sure. Which means it's the bleachers for me and Piplup." Brock replied. Piplup didn't mind staying back to cheer everyone else on, he actually enjoyed Brock's company a lot, "Hey, what happened to Barry?" Brock asked.

"I think he went around the corner." Ash replied.

"Guess we should see what's going on then." Kenny added.

The group walked over to where Barry had snuck away to, and saw a designated area with at least half a dozen Ping-Pong tables ready and waiting to be practiced on, "Wow, look at all the practice Ping-Pong tables they have available." Brock said.

"That's great! That means we'll be able to get in plenty of practice Ambipom!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Ambi pom!" (Great!)

"Well Mist, seeing as there isn't much time until the competition starts, whaddya say we have a practice match to warm things up?" Ash suggested.

"I get the feeling it won't be long before things get heated between you two, given your overly-competitive natures. You won't need much 'warming up'." Brock replied.

"Give us a break Brock, we're not kids anymore, we can control ourselves! You got a deal Ash! C'mon Azurill, let's go show Ash what you're made of!" Misty exclaimed.

"Azu azu!" (Yeah!)

The two ran towards a Ping-Pong table, and the two Pokémon hopped onto the table and got ready to play, "Alright Mist, I'll serve first! Remember, only the trainer is allowed to serve!" Ash said.

"I heard the rules the first time; you don't have to remind me! I'll be sure to remind YOU when YOU forget though!" Misty countered.

"Oh now you've gone and done it! Now we're going all out! Here it comes!" Ash served the little plastic ball and it bounced across the table towards Misty and Azurill.

Misty easily swung the ball back at Ash and Pikachu, "You're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna beat us!"

Pikachu smacked the ball with his tail back towards Azurill, "Nice job buddy!" Ash exclaimed. Azurill readied herself to swing back, but the ball bounced too high for the Polka Dot Pokémon, and the ball bounced off the table and into the nearby bushes, giving Ash and Pikachu a point, "Yeah! Way to go Pikachu, you scored a point!" Ash cheered.

Misty came back after retrieving the orange Ping-Pong ball, and consoled her disheartened young Pokémon, "Don't worry about it, we'll get that point back!" Misty said. Azurill sighed sadly and turned away from Misty, "Hey, come on now, no crying! You're a big Pokémon now, remember?" Azurill hesitated, but eventually turned towards Misty, who gave Azurill a thumbs-up in return. Azurill smiled and turned back towards the table, ready to go. "That's the spirit! Ok Ash, serve it up!"

"Ok Mist!" Ash served the ball again, and Misty once again hit the ball back over the table. Pikachu then hit the ball again, and again the ball took a high bounce. But instead of allowing the ball to go over her head, Azurill leaped up and did a forward somersault and smashed the ball back down over the net with her tail. The ball bounced over Ash and Pikachu, much to their shock, and gave Misty and Azurill the point.

"Azu zu!" (I did it!) Azurill cheered, bouncing up and down on her tail.

"Alright Azurill! That was incredible!" Misty grabbed her young Pokémon and embraced her tightly, Azurill had really stepped up, and Misty couldn't be prouder even if she tried, "Now let's keep this going and win this match!"

"Your serve Mist." Ash said.

So while Ash and Misty duked it out on the Ping-Pong table, Dawn and Kenny moved on to their own table, "I wonder where Barry went." Dawn said curiously.

"He's probably cowering in a corner somewhere, after the bowling ball act he pulled; I'd be trying to lay low too." Kenny laughed.

"Yeah probably." Dawn grabbed a paddle and Ping-Pong paddle, while Ambipom joined her on her left, "Ready to go a round?"

"You got it! Alright Prinplup, come on out!" Kenny tossed a Pokéball, and his starter Pokémon emerged and joined Kenny by the Ping-Pong table, "I'll serve first; I might as well try to get into a groove early on." Kenny served the Ping-Pong ball, and it bounced over to Dawn's side of the table. The female coordinator crossed over and smacked the little orange ball back over to Kenny's side, and the two volleyed for a while, just trying to get the other to falter. Finally Dawn was able to hit the ball hard enough that Kenny couldn't react fast enough, "Get it Prinplup!" Kenny shouted.

Prinplup spun and did a hard backhand smash with its flipper, and the ball bounced on the tip of the corner of the table, and bounced high up into the air out of Dawn's reach. "Oh no!" But before the ball could get very far, Ambipom leaped up and used her two tails and smashed the ball so hard, that it actually ignited with flame from the speed it was moving at and forced Kenny and Prinplup to leap out of the way to avoid being hit in the face, but by doing that, they paved the way for the ball to fly towards a man who had been watching the match intently, "Look out!" Dawn cried.

The man didn't even bother to move; instead he caught the ball without so much as flinching, and smiled as he examined the ball that had just been hit by Ambipom. Kenny and Dawn hurried over to the man and apologize, "Sorry! Are you ok?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine! That Ambipom of yours has excellent reflexes and good thrusts in those power shots that I'm guessing comes from rigorous daily training right?" the man asked, as he handed the Ping-Pong ball back to Dawn.

"Well…actually if you REALLY wanna know, this is her very first time." Dawn replied bashfully. Ambipom chattered behind her in agreement.

"Impressive. It's great to see new teams involved, I would say the main thing is don't worry about making mistakes and do your best, have fun!" the man walked away and waved goodbye to the two teens.

"You bet!" they replied, as they watched the man walk away.

Brock walked up to the two coordinators with a smile on his face, "Check this out you two." Brock showed them a pamphlet he was holding.

"Whoa…that's the same guy we were just talking to!" Dawn exclaimed.

"He must be the reigning champion, or a Pokémon Ping-Pong celebrity or something!" Kenny added.

Just as their minds were getting over being star-struck, they heard Ash cheering with joy. They looked and noticed that Misty was sulking with her arms crossed over her chest bitterly, "Looks like Ash beat Misty this time." Dawn laughed.

"That's a very dangerous thing to do." Brock also laughed.

A few more matches took place, and eventually an announcement came over the loudspeaker that all the contestants were to enter the stadium. When that happened, Barry came out of nowhere and rejoined the group, and together they all walked in and looked on in awe at the size of the event.

They noticed a giant electronic screen that showed how the competition would work, with brackets for all the contestants entered, "So it's tournament style huh? Well Dawn, it looks like that means if we both win in the first and second round, we get to go up against each other!" Ash said.

"Then I'll see you in round three!" Dawn replied.

"You keep forgetting that Azurill and I are entered too, and guess what? If Ash and I win our FIRST rounds, we get to go up against each other!" Misty exclaimed.

"Hey yeah! But I don't have to worry about that, me and Pikachu already proved we can beat you outside!" Ash replied.

"You got lucky, that's all! You won't win again!" Misty quipped back.

"Well, looks like I won't be running into any of YOU unless you somehow make into the semi-finals." Barry said cockily, his hands on his hips with pride, "Of course WE'LL be fine but YOU guys it'll be near impossible."

"We'll see about that!" Dawn replied.

"Yeah, don't underestimate us, 'cause we'll surprise you!" Kenny replied.

"Hey guys, what's up with that bracket all by itself?" Misty asked.

They looked closer, and Dawn gasped, "That's the same guy from before!"

Barry practically squealed in horror at Dawn's description and his pupils shrunk from his frustration, "NYAAAH! GUY? Excuse me folks but for your information that GUY happens to be none other than O! He's last year's winner with a rep of being the strongest ever! And the fans really respect him because he searches high and low for strong trainers and Pokémon to help spread the good word of Pokémon Ping-Pong, and he does it all over the world!"

"Who knew?" Ash said, "Sounds like a cool guy alright."

"He's cool alright, but we're gonna beat that cool guy and shove him off the throne!" Barry leaned in towards Ash and grinned smugly, "Now PLEASE make sure to give it all you got ok?" he said mockingly.

"No problem, you better give it your all too, because I'm coming for you!" Ash replied.

Suddenly a whistle blew, which got the attention of the group, "Attention all Ping-Pong athletes, it's time to begin, so gather around here please!" a woman announced into a microphone.

"Well this is it; we'll see you guys in the tournament!" Brock was about to walk away and head to the bleachers, when a light flashed from Ash's Pokéball belt, "Hey, it's Riolu."

Riolu leaped up and down with excitement in front of Ash, "What is it Riolu?" he asked.

"If you ask me, I think Riolu wants to play too." Misty said.

"Aww man…" Ash knelt down in front of Riolu and smiled sadly at him, "I'm sorry Riolu, but I already registered with Pikachu as my partner." he said. Riolu drooped his head in sadness at that statement, "Hey, don't worry about it," Ash tilted Riolu's head back up towards him, "Why don't you go with Brock and Piplup and go cheer for us?" Suddenly another light flashed, this time from Dawn's belt, "And Buneary too apparently." Ash laughed. Riolu thought about it for a moment, and gave a small smile to his trainer, "That's the spirit." Ash hugged the baby Pokémon and handed him to Brock, who placed the Emanation Pokémon on his shoulder, "Take good care of Riolu, Brocko."

"You have nothing to fear, Pokémon Breeder Brock is here!" Brock replied heroically, joking with his younger friend. Brock then went back to his usual responsible behavior, "Come on you guys, let's all get going." Brock walked away with Riolu on his shoulder, and Piplup and Buneary hurrying after him.

Finally all of the competitors had gathered together, "Alright athletes, the winners of this competition will receive these solid gold Ping-Pong balls, and the supplementary prize is a year's supply of special Pokémon food! So best of luck in winning a prize!" the woman announced.

"That was the prize for the Squallville Pokéringer competition; does that Pokémon food company sponsor all these events?" Misty asked.

"That could be, I would think it's a great way to get their product out there." Kenny replied.

"Oh who cares about the prize? I'm here to kick some can!" Barry shouted excitedly.

"We'll see whose can gets kicked…" Ash grumbled to himself.

"Alright competitors, get to your tables and standby!" the announcer exclaimed.

The competitors did just that, and Dawn found herself matched up against a scientist with an Alakazam, Ash was ready to take on a hefty boy with a Farfetch'd, Barry was set to take on a teenage girl with a Grovyle, Misty was going up against a young girl with a Chikorita, and Kenny was going up against a guy with a cowboy hat and his Machamp.

"Ok guys; don't forget we're here to have fun!" Ash yelled a little too loudly.

"Ash that's a fan!" Dawn shouted.

Ash blinked a few times and shouted in shock, it was clear that Ash was either nervous, or overexcited, as he had actually grabbed a hand fan instead of a Ping-Pong paddle, "Aah! Oh no!" Ash dropped the fan and grabbed his paddle and stared at it.

"Ash what's the matter with you? Why are you panicking?" Misty asked.

"I'm not panicking! I'm just really excited!" Ash shouted angrily.

"Ash, just try to relax, please?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, you're not getting anywhere if you're freaking out." Misty added.

"Alright, alright…" Ash took a deep breath and regained his composure, "Ok, let's get this competition started!"

"That's the way! Just have fun! That's why I'M here!" Kenny exclaimed from the table across from them.

"Oh good, that means I'll move on ahead and leave you in my dust!" Barry cackled.

"I'll show you who'll move on ahead…" Kenny growled silently.

Back in the stands, Brock and the Pokémon were watching intently, "So the guy with the Farfetch'd is well known too…looks like Ash has his work cut out for him in this first round…" Brock said to himself.

Ash's first round began, and he won the coin toss which allowed him to serve first, "Alright, here goes!" Ash smashed the ball back to his opponent, and they volleyed the ball back and forth for a few rounds before the ball got past Ash, "Pikachu, get it!" he shouted. Pikachu leaped up and smashed the ball back with his tail, and their opponent was caught off-guard as it bounced in front of him and went way up over his reach, "Yeah, that's a point for us!" But Ash was premature in his celebration, as the boy's Farfetch'd flew up and smashed the ball back down with its stick, and the ball nailed Ash right in the chin, knocking the trainer down to the floor with a painful thud, "I'm fine! Sorry Pikachu."

"That's a point for Wilkinson!" the referee announced.

Wilkinson snickered with his Farfetch'd, it was very clear to him now that he had the advantage over Ash and Pikachu.

"Hey! I saw that creep! NOBODY abuses my boyfriend without paying for it!" Misty hissed from her table.

"You gotta win if you wanna try and bill me though." Wilkinson chortled.

"You just wait!" Misty snapped.

"Don't Worry Mist; I'm not going down that easy!" Ash exclaimed.

Meanwhile at another table, Dawn was facing off against her opponent and his Alakazam, and the four players volleyed back and forth with fierce intensity, none of them willing to give up a point for anything. Finally Dawn got off a really good hit, but the Alakazam got in front of the ball and crossed its arms to try and confuse Dawn as to which the direction the ball would go, "Right or left…so which way will it go?" Dawn carefully studied the Alakazam's hand movements, and determined which way the ball would go, "Ambipom, to the left!" she shouted. Ambipom switched places with Dawn and got ready to receive the hit, but then Alakazam swung a vicious backhand, that made the ball bounce in the opposite direction, graze the corner of the table, and bounce away from Dawn, "No way!"

"Good! Scientist team, point!" the referee announced.

The scientist and his Alakazam chortled with pride, just like with Ash and his opponent; they felt that Dawn was clearly no match for them.

"Hey you! If you beat Dee Dee you're gonna have to get through me afterwards!" Kenny shouted from his table.

"Kenny!" Dawn hissed angrily.

"Dee Dee huh? What's that? His petname for you?" the scientist laughed.

"Even if it was I wouldn't tell you!" Dawn growled, "And YOU!" she shouted, turning her attention back towards Kenny, "Don't call me Dee Dee!"

"Sorry, it was a slip of the tongue I swear!" Kenny defended.

Misty watched from her table and sighed, she was doing alright against her opponent, as Azurill was really stepping up and playing hard, _"Maybe having him stay wasn't such a good idea…"_

Dawn took the ball and got ready to serve again, "I guess I won't be able to tell whether they're going to hit to the right or to the left until right before they actually do it…" Dawn served the ball, and Alakazam immediately got into position to hit the ball again, "Which direction?" Dawn exclaimed to herself. Alakazam hit the ball, and again the ball had a backspin on it. Dawn shielded herself thinking she was about to get hit, and the ball flew right by her, but this time Ambipom had taken it upon herself to be ready, and faked hitting the ball with one tail, and then slammed it back towards the scientist with the other, "Hey, that's an idea! We can return fire using your two tails!" Dawn exclaimed. The ball flew towards the scientist at high speed, and he too shielded himself from getting hit out of instinct. The ball bounced lazily into the air towards Ambipom, and the two-tailed monkey leaped up and hit the ball even harder than last time. Once again the ball ignited with flame, and it passed the scientist and his Alakazam before they could even react, giving Dawn and Ambipom a point. "Thanks so much Ambipom! Now let's keep this up!"

The rounds continued. Ash and Pikachu were eliminated by their expert opponents and moved on to the second round, while Dawn and Ambipom were able to defeat the scientist and his Alakazam. Misty and Barry also moved on against their opponents, while Kenny wasn't as lucky as his opponent's Machamp's four arms caused too much unpredictability for them to keep up.

"Man…we lost…" Ash grumbled.

"I gotta say, this is tougher than I originally thought it'd be, I'll take Pokémon contests over this any day." Kenny added, as he too sat down on the bleachers.

"Don't feel bad you guys, it was your first time." Brock replied.

"Yeah, but I let Pikachu down…I'm sorry buddy…" Ash sighed, rubbing his Pokémon best friend's head. Pikachu squeaked in reassurance for his master. Then Riolu, who had sensed his master's sad aura, hopped over to him from next to Brock and fell into Ash's lap, smiling at him in an attempt to cheer him up, "Aww, thanks Riolu." Riolu squealed in response.

"At least YOU have someone to make you feel better, Dawn's probably really mad at me." Kenny sighed.

"Well you DID use that name she hates so much again." Ash replied.

"I didn't mean anything by it! I was trying to defend her!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it Kenny, just stay here and cheer her on, she'll get over it eventually." Brock reassured.

"I guess so, but I still don't like the idea of her hating me…" Kenny replied.

"She doesn't hate you Kenny, you're her best friend!" Ash said.

"You really think so?" Kenny asked.

"I KNOW so! Just relax and cheer her on and she'll appreciate it!" Ash replied.

"Yeah…thanks Ash!" Kenny said happily.

"You know, we may have lost, but on the other hand, Misty and Dawn are doing pretty good, that first round really showed what they can do!" Ash said.

"Yeah, Azurill's really stepped up and is giving Misty a lot of help. And as for Ambipom, it's INCREDIBLE what she's been able to do, you would never know that it's Ambipom's first time after what we just saw." Brock replied.

"Well…" the man who had been sitting next to Brock said, "That team that beat Jess…alinlin…Halverson and Marowak is who she'll be facing in the second round."

"Yeah, they seemed good." Kenny commented.

Suddenly Riolu started growling at the man, which earned confusion from everyone, except for the man himself who was now worried. "Hey, what's the matter Riolu?" Ash asked.

"Perhaps your Riolu is merely upset at the fact that you lost in the first round!" the man exclaimed suddenly, "Well I must be off! Unfortunately I do have business to attend to! Ciao!" the man hurried off, leaving the teens confused once again.

"Is that it Riolu? You're upset that we lost?" Ash asked. Riolu shook his head almost feverishly, he had sensed something evil nearby, but now the feeling was gone, "Then what was it Riolu?" Ash asked. Riolu dropped his shoulders and sighed, unable to give Ash any sort of answer. "Hey, don't worry about it, look, Misty's still in the competition! She'll take out that guy with the Farfetch'd!" Ash said. Riolu sighed and turned back around in Ash's lap so that he was facing the competition, Ash hadn't gotten the message, but it didn't matter, since the evil feeling was gone.

Back at the tables, Misty was ready to go up against Wilkinson and his Farfetch'd, who was still snickering at his previous victory. "You're gonna pay for smacking my boyfriend in the face like that!" Misty hissed.

"Oh please, I'll take you down just as easily as I took down your loser boyfriend…of course if you wanna ditch the dork and attach yourself to a real Ping-Pong celebrity, I'd be more than happy to take you as some personal arm candy, having a sexy chick like you would get me past O on the Ping-Pong popularity scale." Wilkinson snickered.

"That guy just made a pass at Misty!" Ash growled furiously, both his and Riolu's fists clenched in anger.

Misty smirked at Wilkinson and chuckled almost evilly, "You my friend, have just crossed the line, now you're REALLY gonna get it, whether you win or not." she replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wilkinson asked suspiciously.

"Oh I wouldn't wanna spoil the surprise, let's just play this match, and if I happen to win, MAYBE I'll let you off the hook." Misty replied.

"Kick his can Misty!" Ash shouted from the stands.

Misty turned towards the bleachers and winked cutely at Ash, her fingers placed in a peace sign.

Then the match started, and they volleyed the Ping-Pong ball back and forth for a little while, before Wilkinson managed to smack the ball hard enough that it bounced over Misty's head, "Jump Azurill!" she cried. Azurill jumped up and used her tail to smash the ball back down towards Farfetch'd, "Nice save Azurill!" But unfortunately, Farfetch'd was more than ready to counter, and used its stick to smash the ball back towards Azurill, who got hit in the face and fell into Misty's arms with a welt on her face, "Azurill, are you ok?" Misty asked worriedly. Misty growled with rage towards Wilkinson, who just chuckled smugly.

"Guess that makes Farfetch'd two for two." Wilkinson snickered.

"You disgusting…slimy pile of trash, how dare you even THINK about doing something so cruel to a Pokémon? And then to consider it as an ACCOMPLISHMENT? You make me wanna hurl…" Misty gave Wilkinson a sneer like she never had before. She may have been treating Azurill more like an adult Pokémon, but she still refused to allow any sort of abuse to come to her precious baby, and in this case, it was well-justified, however what Azurill did next was next may not have been. Azurill fired a 'Water Gun' at Farfetch'd in pure anger, and the normal/flying-type was knocked back onto the floor with a wet plop, "Azurill…" Misty said in shock.

"Hey, that was a clear violation of the rules! I demand that you have her disqualified from the competition!" Wilkinson shouted at the referee.

"You can't disqualify me, I quit! And by the way, I WAS gonna hit you in the head with my trusty mallet…" Misty pulled out her mallet and swung it threateningly, which made Wilkinson flinch in fear, "But I think I'll let Azurill have the last move instead!" Azurill fired another 'Water Gun', this time towards Wilkinson, and he coughed up the water that had hit his face before growling at Misty in anger, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a boyfriend to go to and friends to cheer on."

"You tell him Misty!" Ash cheered from the stands, with Riolu jumping up and down in happiness. Pikachu would've been doing the same, but he was busy getting a soothing back rub from Buneary. There was also some scattered applause in the stands that was caused by Misty's standing up to Wilkinson, it was obvious that not a lot of people approved of his attitude towards what he had done to the young Pokémon.

"Hey you! I hope you wind up going up against me, because I wanna get you back for messing with my friend!" Barry shouted angrily.

"Did you hear that?" Ash asked.

"Barry just called Misty his friend…" Kenny added.

"Guess Barry has a chivalrous side too." Brock also commented.

By now Misty had come to the stands as well, not at all regretting forfeiting the match, "I heard what he said, and I'm glad he feels that way about it…because if he didn't, I would've been VERY angry." Misty said jokingly.

"Well, this leaves just Dawn and Barry in the competition, let's cheer them on!" Ash exclaimed.

The rounds continued on without further interruption. Barry was able to defeat his second round opponent, a boy and his Hitmontop, and Dawn was also able to defeat Halverson and Marowak thanks to an incredible diving save by Ambipom, and that match had not gone unnoticed by a certain bystander. "They COULDN'T have just started playing Pokémon Ping-Pong already could they?"

Unfortunately for Barry, the tournament branches didn't allow Barry to take on Wilkinson in round three, instead, it would be Dawn who would get to take on the overly pompous Ping-Pong player. "Since Barry won't get to, it looks like I get to be the one who makes sure that justice is served!" Dawn exclaimed.

Unlike he had done for his previous two opponents, Wilkinson did NOT snicker at Dawn and Ambipom, he had observed very carefully what they could do, and he knew that they could be a serious threat to his continuation in the competition. And that assumption would prove to be correct, as Dawn and Wilkinson rallied for quite a while, neither one of them willing to give up a point. It did take forever, but eventually it came down to one final point between the two of them. "Alright Ambipom, let's do this for our friends!" she exclaimed.

"It all comes down to this; Dawn either wins or loses here and now." Misty said, as she literally sat on the edge of her seat.

"Come on Dawn, take this loser down!" Kenny shouted.

Dawn felt a slight adrenaline rush when she heard Kenny's cheer, she hadn't quickly gotten over the Dee Dee comment, in all honesty, she KNEW right from the start that Kenny had every intention to defend her at that time, she knew very well that he didn't want to offend her, and truth be told, if he had used the name in private, she wouldn't have reacted so violently towards him. But now his voice was bolstering her forward, and she was more determined than ever to come out on top. Dawn served the ball, and Wilkinson decided to go for broke and start right off with a powerful smash shot that bounced in front of Dawn and began flying high into the sky and way out of range of retrieval, "No, Ambipom get it!"

The referee was about to declare Wilkinson the winner, but Ambipom was not going down without a fight. The two-tailed monkey ran as fast as she could to get into range of the ball, leapt off an empty table to get airborne, and swung her tails with all her might to return the ball back to the correct table. The entire audience gasped in either shock or horror as the ball flew through the air, waiting to see whether or not it would make it all the way to the correct end of the table. _"Come on…come on…!"_ Dawn thought fearfully. She could feel her heart pounding furiously in her chest, she was afraid that if she even breathed the wrong way, the ball would catch her breath and fall short of the table. Finally the ball reached the table, and it started losing altitude at a scarily fast pace. Dawn felt her heart skip a beat as it flew past her head, and grazed the top of the Ping-Pong net and bounced onto Wilkinson's end of the table, "You did it Ambipom!"

Wilkinson swung his paddle to try and return, but the ball bounced too high and fast for him, which left only Farfetch'd to save the match. Farfetch'd flew up and swung its stick, but the sheer speed that the ball was moving caused Farfetch'd to aim its swing wrong, and the ball shanked to the left and bounced way out of bounds, giving Dawn and Ambipom the win. "They…won?" Wilkinson groaned in agony.

The crowd was so awed that for a few seconds after the ball landed, you could hear a pin drop. Then the referee made the call, "Game and match, Team Dawn!"

The entire audience erupted into applause, as Dawn had pulled off the biggest upset of the entire competition, and also salvaged the honor of Misty and her Azurill, who had been purposely hurt by Wilkinson and his Farfetch'd. "Misty said you'd pay for what you did! And guess what? Payment is usually REAL expensive!" Dawn exclaimed smugly, sticking her tongue out at Wilkinson. Then Dawn knelt down and hugged Ambipom tightly, "Thank you Ambipom, it wouldn't have happened without you? You ran after that Ping-Pong ball and saved the match!"

Wilkinson threw his Ping-Pong paddle onto the floor and stormed out of the stadium with rage, earning boos from most of the audience because of his bad sportsmanship. He had been so smug about beating Ash and Misty, but after running into Dawn, his streak had been abruptly and shockingly put to an end. And just like her previous match, one very important person had observed her match very carefully, "Incredible talent…"

"Dawn and Ambipom did it! I can't believe it!" Ash exclaimed.

"I can! I always knew she had it in her!" Kenny replied.

"Are you talking about Dawn or Ambipom?" Misty asked.

"I guess I'm talking about both of them, after all, if it weren't for Ambipom, it'd be Wilkinson moving on instead of Dawn." Kenny replied.

"I REALLY can't believe how Dawn and Ambipom just keep getting better and better with every Ping-Pong match." Brock said.

"But after seeing what Ambipom could do when I was practicing with Dawn, somehow I'm not TOO surprised with what I've seen so far, if I didn't know that we had all learned about Pokémon Ping-Pong a few days ago, I would've assumed that Ambipom had been trained to play Ping-Pong all her life." Kenny added.

Dawn and Ambipom had earned a break after their match, and Dawn was currently wiping her face with a cool, damp washcloth, while Ambipom just sat on the bench they were sitting on next to her. A few moments later, Barry and Empoleon came up to her, "Hey Barry." she said, her fatigue making itself known through her voice.

"I gotta admit Dawn, you and Ambipom have made it a lot farther than I thought you would, and you really made that creep Wilkinson and his Farfetch'd look like total losers, I was laughing out loud! And to top it all off, you gained vengeance for Ash and Misty! I wanted to take that job on myself, but I'm proud to say that the Twinleaf Trio has more than one strong branch!" Barry said.

"Uh, thanks Barry…I guess…" Dawn sweat-dropped at Barry's attempt at a compliment, as sincere as it sounded, it still sounded pretty arrogant…but…it WAS Barry after all, so she didn't expect anything less, "Looks like you're gonna have your work cut out for you this time, going up against O."

"Nah, just watch this, I'm gonna dethrone that Ping-Pong celebrity and take his spot on the top of the Pokémon Ping-Pong universe!" Barry exclaimed confidently.

"Well good luck then Barry, we're all rooting for you." Dawn replied.

"Even Misty? I gotta say, I don't like the idea of knowing someone who hates me." Barry said with a sincere frown.

"Oh Barry, I'm sure Misty doesn't HATE you, she just…disagrees on some of your…certain views." Dawn replied.

"Gah, I'm worrying about something stupid, something asinine! In fact it's not just asinine, it's asinine, asi-ten, asi-eleven, asi-twelve! I've only got one thing to focus on, and that's beating O! Wish me luck Dawn, I'm gonna take you on in the semi-finals!" Barry rushed off to his table, but not before saying, "Don't ask me how I know what asinine means, it's just something I picked up one day."

"What in the world does asinine mean?" Dawn asked herself. Ambipom just chattered with confusion.

The announcer began speaking again, as the next two competitors, Barry and O, got ready to face off against each other, "Our two hardworking new competitors Dawn and Ambipom have made it to the A block all the way up to this point, but while they take a well-deserved breather, up next we've got Barry and Empoleon versus O and Shiftry!"

"Well Empoleon, Dawn and Ambipom are REALLY going for it, but first up we're gonna make quick work of O, and THEN we take those two on! After all that's what totally awesome champions do! You ready to go Empoleon?" Barry asked, getting into his ready stance.

"Empoleon!" (Sure am!)

Barry served the ball, and O quickly returned the ball back to them. Empoleon then swung at the ball with a strong backhand that made the ball bounce up over O's head. "Way to go Empoleon!" But then O ducked, and Shiftry leaped up over O's head and got ready to strike back, "Huh? What's up with that?" Barry yelled in total shock. Shiftry smashed the ball right through the gap between Barry and Empoleon, which caused them both to gasp in shock.

"That's it! The famous delayed attack!" the announcer exclaimed.

"The O and Shiftry team, point!" the referee shouted, raising his right arm to signal the point.

"Incredible technique…whoa…" Dawn said in awe, her eyes wide from what she had just seen. Ambipom on the other hand, was getting herself pumped for the next round. And after a relatively quick match, it was revealed that Dawn and Ambipom would face off against O, as he had made quick work of Barry and Empoleon, not the other way around.

"And the winner is the team of O and Ambipom!" the announcer exclaimed.

"Oh man…I got my paddle handed to me…" Barry groaned.

"Don't feel bad, you and Empoleon put up a great effort, I had a lot of fun!" O replied.

"Gee, thanks Mr. O!" Barry said excitedly, happy to have gotten a compliment from the legendary Ping-Pong player.

"I hope to see you and your Empoleon again in future competitions, don't ever give up!" O said with a thumbs-up.

"You got it!" Barry ran off in high spirits, and ran by Dawn before heading off to the stands, "It's up to you Dawn! Make the Twinleaf Trio proud!"

"Alright Ambipom…let's do this!" Dawn said. The duo got up and headed over to the table, where O was waiting for them.

"The winner of the B block has already been decided, the team of Theodore and Gliscor. We still have one match left remaining in the A block, it's the Dawn and Ambipom team versus the O and Shiftry team, so don't anyone move from their seats!" the announcer exclaimed.

"What do you think Misty?" Ash asked.

"I really don't know, after seeing how easily O and Shiftry took down Barry and Empoleon, it's obvious that they're real experts at this, but on the other hand, Ambipom's raw talent has been the big factor in all of their matches." Misty replied.

"I have no doubt they can pull this off, just you watch!" Kenny exclaimed.

Kenny's optimism would prove to be slightly premature, as O and Shiftry were able to get into an early ten to six lead, with Ambipom doing all sorts of acrobatic moves to prevent half of their opponents' scores. After yet another delayed smash, both Dawn and Ambipom dove to the ground to try and save the ball, but neither one of them were able to get there in time. _"Incredible…they're just too strong for us…"_

"O and Shiftry team, game point!" the referee announced.

"What's wrong with Dawn? They're not moving as well as they were before!" Ash said nervously.

"They've been completely dominated by O and Shiftry's moves, and their teamwork is falling apart!" Brock replied.

"It's no wonder, even I was intimidated by O and Shiftry, the only reason Dawn's lasted so long is because Ambipom's been jumping all over the place!" Barry added.

Back down on the field, Dawn was indeed feeling very intimidated by O and Shiftry, as she suddenly felt very small and helpless against their incredibly effective teamwork. She shut her eyes and tried to slow her shaky breathing, _"Relax, relax, relax, relax!" _Dawn then felt a large hand tap her shoulder, she looked and saw Ambipom jumping up and down with determination…she appreciated the effort to encourage her but, she still felt there was nothing she could do.

"Dawn's looking defeated…" Misty said sadly.

Kenny looked at Misty, and then back at Dawn. She had a point, Dawn looked like she was ready to drop to her knees and give up, and it hurt him to see her so low, so utterly helpless…he could feel his heart aching for her, although he wasn't sure why exactly. But…he could make a good guess; he decided he had to try something, for Dawn's sake. "Hey Dawn!" he shouted, "Don't you give up now! You gotta stay true to you and Ambipom, and the true you NEVER gives up! You hear me? Never! NEVER!"

Dawn heard every word Kenny had said, and she suddenly felt an unexplainable energy boost flow through her body like water bursting through a broken dam. She had just needed some cheering on, but not from just anyone of course, the fact that it was Kenny, who at this moment in time was the frontrunner to earn her affections, made the encouragement that much more effective. Dawn turned towards the stands and locked eyes with Kenny, who was raising a fist in the air to try and give her more reassurance. Dawn nodded and returned the gesture, and turned back towards O and Shiftry, who didn't look so big and scary to her anymore, her confidence had been puffed back up by Kenny's heartening words, "Alright Ambipom, we're not finished yet, let's do our best and get back in this thing!"

O smiled as he held the Ping-Pong ball in his hand, he had to admit, the scene was touching, and Dawn and Ambipom had impressed him all throughout the tournament. If anything, he was glad the small delay had reignited Dawn's fire. O finally got ready to serve the ball, "Glad to see you're focused in again! Here it comes!" O served it, and Dawn got ready to return, when suddenly the ball made a funky bounce towards Ambipom's end of the table.

"Ambipom, quick!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom got there in plenty of time and faked hitting the ball with one tail and spun around to hit it with the other. O countered by following Shiftry to the ball, and getting out of the way at the last possible moment to allow Shiftry to make the return, "No! Not this time!" Dawn had been reenergized by Kenny's cheering, and she was ready for their signature move. She swung her paddle and hit the ball…but she suddenly felt horrified when the ball started floating lazily high in the air, "My paddle! No!" Dawn's paddle had been shattered by the sheer power of Shiftry's smash, leaving her without any means of winning.

"Well, a win is a win so I'll take it." O smashed the ball back; confident that without a paddle, there was no way Dawn could do anything to stop him. Dawn gasped and shielded her face from the incoming ball, but Ambipom refused to say die, and jumped in front of the coordinator and returned the ball back to O, who was shocked at what he had just seen, "How did it return my shot like that?" O smashed the ball back at Ambipom, who simply returned it again, "Unbelievable…"

"This is beyond belief! Ambipom is covering for Dawn's paddle by taking on O AND Shiftry at the same time!" the announcer exclaimed.

"Ambipom…" Dawn gasped. Ambipom shifted into overdrive, and was now making save after save and preventing O and Shiftry from getting even one more point, while at the same time evening out the score and eventually getting to a tie of eleven points. Dawn's eyes filled up with tears as she saw her beloved monkey fight her way back from the incredible deficit, never had she seen such determination come from her Pokémon before, Ambipom was just SO locked in, it was almost as if Ambipom knew what was going to happen before it did…it astounded Dawn just how much Ambipom cared, and it moved her that this incredibly passionate Pokémon was in her possession, "You can do it Ambipom!"

"I can't believe this is really happening!" Ash exclaimed in awe.

"Ambipom's covering for Dawn, and it seems like there's no stopping her!" Brock added.

"But Dawn's just standing there watching, she has to get back into it!" Misty also commented.

"Dawn, don't just stand there! Grab a paddle and get back in it!" Kenny shouted, earning glances from his friends.

Dawn blinked a few times and wiped her tears hastily, as Kenny's outburst had once again broken her self-inflicted trance. She grabbed a replacement paddle and got back into place next to Ambipom, who smiled brightly at her return, "Ambipom, thanks…now let's win this!"

"I'm impressed." O said, "But I'm the champion," he got ready to serve, "And there's NO WAY I'm gonna let you win! This! Match!" O served the ball with a strength and determination that outdid any of his previous serves in his whole career, never had anyone gotten so close to beating him in a match before, so he decided to go all out and finish it with one power serve. Dawn and Ambipom tensed as the ball whizzed towards them at amazing velocity, and Ambipom made her move and smashed the ball with both tails, which ignited the ball once more, "Now Shiftry!" O shouted. Shiftry jumped up and returned the ball, and due to the speed the ball was already moving, not even Ambipom could move fast enough to save it, which gave O the win. "An amazing match I have to say." O chuckled.

"I…can't…believe it…" Dawn mumbled in disbelief.

"Game! And the winner is the team of O and Shiftry! But what an incredible match to decide the finalist!" the announcer exclaimed.

The crowd gave Dawn and Ambipom a standing ovation, as the two walked out, feeling defeated and downhearted.

"Aww Dee Dee…" Kenny whispered sympathetically, as he watched his best friend walk out of the stadium.

"Come on guys, let's go after her." Brock said.

"Right Brock." the group replied. Together the whole group left the stadium, with the exception of Barry who was curious to see who would win the entire competition, and he had informed his departing friends that he wouldn't be going back to the Pokémon Center, he had to get a head start on Ash after all, after the competition was over, he'd be back on the road. He also had to make sure his bet with Ash was won, but he told them to give Dawn his condolences on the loss.

Back in the Pokémon Center, Dawn had taken Ambipom to Nurse Joy, since Ambipom had just about passed out on the way there, her adrenaline had finally worn off and she began feeling the fatigue from all the Ping-Pong matches. As Dawn sat and waited for Nurse Joy to return with Ambipom, she heard over the Pokémon Center intercom that O had indeed won the entire competition. She wasn't surprised of course, O was the champion for a reason, he and Shiftry moved as one all the way through. The light above the door of the recovery room dimmed, and out walked Nurse Joy and Chansey, "Nurse Joy, how's Ambipom?"

"Ambipom was extremely exhausted but there were no actual injuries, you have nothing to worry about." Nurse Joy reassured.

"Thanks so much Nurse Joy." Dawn bowed with relief, and then Ambipom walked out to greet her master. Dawn squatted down in front of Ambipom, "Ambipom, I'm sorry I put so much responsibility on your shoulders, while…I did nothing." Dawn said. Ambipom just chattered happily, she held no ill-will towards Dawn whatsoever.

"Dawn?"

Dawn looked up and saw O walking towards her; she stood up to face him, "Mr. O."

"I witnessed tremendous skill during our match; I would love to train what could be the most powerful Pokémon Ping-Pong players yet!" O said excitedly.

Dawn gasped and then giggled bashfully, "I do appreciate the offer but it's Pokémon CONTESTS that really interest me. Today I realized that I still have a whole lot of training to do."

"I'm sorry, but the truth is it's AMBIPOM I wanna train with, not you." O said.

"Uh…Ambipom?" Dawn asked hesitantly, looking down towards her Pokémon who was also confused.

O leaned over and directed his attention directly towards Ambipom, "You see, I'm very impressed with your abilities, I wanna take you to the very top of the Pokémon Ping-Pong world!" O exclaimed, as he swung his arm to simulate swinging a paddle. O's excitement riled Ambipom up, as she began swinging her tails as if she was playing Ping-Pong again. O then turned her attention back to Dawn, "Dawn, I do hope that you'll think about it." O walked away without another word, leaving Dawn with a serious dilemma on her hands.

"Oh dear…I really don't know…" O had placed something very troubling inside of Dawn's mind, the thought of just giving up one of her best friends tore her up on the inside, but on the other hand, would Ambipom be happier staying with her, or doing Ping-Pong with O?

"Dawn, there you are!" Kenny had come around the corner and saw Dawn staring off in the direction O had walked, "I've been looking for you everywhere, you and Ambipom did great in that competition, I'm really proud of you…and Ambipom that is!" he corrected himself, when Dawn didn't respond, he noted her troubled expression, "Dawn, are you ok?"

Dawn blinked and turned her head to Kenny, who was looking at her with concern, "O just came…and asked me if…I would be willing to let him take Ambipom so they could train for Pokémon Ping-Pong together."

"Oh…are…are you going to let him?" Kenny asked hesitantly.

"I really don't know…I…I don't…I just…oh!" Dawn leaped towards Kenny and wrapped her arms around him, she was so confused, so torn, she needed some source of comfort, and Kenny was all she had at the moment.

Kenny was taken aback by Dawn's sudden lunge towards him, but he could understand why she had done it, she was feeling awful, he knew her well, the thought of losing a friend was something she had never taken lightly, even when they were little. And now here she was, faced with the biggest decision of her Pokémon Trainer career to date, give up her friend for the sake of a possibly brighter future for Ambipom, or hang on to her and deprive her of what could be the biggest opportunity she could ever have offered to her? Kenny wrapped his arms around Dawn and tried to comfort her as best he could, but it wasn't easy since he could feel his heartbeat increasing rapidly, "Dawn…um…" he stammered, "I think maybe you should get a little rest, it might help to clear your head for a while…do…do you want to get something to eat? I'm gonna be staying overnight so…we could if you want."

Dawn backed away slightly and looked at her best friend and rival in coordinating with watery eyes, the idea of trying to relax sounded good to her right now, anything to push away this feeling of sadness she was feeling right now. But even in her state of confusion and internal turmoil, she hadn't missed that Kenny had virtually asked her out on a dinner date, without actually using the word of course. She noted that would be another point for Kenny, but for now, she was content to just accept the offer. She released Kenny completely and wiped her eyes of the tears that had been trying to escape, sniffling a little as she did so. "Y-Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks Kenny. Just…let me go clean myself up a bit ok?" she said.

"Sure thing Dee Dee." Kenny said tenderly, "That's what best friends are for." He smiled at her and walked away to get ready for his dinner with Dawn. Had he really just asked Dawn out on a date? He doubted Dawn thought of it that way, but the thought of it being a date…didn't seem entirely bad to him. What was more shocking however, was that he had used the "Dee Dee" name, and Dawn didn't bite his head off about it…was she really so troubled that she didn't care? Or was it how he had said it? The truth of the matter was, Kenny was looking for Dawn to tell her goodbye, that he was going to leave before it got too dark to travel, but seeing her the way she was, changed his mind in a heartbeat. He couldn't leave her now, not in her current state. He would leave in the morning, after knowing for sure that she safely on her way with Ash, Misty, and Brock.

Dawn headed off to a nearby bathroom, forgetting that Ambipom was there, and that she had seen everything. Ambipom too now felt a feeling of anxiety; she needed something to do too. The two-tailed monkey walked away and decided to let Dawn enjoy her time with Kenny, she would come back later to check on Dawn after she got her mind off of the situation for a while. Dawn walked out after washing her face and looked around, and noticed that Ambipom was missing. "Ambipom?" Dawn called. Ambipom didn't appear to her, so she began to get worried, "Ambipom?" she called louder. Still no response. "Oh no, oh no…I gotta find everyone!" Dawn hurried to where their room was, and she burst through the doors to find Ash, Misty, Brock…and Kenny. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes again as she tried to control her oncoming sobs.

"Dawn, what's the matter?" Kenny asked with concern.

"Ambipom is missing!" Dawn cried.

"What did you say?" Brock asked worriedly.

"Come on, let's start looking!" Ash exclaimed.

The group hurried outside and started calling for Ambipom…after calling for a few moments, Brock caught a sound that was coming from around the corner of the Pokémon Center, "Wait a minute…" Brock said.

"What is it Brock?" Misty asked.

"What's that noise?" Brock replied.

They listened for a minute, and realized brock was right, "Sounds like it's coming from the back!" Ash exclaimed.

The group hurried around the corner of the Pokémon Center, and they saw Ambipom playing Ping-Pong with herself by bouncing the ball off of the wall and hitting back with her tails. "Look at how much fun Ambipom's having…" Dawn sighed.

"Yeah, I've never seen Ambipom so inspired." Brock added.

"Wow, Ambipom seems to be totally hooked on playing Pokémon Ping-Pong." Ash also commented.

"(Sigh)…I still don't know what to do…" Dawn said sadly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"I know what she means…" Kenny said.

"YOU know? Know what?" Misty asked.

"Earlier today the guy named O I played against made me an offer to train with Ambipom and make her a powerful Pokémon Ping-Pong player." Dawn replied.

"Well…Ambipom WAS really amazing out there today." Ash said.

"What would you do if you were me Ash?" Dawn asked, turning towards the more experienced trainer. Dawn then turned back towards Ambipom, who was still blissfully unaware of their presence.

Ash had a flashback of all the times he had shared with Ambipom, from the first time they had met when she was an Aipom, all the way to the day she evolved into Ambipom saving them from the Unown. He could already sense another goodbye coming on, but he was well experienced in what the right thing to say was, having dealt with this very issue many times before, "What's important is what AMBIPOM wants to do." Ash said.

"But there's a decision the trainer needs to make, between what a Pokémon wants, and what's best for it. It's part of your responsibility see?" Brock added.

Dawn sighed and dipped her head, "Yeah, I guess you're right Brock."

Misty placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder, "We know what you're going through Dawn, whatever decision you decide to make, we've got your back."

"Thanks Misty." Dawn replied gratefully.

The whole time this conversation was happening, Kenny's wheels were spinning inside his head, as he began to think of something that he decided was necessary for him to do. He suspected he knew what Dawn's choice would be, and he decided that he was gonna make sure Dawn was happy, and he had a good idea of how to do it.

The next morning, O and the other Ping-Pong officials were getting ready to leave; he had waited until the last minute for Dawn to appear, and had just about given up. He sighed, understanding that Dawn didn't want to part with her Pokémon; he was positive that any trainer would have reacted the exact same way. He had taken one step into the van, when he heard a voice calling him.

"Mr. O?" Dawn said.

O turned around and saw Dawn walking up to him with Ambipom, and the rest of her friends as well, "Well hi there Dawn!"

"I thought a lot about what you asked me last night, and I've decided the best thing is to let AMBIPOM figure out what it wants to do." Dawn replied.

O's face brightened, what an amazing example of a loving trainer. "That's great Dawn." he said.

Dawn turned around and leaned over towards Ambipom, "So Ambipom, do you want to continue doing Pokémon Contests with me, or do you wanna play Pokémon Ping-Pong?" she asked. Ambipom chattered at her with confusion. Dawn then held out both her hands, one hand held a Pokéball with a contest seal, and the other held a Ping-Pong ball, "Come on, choose." Ambipom looked back and forth between the two objects, before grabbing the Ping-Pong ball, earning a sad gasp from Dawn. But then Ambipom grabbed the Pokéball as well, and then snagged Dawn's hat, and finally Ash's too, "Ambipom?"

"Ambipom, have you decided what you're going to do?" Ash asked, as he watched Ambipom juggle the four objects playfully. Eventually Ambipom placed the hats back on their respective owners, and once again looked between the Pokéball and the Ping-Pong ball, thinking hard about the decision she was to make.

"So what is it going to be?" Dawn asked. Ambipom thought long and hard about it, and eventually a smile graced her face. Dawn nodded and held out her hand, and Ambipom placed the Pokéball in her hand, "So that means…you want to play Pokémon Ping-Pong, right?" Dawn asked, wanting clarification. Ambipom chattered affirmatively, and Dawn knelt down and embraced her now former Pokémon, and began to feel tears starting to prick at her eyes, this would be her first official goodbye of one of her Pokémon. Dawn got up and faced O, "Take good care of Ambipom, promise me?"

"I promise. That's something you'll NEVER have to worry about, I guarantee it." O replied. Ambipom scurried over to O, and gave a thumbs up with her tail to her friends, "You know Dawn, my Pokémon Ping-Pong training center is located in Vermilion City, you can come visit anytime!"

"But…Vermilion is all the way in the Kanto Region…" Misty said.

"What's wrong with that? Aren't you all from the Kanto Region?" O asked.

"Um…well…the truth is, Ash, Misty, and Brock are from Kanto, but I live in Twinleaf Town here in Sinnoh…" Dawn replied, gulping down the pain in her throat she was starting to feel from the inner sadness.

"Oh…I see…" O said, almost regretting the choice of asking Dawn for her Pokémon.

"Ambipom…before you go, I'd like to give you something…you know…to remember me by." Dawn took her hat off of her head and gave it to Ambipom, "I know you always loved to play with me, you know, how you'd always take my hat when I least expected it," Dawn laughed sadly at that, "I'd like you to keep that, as a memento of all the times we've had together…don't worry, I have a spare." she laughed again.

"Yeah…I like where you're going with that Dawn." Ash pulled off his backpack and took something off of it, "Here Ambipom, it's my old Hoenn League cap…I'd like you to have it. You know Ambipom, I traded you to Dawn for Buizel because you were more interested in contests than battles, but…I always felt like you were still my Pokémon in a way, you and me are friends, no matter who's training you."

"Same goes for me too Ambipom, you and me will always be friends." Dawn added.

Ambipom used her tails and brought both her masters in for a final farewell hug. "We're all gonna miss you Ambipom." Dawn sniffled, as a lone tear escaped her eye.

"Hey O! Come on already, we gotta get going!" a man shouted from the van.

"Um, listen, we have to go…Dawn, if you'd like to reconsider I would be ok with you keeping Ambipom." O said.

"No…" Dawn stood tall and held back her sobs, "No, this is what Ambipom wants, I'm not going to stop her…just…make sure you make Ambipom the best possible Pokémon Ping-Pong player she can be."

"I will, I promise…and thank you Dawn." O replied. O and Ambipom got into the van and closed the door, and the van drove off.

The teens chased after the van for a while before stopping and just waving, "Goodbye Ambipom! And good luck!" Dawn cried. Ambipom rolled down the window to the van and waved goodbye to the group, which only got Dawn to finally break down. "I'll miss you Ambipom…" she sobbed.

The group sighed as they watched Dawn cry over the fact that she might never get to see Ambipom again. Kenny moved in and decided to give his best friend a comforting hug, and Dawn just accepted it and hugged him back, allowing the calming feeling of Kenny's embrace sooth her. If she had a totally clear mind, she would probably have chosen then and now that Kenny was the obvious suitor for her, but she was in a fog, she couldn't think beyond the fact that Ambipom was gone. Finally, Kenny released her, much to her dismay, "Listen, Dawn…I'm sorry…but…I gotta get going." he said, almost regretting it the moment he said it.

"I…I know you do. Thanks for staying Kenny; I appreciate it, a lot." Dawn replied, wiping her face of her tears.

"Hey," Kenny took his thumb and wiped a tear that was rolling down her face, "What are best friends for?"

"Sometimes they're for this." Dawn gave Kenny a quick kiss on the cheek, causing the male coordinator to blush, "Thank you so much Kenny, for everything."

"Yeah…well…don't forget, we're still rivals! Next time we meet, I'm gonna give it my all to take you down again!" Kenny exclaimed, backing up a few steps so he could finally leave.

"You got it Kenny, but next time I'M coming out on top, and I'll be getting my fifth ribbon before you!" Dawn replied.

"Yeah, we'll see. Seeya later guys!" Kenny waved and walked away.

"Bye Kenny, seeya!" Dawn called out.

"Sometimes the best cure for a sad time is some…more than friendly rivalry." Misty whispered to Ash.

"Yeah Mist, I getcha." Ash replied just as quietly.

"Well…what are we waiting for guys? We've gotta get to Snowpoint City for Ash's next gym battle!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Alright then, we'll get packed and head out." Brock said.

The group headed back into the Pokémon Center, where Misty ambushed Dawn to talk to her, "You ok Dawn?" she asked.

"Yeah…although, I probably wouldn't be as ok if it weren't for Kenny." Dawn replied, blushing slightly.

"He really cares for you Dawn; he stayed an extra night for your sake." Misty said.

"What?" Dawn turned to Misty, "He told me last night he was staying overnight anyway!"

"I figured he'd say something like that," Misty shook her head, "He was looking for you to say goodbye, but…I guess he cared so much that he changed his mind."

"Kenny…" Dawn mumbled in awe.

"Still need any more convincing that he loves you?" Misty asked.

"No…" Dawn replied, "But…I'm not going back on my decision. I can't keep going back and forth on my attitude on this; I'll go out of my mind! If he wants me, he'll have to say it straight out. Besides, I don't really wanna think about that right now, I just wanna keep moving, and try to get over Ambipom." Dawn grabbed a new hat, looked at it for a moment, and then put it on.

"I understand." Misty said with a nod.

Dawn nodded back, and finished packing her things. When they were just about ready to leave, Nurse Joy confronted them. "Excuse me, Dawn?"

"What is it Nurse Joy?" Dawn asked.

"You have a phone call from a Mr. O; he says it's very important that he talks to you." Nurse Joy replied.

"Um…ok, thanks Nurse Joy!" Dawn hurried off to the videophones, with her friends following closely behind. Dawn sat down and turned on the camera, and there was O with a sympathetic smile on his face, "What is it Mr. O?"

"Um, Dawn…I think we need to discuss something." O replied.

"What is it? Is Ambipom misbehaving or something?" Dawn asked.

"No, it's nothing like that, in fact, she hasn't done much of anything ever since we left…in all honesty, she's been looking at the two gifts you and Ash gave her." O replied.

"Oh, I see…so, what did you need to discuss with me?" Dawn asked.

"I was thinking, it might've been a little unfair for me to catch you off guard the way that I did. I was just so impressed with Ambipom's skills that I never even stopped to consider how you would feel about me taking one of your best friends." O replied.

"No no, it's ok, really! If Ambipom's future is brighter playing Ping-Pong, then I just want what's best for her." Dawn said.

"See that's the thing, I don't think Ambipom would be as happy with me…she may like Pokémon Ping-Pong more than Pokémon Contests, but she likes you and Ash more than she likes me, there's no question about that…I was thinking we could come up with some sort of compromise." O said.

"Compromise?" Dawn asked curiously.

"Yeah. I was thinking that I could still take Ambipom with me, FOR NOW…but I was thinking that if you ever need Ambipom for another contest, or if you ever just want to see her, I could transport her over to you. And likewise if she wanted to visit you for any reason, I could transport her to you then too." O suggested.

"So…you mean we would…share Ambipom?" Dawn asked.

"That's exactly what I mean. I talked to Ambipom about this, and I told her it would mean she'd have to work extra hard for both of us, and she seemed to be up for the challenge! So whaddya say?" O said, "Just like you, I wanna make sure Ambipom's happy, and she's happy with you, and with Pokémon Ping-Pong. Together we can give Ambipom the best of both worlds."

"Mr. O…oh yes, I would LOVE that!" Dawn's eyes started getting watery again, this time with tears of joy, "Thank you Mr. O! Thank you so much!"

O nodded and hung up, leaving the others to just smile at the miracle that had taken place. "Well how do ya like that?" Ash said with a smirk.

"I guess Ambipom loved you and Dawn too much to just leave like that." Misty replied.

"Guys, is it selfish that I'm GLAD that Ambipom was too sad to leave permanently?" Dawn asked.

"I don't think so, either way you still wanted what was best for Ambipom, it just turns out that what's best for Ambipom is that you and O split training duties." Brock replied.

"Although I gotta admit, this is the first time I've ever head of two trainers training the same Pokémon from two different regions." Misty added.

"For Ambipom's sake, we'll make it work!" Dawn exclaimed determinedly, "I just wish I knew what made O decide to call me."

"Who knows? I just think we should be happy that Ambipom's still on our team, and we should get back on the road and win for her!" Ash exclaimed.

"You said it Ash!" Dawn replied.

**Flashback**

"Uh, hi, is this Mr. O?" someone said over a Pokétch.

"Yeah, that's me, who are you?" O replied over the built-in videophone in his van.

"Um, this is Kenny, Dawn's friend." Kenny said.

"Kenny…Kenny…oh yeah! You were the boy who was playing against Dawn when I first met her and her talented Ambipom!" O exclaimed.

"Right!" Kenny replied.

"So what can I do for you Kenny?" O asked.

"Um, actually…this is about Dawn and Ambipom…see, when you left with Ambipom…um…Dawn was really sad about having to say goodbye and all, she's never liked having to and…I was hoping that you could maybe, possibly, give Ambipom back to Dawn?" Kenny requested.

"Hmm…you know it's funny you called, I was just thinking that maybe it was unfair for me to ask Dawn on such short notice." O replied.

"Well I didn't wanna say anything, but since you brought it up, I didn't think it was fair either!" Kenny exclaimed, his temper rising just a smidge.

"Yeah…well, as it turns out, Ambipom hasn't done much since we left, she seems unhappy being here with me, she's just looking at the two hats that Dawn and that other boy left for her." O replied.

"Ash, his name is Ash. He was Ambipom's original trainer; they used to train for gym battles together before he traded her to Dawn because she had taken more of an interest in contests." Kenny explained.

"I see…well the thing is, Ambipom has such raw talent for Pokémon Ping-Pong, with a little polishing, she could become unbeatable!" O exclaimed.

"I realize that Mr. O, but…I think Dawn's happiness counts too, since Ambipom was her Pokémon, and her friend. So could you please give Ambipom back to Dawn? Please? It'd mean a lot to both me AND her." Kenny said, practically begging.

"Hmm…" O scratched his chin thoughtfully, "You know what, I have an idea, let me talk to Ambipom a minute." O got up from the seat and walked out of view for a few minutes. When he came back, he was smiling happily, "Ambipom agrees with me." he said.

"Agrees with what?" Kenny asked.

"My idea is that Dawn and I would SHARE Ambipom, you know, transport her back and forth depending on who needs her at the time. If I need her for a Pokémon Ping-Pong match, I could have her transported to me, and likewise when Dawn needs her for a contest, I can send her to Dawn." O explained.

"Sounds great to me! Thanks a lot Mr. O!" Kenny replied gratefully.

"No problem. I'm really glad you called me, I wasn't sure if I should give Ambipom back or not, but after talking to you, I know I'm doing the right thing. Dawn's lucky to have a friend like you." O said.

"I would do ANYTHING to make Dawn happy, no matter what the risk." Kenny declared boldly.

"Such dedication, it's something I don't often see in teenagers anymore. It makes me happy to know that real love still exists." O replied.

Kenny blushed, "Well actually I'm NOT her boyfriend or anything, I'm just her best friend."

"Whether you love her 'that way' or not, the fact that you called me proves that you do love her, either as a friend or something more. Don't be embarrassed Kenny, I'm impressed by your courage." O explained.

"Thanks." Kenny replied shyly, still feeling the effects of the blush.

"Well if you'd hang up, I'll call Dawn now and let her know!" O said.

"R-Right! Thanks again Mr. O!" Kenny exclaimed a little too loudly, "Oh! Could you…not tell Dawn it was me who talked to you, in case she asks?"

"Ok, but why?" O asked.

"I just…want to keep it a secret is all, just knowing that Dawn will be happy is enough for me." Kenny said, blushing again.

O smiled and nodded, and Kenny's Pokétch soon went blank. He thought about what O had said…and realized, he was right. _"I do love you Dawn, and I'd do anything to make you happy."_ He had a lot of thinking to do now, and the next time he met up with his best friend and rival coordinator would prove to be very, very interesting.  
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**A/N: Well, looks like Ambipom isn't completely gone after all. Sorry folks, I just couldn't bring myself to say goodbye, so yeah, Ambipom will be back eventually, temporarily of course, now that O and Dawn are gonna be sharing her. And it appears that Kenny is almost to the point of realizing his full feelings for Dawn, not much more before he realizes he's really in love with her I'd say, of course I would say something like that since I'm the author. xD At any rate, I really hope there are still people out there reading this, I've taken so long on these past few chapters, I'm afraid I've lost you all...please prove me wrong everyone, prove to me you still exist by reviewing!**

**Oh yeah! I wanted to say a few things, first off, the video-comic I'm working on has been updated, so head to YouTube and type down Sonic and Amy: The Dark Doppels if you're interested in Sonamy, my buddy RaianOnzika is the master artist behind the thing, I just put it together and got the voice actors.**

**schuffitrunks of deviantART has been commissioned by me and she'll be responsible for FINALLY drawing that prize pic I promised you all. Don't worry, soon you will get to see Ash and Misty's first kiss in all of it's fully colored glory. And that's about it, REVIEW PLEASE! Prove to me all you readers out there that you still exist!**


	53. The Snowpoint Saga

**Wow it's been a long time, and I don't make any excuses for it being this long. I hope that the size of this chapter makes up for the lack of frequent updates, but between the Dash Adventure, the SATDD vid-comic, and various other projects on both the internet and real life, I've been swamped and I just haven't had a lot of time to just sit down and bring this thing to life. But I'm here now! So, anonymous review reply time.**

**darky: Interesting concept, maybe I'll use something similar one day.**

**PokeContestIkariOldrivalship p: Sorry, I've committed to Penguinshipping.**

**Miyako: I have done so! Here it is!**

**Guest: Well here it is!**

**Anna: We'll see what I do**

**Ixnaitze Anaya: Thanks for the compliments! Glad you enjoyed it so far!**

**Guest2: That was the point!**

**And so without further ado, here we go! I own nothing but the story**  
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Chapter 53

**Misty's POV**

Yesterday had yet another exciting string of events. I entered the Pokémon Ping-Pong competition with Azurill, and wound up quitting a little later on. It wasn't because of my own lack of skill of course, but the way that my opponent Wilkinson treated my Pokémon really ticked me off. He seemed very pleased that Azurill had been smacked in the face, and even before I got to face him, his Farfetch'd had gone ahead and smacked Ash in the face during their match. It was clear that Wilkinson was ruthless in his Ping-Pong game, but to an extreme level. But the real surprise during the competition was Ambipom's incredible skill as a Ping-Pong player! I had never seen such raw talent from a Pokémon in any sort of activity. Ambipom had literally JUST STARTED playing, and she already moved like a pro.

Ash and Kenny hadn't been fortunate enough to get past round one, while Dawn and Barry were able to make it all the way to round three. Dawn was able to take down Wilkinson, who stormed out of the stadium and earned boos from everyone in the stands because of his lack of sportsmanship. It really is sad when a person throws a temper tantrum when they lose…I know, I know, I get upset all the time when I lose to Ash at something, but it's not the same thing! I get upset because I lost, but I don't hold it against him. At any rate, Barry lost to O in round three, which meant that it was Dawn versus O in the semi-finals. All of a sudden Dawn and Ambipom lost their momentum, and O and his Shiftry got one point away from taking Dawn down.

Just when Dawn looked like she was ready to give up and break down crying, Kenny took the initiative and shouted out words of encouragement. I was really impressed that Kenny had built up the courage to keep Dawn going like that, his encouragement seemed unique, like it wouldn't have meant much if anyone else besides him had said it. And it really worked, because as soon as Dawn heard that, she got back up and looked up at the stands, and thanked Kenny for the heartening words with her eyes. But just when Dawn had gained her energy back, Shiftry broke her paddle with a super powerful smash hit! It seemed all over, until Ambipom stepped up once more and actually managed to not only cover for Dawn, but compensate for their previous shortcomings by making her way back up to a tie!

Dawn finally got a replacement paddle, but unfortunately it was too late, as O was able to take down Dawn and Ambipom and secure his spot in the finals. Later at the Pokémon Center, O confronted Dawn and asked if she would be willing to give Ambipom to him so that he could train the highly talented Ambipom to become a powerful Pokémon Ping-Pong player, which left Dawn unsure of what to do. Luckily, Kenny had found her, and did his best to offer her comfort. But then Dawn came bursting through our room door later on, saying that Ambipom was missing. We went to look for her, and we found her playing Ping-Pong with herself by bouncing a ball off the wall. It was then that Ash gave her the sad but unfortunately true advice, that what mattered in Dawn's decision was Ambipom's happiness, even if that meant saying goodbye to Ambipom.

The next morning, we all found O outside just before he was going to leave, and Dawn had Ambipom choose what she wanted to do. Ambipom chose Pokémon Ping-Pong, as everyone expected, and decided to go with O to Vermilion City in the Kanto Region. Before they left however, Ash and Dawn gave Ambipom gifts to remember them by, and that apparently had an influence on Ambipom, as she was beginning to miss us almost as soon as she left. Just before we were ready to leave the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy found us and told us that Dawn had a phone call from O. It turned out that O wanted to share Ambipom, that way both he and Dawn would be able to train Ambipom and make sure she was happy.

Needless to say, Dawn was more than happy to accept the offer, and with the peace of mind that Ambipom was not gone for good, we continued on. I honestly don't know what got O to offer Dawn the co-trainer job, I'd LIKE to think that Kenny had something to do with it, but there's no way for me to know for sure. Either way, we kept on walking towards Snowpoint City, and eventually we noticed that the air was getting colder. Then we headed through a tunnel, and just when we were about to get all the way through, we were rather rudely greeted by a freezing wind. After we took a second to recover, we headed into the light at the end of the tunnel, and we saw an incredible sight, it was like a winter wonderland. There was snow everywhere, like someone had sprinkled sugar all over the earth. Brock identified our location to be Shelter Town, which was right before Snowpoint City.

I thought the name was fitting to say the least, Shelter Town would provide…well…shelter for us, since we were in no condition to continue on, since we hadn't gotten anything warm to wear. We headed into the Pokémon Center, and Dawn walked over to Nurse Joy, asking if she had gotten a package from her mom. I suddenly began to panic, as I remembered something that I had tried to tell Dawn a while back but I had forgotten because of the excitement. Dawn had told her mom to get some clothes that would be fit for cold weather, that worried me greatly.

I love Dawn to bits, she's like the little sister I never had, but her taste in clothes, or at least her mother's, just makes me uncomfortable altogether. If you've ever heard that song that says "She wears short skirts and I wear t-shirts", you would know that song fits me and Dawn perfectly. I am a romantic at heart, but my style in everyday clothes IS more of a tomboyish look. I'll admit I like what Ash's mom got me, and it IS much more feminine than my old shirt and suspenders, but one thing in my wardrobe has almost never changed except in a special occasion…I wear SHORTS, or pants, whatever, but skirts are SO NOT my thing unless I'm wearing a dress or something for, like I said, a SPECIAL occasion.

Call me old-fashioned but I'm not all that fond of the idea of wearing a skirt that's even REMOTELY as short as Dawn's, and I DESPISE the idea that I might have perverted creeps trying to look up my skirt, I swear if I EVER caught anyone trying to do that I would do everything I could to that guy short of literally murdering them. I trust Ash and Brock of course, they're the friends I knew even before I was a teenager, but still…if Dawn's mom gets me something with a skirt…we might be down one party member when we get to Snowpoint City.

As it turned out, Dawn hadn't gotten a package yet, so we were stuck in the Pokémon Center for a while since it was too cold to go outside. Dawn suggested a good breakfast, and called out Buneary to give her a hand. All of a sudden this girl squealed loudly and gave us a scare. She picked up Buneary and started squeezing her, exclaiming just how cute Buneary was, much to Buneary's displeasure. Of course when Pikachu heard Buneary groaning as the girl cuddled her much too harshly, his instinctive reaction was to zap her, and that's just what he did. The fur on Pikachu's back stood up on end and he started growling at this girl who was hurting his Buneary. Finally he went through with it, and he ran up to the girl and delivered a 'Thundershock' to the girl's feet, which made her immediately drop Buneary, and the small rabbit hopped behind Pikachu who now had his cheeks sparking to threaten the girl to not try and touch Buneary again.

But instead of being angry after the shock, when she saw Pikachu protecting Buneary, she squealed even louder and started saying how adorable it was that Pikachu was being so valiant towards Buneary, but then she changed what she was saying and said that since Buneary was so cute, she could do so much better than Pikachu. Naturally Ash didn't like that, and he reacted rather indignantly to her. She didn't really care though, she just kept going on and on about Buneary. Needless to say I thought she was a total loon, since that was how she was acting.

Finally she stopped raving and realized she hadn't even introduced herself yet. She did so, and said her name was Marilyn. She explained that she thought that Pokémon that were cute were the best kind of all, and that was why she spazzed out over Buneary. Ash of course, got angry and asked what made her think Pikachu wasn't cute. I honestly don't know why Ash even cared; this girl obviously wasn't playing with a full deck.

She explained her criteria for cute Pokémon, they had to be less than two feet tall, and they couldn't have evolved. It made sense I suppose, since Pikachu evolved from Pichu a long time ago, not that we were ever around to witness that event, everyone knows Ash got Pikachu as…well…a Pikachu. Of course, this just riled Ash up even more. Then Dawn presented Piplup to Marilyn, much to my disapproval, I didn't even know why they were playing along with this girl. At any rate, Piplup DID fit her actual specifications for a cute Pokémon, but somehow she had still found reasons to say Piplup still WASN'T cute. She said Piplup's head was shaped like a bowling ball, the beak was "annoying" which I don't even get, how can a beak be annoying? And she said his eyes looked like mud pies.

Now Dawn was also furious at Marilyn, and Piplup was just plain paralyzed from shock. Brock and I tried to explain to Marilyn that cuteness wasn't everything, but she refused to hear it. And when Dawn tried to defend Piplup, Marilyn randomly decided to rename Dawn, saying that starting today her name was "Dawny", much to Dawn's dismay.

Marilyn then asked to battle Dawn and Buneary, which Dawn, in her state of anger and confusion, simply reacted with a gleam in her eye, saying she'd LOVE to battle her. Although instead of sounding determined, Marilyn literally twirled away, singing happily as she headed to the battlefield. Once she was out of earshot, Dawn practically ignited into flames from her anger, saying that dipsy Marilyn annoyed her to no end. I could definitely relate. Dawn declared she would surely gain vengeance for Piplup, who was STILL paralyzed.

We headed over to the battlefield, and Brock went straight to the middle of the field to be referee, he too was bothered by Marilyn's point of view about Pokémon, but he didn't show it as much as me, Ash, or Dawn. That's just Brock, always calm, cool, and collected unless there's a pretty girl nearby. I had to admit, I've met a lot of interesting personalities on my journey through Sinnoh. I wouldn't go as far to say that Marilyn was the worst, Paul had that spot hands-down, but Marilyn was quite clearly the oddest I've met so far. Brock called for a one-on-one, and Dawn made her move and sent out Buneary, who of course was no longer wearing her vest as she never wore it in battle.

But when it was Marilyn's turn to call out a Pokémon, she instead began dancing all over the battlefield mindlessly with hearts in her eyes, exclaiming that Buneary was so cute. Again, this girl was driving me buggy, she had a one track mind and I was starting to feel queasy from all the "cute" talk. Seriously, I like a cute Pokémon as much as the next girl but…I can only take so much! Brock broke Marilyn out of her trance and reminded her to pick a Pokémon, and she called out a Cherubi…and her call out told Cherubi to come out cutely…that had done it, I officially wanted to barf.

And once again, instead of battling, Marilyn just gazed at her Cherubi with sparkles in her eyes. Brock once again exercised his authority as referee and reminded Marilyn that the battle had begun. Now this I did NOT expect, Marilyn totally disregarded the fact that the battle was on, and instead chose to continue admiring her Cherubi, and told Dawn to go ahead and attack. Dawn, in her irritated state of mind, was more than happy to oblige. Dawn had Buneary use 'Dizzy Punch', and the rabbit Pokémon easily hammered the grass-type with a barrage of punches.

Cherubi stepped back after the assault, whining a little before falling over. It hadn't fainted however…it almost seemed like it was acting…Marilyn backed up the idea that it was fake by saying that it was the cutest fall she had ever seen. This so-called battle was ridiculous, and in my opinion, an insult to anyone who's worked hard to be a real Pokémon Trainer. Dawn decided to just ignore Marilyn and keep it going; she had Buneary use 'Ice Beam', and this time Marilyn actually reacted by having Cherubi counter with 'Protect'.

Cherubi got back up, its agonized facial expression never changing, and got off a completely successful 'Protect' that negated the effects of 'Ice Beam'…but Cherubi was for some reason STILL crying out in pain, despite the fact that 'Protect' had completely blocked the 'Ice Beam'. When Marilyn started exclaiming about how "valiant" Cherubi was being, it was clear to everyone that Marilyn didn't really care about the outcome of the battle. After Buneary finished firing, Brock intervened, even he couldn't stand to watch this battle anymore, it was totally inappropriate and unethical, this wasn't a battle, it was a soap opera.

Brock gave Marilyn an ultimatum, either she started battling for real, or the battle would end. Marilyn suddenly got angry, saying the battle was just getting good, and that Brock needed to stay out of it. She had the GALL to say that this was the most valiant battle in all of history. She explained that when she saw a Pokémon take an attack, it moved her, and that there was nothing more valiant than watching a Pokémon take a hit and still battle…I WOULD'VE agreed, except that the battle was still not a real battle. If Marilyn had actually been battling, she MIGHT have had a point, but just watching Cherubi pretend to be hurt was nothing more than a sham.

Brock looked back at me and Ash, and we all had the same thought. Brock had to start being tough or we wouldn't get anywhere. Brock growled and got up in Marilyn's face, saying she was being inappropriate. Marilyn aptly responded by leaning over backwards dramatically and whining. Brock re-explained the rules of a basic Pokémon Battle, and Marilyn made a fish-lips face and called Brock "Brocky" and an old geezer. Brock couldn't believe it. He once again issued the ultimatum, either battle back, or be disqualified. After that he grumbled to himself and headed back to the sidelines.

Well evidently Marilyn decided to FINALLY comply, and got ready to battle. After she said that, Cherubi, unsurprisingly, got back up without issue and cheered happily. Apparently Cherubi DID like battling for real, it seemed absolutely ecstatic about being able to fight back. Marilyn ordered 'Magical Leaf', and Buneary tried to dodge it as best she could, but she eventually got hit with a barrage of glowing leaves. After taking the hit, Buneary wobbled and fell to her knees, but unlike Cherubi, this was real. Both Ash and I were in shock. How could a trainer like Marilyn have made Cherubi so strong considering the way she battled?

Marilyn had Cherubi follow up with 'Tackle', and Buneary took the hit and tumbled backwards before getting back up and growling at the grass-type. Dawn had Buneary use 'Dizzy Punch' again, and this time Marilyn had Cherubi dodge it, although Cherubi was still faking some sort of fear or agony, as its face had not an ounce of actual determination. After dodging all the attacks, Marilyn yelled out 'Solarbeam', and Cherubi fired the powerful attack. Buneary probably would've gone down, but Pikachu cried out from the bench and provoked Buneary to counter on her own and fire 'Ice Beam' to block the attack.

Marilyn once again began spazzing out about the valiance of the battle after seeing Pikachu cheer Buneary on, and Dawn took that opportunity to have Buneary fire 'Ice Beam' again, and this time it hit dead-on, and this time, Cherubi fainted for real, giving Dawn the win. Marilyn got upset…but not because she lost…but because she wouldn't get to anymore valiant battling. Something awakened in Brock after seeing the battle end, he seemed offended by how Marilyn treated Pokémon Battles, and I could tell just by looking at him that he had something in mind. If I had MY way, I would get to help.

After Marilyn headed out for a bit to get something to eat, we got together in the lobby and discussed what had just happened. Dawn couldn't figure Marilyn out, and I didn't blame her. Neither did Ash. Finally Brock spoke up, and said that he was gonna battle her next. He understood that a Pokémon's cuteness could be one of its strong points, but Marilyn's point of view on battling didn't sit right with him. And it didn't sit right with any of us either. Brock was determined to make Marilyn understand that the most important thing about Pokémon was to build a relationship with it, and by doing that, ANY Pokémon could shine bright.

We supported the idea of Brock setting Marilyn straight, the only problem was that Marilyn wouldn't battle any Pokémon that wasn't on her cute list, and with all due respect to Brock and his Pokémon, his two battlers, Sudowoodo and Croagunk, weren't exactly very high on the good looks scale. Nevertheless, Brock was willing to give it a shot. We found Marilyn again, and Brock issued his challenge; he sent out Croagunk and Sudowoodo and told Marilyn to choose who she'd battle. We all thought he was pushing it a bit, the cuteness factor on his Pokémon weren't exactly a strong point, Dawn was just the only one who mentioned that fact. But Brock said that HE thought they were cute, and that was all that mattered. We couldn't argue with that.

Unfortunately, Marilyn COULD. She refused to battle either of them, but she did ask Brock if he had any more. Brock DID have one more, and I knew that Happiny would qualify for the cute label, but like Brock tried to tell Marilyn, Happiny had never battled in a real battle before, and unlike my Azurill, Happiny really was a baby Pokémon, since it had only been born a few months ago. But Marilyn pressed, and insisted Brock show her the unknown Pokémon. Brock obliged, and sure enough, the moment Happiny popped out, Marilyn spazzed out and started hugging Happiny, but unlike Buneary, Happiny was happy to receive the affection…too naïve I supposed.

Brock asked Happiny if it was willing to battle Marilyn, and it said yes, much to Marilyn's pleasure. But then Brock threw Marilyn a curveball, saying he wanted to have a three-on-three so that Sudowoodo and Croagunk could do some battling as well. Since she wanted so badly to battle Happiny, Marilyn agreed to Brock's terms. I was about to volunteer to be referee, when suddenly a man in an official referee outfit came up to us and said he'd like to officiate the battle. It seemed legitimate at the time, so we accepted.

We headed back to the battlefield, and Marilyn sent out Cherubi again, while Brock unleashed Sudowoodo. The battle began and Brock ordered for Sudowoodo to use 'Double Edge'. Sudowoodo tackled Cherubi hard, and managed to avoid the recoil damage thanks to its 'Rock Head' ability, while Cherubi spun around and fell to the floor in fake agony, causing Marilyn to once again begin to admire the "valiance" of the battle. Brock got mad again, and told Marilyn to stop getting excited about her Pokémon taking damage. He explained that a battle is meant to connect the hearts of a trainer and Pokémon. In response, Marilyn called Brock a geezer again.

Brock had had it; he knew his words would fall on deaf ears, so he decided to show Marilyn instead. He had Sudowoodo use 'Mimic', which didn't make sense to us at the time since Cherubi had yet to do anything, but then it clicked, as Sudowoodo mimicked Cherubi's prat fall, and then Brock added to the effect by having Sudowoodo use 'Fake Tears' as well. We looked at Marilyn, and she was in awe…did that mean Brock was starting to get through to her? Brock got her to admit that Sudowoodo was very valiant, but she still refused to give Sudowoodo any credit for cuteness. Ash remarked that she got part of it, but she was still missing the whole point.

Dawn told the referee to do something about this match since it wasn't going anywhere, and the ref declared the match a draw. Brock and Marilyn returned their Pokémon, and this time Brock sent out Croagunk, while Marilyn sent out a new Pokémon, a Chingling. Brock wasted no time getting the battle going, and had Croagunk use 'Poison Jab' on the cute psychic-type, and Chingling went flying as it took the hit. Marilyn gasped, but it didn't sound like an excited one…more like…worry? Croagunk followed up with 'Poison Sting', and while Chingling flailed in genuine pain, Marilyn started biting down on her own personal handkerchief while at the same time exclaiming it was valiant, it looked like she was having an internal struggle with herself, maybe Brock was finally getting somewhere with her.

Finally Croagunk hammered Chingling with 'Brick Break', and Chingling started moaning in pain. And then Marilyn reverted back to her old self, which just ticked me off so badly, I yelled at her, telling her to snap out of it and battle before Chingling got seriously hurt. Marilyn huffed, but at least she refrained from calling me some weird name. Marilyn had Chingling use 'Growl', and the sound waves from that move caused us all to cover our ears in pain. Then Marilyn called for 'Confusion', and Croagunk was forced down onto the floor by the psychic-type attack. The referee was about to announce Chingling the winner, when Brock started shouting for Croagunk to get back up. The frog slowly started getting back up, leaving Marilyn in total awe once again.

When Croagunk got back up and roared out a battle-cry, it seemed that Marilyn had finally gotten the message. Brock explained once again that when a Pokémon and its trainer's unite, any Pokémon regardless of their outward appearance was valiant. Marilyn gasped in shock at what she had heard, was she finally getting it? The referee resumed the match, and Croagunk hammered Chingling with another 'Brick Break', and this time Chingling fainted for real, and this time Marilyn made no comments about Chingling's valiance, and simply returned her psychic-type. Brock did the same with Croagunk.

Brock told Marilyn once again, that the most important thing was the connection between a trainer and his or her Pokémon. Marilyn called Brock a geezer again…but admitted that Brock was right. It looked like Marilyn's attitude had finally morphed into the right one. The referee announced the final round, and Marilyn looked at her final Pokéball for a moment before calling timeout and running to her bag to get something. We were obviously confused by her action, but at the same time we were curious. Marilyn eventually returned to her end of the field, explaining that the Pokémon she was about to use had never been in a real battle before, but now was the perfect time. Brock asked what she meant by that, and suddenly the overly-perky Marilyn got really quiet and shy, as she explained why she was so obsessed with cute Pokémon.

The Pokéball she was currently holding contained the Pokémon she always thought was the cutest ever, but all her friends had made fun of her because of her opinion. So ever since then, she had only caught Pokémon that EVERYONE would agree was cute. Now I felt sorry for being so disapproving of Marilyn…she didn't ask to be the way she was, she just wanted to stop being made fun of. But Marilyn explained that Brock taught her that it didn't matter what people thought. And with that, Marilyn sent out her third Pokémon, her supposed cutest Pokémon of all…a Shellder.

Marilyn thought it was the cutest Pokémon ever, and I was the only one of our group who even partly agreed, and that was only because Shellder was part water-type. Ash wasn't sure Marilyn had gotten the message or not, but after all we'd been through, we were willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. Brock sent out Happiny, and we were all surprised when Marilyn cheered Shellder determinedly instead of freaking out over Happiny. Just when it seemed like the battle was gonna get for real, two ropes fell in from the ceiling, and down came Jessie and Meowth, and they told Marilyn directly that she was nuts for thinking that Shellder was cute. Steam started coming out of Marilyn's ears at that crack, and she demanded to know exactly who they were.

Dawn told her that they were part of Team Rocket, and they were obviously here to steal Marilyn's Pokémon. And I had a sneaking suspicion that if they were here, then the referee was really James. I ran to him and ripped off his hat and glasses, and sure enough, it WAS James. He shrieked in fear and ran for Marilyn's bag and grabbed her Pokéballs, and together the trio ran for it. Marilyn refused to let them take her Pokémon, and had Shellder use 'Brine' to propel itself and knock Team Rocket down. When Shellder collided with them, they dropped the Pokéballs and Marilyn easily caught them. Then Marilyn ordered Shellder to use 'Ice Beam' and freeze Team Rocket solid. After that was accomplished, Brock had Happiny use 'Pound' and sent Team Rocket flying away.

After all that, we watched Marilyn cuddle with her Shellder, it was clear that we had finally gotten through to her, she did love her Shellder, and Shellder, in my opinion, looked as happy as it could be to be loved by Marilyn again. Finally, the sun began to set, and Dawn was notified by Nurse Joy that her package had arrived…Dawn opened it…and my worst fears were realized.

**Normal POV**

"Awesome! Mom really came through this time!" Dawn exclaimed, as she held up her new winter outfit: a red, wool parka jacket that hugged her figure, and it had four pink balls of cotton in the front. And she had also received a fluffy white scarf, and a pair of white socks that reached her knees to replace her black ones, "I'm gonna go try it on right now!" Dawn ran off to the nearest restroom to go change.

"Let's see what else we have here." Brock rummaged through the box and found two male jackets, "Hey, now these are nice! Here Ash, this one's yours." Brock tossed Ash his jacket, and the black-haired trainer caught it with his face, which brought giggles from Misty. "Nice catch big guy." Brock chuckled.

"Very funny." Ash mumbled through the jacket. He took the jacket off his face and put it on and looked in a nearby mirror. It was a blue jacket with a black collar, and black stripes that went around the elbows. He decided to leave it open, which made him look cooler in his opinion. "What do you think Mist?" he asked, turning at different angles to give his girlfriend a better look.

"Very handsome Mr. Ketchum, that color works on you." Misty said sincerely, despite her current hesitance towards her own outfit.

"Well what about me then?" Brock asked, doing the same as Ash did. His jacket was the same as Ash's, with the only difference being the actual size of the jacket. But Brock closed his jacket, and in doing so, revealed that another large, vertical black stripe came down from the collar all the way to the bottom of the jacket, "You don't have anything to say about ol' Brock?" he asked, feigning hurt.

"Of course, you look muy macho Brock, very manly." Misty said teasingly, "Now if only I could wear mine." Misty sighed, as she held up her own outfit. It was a dark purple parka jacket with a ring of fuzz near the bottom, and it too came with a pair of long white socks and a scarf, but just like Dawn's, it was very short, and that made the fashionably modest water-trainer uncomfortable.

Ash looked Misty's outfit over and then looked at Misty, confused as to what the problem was. "I don't get it Mist, what's the problem with it? It looks just like Dawn's." he said, as he took off his jacket and placed it in his backpack.

Misty stammered incoherently for a moment, as she tried to decide what words she could use to explain to Ash exactly why she didn't like the parka. Finally she just gave up, narrowed her eyes at him and snapped, "It's none of your business!" Misty hurried off to the restroom, and ran into Dawn on the way, "Dawn, I gotta talk to you!" Misty said, sticking her finger up into Dawn's face with anger.

Dawn merely moved Misty's finger with a sweet smile, "Ok sure, but first, how do I look?" she asked as she did a little twirl, the end of her scarf softly grazing the back of her neck when she finished the turn.

Misty face-palmed, and followed up by sliding her hand all the way down her face with frustration, "You look like you Dawn, which is fine for YOU." she grumbled.

"What's eating you?" Dawn asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'll tell you what's eating me! Remember in Canalave City when I was trying to talk to you?" Misty asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, what about it?" Dawn replied, an eyebrow now raised at the irate redhead.

"I was trying to tell you that…well that…" Misty growled, she was trying to control her temper, but she couldn't keep it controlled. She held up the parka and shook it angrily in her fist, "I can't wear this Dawn! With all due respect to you, your mom, and both of your senses of fashion, I absolutely HATE short skirts!"

"Is that all that's bothering you? REALLY?" Dawn asked incredulously, "Come on Misty, all you had to do was just tell me and I'd talk to my mom, we're not leaving until tomorrow, that's plenty of time for my mom to find you something else."

Misty sighed and ran her free hand through her orange hair, "Sorry Dawn…I'm just really bothered by the thought of…look, never mind…I'll call my sisters, and I'll get them to send me some cold weather pants or something."

"There you go! See, you CAN wear it! Just make a few changes here and there." Dawn replied.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Dawn…I just didn't like the idea of guys we could compare to Conway being disgusting towards me." Misty said.

"Ohhh, now I understand." Dawn smirked, "I get you Misty, but I guess it never really bothered ME is all. Although in hindsight I guess it SHOULD. Ah well, to each her own right?"

Misty smirked back at her coordinator friend, "Yeah, I guess so." Misty looked back at the boys who were talking, "Just be careful you don't run into Marilyn with that on, she might freak out on you."

Dawn made a disgusted face at the thought of that, "Like I want HER opinion."

The two girls laughed, and Dawn went over to get the boys' opinions. Misty on the other hand, headed over to the videophones and contacted the gym, "Come on Daisy, pick up already." She grumbled as she waited for her oldest sister to pick up the phone. Finally the phone picked up, and there was Daisy in her usual attire, "Hey Daisy!"

"Misty! Like, how's it going out there?" Daisy asked.

"Pretty good...we're here in Snowpoint City now, which actually partly explains why I'm calling." Misty replied.

"Wait wait wait, like, before you say anything, I HAVE to know, how's it going between you and your little boyfriend?" Daisy asked teasingly, her lips upturned into a small smirk.

"Well since you just HAVE to know," Misty said sarcastically, "Ash and I actually got into a fight the other day…" she said seriously; her heart started to hurt as she remembered that awful day.

"Like, that happens little sis, believe me…is everything ok NOW though?" Daisy asked, somewhat concerned for her little sister's well-being.

"Yeah, we made up…" Misty got cutoff by Daisy.

"And made out right?" Daisy teased, giggling a little when she saw Misty's flustered expression.

"You just HAD to go there didn't you?" Misty huffed incredulously, looking around the Center so as not to lay eyes on her sister.

"I can't help it! It's like, just so great that my little sister has someone to love her." Daisy giggled sweetly.

"Speaking of which, how's it going with you and Tracey?" Misty asked with a smirk, hoping to turn the tables on her sister. But Misty frowned when she saw Daisy's expression turn sour, "Daisy, what happened?"

"Tracey and I aren't talking right now." Daisy said simply, turning her gaze away from her younger sister.

"Daisy why? What did Tracey do that made you so mad?" Misty asked with concern.

"Yesterday I got all dressed up to go on a dinner date, Tracey had like, promised to take me on the best date he could offer me…and just five minutes before he was like, due, he called to tell me that something had like, come up…I had a good feeling what that SOMETHING was, I mean, he never even like, gave me an explanation, he just told me something was up and that he like, couldn't say what. Well, I got all mad, and I basically told him to like, go meet with that 'person' he couldn't tell me about and I hung up, I haven't spoken to him since." Daisy finished her story and crossed her arms.

Misty studied her sister's expression; this was very unlike Daisy to be upset over a date being called off. All the previous guys she had gone out with, she didn't really care if they blew her off since they weren't anything special to her…but this, this was new. It was clear to Misty that Daisy, her older sister, the eldest Sensational Sister of Cerulean City, was really, sincerely, in love, "Daisy, take it from someone who travelled with him, Tracey is NOT the cheater type, in fact, he's the most honest guy you'll ever meet, heh, I'd even go as far to say he's more trustworthy than my Ash is."

"That's what I thought too." Daisy huffed, reiterating the turn of her head, her long blonde hair swishing as she did so.

"Daisy, I've known Tracey to do this sort of thing before, and I know EXACTLY why he does it." Misty said.

This got Daisy's attention, "Really? Why?" she asked, looking back towards her little sister.

"Tracey tends to get involved in a lot of situations back at Prof. Oak's lab…sometimes dangerous situations…I remember once he almost got killed when one of Ash's Tauros got sick and went on a feverish rampage…I'm gonna take a wild guess and say he didn't want you to worry." Misty explained.

Daisy's hands made their way over to her heart, and her mouth was now slightly ajar when she heard Misty's explanation…she felt so guilty now, she had yelled at the Pokémon watcher for reasons that had all been made up in her head, she could only imagine how badly she had devastated the gentle young man she had titled her boyfriend, "Misty…I did a bad thing." she whimpered, her lip quivering slightly.

"No Daisy, you just overreacted, that's all…it was a mistake…you're a Sensational Sister, a celebrity throughout Kanto, but you're still human, entitled to making human mistakes. And I guarantee you it's not irreversible either sis, all you gotta do is call Tracey at the lab and talk to him!" Misty exclaimed.

Daisy's eyes suddenly widened, "No." she said.

"Wha – no? Whaddya mean no?" Misty asked in shock.

"I can't JUST call him Misty, I gotta like, fix this in person! Thanks for talking to me little sis, you may have just saved my whole social life!" Daisy got up to leave.

When she saw her sister take off, Misty remembered exactly why she had called to begin with, "Daisy wait!" she cried out.

Daisy poked her head back into the camera's view, "What is it?" she asked.

"I don't wanna keep you away from Tracey, so could you get Lily or Violet? I gotta get something from over there." Misty replied, sighing with relief that her sister had heard her.

"I can't get them, they're like, at the spa…I'm manning the gym on my own…heh…now I know how YOU felt when we took off on that cruise…almost makes me feel guilty for leaving…" Daisy chuckled dryly.

"I already forgave you guys sis, besides, I had Tracey to help me, just like you do." Misty replied with a comforting smile.

Daisy smiled, "I really am lucky to have a sister like you, I wish I had realized it a lot sooner."

"You realize it now, that's all that matters." Misty smiled.

"Yeah…so, what did you need?" Daisy asked.

"Well like I said at the beginning of this conversation…we're in Snowpoint City, and it's ridiculously cold here…Dawn's mom got us all cold-weather clothes but…I don't like it." Misty held up the parka and let her sister look it over.

"I don't see the problem with it, like, what's wrong with it? I think it'd look really like, cute on you. The color works if nothing else." Daisy said, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

"I like the look Daisy, and I'd be more than glad to wear it, but the problem is it's way too short! I've run into a few…creeps out here, and I don't wanna give them any sort of reason to eyeball me." Misty said, trying to choose her words carefully.

"Ohh, I get it." Daisy smirked, "That like, comes with the Sensational Sister genetics Misty, when you like, finally reach your peak, you're gonna give me, Lily, and Violet a run for our money."

Misty blushed furiously, it was pretty obvious to her where Daisy was going with that, "Honestly Daisy, you're embarrassing." she hissed.

Daisy giggled, "Oh get over it Misty, accept the fact that you're gonna like, be a smokin' hot woman when you grow up, might as well like, get used to it." Daisy replied with a wink, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"I think I'll have to sign up for a martial arts class then." Misty deadpanned, "Well whatever, can you guys send me something I can wear along with this?"

"Yeah, hang on." Daisy got up and came with a pair of black leggings, "Here, black goes with anything, so you'll be warm, modest, and STILL fashionable!" Daisy said with a smile, as she sent the piece of clothing to her little sister.

Misty received it and folded it up since her sister had sent it over all sloppily, "Thanks big sis, now get going! If I know Tracey, the poor guy is all bummed out." Misty said, smiling sadly.

"I know, I like, feel SOOO guilty, but I'm gonna fix everything now! Thanks little sis!" Daisy hung up, and left Misty by herself.

"Well, another job well done, AND I got something to go with this parka." Misty went to go change at last; she looked herself over in the mirror, and smiled at the sight…she had to admit, Daisy was right, she looked good in her current attire, the parka did accentuate her curves quite nicely, and the black leggings assured that her modesty was maintained despite how short the parka reached. _"Ash is gonna flip when he sees me!" _the thought of Ash seeing her in her winter outfit for the first time made her giggle almost involuntarily; she just couldn't wait to reveal herself!

"So what was up with Misty anyway?" Ash asked, scratching his head curiously.

"I'm sure she'll tell you, IF she wants you to know." Dawn replied with a smirk, "So you REALLY think I look good in this?" she asked the two boys.

"Yes Dawn, you look great…" Ash replied apathetically. Ash meant no offense to Dawn, but he wasn't at all interested in how she looked, he was interested in how his Misty would look, and for some reason unknown to him, Misty was refusing to wear the parka Dawn's mom had sent. But then he turned around and saw Misty coming out of the restroom, and he felt his heartbeat accelerate immediately.

"So, how do I look?" Misty asked, doing a little twirl to give the others a full view, despite the fact that the only opinion she actually cared about was Ash's, "And please don't go all silent on me again." she added teasingly.

Ash blushed and smiled, "I'm not gonna be silent, you're looking good Misty, I really like it." Ash replied sheepishly. Ash figured that the more things Misty put on, the more used to it he'd get, and it'd be easier for him to react in a way that would actually get his feelings across without making him look dumbfounded.

"Where'd you get the leggings Misty?" Dawn asked.

"Daisy pulled 'em out for me, they're warm, they're fashionable, according to her that is, and they'll keep my modesty intact." Misty said, putting emphasis on her final point.

"That's great Mist, I dunno about you, but I don't want every guy we go by to be giving you the onceover. I'm glad you decided to wear something under that." Ash said.

Brock and Dawn looked at Ash in shock, where on earth did that comment come from? "I actually thought you'd be disappointed." Dawn said, trying to get a reaction from the raven-haired trainer.

"Huh? Why?" Ash's eyes suddenly widened, "Dawn! I'm not that kind of guy!" he yelled in horror.

"Took you a second to get it huh?" Dawn laughed.

"I don't care about that stuff Dawn, what I DO care about is making sure that Misty is safe from guys who might try to take advantage of her!" Ash replied, his fists clenched in anger at the mere thought.

"Appreciated Ash, but like I told your mom the day we told her we were together, do I look like the kind of girl who's gonna let some guy take advantage of me? Or do I need to remind you of all the beatings I gave you when we were younger?" Misty commented.

"Hey, I was ten, you were a head taller than I was at the time, and you were still scrawny then so no guy WANTED to take advantage of you." Ash replied matter-of-factly.

Misty slowly reeled back, shocked that Ash had gone there, but when she saw that Ash now had his hands over his mouth in horror, she smirked. She knew he hadn't meant to say that, but she figured she could have some fun with him now, "Oh no, you did NOT just call me scrawny AGAIN." she said, as she started taking steps towards her terrified boyfriend.

Ash started backing up with his hands up defensively, "Wai-wai-wai-wai-wai-wait! Wait! Wait a sec! Lemme be clear! I said BACK THEN you were scrawny, I mean no offense Mist but…you weren't the uh…uh…" Ash blushed; the language he'd have to use to reverse his "scrawny" comment was not something he felt comfortable using.

"Yes? Go ahead, I'm waiting." Misty said with mock patience. She knew Ash wouldn't have the guts to use those kinds of terms; he was all too pure and clean-hearted. He had been well raised, she had to give Delia props for that, he knew very well what was respectable and what wasn't, and he knew EVEN BETTER evidently that certain parts of a woman were none of his business, he had only used scrawny because that was a habitual term leftover from their constant argument days, but there was no way he would make any sort of reference to her curves OR the lack thereof when they were younger. As long as Ash was gonna try though, Misty would have fun watching him squirm while he tried to think of a way out of this mess he had put himself into.

After much thinking of words and then tossing them out because they sounded bad, Ash dropped his hands and his head and sighed in defeat, "I give up, just beat the snot out of me and let's move on."

The whole group laughed at Ash's response, and instead of beating him up, Misty walked up and kissed Ash on the cheek, "I love you Ash, thank you for trying to protect me, I appreciate it." she giggled, as she hugged his arm.

Ash looked up and then down at Misty – albeit he didn't have to look TOO FAR down – and blushed as he looked down at the redhead hugging his arm, he also had to take a silent sigh of relief that since becoming his girlfriend, Misty's temper and hostility towards him had dropped dramatically, because the Misty he had grown up with, would've knocked him to the ground without a second thought.

"You should consider yourself lucky Misty, there aren't a lot of guys out there like Ash, let's not forget Conway and Kendall who gave ME the creeps during the academy." Dawn said, shivering at the remembrance.

"It's people like Conway, Kendall, and guys like Wilkinson yesterday, that make me wanna wear modest clothing, it's ridiculous how many players we've run into here in Sinnoh." Misty replied.

"And that's why I wanna make sure my girlfriend is safe, and I'll make sure she's safe either with my fists, or with Pikachu's 'Thunderbolt'! Right Pikachu?" Ash looked around and noticed that Pikachu was nowhere to be found, "Hey, what happened to Pikachu?"

"I've got a pretty good idea." Misty walked over to Dawn's backpack and started rummaging through it.

"What are you looking for Misty?" Dawn asked curiously.

Misty found what she was looking for and pulled it out, "Here, whose is this?" Misty tossed the object over to Dawn, who fumbled with it for a moment as she was caught off guard.

When she finally got a good grip on it, she examined it, "It's Buneary's Pokéball." Then she realized where Misty was coming from, "Ohh, I get it." Dawn smirked, "Looks like Pikachu went to get some private time with Buneary." Dawn opened the Pokéball and was not shocked to find it was indeed empty.

"Ok, then where's Piplup?" Brock asked, noting that Dawn's Pokémon partner was also missing.

The group looked around and didn't find any sign of the penguin, and then Dawn looked down into the box that held Ash and brock's jackets, and saw Piplup taking a snooze inside. "I think Piplup's all worn out." Dawn giggled, gently taking the penguin out of the box and holding him tenderly in her arms.

"It has been a long day." Brock commented.

"Yeah, and we've got ANOTHER long day tomorrow. I think we should get some sleep." Dawn suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Ash replied, stretching out with a yawn.

"You guys go on ahead, Dawn and I are gonna get changed." Misty said.

Ash and Brock nodded and headed towards the rooms, and when they walked into their designated room, they found Pikachu and Buneary snoozing together on Dawn's bed, content smiles plastered on their faces as they quietly slept. "Boy, Pikachu really likes Buneary huh?" Ash commented quietly so as not to wake the two sleeping Pokémon.

"Looks like it. And to think he never would've found that sort of happiness if you hadn't fallen in love with Misty as hard as you did." Brock replied, as he pulled his pajama clothes out of his backpack, "Just like you, Pikachu's not a little kid anymore, you both have matured and grown throughout your journey, and with that comes new benefits and new responsibilities."

"Yeah, I guess we're both pretty lucky to have awesome girls in our lives." Ash went over and scratched Pikachu behind the ears, which made the yellow mouse gently regain consciousness. Pikachu looked up at his master with some confusion as to why he had woken him, "You and Buneary make an awesome team buddy, just like Misty and I make an awesome team. I'm really glad we've both been able to find someone special." Ash whispered, so as not to wake the still sleeping rabbit. Pikachu smiled back at his human partner, and then went back to sleeping with his new Pokémon partner, who had not even been disturbed by the short exchange of words.

By now the girls had returned, and Ash went over to Misty and randomly gave her a tight embrace, "What's this for Ash?" Misty giggled, as she was unsure of why her boyfriend had suddenly decided to give her a hug, not that she was complaining or anything.

"Oh, nothing really…it's just…you and I make a great team." Ash replied, as he softly pressed his lips against her forehead.

Misty couldn't help but blush at the sudden shower of affection Ash was giving her, "You just have this thing with spontaneously getting romantic at random times don't you?" she giggled.

"Love makes me do random things sometimes Mist, what can I say?" he laughed, as he held her tightly in his arms.

Dawn and Brock were watching the whole time, and they just rolled their eyes and went about their business. As for the Pokémon couple, they had awoken to see Ash and Misty sharing a tender moment together, and that got them to smile at each other the same way Ash and Misty were, and after a silent exchange of feelings, the two Pokémon happily fell back into a warm and cozy slumber.

Just then, the phone in the room began to ring. "I'll get it." Dawn went over and picked up the phone and held it to her ear, "Hello?"

"Is that you Dawn?" It was Nurse Joy, calling from the front desk in the lobby, "I'm very sorry to bother you, but you have a videophone call from a girl named Zoey."

"Oh yeah! I should've known Zoey would call, since we're so close to her hometown! Thanks Nurse Joy, I'll be right down!" Dawn hung up and opened the front door, "I'll be right back guys, don't wait up!" Dawn closed the door behind her, leaving the trio to themselves.

"I wonder what Zoey wants." Ash said, having since released Misty and gotten his pajamas to go change.

"If I had to take a guess, I'd say she wants to meet us in Snowpoint City tomorrow, you heard what Dawn said, it's her hometown." Misty replied, pulling out her own pajamas out of her backpack.

"Perfect, then me and my map can take a day off; Zoey can just show us around." Brock commented, as he turned off the desk lamp he just got finished using.

"Don't put your map away just yet, knowing Ash he'll probably wanna ditch the group and head straight to the gym." Misty smirked at her boyfriend just before he opened the door to the bathroom.

"Aww come on Mist, you don't have ANY faith in me?" Ash asked, as he opened the bathroom door, "I can take a day off and just relax; it'll be nice to chill after all the work we've been putting in."

"You're gonna chill alright Ash, but not necessarily by relaxing. Remember where we're heading." Misty joked.

Ash groaned playfully, "That's awful Mist, that just made me cringe." Ash closed the door and finally got himself changed, and Misty and Brock soon followed suit as they got ready for bed.

"Hey guys!" Dawn opened the door and closed it; her eyes were closed from the excitement. When she opened her eyes however, she found herself in total darkness. She blinked a couple of times to make sure it wasn't just her, and she figured, it wasn't. "Hey! When I said don't wait up I didn't think you guys would take it to heart!" she whined loudly.

The light was then turned on by Buneary, who had hopped up and pressed the button after her master had rudely awakened her. The other teens had just been woken up too, and they all winced as their eyes began to adjust to the light, "What's the matter Dawn?" Brock asked.

"Nothing, I just needed to tell you that Zoey wants to meet us tomorrow in Snowpoint City!" Dawn exclaimed cheerfully, as she too went over to get ready for bed.

"I had a feeling that was what was up." Misty commented, as she laid herself back down and stared at the ceiling, "So what time are we meeting her?"

"See that's the thing, she wants us to check something out, so we have to be in Snowpoint City by nine." Dawn replied, as she placed her hat into her backpack and pulled out her pink pajamas.

The trio suddenly sat up straight and shouted in shock, "As in A.M.?"

"Of course A.M.! It wouldn't make sense if she wanted to meet us at night! Now you all get some rest, we gotta get going bright and early!" Dawn skipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, leaving the trio to just gape at each other.

"Why is it every time Dawn goes to the videophone we have to wake up early the next day?" Ash groaned, flopping back onto the mattress and covering his face with his pillow.

"From now on, I'm going with her whenever she has to talk." The trio just turned off the light again, if Dawn wanted to find her way, she'd have to feel her way to her bed, in their eyes, it served her right.

The next morning, Dawn was awake at six in the morning, "Oh no, not again!" the trio woke up when they heard Dawn's horrified shriek from the bathroom, "Misty! Help me!"

"Oooaaahh…" Misty groaned and flopped onto the mattress, "She's having a bad hair day again."

"Go on Mist, you're the only one who can help her." Ash mumbled through his pillow.

"Right…I feel SOOO special." Misty stretched and reluctantly threw the covers off her, and in the process did the same to Ash, not that she really cared at the moment. Misty opened the door and didn't even bother to examine the situation, "Gimme the brush and sit down." She grumbled.

"Thank you Misty, I'm SO sorry!" Dawn sat down on the toilet cover, which happened to be the only thing that could be sat down on in that particular bathroom, "At least it's not as bad as when Haunter did something to it."

"When did Haunter do something to your hair?" Misty asked, as she messed with a tangle of blue hair.

"Oh please, remember the first day at the Summer Academy? It had to be Haunter pulling something, I told you it NEVER got as bad as it did that day." Dawn replied.

"Whatever Dawn, maybe I'll care AFTER I stop sleep-brushing." Misty grumbled.

"Again, sorry about this." Dawn said sheepishly.

Finally, after much struggling, the group was able to get underway, and after about an hour of walking, they reached Snowpoint City, and surely enough, they ran into their other redheaded friend, "ZOEY!" Dawn called out.

Upon hearing the perpetually cheery voice, Zoey laughed and turned to find her four friends waving at her, "Hi guys! You're right on time!" Zoey exclaimed, pointing at her Pokétch that now read 9:00 A.M. right on the dot.

"Well of course, right on time!" Dawn said matter-of-factly, "After all, my mom says to always keep your appointments and be punctual!" she said proudly.

"Of course the one thing you didn't mention was that if I hadn't helped you with that stupid bedhead of yours again we would've been like three hours late." Misty replied, her eyes narrowed at the blue-haired coordinator.

Dawn sweat-dropped and laughed nervously, which brought giggles from the other redhead, "Anyway, it's been a long time hasn't it?" Zoey asked, trying to bail her friend out.

"It has! The last time must've been when you and Ash battled against Fantina." Brock replied.

"You're right Brock." Zoey then turned her attention to Ash, "Ash, I know you lost your exhibition battle against Fantina, but what about your official gym battle?"

A gleam appeared in Ash's eye as he pulled his badge case out of his backpack, and opened it up for Zoey to see his badges, "Just check it out, I won that one big time!"

"Alright, that's awesome!" Zoey replied.

"Hey, I just noticed something." Misty said, eyeing Zoey, "You're not wearing anything different, aren't you cold?"

"Are you kidding? I grew up here remember? Anywhere else I go I'm sweating like crazy…this…this is home; this is the weather I live for." Zoey replied, her arms spread out as she admired her snowy hometown.

"I can't wait for you to show us around, to think this is the place where you were born." Dawn said.

"Yeah," Zoey replied, reminiscing on her younger days, "Sparkling white with snow…welcome to Snowpoint City!"

The group made their way down the hill that led to Snowpoint City, and before long they found themselves walking through the winter wonderland Zoey called home. "Being back here must be like a homecoming for you, huh Zoey?" Misty said, as she looked around at the sights.

"Yeah. One of the things I always liked about Snowpoint City was the peace and quiet; even the people here are peaceful and quiet. It's really a great place to recharge the old batteries." Zoey replied.

The group looked around in awe, Zoey was right; the place really was quite peaceful. That is until a huge green and white figure burst out of a nearby tree, holding a large chunk of ice over its head. "Everybody get back, quick!" Zoey exclaimed, "Quick Glameow, go!" Zoey sent her Pokémon partner to break up the attack, and with a swift swish of its corkscrewed tail, Glameow broke up the attack and landed gracefully on its feet.

"So what's this all about?" Ash said, his fist clenched as his blood got going.

"Lemme see what that is." Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex and scanned the creature Glameow was currently facing off against.

"Abomasnow, the Frost Tree Pokémon, and the evolved form of Snover. Abomasnow appear when snow flowers bloom, and return to places unknown when the petals fall." the Pokédex chirped.

"Abomasnow COULD be a wild Pokémon." Brock suggested.

In response, a voice made a buzzer sound, "Guess again!" the voice exclaimed. The group looked up and saw a girl who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old sitting in the tree, "Zo-Zo and Glameow. Welcome back!"

Zoey cupped her hands like a megaphone and called back up to the girl in the tree, "It's ALWAYS a wild welcome from you, eh Ms. Senior?" Zoey replied cheekily.

Suddenly stars appeared in the eyes of the girl who Zoey had called Ms. Senior, and she squealed excitedly as she jumped out of the tree and got up close to Misty and Dawn, her eyes sparkling as she slowly got closer and closer to the two uneasy teens, "That is SO cute! You've got to tell me where did you get it?" The other members of the group, Pokémon included, sweat-dropped as the girl continued to ramble about Misty and Dawn's outfits.

"Um, actually my mom sent them to us…" Dawn replied, smiling nervously.

"If your mother sent them they must be handmade! You two are so lucky!" the girl squealed.

Finally Zoey had enough and got in-between her friend and Misty and Zoey, "Ms. Senior, AT LEAST introduce yourself!" she exclaimed, snapping the girl out of her trance.

"Oh…" the sparkles disappeared from the girl's eyes as she backed away from the now relieved Misty and Dawn. The girl then ran back over to her Abomasnow and struck a pose, "Hi! The name is Candice and I'm the Gym Leader of the Snowpoint Gym!"

Upon hearing this information, the group gasped in shock, all except for Zoey of course. "Gym Leader?" Ash ran up to Candice and stared her in the eye, "I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm here because I wanna challenge the Snowpoint Gym!"

Upon hearing that, Candice clasped her hands in happiness and started hopping around like a little girl, "Yippee! We haven't had a challenger in so long!"

"Zoey, how old is Candice?" Misty asked.

"I know what you're thinking. The truth is she's seventeen years old, but she acts like she's ten." Zoey replied with a sweat-drop.

"How come you haven't had a challenger in so long?" Ash asked curiously.

"I'll answer your questions in a sec, in the meantime, why don't you let me and Zo-Zo show you around?" Candice suggested.

"I was actually doing that BEFORE you freaked out on us Ms. Senior." Zoey replied.

"Oops, sorry, it's just that things have been a little on the slow side at my gym these days." Candice explained, as the group followed her through the city.

"Slow huh? Wow, that's too bad." Ash replied.

"When you live in a town that's this far north and this cold with not much to do here, challengers don't come around all that much." Candice laughed a bit, "But it's cool, I wouldn't trade my home for all the challengers in the world."

"Boy, I know what it feels like to have a gym without a whole lot of challengers around." Brock said.

"I WISH I knew how that felt, when I took over the gym it felt like getting a day off was impossible." Misty added.

"What are you two talking about?" Candice asked curiously.

"See Ms. Senior, Brock used to be the Gym Leader at the Pewter Gym over in the Kanto Region, and Misty was the Gym Leader at the Cerulean City Gym." Zoey explained.

"Really? Wow! So that means we've got the same job then! So are you guys on vacation?" Candice asked.

"Uh, you might say that." Misty giggled and quickened her pace for a moment so that she was side-by-side with her boyfriend, and she quickly made a move for his hand, and needless to say Ash had no trouble grabbing on. Not to mention the fact that Misty's hand felt warm and his were freezing.

"Oooh, I see what you mean." Candice giggled, "And what about you Brock? Did you find true love here in Sinnoh too? Are you and Zo-Zo hooked up?" Candice got the reaction she was looking for.

"Ms. Senior!" Zoey blushed, purely out of embarrassment of course; there was nothing she had to hide. Zoey thought Brock was a great friend, but she was definitely not romantically interested.

"Should I take that as a yes?" Candice kept pushing, hoping to get Zoey to react further.

"No, we're not together." Brock came to Zoey's rescue with that comment, "See, what I'm REALLY doing here in Sinnoh, besides making sure Ash stays alive…" he got cut off.

"Hey, I heard that!" Ash exclaimed angrily.

Brock laughed before continuing, "Actually my family's running the gym now, so now I'm out and about, doing some training to become a Pokémon Breeder."

"Awesome." Candice turned her head forward again, and she then pointed towards a building, "Look, up ahead! See that? That's the Pokémon Trainer School!"

"And that's where we went to school." Zoey added.

"Oh, so THAT'S why you call her Ms. Senior." Dawn said.

"Her Senior to your Junior, right Zoey?" Misty added.

"So you figured it out then huh?" Zoey replied.

"But with so much free time on my hands, I've actually become a teacher at the school now." Candice explained.

"Wow, so you're a Gym Leader AND a teacher." Ash said.

"Must be nice to have free time." Misty joked.

"Too much free time can be a bad thing," Candice then turned her attention to Ash, "So Ash, how many gym badges do you have?"

"I've got six." Ash replied.

"Wow, that's great!" Suddenly Candice got an idea, "Hey, I wonder if I can show you off as an example to my students at training school!"

"You mean battling?" Ash asked, his excitement already starting to build up.

"No," that deflated Ash a bit, "I'd really like you to help me teach a class. I think it would be a great experience for all of them." Candice said, as she rubbed Pikachu's head gently as they walked, "Could we have our gym battle a little later?"

"I'd be happy to do anything I can." Ash replied, "What do you think Pikachu?" he asked. Pikachu squeaked in agreement.

"Anything YOU can do Ash, amounts to a big, fat, ZERO." Misty said, "It's clear to me that you don't know Ash very well Candice. Ash is a wiz on the battlefield, but he's a complete DUNCE in the classroom."

"Hey! It's a Pokémon training school! How hard can it be? I've been training for over four years now!" Ash replied.

"I know, I was there for most of the time. And let's not forget who it was that got you on the right track every time you screwed up." Misty heckled.

"That would be Brock." Ash replied snidely.

"Hey, leave me out of this." Brock said, raising his hands up in self-defense.

"You're gonna get like this on me NOW? You had no problem giving me due credit a while back." Misty said.

"That was BEFORE you called me a dunce." Ash replied, "You've got yourself an example trainer Candice. I'll show Misty what I can do."

"Uh, great…I guess…" Candice had been taken aback by the couple's sudden change of attitude towards each other. What was even MORE shocking to her however, was that despite their argument, they were STILL holding hands.

"All you'll prove is what I said. You and classrooms DO NOT MIX." Misty replied, looking in the opposite direction of Ash.

"We'll see." Ash did the same as Misty.

Candice turned back to her old friend Zoey, "Does this happen often?"

Brock answered for her, "Not as often as it used to." he said with a sweat-drop.

"He would know." Zoey added.

"Speaking of knowing…" Candice turned around and winked as she pointed at Zoey, "Zoey, I know you need to get your kiai on too!"

"Yeah…I hear you." Zoey replied with a sweat-drop.

That reaction caught Dawn off guard, "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Zoey hung her head a moment and sighed, "Take a look." Zoey pulled out her ribbon case and showed its contents to everyone, "I just can't seem to earn my fifth ribbon."

Dawn chuckled a little, "Yeah, same here. One more to go."

Candice walked up and leaned up against Zoey, who sweat-dropped at the slightly order girl, "Zo-Zo, you already managed to get four ribbons, but when it comes to number five you fall just a LITTLE BIT short. So this is your Ms. Senior with a BIG news flash! Put kiai into it!"

The rest of the group just stared at Candice, what in the world was "kiai" anyway? Dawn decided to ask, "The thing is…what in the world is kiai?"

"I think Ms. Senior's telling me I need to battle." Zoey explained with a sigh.

Candice snapped her fingers, "Bingo!" she exclaimed, "But before we do that, I want Zo-Zo to see how good all my students are, how hard they all work, and remember your roots!"

"Alright Ms. Senior, I hear ya." Zoey chuckled.

"Good! Then let's go!" Candice led the group to the front of the building, where all sorts of different trainers and Pokémon were going in to attend their classes.

"The Pokémon Trainer School…the place where you study the basic handling of Pokémon up until the age of ten. Boy this brings back memories." Zoey said, as she admired her old schoolhouse.

"Maybe if Ash had attended a school like this, he wouldn't have been so clueless as to use Pikachu against Brock's rock-types when he started out on his journey." Misty snickered.

"You just WON'T let that go, will you?" Ash replied exasperatedly, shaking his head.

"How many times did I offer to let you use one of my water-types? Like a dozen? Water beats rock, BASIC. Your failure to comprehend that just drove me crazy back then." Misty said.

"Apparently it STILL drives you crazy." Ash grumbled.

"Your past mistakes drive me crazy, YOU do not, at least not nearly as often as you used to." Misty replied.

"Will you two just knock it off?" Dawn exclaimed, annoyed by the constant bickering, "Maybe the cold is affecting you two, but you've been griping ever since we got here!"

"Yeah, just relax. We're here, so why don't you enjoy the exclusive tour?" Zoey added.

"Fine." the two replied.

"Anyway…although the main reason for the school's existence is for younger children, there IS another course that older students can take as well." Zoey explained.

"Yeah? What's that?" Ash asked.

Zoey shushed Ash as Candice's students began to file in, "It's a special course indeed," she whispered, "Everyone here got their first Pokémon, but for one reason or another all these people had to interrupt their Pokémon journeys…you see, unlike most schools, THIS school has a practical side."

Finally, Candice walked up to the front of the classroom and greeted her students, who greeted her back. People of all ages, both men and women, had filed in for Candice's class. And since coming inside, Candice had taken off her sweater and wrapped it around her waist, "Today I've got a special treat for you! We're lucky enough to have a very special guest. He's come all the way from Kanto's Pallet Town to challenge me here at the Snowpoint Gym, and his name is Ash. Ash, come on up!"

Ash chuckled and put his hand behind his head as he walked up to join Candice at the front of the classroom, "Hey everyone, thanks for having me." he laughed a bit.

"Look at him eat up the attention." Misty scoffed, her arms crossed with disgust.

"Ash has earned an INCREDIBLE six badges," Candice said, which made her class gasp in awe, "Would you like to show everyone Ash?" she asked.

"Sure!" Ash pulled out his badge case and laughed, as he showed off his achievements.

One of the adults shouted in shock, "Wow! You're the real thing!" he said.

"Land sakes, and he's still so young!" a woman added, her hand over her mouth in awe.

"Oh please, betcha he forgot how he wound up getting them." Misty grumbled.

"Misty, come on already! What's your problem huh?" Brock asked, his irritation towards the water-trainer increasing.

"Nothing!" Misty threw up her hands in surrender and then crossed them again. Why did Ash get to have all this attention? He wasn't that book smart. And she was willing to bet anything that he wouldn't share any of the credit for his success.

"Ash, would you mind giving everyone here a motto on how to win a gym battle?" Candice asked.

"A motto huh? Lemme see…" Ash thought about it for a moment, and then came up with an answer, "My advice is that the best defense is a good OFFENSE!" he exclaimed determinedly. While the students gasped and started taking notes, he caught a glimpse of Misty, who was obviously growing more disgusted as he continued on…he wasn't liking the fact that he had been fighting with Misty ever since Candice had asked him to be an example of what a good trainer was…and as he pondered this…he realized that the answer he had just given Candice's students, wasn't REALLY the key to his success. "But…" he said, getting the students' attention once more, and even Candice had been caught off guard. "If you REALLY wanna succeed as a trainer…it's all about relationships…" Ash looked over again, and noticed that he had caught Misty's attention too, and she seemed more shocked than angry now, "I always say that the most important thing, whether you're a gym battler, a coordinator, or if you haven't decided yet…the single most important thing, is to be one with your Pokémon, to be friends with them, have faith in them, and to build an unbreakable bond between you and them…and when you get that relationship established, there'll be no limit to what you can accomplish together." he looked once more, Misty was actually smiling. "I've been really lucky to have Pikachu as my partner," he pet Pikachu for a moment, "And once we became friends, we became an awesome team…and not only have I been lucky with amazing Pokémon, I have amazing HUMAN friends who've been there since I first started out on my journey, and since then I've made a lot of new friends too. They've shown me how I can improve, they've strengthened me when I needed it most, they helped me turn into the trainer that I am today…and to be completely honest, if it weren't for them…Brock, Dawn, Zoey…Misty…I NEVER would've made it as far as I have."

The class had nothing to say, but they DID applaud Ash for giving them such a heartfelt speech. Ash looked over to where his friends were, and they too were clapping. Even Misty seemed to approve, as she winked at him as she continued to clap with everyone else. _"Looks like that's it for the arguing. Thank goodness." _Ash sighed inwardly; relieved that Misty's temper had been quelled.

"Thank you Ash, I one-hundred percent agree with everything you just said…except the part about offense being the best defense, that's debatable." Candice said. Ash face-faulted at that, earning chuckles from everyone in the room. "Now class, our assignment today will be to do some studying right along with Ash."

"Right!" the class exclaimed in unison.

"And Misty, Dawn, you two are welcome to join us if you like." Candice offered.

"Alright! Whaddya say Piplup?" Dawn asked. Piplup chirped excitedly in response.

"This could be fun, why not?" Misty added.

The two girls found seats, leaving Brock and Zoey to themselves, "She may be a teacher here at the school, but she's also a Gym Leader as well, she could be testing Ash while hiding it by asking him questions." Brock theorized.

"Hmm…maybe." Zoey pondered this for a moment, it DID make sense the more she thought about it.

Ash had sat himself down next to a man named Jeremiah and his Skuntank, while Misty and Dawn sat on either side of a light-blue haired man who evidently wanted nothing to do with them. _"What's his problem?" _they both thought.

"So now it's time for Candice class!" Candice exclaimed, "I call this the 'Quick Kiai Quiz', press the button on your desk before you answer."

"A quiz?" Ash gasped in horror.

Jeremiah calmly placed his hand on the button and turned towards Ash, "It's good practice for winning a Pokémon Battle you know." he said.

"A Pokémon Battle…" Ash then decided to give it a shot, "Right!" he placed his hand on the button with determination, as he focused in and readied himself for the quiz.

"I love this kind of quiz, great! Piplup, you watch!" Dawn was obviously quite excited for the quiz, as she placed her hand on the button and readied herself.

"Alright then…oh?" Candice was about to start when she noticed something, "Misty, where's your Pokémon? If you're gonna participate, you need to have a Pokémon with you."

"Oh, uh, ok." Misty had been caught off guard by being singled out, but she quickly recovered and reached for a Pokéball, "Alright Azurill, let's…" Misty was cutoff when a white light emerged and Psyduck popped up next to her, "Why now?" she asked hitting her head on the desk in exasperation.

"What a cute little Psyduck you have there Misty!" Candice exclaimed.

"Yeah, he tries to be cute a lot." Misty grumbled under her breath, her eyes narrowed at the clumsy water-type as she rested her chin on her desk.

"Alright…Question One!" Candice exclaimed, "Pikachu is…" Candice was cutoff.

"Ok, I got it!" Ash exclaimed, hitting the button almost immediately. Ash's reaction time earned gasps from the regular students.

"Nice speed Ash!" Candice exclaimed, "Now I hope you're ready with your answer! You're on!"

Ash made a determined fist, "If it's about Pikachu, then I know it! The answer is, an electric-type!"

Candice suddenly made a buzzer sound, shocking Ash to no end, "Wrong!"

"Wha?" Ash exclaimed. As he looked around the room, he noticed that the entire class was staring at him with disgust. _"Boy…tough crowd…"_

"Overconfidence can lead to some serious mistakes," Jeremiah said, "True in quizzes AND in battles as well."

"If I may add one thing," the man sitting in-between Misty and Dawn stood up, "In a quiz like this, speed is vital…but…with a series of twists and turns you need to predict the end of the questions correctly!" he exclaimed, as he made dramatic poses.

"Good point from one of our newer students!" Candice said, impressed with this newcomer.

The student chuckled, "I may not look it but when I was a mere lad, they used to call me the prince of quizzes back in my hometown!"

Candice clapped softly in order to regain order in the classroom, "Alright, let me finish the question…Pikachu is a Mouse Pokémon, so then…" once again Candice was cut off, this time by the same student who had just finished gloating about his quizzing prowess.

"Tiny Mouse Pokémon!" he exclaimed with certainty.

Candice made another buzzer sound and smirked, "Sorry, wrong again."

The student then stood up with his hands on the desk, "Starting with the fact that Pikachu is a Mouse Pokémon would lead one to Pichu would it not?" he asked, outraged that he had been declared incorrect.

"Nope, not this time." Candice replied, "Listen closely…Pikachu is a Mouse Pokémon…what kind of Pokémon is Cyndaquil?" All the students quickly smashed down their buttons, but one student stood out, "Mr. Jeremiah was first!" Candice exclaimed, "Your answer please?"

"Fire Mouse Pokémon." Jeremiah answered.

"That's correct!" Candice exclaimed cheerfully.

"Drat! So the connection was through Mouse Pokémon!" the light blue haired student growled, his fists clenched in frustration.

"Man, this is tough." Ash said under his breath.

"Misty, everyone's so fast…" Dawn said, looking past the grumbling man next to her.

"Yeah, I feel like I'm out of my league here…if all of Candice's questions are like that one, we don't stand a chance." Misty replied.

"Now next question…" Candice said, as a swirl shape appeared on the screen behind her, "This shape is…" Candice was cut off once again, "Wow Misty, you know the answer?" Candice asked.

"I recognize that shape ANYWHERE, my instincts about water-Pokémon are never wrong, that's the signature swirl of the Poliwag evolutionary line!" Misty exclaimed with certainty.

Candice once again faked a buzzer sound and smirked, "Sorry Misty, but your instincts are wrong this time!"

"That's impossible! What else could that swirl be?" Misty exclaimed furiously.

"You'll see, listen carefully…" Candice resumed the question, "This shape is what appears in the eyes of Pokémon once they've fainted…what Pokémon ALWAYS has this shape in their eyes?" Once again the entire class buzzed in, "Mr. Jeremiah again!" Candice exclaimed.

"Spinda, Ma'am." he answered.

"Right again! Well done Mr. Jeremiah!" Candice exclaimed, "You've definitely done your homework!"

"I cannot believe this…" Misty put her head on the table in frustration, grabbing fistfuls of her hair in the process.

"Wow, even Misty got tricked…we're gonna have to be really careful Pikachu…" Ash said.

"Pika chu." (No kidding.) Pikachu frowned at his master, also shocked at just how difficult this quiz was turning out to be.

"Now, next question…Abra is…" Candice got cut off, and the entire class, included Ash, Misty, and Dawn, gasped in shock as it turned out to be Jeremiah who had hit the buzzer.

"He knows already?" Ash said under his breath, gaping at Jeremiah in shock.

"Mr. Jeremiah, your answer please?" Candice said.

"That's twenty-four hours." Jeremiah replied.

"Excellent! Right again!" Candice exclaimed.

The entire class gasped in shock once again, "An Abra is twenty-hours? What does that mean?" Dawn asked, obviously confused by the supposedly random solution to the question.

"I think it goes like this," Jeremiah proceeded to finish the question on his own, "An Abra will sleep for eighteen hours every day…ok, now how long does the smell by a Stunky last?"

"That's exactly right Mr. Jeremiah!" Candice exclaimed.

The class started applauding the man, it was clear that he was the top student there. "Whoa…talk about an awesome prediction…" Ash mumbled.

"So Ash, what did you think?" Jeremiah asked.

Ash just growled with frustration and placed his hand back on the buzzer, it was killing him that he wasn't getting a single question right, and needless to say he was getting humiliated by this man who used to sell Pokétches in Jubilife City.

"This quiz is so hard…" Dawn whispered to herself.

"He's gotta be cheating, unless he's part psychic-type, there's NO WAY anyone could come up with that connection without help." Misty grumbled.

"That guy's incredible." Brock said, awed by Jeremiah's ability to predict.

"He must study REALLY hard." Zoey added, also shocked by the knowhow of this particular student.

"Ok, next question…Meowth…what powerful move can only be learned by Meowth?" Candice asked.

The entire class waited to see if Candice was gonna pull another fast one, but she remained quiet. _"This isn't a trick question!"_ Ash bashed his button down, but he wasn't the only one.

"Wow! Mr. Jeremiah, Ash, Misty, you all hit the button almost at the same time…but the one who hit it first was…Ash!" Candice exclaimed.

Ash exhaled with relief, "That was close."

"So, what's your answer?" Candice asked.

Ash flinched, he had forgotten about actually answering the question, he was content with just beating Jeremiah to the punch, "Uh…wait a sec, I know this!" he stammered.

"Five seconds Ash!" Candice exclaimed.

"_Come on Ash, you know this! Don't let this guy beat you AGAIN!" _Misty thought nervously.

"Um…it's…I got it!" Ash exclaimed suddenly, "Payday'! The answer is 'Payday'!" Ash did a fist pump in triumph, as he knew for sure that he had gotten it, and sure enough, he was right.

"That's correct! Great job Ash!" Candice exclaimed.

Ash sat back and slumped in his chair, a content smile on his face. "I didn't think I was gonna get ANY of 'em." he whispered to himself.

"Looks like Ash managed to redeem himself in everyone's eyes." Brock commented. Zoey nodded in agreement.

"Uh, excuse me?" a man in a leather jacket raised his hand up in the air, his Diglett by his side as well.

"Yes, what is it?" Candice asked.

"This quiz is supposed to have something to do with battles right?" the man asked, "I came to learn about battling."

"Alright then." Candice turned her attention to the entire class, "Is there anybody else here who was wondering the same thing?" Candice waited a few moments, and was not at all shocked to see that just about everyone had raised their hands. "I thought so. You see class; my quick quiz is designed to help tune your reflexes to be razor sharp. In a quiz, or a battle, if you can learn to read a situation accurately, it will work to your advantage." she explained, "When in a battle, your Pokémon actually does the battling, leaving all decisions to the trainer. What we're doing here is classroom exercises that will help you become a trainer your Pokémon can believe in."

"I should know as an ex-Gym Leader, she's definitely telling it straight." Brock said.

Zoey smiled and gave a thumbs-up, "That's my Ms. Senior."

"And with that, we will now break for recess! So go on outside and get busy with your Pokémon!" Candice exclaimed. The whole class headed out the door to interact with their Pokémon, "Zo-Zo, Dawn, why don't you come with me a second?" Candice requested. The two other girls shrugged and followed the Gym Leader out, while Ash, Misty, and Brock just headed outside, where Ash proceeded to fall onto his back on some grass and groan.

"This stinks. I looked like a complete IDIOT in there!" Ash growled, his eyes tightly shut in order to avoid seeing anyone.

"Relax, you simply show off your true power when you're in battle, see?" Brock consoled, kneeling down in front of the boy.

"There's no reason to feel bad about how you did in the quiz, that opening speech you made…that is, once you actually started talking about your REAL key to success," Misty added, as she sat down with her legs crossed next to her boyfriend, "That was what defined you during that class, you let them know what was TRULY important about being a trainer. If you ask me, Candice's quiz was bogus, battle instincts can't be taught."

"That's the long version of what I wanted to say," Brock laughed, "You're awesome on the battlefield. Behind a desk? Not so much."

"Gee thanks Brock, makes me feel SO much better." Ash replied sarcastically.

"You know, I've been wondering about your desk skills." A voice said.

Ash immediately recognized that voice. He opened his eyes and sat up straight, "Jeremiah!" he exclaimed.

"For a trainer with six gym badges, you don't seem to know that much. To be honest I'm surprised." Jeremiah replied.

Ash didn't really appreciate that comment, but he decided to shrug it off in order to avoid an argument, "Hey, don't worry, I'll do better next time."

"I would hope so." Jeremiah waved and walked away, a somewhat smug impression on his face.

"Looks like he's letting his quizzing skills get to his head." Misty commented, her arms crossed with frustration towards the man who had just walked away.

"I told you I looked like an idiot." Ash fell back onto his back and hid his face in his hands.

"Don't worry about it Ash, whether or not you did well on a quiz doesn't change the fact that you're a genius at gym battles." Brock reassured.

"Yeah, remember how far you've come ever since your first day of travelling. You're not the same Ash Ketchum who challenged Brock's Onix with Pikachu all those years ago; you've become someone who any trainer should look up to." Misty added.

"Yeah…maybe…" Ash sighed.

"There's no 'maybe', you ARE an awesome trainer. Don't you ever forget that." Misty planted a kiss on the discouraged trainer's cheek, and eventually a small smile emerged on Ash's face as the sweet feeling of Misty's love melted away any doubts he might've had about his skill, "That's more like it." she giggled, as Ash apparently felt better about himself now.

"Thanks Mist," he replied gratefully, "I needed that." Ash then turned his head for a moment when he realized something, "Hey, where'd Candice take Dawn and Zoey?"

"Oh yeah, she pulled them aside for something, let's look around." Misty got up and held out her hand for Ash to grab on to so she could help him up.

Ash smiled and took her hand. On his way up, he got close to her ear and whispered, "Love ya Misty."

Misty giggled and whispered back, "Love you too Ash."

Brock and Pikachu were watching the whole exchange take place, and to say that they both thought that watching the couple interact was getting old would've been an understatement, "You know what?" Brock finally said, as he placed the electric mouse on his shoulder, "Pikachu and I will go on ahead." Brock walked away in search of Dawn and the others while Ash and Misty remained blissfully unaware of Brock and Pikachu's absence.

Meanwhile, Dawn, Zoey, and Candice had all gathered in a small toolshed. There happened to be a small cat door in the wall, and Piplup was enjoying himself running back and forth through it. Zoey looked around the room and spotted what she was looking for. "Wow, it's still here!" Zoey exclaimed, referring to an old pillow that was on the floor.

"What exactly is this place?" Dawn asked, wondering why there would be a pillow and a cat door inside of a toolshed of all places.

"What do you think it is?" Candice replied; as she bent down to snuggle with Glameow, "This is where it all started for Zo-Zo and me."

"Started?" Dawn inquired curiously.

"Right Dawn. Started! This is where Zo-Zo and I raised Glameow together." Candice replied, as Glameow purred in her arms.

"Really?" she asked.

Just then, Brock came walking in with Pikachu, "What's going on here guys?" he asked, as Pikachu hopped off his shoulder to watch Piplup run back and forth through the door.

"Pika pika chu?" (What are you doing?) the electric mouse asked, an eyebrow raised at the penguin's actions.

"Pip pip piplup!" (This is so fun!) the penguin replied, not even taking a moment to stop so he could answer the question.

"You're here with Pikachu, should I assume that Ash and Misty took a detour?" Dawn asked, her arms crossed, as she was already sure of what the answer would be.

"Not really, they're just going a lot slower than I did, they'll be along in a second." Brock replied.

Just as he said that, the couple came walking in as well, hand-in-hand. "What's going on in here guys?" Ash asked.

"Ok, you know how stubborn Zo-Zo is." Candice said, catching the others off guard.

"Ms. Senior!" Zoey hissed with embarrassment.

"Well it wasn't without good reason!" Candice nuzzled Glameow's furry face, "You know exactly what I'm talking about don't you Glameow?" Glameow mewled to acknowledge.

Zoey sighed and decided to start the story, "I first met Glameow one super cold morning when I was on my way to school. She was hidden in an alley, inside a cardboard box that just a little bit of fluff on the bottom. The way I figured it, someone must've put Glameow up for someone to take her in…I just couldn't leave Glameow to freeze to death…so…I brought her back home…" Zoey explained, "But my parents told me that I couldn't have a Pokémon until I was ten years old and an official Pokémon trainer. They told me that I should take Glameow to the Pokémon Center…but I just couldn't give Glameow up, so I decided to secretly raise Glameow right here. I made a promise to myself that when I became a trainer, I would make Glameow my partner."

"Wow, that's such an amazing story Zoey!" Dawn said, touched by the emotion that the story held.

"She tried to keep it quiet but Mr. Honcho found out right away!" Candice added.

"I refused to give Glameow up, and that's when Ms. Senior stepped in and stood up for me!" Zoey explained.

"Eventually Mr. Honcho gave in, but only on the condition that both Zo-Zo and I would be raising our dear Glameow together." Candice added.

"Of course! That explains why Glameow is Zoey's number one partner!" Brock realized.

"Now don't tell me Zo-Zo didn't give you an earful about not approving of trainers who wanna compete in both Contests AND Gym Battles right?" Candice asked, smirking at her old friend as she did so.

"I remember something about that." Ash also smirked.

"Yeah, at the Jubilife Contest where we first met!" Dawn added.

"But as you can see, it's not ALWAYS a bad thing to have a bit of a stubborn streak." Candice remarked.

"Ms. Senior decided to put all of her efforts into battling, while I decided to enter contests and aim to become Top Coordinator," Zoey said, as Glameow came over from Candice and rubbed up against Zoey's leg, purring affectionately, "You see, in order to reach the very top, we promised each other that we'd concentrate on pursuing only one career path. Trainers that try to do both look like they're not taking it seriously…not to mention Ms. Senior gets SO mad, 'cause it's doing WAY too much stuff."

"Too much is MORE than enough you know." Candice said, as she got up and placed an arm around Zoey's shoulders, "Tell me Dawn, you've got four ribbons now don't you?"

"That's right. Although I DID just try to win my fifth ribbon, and I wound up losing to Kenny…but you know…for some reason, I feel relieved!" Dawn replied.

"Relieved?" Candice asked.

"_Uh oh…" _Zoey knew Candice well enough to know that if Dawn said something Candice didn't like, she might blow.

"Well since Zoey has four ribbons like me, it's almost like we're feeling exactly the same inside." Dawn explained.

"Well…not EXACTLY the same." Misty said, smirking at her coordinator friend.

"You know what I mean." Dawn replied, her eyes narrowed at the water-trainer, "The point is, if Zoey and I are in the same boat, it makes me feel that I'm not alone."

"SAME BOAT?" Candice shouted with fury, "Look, you two are rivals now aren't you? You think you're gonna win with an attitude like THAT? Where's your KIAI?" she screeched.

Everybody jumped back at Candice's outburst. "Yikes…geez Mist, she can yell louder than YOU can." Ash whispered to his girlfriend.

"One thing's for sure; she's passionate about all of this." Misty replied.

"I suspected it during the quick quiz too," Brock chimed in on the whispering conversation, "How intense she gets during a win or lose situation…I'll bet she REALLY brings it in a battle."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Ash replied. Just then, an alarm went off in the main building, bringing gasps from the whole group, "What's going on?" Ash exclaimed.

"That's the school alarm! Something must be going on!" Candice took off to see what was going on, and the others followed her as well. They hurried into the school building, where they saw smoke coming out of a slightly open door, and a man crawling out gasping desperately for breath, "Mr. Honcho sir!" the group ran up to the choking man to check on him, "Are you alright?"

"Something's happened," Mr. Honcho coughed, "Something terrible! Two of the students just ran off with all of the school's Pokémon!"

"What?" Candice shouted in horror, "Why would anyone do such a thing?"

"Wait a minute…" Dawn scratched her chin as she thought about something.

"What is it Dawn?" Zoey asked.

"Misty, did the guy sitting in-between us look familiar somehow?" Dawn said.

Misty also tried to recall that man's face, also his voice and mannerisms…then it hit her, "You're right Dawn! That was James!"

"Then the other two behind him must've been Jessie and Meowth!" Brock added.

"Guys, look!" Zoey pointed out the window to what was going on outside.

The group looked, and was shocked at what they saw, "It's Jeremiah!" Ash exclaimed. What they saw was Jeremiah facing off against a trio of what appeared to be students. But when James pulled out Carnivine and had it use 'Vine Whip', immobilizing Skuntank, Jeremiah suddenly looked lost as Skuntank was completely unable to follow through on any attacks, "Jeremiah and Skuntank are in trouble, I'm going out there! C'mon Pikachu!" Ash rushed outside, and the others quickly followed their determined friend.

"Oh no, but I don't understand…this is so much different than the quiz…" Jeremiah said nervously.

"You're a champ at quizzing but you're a chump at battling, we'll just take care of you now and continue with our Pokémon poaching. Seviper, take care of this!" Jessie ordered. Seviper moved in to give out the finishing blow on Skuntank.

"Uh oh, Pikachu, stop Seviper with 'Quick Attack', go!" Ash ordered. Pikachu leaped off of Ash's shoulder and ran at full speed, smashing into Seviper's side with a hard tackle, and knocking the snake out as well. Then Pikachu turned to the three antagonists and growled at them, cheeks sparking furiously.

"No chumps there…" Jessie mumbled, caught off guard by the fact that Pikachu had seemingly come out of nowhere.

Now the rest of the group had caught up with Ash, and needless to say, Candice was furious with what she was seeing, "Why you…what are you doing?" she snarled at the trio.

The trio decided to completely reveal themselves, as they threw off their disguises. Jessie snickered evilly and turned her head ever so slightly so she could see the irate Gym Leader, "We're graduates from the school of awesome disguising."

James followed suit, "With a master's degree in Pokéball thievery."

"So dig dis," Meowth added, his claws extended for 'Fury Swipes', "Any closer and da Skuntank gets skunked!"

"Did that Meowth just TALK?" Candice shouted in shock, "That's impossible!"

Jessie: "When it comes to impossible, you teacher types are tough."

James: "We sprint through life while you eggheads walk."

Jessie: "Through the snow!"

James: "And the sleet!"

Meowth: "'Round da clock!"

Jessie: "Bringing chaos at a frosty pace!"

James: "Dashing through the snow with glee on my face!"

Jessie: "Catching bad colds and taking Vitamin C."

James: "When everything's worse nothing feels good to me."

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And James!"

Meowth: "Meowth's da name!"

Jessie: "Putting teachers and students in their place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "And we're in your face!"

Candice grabbed a Pokéball off her belt and snarled at the trio, "This is no joke! I will NOT allow evil, thieving criminals into Snowpoint City!"

"Me neither!" Zoey added, "I won't sit by while you bad people destroy my school!"

"And that goes for the rest of us too!" Dawn shouted.

"Abomasnow, come on out!" Candice threw out a Pokéball, and her powerful ice/grass-type emerged ready for battle, "Abomasnow and I will get those Pokéballs back, you take care of Skuntank Ash!"

"Right!" Ash replied determinedly, "Buizel, I choose you!" Ash launched his own Pokéball, and his rough and tumble water-type emerged, growling at the trio of crooks.

Meowth cackled at the situation, "Leave it ta kiddies ta wanna fight!"

James made a face at the group and just laughed, "Battle all you want, we won't bite."

"Instead we'll use 'Haze' and do it right!" Jessie had Seviper use 'Haze', and once the smoke came out of the snake's mouth, they proceeded to make their escape.

"Oh no you don't!" Candice shouted, "Abomasnow, 'Blizzard'!" Abomasnow complied and unleashed a freezing wind that blew away the smoke from 'Haze', and exposed Team Rocket and left them scared and covered in snow.

"Alright Buizel, it's cold out here, so we're gonna use 'Aqua Jet' and get Skuntank out of there!" Ash ordered. Buizel complied and enveloped itself in a veil of water, and just as Ash planned, while Buizel charged for Carnivine, the water froze and their improvised move kicked in.

"What is that?" Jeremiah exclaimed in shock.

"I…can't believe it!" Candice also added, extremely surprised by what she was seeing.

"Wow! They're using 'Ice Aqua Jet'!" Dawn exclaimed.

"It's so cold out here that the water froze over all on its own!" Misty added.

"They've really perfected that move!" Zoey also commented.

Buizel finally made contact, and Carnivine and Skuntank went flying as a result. "Skuntank!" Jeremiah hurried to catch his Pokémon, and he managed to catch his friend safely in his arms, "You ok?" he asked. Skuntank sighed with relief in response.

"Alright, it's my turn!" Zoey shouted, "Glameow, 'Shadow Claw'!" Glameow complied, and with two powerful swipes, Glameow sent Team Rocket blasting off into the stratosphere, and all the Pokéballs to plummet to the ground.

"Oh no, the Pokéballs!" Jeremiah exclaimed.

"Alright Dawn, this one's yours!" Misty exclaimed.

"You got it!" Dawn replied, "Piplup, 'Whirlpool' now!" Piplup leaped off of Dawn's head and created an enormous whirlpool over his head that all the Pokéballs landed safely into and simply swirled around inside the water.

"You caught every single one!" Candice exclaimed in awe.

"Alright, let them down gently Piplup." Dawn said. Piplup complied, and slowly lowered the whirlpool onto the ground before making the water disappear, "Nice job."

Once the crisis was over, all the students that had run inside for safety came outside to surround Ash, some even hoping to ask him questions. "Buizel, awesome job!" Ash said, as he gave his water-type a playful noogie. Buizel just smirked at the trainer in response.

"Wow Ash, what a surprise!" Candice exclaimed, "That 'Ice Aqua Jet' of yours is simply AWESOME!"

"Gee, thanks Candice!" Ash replied.

"One of Ash's battle strengths is surprise. How are you gonna deal with that?" Brock asked the Snowpoint Gym Leader.

Candice just winked, "You'll find out in the gym battle." Candice then turned to her ice/grass-type, "Alright, got your kiai on?" she asked determinedly. Abomasnow roared a battle-cry in response.

"I owe you a big thanks for saving Skuntank," Jeremiah said, "And I also owe you an apology for some of the rude things I said before."

"Nah, it's cool, don't worry about it." Ash replied with a smile.

"No I mean it! After seeing your 'Ice Aqua Jet', it made the Quick Quiz results seem like nothing!" Jeremiah explained, "I'm going to put my kiai into it so that someday I can battle just like you Ash. Thanks to you, today's class was the best one I've ever had!"

The entire crowd began to applaud Ash, and the Pokémon trainer put his hand behind his head and laughed bashfully at the applause, "Hey, I appreciate it everyone, but like I said before, I owe it all to my friends and Pokémon. Work hard, build a bond with them, and there'll be no stopping any of you!"

"I'm glad you haven't forgotten the little people in your life Mr. Future Pokémon Master." Misty joked.

"Little people?" Ash replied, "Mist, you and Brock, Dawn, Tracey, May, and all my other friends, you guys are the keys to my success. It's as simple as that."

Misty smiled and leaped into her boyfriend's arms and hugged him tightly, nuzzling him like a purring kitten, "I love you Ash." she whispered.

Ash smiled and hugged her back, earning "awws" from the whole crowd. "I love you too Mist." he whispered back.

"And with that, our work here is done!" Candice exclaimed, "But Ash, TOMORROW is our gym battle, so put your kiai into it!"

"You got it!" Ash replied determinedly.

"Alright, class dismissed!" Candice loudly clapped once, signaling the end of class. And after the students each got a chance to speak briefly with Ash, they all went their separate ways.

"You know what I just realized?" Misty said after everyone had left.

"What's that Misty?" Dawn asked.

"I'm FREEZING!" Misty exclaimed, shaking violently as she hugged herself tightly, "I forgot my jacket inside the classroom!"

"Oh yeah…now that you mention it…" Dawn also started shivering, and so did Ash and Brock.

"Well what are you standing around here for?" Candice asked, "Get inside and stop freezing to death! I don't want a boring gym battle with a sick challenger! Even I have to admit, when you're sick, it's REALLY hard to put kiai into ANYTHING."

The group hurried inside and put on their jackets, and afterwards, they parted ways with Candice and headed to the Snowpoint City Pokémon Center. Once they got inside, Brock went over to the front desk and consulted Nurse Joy for a room for the night, while Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Zoey stood in the middle of the lobby to talk. "So Zoey, since Candice got her own little scouting report during her quiz, you wouldn't happen to have any tips for Ash on how he should confront Candice do you?" Misty asked.

"All I can really tell you is that she's a highly competitive battler, and she'll never let herself give anything less than one-hundred and ten percent." Zoey replied, "Oh, but I will say this, I don't think all of her Pokémon are ice-types, even though it's an ice-type gym."

"Oh man, that doesn't help much." Ash groaned.

"That's all I got for you Ash, sorry." Zoey shrugged, "Alright guys, I'm gonna head on home, I dunno about you, but I really like being able to sleep in my own bed."

"Yeah, I hear ya," Dawn replied, "There's just something about being in your own bed that gives you a real sense of peace."

"Yeah." Zoey breathed, eager to head on home and take a nice rest, "Seeya!" Zoey waved and walked out of the Pokémon Center, leaving the others to themselves.

"So…do you wanna do some training Ash? There's still some time before it gets dark." Misty said.

"Of course I wanna train! The only question is who I'm using…" Ash replied.

"Well the two obvious choices would be Chimchar and Charizard right?" Dawn said, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

"Well yeah," Ash replied hesitantly, "But the thing is…Zoey said not all of Candice's Pokémon are ice-types, what if one of her Pokémon is a rock-type or something? Charizard and Chimchar will be taking serious damage."

"You know what I think Ash? I think you should just go with it." Misty replied, "Remember that stupid quiz and what it did to you? If you start thinking too much you'll lose your rhythm, you're an instinctive, intangibles battler. Don't overthink it."

"Yeah…good idea Mist!" Ash exclaimed, "And you know what? Now I know just the team!" Ash and Misty spent the rest of their time preparing for the gym battle the next day, and once night fell, the group turned in for a good night's rest. Needless to say, Ash was excited to take on Candice.

The next morning, the group got up bright and early, and Ash immediately got dressed and ran outside. The trainer took a deep breath of cold and fresh air, as he got his body ready for the challenge that awaited him. "Finally, it's time!" Ash's friends then came out of the center as well.

"Best of luck today Ash!" Dawn said.

"Thanks Dawn, it's gonna be an awesome battle, I can feel it!" Ash replied.

"There's only one way to find out." Brock said.

"You said it!" Ash took off for the gym, and his friends followed closely behind. When they got there, they found Zoey there waiting for them, "Hey Zoey!" Ash exclaimed.

"Hey guys!" Zoey replied, "I honestly thought you'd be here a lot earlier."

"I would've been…but these days I've been sleeping in more." Ash blushed a bit, as did Misty.

"Hmm…" Zoey narrowed her eyes at them, but eventually let it go, "Well at any rate, Ms. Senior's raring and ready to go!"

"And so am I!" Ash hurried past Zoey, and the others followed him in.

"Wow! The whole field is made of ice!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That's Ms. Senior's battlefield of choice, the slippery ice will definitely keep opposing Pokémon on their toes." Zoey explained.

Suddenly Candice seemingly appeared out of nowhere, startling the group. "You're here! Finally! Let's hurry!" Candice grabbed Ash's wrist and would've dragged him to his side of the field, but Misty grabbed Ash's other wrist and held him back a second.

"Not so fast Candice," Misty said, yanking Ash away from the hyper Gym Leader, "Ash needs to get his kiai on, you go on to your side and he'll be ready in a sec."

"Can't argue with kiai!" Candice replied, "But hurry ok? I'm totally excited for this battle!" Candice rushed over to her side.

"Go on to the stands guys, I'll be right there." Misty said. The other nodded and sat down in the stands, leaving Ash and Misty to themselves a moment. "Ok Ash, remember your game plan, be on your toes, and above all, DO NOT let Candice make you think too much."

"Right. Thanks Mist." Ash replied.

Misty gave her boyfriend a quick kiss on the lips, "Good luck." she whispered. And with that, Misty headed over to the stands.

Ash allowed the electricity Misty's kiss gave off to pulse through his body and energize him, _"Candice, you're going down!"_ he headed to his side of the field and stood tall.

"May I have your attention?" Mr. Honcho shouted, as he took his place as the referee of the battle, "The Snowpoint Gym Battle between Ash the challenger versus Gym Leader Candice will now begin!" Mr. Honcho then explained the rules, "There will be four Pokémon for each side. This challenge will be completed when all four of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle. Furthermore, only the challenger will be able to substitute Pokémon."

Once the explanations were over, Candice slapped her face as if to give herself a jolt, then she pulled her jacket up and over her head, took it off and wrapped it around her waist, tugging hard on the sleeves making it really tight. "Let's go! Yeah!" it was very clear that Candice was feeling totally energized.

"Wow! I've never seen Ms. Senior so pumped!" Zoey exclaimed.

"So the rule with THIS gym is four-on-four…this battle could end up a long one." Brock commented.

"Ash and I only trained for three Pokémon, one of Ash's Pokémon is gonna have to come out unprepared, I hope this doesn't throw him off." Misty added.

Candice finally made the first move, as she grabbed a Pokéball off her belt, "Let's show him some real kiai…Sneasel!" Candice tossed out the Pokéball, and her ice/dark-type emerged and got into battle ready stance.

"Looks like she's starting off with an ice-type…aww man I wasn't ready for a four-on-four battle…guess I'll just go with the game plan like Misty said…now Grotle, I choose you!" Ash tossed out a Pokéball, and Grotle emerged ready for battle.

"What?" Dawn exclaimed in shock, "Why is he using Grotle?"

"Yeah! Grass-type Pokémon are supposed to be at a disadvantage against ice-types!" Zoey added.

"You'll see, wait until he gets started." Misty replied.

"Hey! You like unpredictability don't you?" Candice exclaimed, "I have no idea what your strategy is, but it sure is a lot of fun!"

"Ok Grotle, it's time! 'Energy Ball' now!" Ash ordered. Grotle fired a ball of energy at his opponent.

"Sneasel, dodge it quick!" Candice shouted. Sneasel dodged by skating across the icy field, which showed off Sneasel's amazing speed.

"Whoa, that Sneasel's fast…" Ash said to himself.

"Now use 'Icy Wind'!" Candice ordered. As Sneasel skated around Grotle, she fired blasts of freezing wind out of her mouth, which forced Grotle to brace himself as he continued to take hits.

"This can't be good…" Dawn groaned.

"Sneasel's already known to be really fast, but here she's using the ice to move faster still." Brock said, "And on top of that, 'Icy Wind' is FAR more effective at close range."

"Hang in there just a little longer Grotle." Ash said determinedly. Grotle groaned a little as Sneasel continued to circle him and fire blasts of wind, but the Grove Pokémon stood strong.

"Why won't Grotle make a move?" Dawn wondered.

"It can't endure that attack much longer, that's for sure." Zoey added.

"Just wait for it." Misty replied.

Suddenly something clicked in Brock's mind, "Wait! I know!"

"Alright Sneasel, use 'Fury Swipes'!" Candice ordered. Sneasel charged towards Grotle to finish the job.

"Now Grotle, 'Razor Leaf' quick!" Ash countered. Grotle reacted immediately, and jerked his body forward, firing a barrage of sharp leaves at the ice/dark-type, who had been caught off guard by the attack and had no choice but to take a direct hit. After taking a few hits, Sneasel leaped up and landed on a chunk of ice to try and take a quick rest. "That was great Grotle; now use 'Rock Climb'!" Ash ordered. Grotle's claws extended outwards thanks to 'Rock Climb's' influence, and the giant turtle roared out a battle cry, as it ran across the ice at a relatively high speed to attack Sneasel.

"Quick Sneasel, 'Icy Wind' let's go!" Candice countered. Sneasel fired again, but this time the turtle ignored the effects and climbed up the chunk of ice and took Sneasel down with a hard tackle. "No Sneasel!" Candice shouted. Sneasel had been sent flying by Grotle's attack, and when the ice/dark-type landed, she was sitting in a crater with swirls in her eyes.

"Sneasel is unable to battle, the winner is Ash!" Mr. Honcho declared.

"They won!" Dawn squealed.

"They did." Zoey added in awe.

"That was what we worked on with Grotle yesterday, we figured that Candice would get too comfortable having the type advantage, and sure enough it worked out." Misty explained.

"Looks like Ash really took the advice Paul's Torterra gave and made its strategy his own." Brock added.

"Grotle, that was great work! Now take a nice rest!" Ash returned the grass-type to his Pokéball, and waited to see what Candice's next move would be.

"Wow Ash, your kiai's strong! This is the kind of battle I like!" Candice took hold of her second Pokéball, "Now Medicham, show us YOUR kiai!" Candice threw the Pokéball onto the field, and her next Pokémon emerged from it.

"That's a Medicham isn't it?" Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan the Pokémon.

"Medicham, the Meditate Pokémon. And the evolved form of Meditite. Through a combination of food deprivation and meditation, Medicham gains the ability to see its opponent's aura." the Pokédex chirped.

"Whoa, like Riolu can?" Dawn asked.

"Well Medicham looks well-fed; I doubt it can see auras that way." Brock replied.

"I guess Medicham is the curveball that Candice throws at her opponents, Medicham isn't an ice-type, so no one expects it to appear." Misty said.

"Medicham huh? Wasn't ready for that…" Ash said to himself, "But since Medicham is part fighting-type, I've got a good idea who I'm gonna need." Ash grabbed a Pokéball off his belt, "Ok Staraptor, I choose you!" Ash threw the Pokéball into the air, and Staraptor emerged and flew through the air for a moment before hovering low to the ground on her end of the field.

"Good choice. Ash is using his main flying-type against Candice's fighting-type Pokémon. They'll attack from the sky." Brock said.

"Don't count Ms. Senior out just yet." Zoey replied.

"Oh I see, a bit more predictable this time." Candice said.

"Just watch this!" Ash replied, "Staraptor, use 'Quick Attack' now!" Staraptor swooped down towards the Meditate Pokémon with a trail of light following her.

"Medicham, use 'Confusion'!" Candice countered. Medicham bobbed its head back and forth as its eyes glowed purple, and Staraptor was stopped in her tracks. Then Staraptor was sent hurtling down towards the ground, as the power of the psychic move took control of her movements and made her crash down.

"Staraptor!" Ash cried.

"That's right…I forgot that Medicham was a psychic-type too." Dawn said.

"Yeah, even if Staraptor attacks from the air, Medicham's psychic-type moves make it hard." Brock added.

"You can do it Staraptor," Ash encouraged, as his powerful bird struggled to get herself airborne again, "Use 'Aerial Ace'!" Staraptor finally pushed herself back up and flew into the air, and did a midair loop before swooping downwards again.

"Stop it Medicham!" Candice countered. Medicham held out its hands, and actually caught Staraptor just before she could finish her attack.

Ash's friends gasped at what they saw, but Ash was ready to make his move, "Close Combat' quick!" Staraptor broke free of Medicham's grip, and started beating on the Meditate Pokémon with her wings, beak, and talons.

"Medicham, 'Fire Punch', let's go!" Candice countered. Medicham stepped back to avoid further assault, and then its left fist ignited into flame as it went in for the punch. But just as Medicham made contact with Staraptor, it got hit in the face hard by her wing, and both Pokémon were knocked back simultaneously.

"Alright, we're going for it all! Staraptor, use 'Brave Bird'!" Ash ordered. Staraptor folded in her wings and began burning in flames, and as she got closer, the flames turned blue and she hit Medicham dead-on with the super-effective move. Staraptor flew through the smoke crackling from the recoil damage, but flying proudly over her victory, as Medicham was left fainted in a crater.

"Medicham is unable to battle, Staraptor is the winner!" Mr. Honcho exclaimed.

"That was awesome Staraptor, take a good rest!" Ash returned the Predator Pokémon to her Pokéball for a well-deserved rest.

"Wow! That's two straight wins for Ash!" Dawn cheered.

"It looked bad for a while there but 'Close Combat' turned it around for him." Brock added.

"We hadn't prepared for a Medicham, I'm just glad Ash was able to think on his feet." Misty also commented.

"How's it going Candice? You know, I'm just getting warmed up." Ash said cockily.

"That was pretty impressive, but from here on out you're not gonna have such an easy time of it." Candice grabbed her third Pokéball, "Show us your kiai! Now Snover!" Candice threw out her Pokéball, and out emerged her devolved ice/grass-type.

"It's a Snover…wonder why Candice has an evolution set in her repertoire." Brock wondered.

"Yeah, I would think that using the devolved form of her Abomasnow would be like a warm up for the opponent, since they're the exact same type." Misty added.

"You don't know Ms. Senior that well, just wait and see." Zoey replied.

"Alright, Grotle, come back out!" Ash tossed out a Pokéball, and Grotle emerged once more.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Candice shouted, "Snover, use 'Razor Leaf'!" she ordered. Snover extended its arm and fired a barrage of razor sharp leaves.

"Grotle, counter with YOUR 'Razor Leaf'!" Ash countered. Grotle launched his own attack, and the two attacks wound up in stalemate as they negated each other, "Alright, now let's use 'Rock Climb'!" Ash ordered. Grotle's claws extended, and the turtle ran across the ice and tackled Snover hard, "Now use 'Bite'!" Ash ordered. Grotle followed up by biting onto Snover's arm, making the ice/grass-type groan in pain.

"Hey, not bad!" Candice exclaimed, "But the easy road ends here! Alright Snover, use 'Ice Beam'!" she ordered. Snover fired the freezing attack, and this time Grotle had a tougher time taking the hit, "One more time Snover!" Candice shouted. Snover fired, and this time Grotle could do nothing but faint.

"Grotle is unable to battle, Snover's the winner!" Mr. Honcho announced.

"Oh no…" Dawn said worriedly.

"Quick thinking and precise commands…she's not a Gym Leader for nothing." Brock commented, impressed by Candice's battling skills.

"And now it's two to one!" Dawn added.

"Ms. Senior isn't messing around anymore, that's for sure." Zoey said.

"Yeah? Well neither is Ash." Misty replied determinedly.

"Grotle, you battled really well!" Ash returned the large turtle to his Pokéball for a well-deserved rest, "Ok, now it's time to get serious! Chimchar, I choose you!" Ash threw out his third Pokéball, and the determined fire monkey emerged and chattered determinedly.

"Looks like Ash is gonna use the first of his two secret weapons." Brock said.

"Yeah, with Chimchar being a fire-type, it has the advantage over an ice-type like Snover." Dawn replied.

"Actually Chimchar has a DOUBLE advantage because Snover is also a grass-type on top of being an ice-type, so Snover is doubly weak to fire-type attacks." Misty mentioned.

"Maybe, but like I said before, Ms. Senior isn't messing around anymore." Zoey replied.

"So you're finally going to use your fire-type." Candice said confidently, her arms crossed proudly over her chest.

"Don't get too comfortable until you know what Chimchar's made of!" Ash replied, "Alright Chimchar, let's get it on!" he yelled determinedly. Chimchar began leaping from ice chunk to ice chunk as he advanced towards Snover.

"Now Snover, time for 'Ice Beam'!" Candice ordered. Snover fired a freezing beam at the small fire-type, but Ash was ready for it.

"Dodge it Chimchar!" Ash countered. Chimchar jumped out of the way, and got ready to counterattack. "Alright, 'Flamethrower' now!" Chimchar fired a blazing flame at the dual type Pokémon.

"And now Snover, 'Icy Wind' let's go!" Candice countered. Snover unleashed a freezing wind to counter the 'Flamethrower', and when the attacks collided, steam covered the entire field, enveloping the two battling Pokémon and causing Chimchar to get a little nervous, "Keep cool Chimchar!"

"I can't see a thing on the battlefield!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Candice blocked Chimchar's vision by countering 'Flamethrower' with 'Icy Wind', creating a huge amount of steam!" Brock added.

"Ms. Senior's specializes in ice-types, so she knows exactly what to do against a type that has the advantage." Zoey replied.

"Maybe, but don't forget that ASH specializes in turning bad situations into good ones." Misty said determinedly.

The steam had yet to rise on the battlefield, and Snover was quietly moving around the field, trying to catch the wary fire-type off guard. "Stay calm Chimchar! Snover will definitely make the first move; use 'Flamethrower' as soon as you sense where it is!" Ash yelled. Although Ash couldn't see, Chimchar had heard every word loud and clear. Chimchar closed his eyes and began to try and feel where Snover was coming from. Suddenly Chimchar felt a change in the wind, and the fire-monkey waited for Snover to get in close, before unleashing a mighty flame that sent Snover careening towards an ice chunk, and ultimately fainting it, which was revealed once the steam cleared, "Yeah Chimchar!"

"Snover is unable to battle, Chimchar's the winner!" Mr. Honcho announced.

"Chimchar was great!" Dawn squealed.

"Yeah, and what was really impressive was that even though they couldn't see each other, their teamwork was picture perfect!" Zoey added.

"What'd I tell you? My Ash knows how to turn things around." Misty replied happily.

Candice returned the fainted ice/grass-type to its Pokéball, "You showed spunk. Snover thanks so much." Candice then turned her attention to Ash, "You've got real kiai Ash!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, thanks Candice!" Ash replied.

"But this is where it all ends!" Candice held up her final Pokéball, "Show us your kiai now! Abomasnow!" Candice threw out the Pokéball, and her evolved dual type emerged and stood tall with its arms crossed boldly over its chest, as it stared down the tiny fire-type.

"She's using Abomasnow finally!" Zoey exclaimed excitedly, "The team of Ms. Senior and Abomasnow's invincible!"

"I can tell this is going to be a tough battle." Brock said sullenly.

"Chimchar, let's do this!" Ash exclaimed determinedly, "Use 'Flamethrower'!" Chimchar fired, and the dual type Pokémon merely glared fiercely.

"Abomasnow, 'Blizzard'!" Candice countered. Without so much as uncrossing its arms, Abomasnow calmly opened its mouth and easily overpowered Chimchar's 'Flamethrower', blowing the fire monkey into a huge ice chunk, and leaving him groaning in pain.

"No, Chimchar!" Ash cried.

The group in the stands gasped in awe, even Zoey wasn't expecting Chimchar to be overpowered so easily. "Wow, even I didn't expect that."

"Incredible power!" Dawn said nervously.

"Yeah…FAR more powerful than Snover." Brock added.

"Ash is gonna have to think of something else, and fast." Misty also remarked.

"Chimchar, return!" Ash returned the groaning monkey to his Pokéball, "I may need you later, rest up." he whispered.

On the other end of the field, Candice and Abomasnow were chuckling with confidence, they could already see that Ash was grasping at straws, "A wise move returning Chimchar…so, who's next?" the Gym Leader asked coolly, her arms also crossed proudly.

Ash's wheels were now spinning inside his head, _"Abomasnow doesn't look like it's very fast, Staraptor's 'Aerial Ace' should be able to cause a lot of damage in one swoop!"_ Satisfied with his chosen strategy, Ash made his choice, "Ok Staraptor, I choose you!" Ash tossed the Pokéball, and Staraptor emerged refreshed and ready for battle once more. "Aerial Ace', go!" Ash ordered. Staraptor swooped down at incredible speed towards the giant ice/grass-type.

"Hah! So THAT'S Ash's strategy?" Candice scoffed, "Abomasnow, use 'Ice Punch'." she said calmly. Abomasnow waited for the opportune moment, and nailed Staraptor with an absolutely crushing blow that sent her flying helplessly through the air, finally to land with a thud on the ground, fainted.

"No, Staraptor!" Ash cried.

"Staraptor is unable to battle, Abomasnow is the winner!" Mr. Honcho announced.

"ALRIGHT!" Candice cheered, her confidence obviously skyrocketing as it was clear to her that Ash seemed to have no answer for her Abomasnow.

Once again, the group in the stands gasped in shock. "No way!" Dawn gulped.

"They took Staraptor down with just one move!" Brock added.

"Staraptor, return and take a good rest!" Ash fired the red beam at the fainted bird, and returned Staraptor to her Pokéball to recover.

"So…what are you going to do next?" Candice asked, her cockiness shining through her speech.

Ash growled for a moment before pulling out the only Pokéball he thought could help him beat Abomasnow…if the Pokémon inside couldn't do it…no one could. "I'm going all out is what I'm gonna do next!" Ash roared, "Get ready for this Candice! Charizard, I choose you!" Ash practically launched the Pokéball out of his hand, and his most powerful friend emerged and roared fiercely.

"Whoa! Now THIS is a battle I wanna see!" Zoey exclaimed excitedly.

"Ash and Charizard versus Candice and Abomasnow…type wise the advantage obviously goes to Ash…but after seeing Abomasnow in action, there's no way we can make a solid prediction." Brock said, trying to analyze the matchup.

"All we know for sure is that Charizard is Ash's best bet to overpower Abomasnow. If anyone can do it, it's Charizard." Misty replied.

"Alright Charizard, this Abomasnow is really powerful, so we're gonna have to give it our all, you ready?" Ash yelled. Charizard roared and glared coldly at the ice/grass-type.

"Wow Ash! I can practically FEEL the kiai coming out of that Charizard of yours!" Candice exclaimed, "Make your move!"

"I will!" Ash replied, "Charizard, let's show Abomasnow your 'Flamethrower'!" he roared. Charizard acknowledged and launched an absolutely devastatingly powerful flame that the group in the stands could feel even from where they were.

"Abomasnow, counter with 'Blizzard' again!" Candice shouted. Abomasnow fired back in the same manner it did with Chimchar, but when Charizard began gaining ground, Abomasnow was forced to uncross its arms and really focus on firing its counterattack. Finally the attacks negated each other, and the two Pokémon awaited further orders. "That's one strong Charizard, I'm impressed Ash!" Candice exclaimed.

"You've only seen a small sample of what Charizard can do!" Ash replied, "Alright, take off and then use 'Steel Wing'!" he ordered. Charizard opened his majestic wings and took off into the air, forcing Abomasnow to shield its eyes as Charizard flew into the light that was shining through the window. Charizard then swooped down at an incredible speed to nail the ice/grass-type with a crushing blow.

"Quick Abomasnow, use 'Blizzard' and knock it out of the sky!" Candice countered.

Abomasnow actually put a lot of effort into this attack, and the icy blast headed straight for Charizard.

"Charizard, spin and use 'Flamethrower', quick!" Ash yelled. Charizard began spinning and fired a flame to counter the 'Blizzard'. The two attacks collided and resulted in a smoky explosion, and just as Ash expected, only the 'Flamethrower' hit, and Charizard was free to hammer Abomasnow with the super-effective attack. Abomasnow was sent backwards, and the ice/grass-type put its hand on the ice to try and gain some friction, just as Charizard landed back on his end of the battlefield. "Yeah, just like that Charizard! We got this!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's Charizard for you." Misty smirked, her arms crossed with pride for her boyfriend and his powerful Pokémon.

"What an incredible move!" Zoey exclaimed in awe.

"Yeah, but Ash was taking chances with it." Brock replied sullenly.

That comment caught the attention of the others, "What do you mean Brock?" Dawn asked.

"Ash generally uses 'Overheat' with that particular move, while it WAS smart of him to use 'Flamethrower' to conserve Charizard's special attack power for later in the battle, it was risky because if Abomasnow managed to overpower Charizard's flame, Charizard would be the one trying to recover right now, not to mention that using a trick move like that so early in the battle allows Candice to make adjustments quickly." Brock replied.

"So what do you think Candice? Not so easy now that the power's balanced out huh?" Ash said cockily.

"I must admit that Charizard of yours has a lot of power, but you'd be surprised just how powerful my Abomasnow is!" Candice replied, "Alright Abomasnow, let's try 'Ice Shard'!" Candice ordered. Abomasnow launched a speedy chunk of ice at the fire dragon, who merely crossed his arms and awaited the counter orders.

"Use 'Heat Wave', now!" Ash countered. Charizard opened his mouth and spewed waves of pure heat that melted the shard of ice away, "Now use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash shouted. Charizard fired, and Abomasnow took the hit with a fair amount of difficulty.

"Alright, no more fooling around! Time to show some real kiai! Abomasnow, 'Ice Punch'!" Candice ordered. Abomasnow began rumbling towards the dragon with its hand glowing with the power of ice.

"Stop Abomasnow with 'Heat Wave'!" Ash countered. Charizard opened his mouth and spewed the waves of heat, but this time Candice was ready.

"Quick Abomasnow, use 'Blizzard'!" Candice ordered. As Abomasnow stomped its way over to Charizard, it opened its mouth and fired a freezing attack that caused steam to once again rise all over the field, "Now Abomasnow!" Abomasnow leaped up and hammered Charizard's head with a powerful 'Ice Punch', causing the dragon to roar in agony.

"No, Charizard!" Ash yelled. When the steam cleared, Charizard was groaning, with the ice/grass-type chuckling over it. "Come on Charizard, get up! Don't let Abomasnow take you down!" Ash encouraged. Charizard slowly made his way back to his feet, but the blow had severely weakened the fire dragon. It was now clear to both Ash and Charizard that Abomasnow had AMAZING power. "Man, Candice took my move and made it her own after seeing it only ONCE! I'm gonna have to think of another approach…" Ash said to himself.

"Wow…just ONE 'Ice Punch' did THAT to Charizard?" Dawn said in total shock.

"Even I didn't expect Abomasnow to be able to do THAT MUCH damage to Ash's Charizard in one hit…Ms. Senior and Abomasnow must be stronger than even I realized!" Zoey replied.

"If Charizard takes another hit like that, Ash is gonna be in SERIOUS trouble." Brock added.

"We won't give up!" Ash roared, "Charizard, take off and attack from the sky!" Charizard opened his wings once again and took off into the air, and began flying around in circles around Abomasnow, "Ok, launch an 'Overheat'!" Charizard circled and fired a devastatingly powerful 'Overheat' from right above Abomasnow, and the giant ice/grass-type was unable to move fast enough to dodge it. "We're ending this NOW! Charizard, 'Seismic Toss'!" Charizard swooped down and grabbed Abomasnow, and started the three flips that would've ended the battle.

"No you don't! Abomasnow, use 'Ice Shard' quick!" Candice countered. Abomasnow turned its head just enough that it could face Charizard, and it fired at point blank range, freezing Charizard's face solid and also parts of his wings, causing Charizard to careen towards the ground. "Finish it Abomasnow! Put all your kiai into it and smash Charizard into the ground with 'Wood Hammer'!" Candice ordered. Abomasnow broke free of Charizard's grip and crushed him with the mighty 'Wood Hammer', inadvertently shattering the ice burning his skin. The ground rumbled and ice shattered everywhere when Charizard made impact after having his descent accelerated by the power of Abomasnow's 'Wood Hammer', and the mighty dragon was left fainted in a hole in the ice that was four feet deep, just as Abomasnow landed and bellowed in victory.

"No! Charizard!" Ash hurried over to the hole and kneeled on the cracked ice next to Charizard's hole, and groaned when he saw what shape Charizard had been left in, "Aww man…Charizard…"

"Charizard is unable to battle, Abomasnow's the winner!" Mr. Honcho announced.

"EEEYYYEEESSS!" Candice squealed, her fists clenched with pride over her victory.

"I…I can't believe it…" Dawn gasped, her mouth hanging open in sheer horror at both the battle results and how hard Charizard had been hit.

"Abomasnow hits hard, I actually feel sorry for Charizard, I could almost feel that last 'Wood Hammer' from here." Zoey replied.

"And if I know Ash…he's feeling exactly what Charizard's feeling now…" Misty said sorrowfully, her heart aching for the boy on the battlefield.

Back on the battlefield, Ash was indeed feeling horrible at the sight of Charizard almost destroyed by the intensity of Abomasnow's strikes. "Charizard…" he croaked, trying his hardest to suppress his emotions, "You were amazing Charizard…take a nice long rest." Ash returned the unconscious dragon to his Pokéball, and he started to involuntarily tremble, as he began to feel smaller and smaller in front of Candice and Abomasnow…he had the biggest advantage he could possibly have, he had the perfect matchup…and STILL he lost, Charizard had gone down, what was he supposed to do now? "Those two…they're strong…" he gulped, wishing he could run out of the building and go hide.

"Ash looks intimidated…" Dawn said worriedly.

"He SHOULD be. Ms. Senior is no joke." Zoey replied.

"He still has a chance, if he can get his act together, Chimchar could still get him the win." Brock commented.

"But look at Ash, he looks terrified!" Dawn exclaimed, pointing out that Ash was fighting to keep his composure.

Misty's heart began to ache, just watching how broken Ash had become, his confidence had all but evaporated into thin air, he was quaking in fear, if even CHARIZARD couldn't take Abomasnow down, it was no wonder Ash was scared. She couldn't let this continue, "Hey Ash!" she screamed from the stands.

Ash suddenly looked up into the stands when his name was called, "Misty?"

"You still have a chance! Remember Chimchar's raring and ready to go, and that little guy's got more power than anyone would expect! Don't you give up, because this battle isn't over!" Misty shouted.

Ash soaked in Misty's words and felt something spark inside of him, she was right, Chimchar was still ready to battle, and Chimchar had so much determination and heart that he wouldn't give up until he was knocked out. Ash smiled and gave Misty a thumbs-up, and then looked back at Candice and Abomasnow, who thanks to Misty, didn't look so big anymore. He took his final Pokéball off his belt and looked at it for a moment, "Ok…I know I'm gonna win this for sure!" Ash launched the Pokéball, "Chimchar, one more time!" Chimchar emerged and growled at Abomasnow.

"Think you can win just because you still have the advantage huh?" Candice scoffed, "There's more to battling than just Pokémon types you know."

Ash didn't bother to respond and just barked out an order, "Chimchar, 'Flamethrower'!" he yelled. Chimchar opened his mouth and spewed a burning blast of fire.

"Abomasnow, 'Blizzard'!" Candice countered. Abomasnow had gone back to the laid back stance, its arms crossed proudly over its chest, and it blasted an incredibly powerful blast of freezing wind without so much as uncrossing its arms, and easily countered the 'Flamethrower' just as before, forcing Chimchar to leap out of the way so he didn't get hit. At this point, Candice could smell blood, so she kept barking out orders, "Use 'Ice Shard'!" Abomasnow fired, and Chimchar dove to escape the attack. But just as he was getting his footing, Abomasnow lumbered over and tried to punch Chimchar out of the battle, Chimchar scampered away in fear just before Abomasnow punched, leaving cracks in the ice.

Chimchar put space between him and Abomasnow, and waited for Ash to give an order. "Oh man…Chimchar…" Ash groaned, "There's no way we can win by force, we'll have to do it with speed…but even STARAPTOR'S speed wasn't NEARLY enough…that Abomasnow HAS to have a weakness…I just gotta find it."

But while Ash was trying to think of a strategy, Candice was still on the attack, "Abomasnow, use 'Blizzard'!" Abomasnow fired again, and for the moment all Chimchar could do was instinctively dodge attacks, as Abomasnow followed up that 'Blizzard' with 'Ice Shard' and then 'Wood Hammer'. Abomasnow then lumbered forward, laughing sinisterly as it prepared to finish the battle then and there. But then Abomasnow stepped on an ice chunk and shattered it, and Ash suddenly realized something.

"Wait a sec…" he said to himself, as he remembered how Sneasel maneuvered around the ice. "That's it!" he exclaimed, "Quick Chimchar, jump on top of the ice boulders!" Chimchar looked at Ash curiously for a second, but eventually obeyed and began leaping across the ice boulders, and managed to zip past Abomasnow. Abomasnow hurried over to the ice boulder Chimchar was standing on and gave it a hard side chop, which knocked off the tip of the ice boulder, but Chimchar had escaped again before taking damage. "Yeah! Now Chimchar, land on that shard of ice!" Ash ordered. Chimchar acknowledged, and landed on a large shard of ice; he had to try and regain his balance for a few moments as he slid across the ice on the shard, but after a few moments, Chimchar got control and started riding the shard of ice like a snowboard. "Keep it up Chimchar!" Ash exclaimed. Chimchar went in circles around the Frost Tree Pokémon, who was beginning to get frustrated. "Now use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar fired, and hit Abomasnow several times from behind, effectively setting its behind on fire.

"That's amazing!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Look at those moves! I feel like I'm watching a contest battle! What a show!" Zoey added.

"Guess all Ash needed was a little boost." Brock also commented.

"That's what I do best." Misty gloated.

"Come on Abomasnow; don't let that little trick stop you!" Candice shouted. Abomasnow tried with all its might to nail Chimchar with an attack, but the fire monkey was able to dodge every attack by using the shard of ice to increase his mobility on the slippery ice. Finally Chimchar decided to ditch the ice chunk and flipped up and over Abomasnow, who slowly stomped over to Chimchar, panting with exhaustion after all the running around trying to chase Chimchar down.

"We've got 'em now! Chimchar, let's finish this with 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar smirked and rammed right into Abomasnow's midsection, the momentum of the attack's power sliding Abomasnow across the field.

"They're gonna win!" Misty cheered.

Zoey just gasped in total shock, was Ms. Senior REALLY about to lose? "Is this really happening?"

If Candice had anything to say about it, no it wouldn't. "Do it Abomasnow! 'Blizzard'!" Abomasnow growled and fought to stop the momentum, and then grabbed Chimchar while he was still ignited, burning its hands, and fired a 'Blizzard' attack at point blank range to extinguish the flames, and also raising steam all over the field.

"So who won?" Dawn exclaimed nervously.

The entire group waited to see the outcome, and once some of the steam cleared, both Pokémon were still standing…but Abomasnow had swirls in its eyes, and it took a moment for the Frost Tree Pokémon to finally fall over. "Abomasnow is unable to battle, Chimchar is the winner, and the victory goes to the challenger Ash!"

"We did it Chimchar!" Ash cheered, giving a thumbs-up to the still shocked fire monkey. When it dawned on him that he had won, Chimchar also began to cheer.

"They won!" Dawn exclaimed happily.

"Now that was some battle!" Brock added.

"One of the most amazing I've ever seen!" Zoey also exclaimed.

Ash walked onto the field where Candice was helping Abomasnow get up, and the Gym Leader greeted him cordially, "Wow Ash, my hat's off to you."

"Thanks Candice." Ash replied, his hand behind his head.

"That was fun, don't you think?" Candice added with a wink.

Ash nodded in response, "Yeah, it sure was."

"AAAASH!" Misty had run down from the stands and was running towards her boyfriend for their usual post-battle embrace.

"Aww Misty!" Ash laughed as he embraced his girlfriend and spun around with her in his arms, her laughing as well, "Thanks for the pep-talk Mist, I really needed it." he said sincerely.

"That's what I'm here for Ash, you and Chimchar were awesome!" Misty replied, giving Ash a quick kiss on the lips.

"Ohhh, now I see where you get your kiai from!" Candice said cheekily.

Ash and Misty couldn't help but blush at that remark, "What can I say? She keeps me going." Ash chuckled, looking back into Misty's eyes.

Then the rest of Ash's friends came down to congratulate him, "That was totally awesome Ash!" Dawn exclaimed.

"You really showed what you're made of this time." Brock added.

"Hey, thanks guys." Ash replied bashfully.

"Well," Candice said, getting everyone's attention, "I believe we have some unfinished business to attend to. If you would all follow me please." Candice put her jacket back on and headed outside, and the rest of the group did the same. When they finally made it outside, they saw that the sun was setting, showing the battle had indeed been a long one. "Ash, you showed real kiai even in a seemingly no-win situation and you managed to defeat all four of my Pokémon in a battle I won't soon forget, here's your proof of having won at the Snowpoint Gym!" Candice pulled her gym's badge out of her pocket, "Here is the Icicle Badge!"

Ash took it and admired it for a moment, "Thanks a lot Candice." he said gratefully.

"Don't THANK me! It was that strong determination of yours that got the best of me," Candice laughed, her hand behind her head with a bit of embarrassment, "I gotta say I never faced a challenger before with your type of strategies."

Ash laughed as well, and then a gleam appeared in his eye, "Alright! Badge number seven, I got the Icicle Badge!" he exclaimed, raising his hand with badge in hand up into the air with pride. Ash's Pokémon also joined in, with the exception of Charizard who was indeed happy for the victory, but didn't really enjoy the celebrations much.

"Now you've only got one more before you can enter the Sinnoh League!" Brock exclaimed.

Ash looked at the badge again, "Yeah, I kinda can't even believe it…it's been one heck of a journey."

"I'll say, I've learned so much from all of you guys, it feels like we've known each other forever!" Dawn added.

"Yeah." Ash suddenly started shivering, "Uh…I forgot my jacket in the gym." he said as he hugged himself to try and conserve warmth.

"That's what you have me for Ash," Misty had grabbed Ash's jacket for him before walking out, and handed it to her boyfriend who immediately put it on and zipped it up.

"Thanks Mist, I appreciate it." Ash said gratefully.

Misty giggled and winked at him, "No problem." But then Misty suddenly got apprehensive and tense, even angry when she turned her head to the nearby path.

"What's the matter Misty?" Ash asked.

"Take a good look." Misty snarled in response, as she glared at whatever was coming.

The group looked, and they immediately realized why Misty had become so upset all of a sudden, "Paul?" Ash said, surprised to see his antagonistic rival appear.

Paul ignored Ash's statement and immediately turned his attention to Candice, "So you must be Candice the Gym Leader?" he assumed.

"Y-Yes?" Candice replied, caught off-guard by the suddenly tense atmosphere.

"I challenge you to a gym battle!" he said determinedly, his frown showcasing his quiet intensity.

"I-I'm sure you must've come a long way for this, but I just finished a battle with Ash," Candice said, "And I'd really like to give the gang a rest…how about tomorrow then?"

"Alright…" Paul grumbled, "Tomorrow it is." Paul turned to walk away, when something stopped him.

"It should interest you to know that Ash just got his seventh badge, and Chimchar really stepped up and showed awesome power." Misty said.

"Why should that interest me in any way?" Paul replied without even turning around.

"Well how many badges do YOU have then?" Ash asked.

"That's none of your business!" Paul grunted and once again began to walk away.

"What's the matter Paul? Can't take the fact that Ash got here first?" Misty shouted out. Paul didn't bother to respond and just kept walking, "Disgusting lowlife." Misty hissed.

"Who was that guy?" Zoey asked.

"His name is Paul, he's really Ash's biggest rival." Dawn replied.

"But Dawn…you and Zo-Zo are rivals too…" Candice replied, "And you two don't act like THAT with each other."

"There are special circumstances when it comes to Ash and Paul." Brock replied.

"Special circumstances?" Zoey and Candice asked.

"It's a long story." Dawn replied.

"Well I have to go to the Pokémon Center and get my team checked out by Nurse Joy, you guys can tell us along the way." Candice replied. The group nodded and headed over to the Pokémon Center, with Misty, Dawn, and Brock all taking turns explaining the story of Ash and Paul's rivalry. Ash however, had remained quiet the whole time, and upon reaching the Pokémon Center, he handed Nurse Joy his Pokéballs and wandered off, while the others sat in the Pokémon Center lobby.

"And so that's the story. Paul doesn't treat his Pokémon the way that he should, and his training methods are the total opposite of Ash's, that's why they butt heads each and every time they see each other." Misty concluded.

"Wow, I gotta admit, I'm surprised that Paul was Chimchar's original trainer, and from what little I've seen and with what you told us, Ash and Paul couldn't be more different if they tried." Zoey replied.

"And that's exactly why they couldn't IGNORE each other if they tried." Brock said.

"It's just awful!" Candice exclaimed sadly, "The way that sweet little Chimchar was treated before Ash came along and rescued it, it makes me sick!"

"We honestly don't know why Paul is the way he is, but regardless of the reason; every time he shows up he manages to make life miserable for all of us, especially Ash." Misty replied.

"Speaking of Ash, where did he go?" Dawn wondered, looking around the room. The others did the same and noted that Ash was nowhere to be found.

"His jacket's gone, maybe he went outside?" Misty suggested.

"Let's go look for him, I don't wanna wind up dragging Ash out of a fistfight with Paul." Brock replied.

"Right." The group put their jackets back on and headed out to look for Ash.

Meanwhile, Ash was indeed outside, and he had found Paul training on the battlefield with his Magmar and Electabuzz, "Alright Pikachu, let's hope we can keep this conversation semi-pleasant long enough for me to get what we're going for here."

"Pika chu." (Here's hoping.) the electric mouse replied.

Ash ran out from behind the bush and got Paul's attention, "Hey Paul!"

"What do YOU want?" Paul grunted.

Ash huffed silently for a moment before pasting on what he hoped looked like a sincere smile, "Man, you should've seen how totally awesome Grotle was against Candice today," by this time, the rest of the group had opened the door that led to the battlefield, and saw Ash talking to Paul, "So if it's alright with you I'd really like to thank Torterra again for the help."

Paul didn't respond and simply returned Magmar to its Pokéball before starting to walk back inside, and Ash was already getting the feeling that Paul wasn't going to listen, but he tried again anyway, "That battling style Torterra showed us a while back worked out really well, so please let me thank it."

On his way past Ash, Paul replied with his Electabuzz trailing behind him, "You said you were serious about wanting to win in Snowpoint City, so why do you still need Torterra to hold your hand?"

Ash turned around and growled at Paul, both his fists and his teeth clenched in anger, as well as Pikachu's, "So the answer's no then."

"Duh." he responded simply, "Using a grass-type in an ice-type gym? I guess you chalk that up to blind faith." Paul was about to walk inside, when he got confronted.

"Stop right there!" Zoey snarled, "Just who do you think you are?" Zoey pointed an accusing finger at the ruthless trainer, who after seeing the exchange of words between him and Ash, was nothing short of boiling mad.

"Zoey, stop!" Dawn pulled Zoey out of Paul's way.

"He has no right to talk like that!" Zoey hissed, "The fact that Ash actually BEAT Ms. Senior with Grotle proves that it took more than what he calls 'blind faith'!"

"I agree one-hundred percent!" Candice added.

Paul scoffed when Candice spoke up, "ANOTHER clueless Gym Leader, you're probably worse than the Veilstone City Gym Leader."

That set Candice over the edge, "No…oh no no no, you did NOT do something nasty to Maylene did you?" she hissed furiously.

"Wait, you know Maylene?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah! We're friends! When we get the chance we train together so I can work on beating fighting-types that come to the gym!" Candice replied.

"Well you won't learn much from her, I swept her without much effort, she shouldn't even be in a position to be Gym Leader." Paul started to walk away, but turned slightly just before taking his leave, "I'll be at the gym tomorrow to pick up my badge."

Once Paul was out of earshot, Zoey spoke up again, "Ms. Senior…tomorrow at the gym battle, wipe the floor with that jerk." she said, her fists clenched in anger.

"Abomasnow and I will be ready, you can count on that." Candice replied, also sickened by the attitude Paul displayed, "If he thinks he's getting an easy badge from ME, he's crazy."

"That's Paul for you." Misty hissed.

"I can't BELIEVE he was nasty to Maylene, he's gonna pay for that, that's for sure." Candice replied.

"Yeah, he told Maylene that she was the weakest Gym Leader he had ever faced, he DEVASTATED her! If it weren't for Ash, Misty and me, she might've resigned for all we know." Dawn explained.

"Well when I'M through with him, HE'LL wanna resign as a trainer." Candice replied.

"I can't WAIT to see that battle Ms. Senior." Zoey said.

"Alright, we're getting too wound up," Brock said, "Tomorrow's a new day, if you want we can watch Paul's battle with Candice tomorrow, but for now let's try and relax a little."

"Yeah, I dunno about you, but I'm all worn out after battling Candice all day." Ash agreed, and then went over to Misty and placed his arm around her shoulders, "Come on Mist, aren't you tired? I'd sure like to take a little time to relax."

Misty giggled, "Yeah, I guess I AM pretty tired, dealing with Paul can sure sap a lot of energy."

"Then it's settled, we get a good night's rest, and then we watch Ms. Senior beat the snot out of Paul in the morning!" Zoey exclaimed.

"You got it!" Candice replied, "Well, I'm gonna grab my Pokémon and head on home, you with me Zo-Zo?"

"Yeah, I can't wait until tomorrow though!" Zoey walked away with Candice, waving to her friends as they headed out.

"As for us, I think we need to do something to help us get our minds off of Paul." Dawn suggested.

"Good idea," Misty replied, "Why were you even out there anyway Ash?"

"I thought you heard why." Ash replied.

"I heard SOME of it, but not enough to get a good idea of what was going on." Misty explained, "So, enlighten us if you please."

Ash began walking towards the rooms, and his friends followed, on the way he explained, "Well, all I wanted was to tell him about how well Grotle did against Candice, and that I was still looking to thank his Torterra for helping Grotle learn the new battling style."

"I see, so basically what you did was go back for more abuse," Misty shook her head in disapproval, "Ash, why are you such a glutton for punishment?"

"Torterra isn't like Paul, I wanted to make sure Torterra knew I was grateful, I had to take a chance, although to be honest, I really didn't expect anything less." Ash replied with a shrug.

"Here we are." Brock placed the cardkey into the door, and as soon as the lock blinked green, they opened the door and got ready for a good night's rest.

Early the next morning, the group got a rather sudden awakening when Ash got up with a startled shout. "What's going on?" Dawn exclaimed nervously.

Ash took a minute to regain his bearings, and then he looked forward to see Riolu sitting on his stomach, whining like a little child, "What's the matter Riolu?" he asked. Riolu whined again and rubbed his stomach. As it made a rather loud grumbling noise, "Ohh, you're hungry." Ash sighed with relief, "And I thought something was REALLY wrong. Ok Riolu, we'll get something to eat, just sit tight." Ash plucked Riolu off of his stomach and handed him to Misty, who had also been woken up by Ash's outburst.

"You really ARE connected to Ash's aura aren't you?" Misty giggled, as she tickled the baby Pokémon's belly, causing him to laugh gleefully, "Only Ash would be hungry so early in the morning."

"Well…now that you mention it…" Ash chuckled sheepishly, as his stomach also began to grumble.

Misty shook her head with amusement, "You're unbelievable." she sighed, "But that's why I love you." Misty leaned over and kissed Ash's cheek, and she suddenly felt Riolu stop squirming in her arms. She looked down and noticed that Riolu's eyes were closed with a content smile on his face, "Oh man, aura again?"

"No, I don't think so." Brock replied.

"Wha?" Ash responded, "Then why does Riolu look like that?"

"My guess would be that Riolu feels the love in your little family." Brock suggested with a smirk.

"You're a good mommy Misty." Dawn giggled.

Misty blushed and smiled down at Riolu, who had since opened his eyes and was once again smiling at her, "Hopefully I'll be this good when I have HUMAN kids one day." she giggled sweetly.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about. The way you've raised Togetic, Azurill, and now helping Ash raise Riolu, you've already proven yourself to be a great mother." Brock replied.

"Well I know one way I can be a better one, let's get this little guy something to eat!" Misty got up from the bed with Riolu tucked safely in her arms, but the Emanation Pokémon began squirming as his energy levels were too high for him to stay still for too long, as he jumped out of Misty's arms and ran over to Ash and began jumping on the bed, "Well, like we keep saying, he IS Ash's Pokémon." she giggled, "Which reminds me, I think it's time for MY little sweetheart to make an appearance." Misty went over to her bag and tossed out Azurill's Pokéball, and the baby Pokémon immediately started playing with Riolu, "Come on Azurill, as soon as I get dressed we're gonna go and get some breakfast!"

Eventually the whole group did get dressed, and they went downstairs to the cafeteria to get their helping of hard boiled eggs and bagels. "You like that, don't ya Riolu?" Ash laughed, as the little Pokémon got cream cheese all over his face from eating his bagel. But all of a sudden, Riolu stopped eating, dropped his bagel onto the floor and grabbed onto Ash as if he was afraid, "What's the matter Riolu?" Ash asked. Riolu pointed over to what was scaring him, and the group realized exactly what was wrong. "Paul." Ash grumbled quietly.

Paul turned to walk out, but then he noticed Ash with a Riolu clutching onto him in fear. Slightly curious, he walked over to see what was going on. As he got closer, he noted that Riolu was holding onto Ash tighter and tighter, and his eyes closed so he didn't have to look. Ash wrapped his arms around the Emanation Pokémon to try and comfort him, but something was really bothering him, as Paul approached. "When did you get a Riolu?" he asked.

"Not too long ago." Ash replied simply, still trying to soothe the trembling Pokémon in his arms.

"There's something wrong with it." Paul pointed out.

"SOMETHING'S wrong alright, but not with Riolu." Dawn spat, her arms crossed and her head turned away from the purple haired trainer indignantly.

Paul looked at Dawn, and then back to Ash and Riolu, and he smirked smugly as he realized what was REALLY wrong with Riolu, "I see. My aura's too powerful for it to handle."

"Not quite." Misty replied, "Riolu's just never sensed something so disgusting before." Misty replied, getting up from the table to confront Paul.

Paul glared at Misty for a moment, and Misty glared back, but eventually Paul got tired of the whole thing and turned to walk away, "This is a waste of time. If you're smart you'll stop coddling that Riolu and focus on training it for battle." Paul walked out of the Pokémon Center and started on his way to the Snowpoint Gym, confident that the battle wouldn't last long at all. Once he got out however, he ran into Zoey and Glameow, who conveniently bumped into him on her way in.

"Oops, my bad." Zoey smirked at Paul and walked in, somehow satisfied with what she had done.

"You feeling better now Riolu?" Dawn asked. Riolu opened one eye and noticed that both Paul and the awful feeling were gone, and he sighed with relief. "Poor little guy." Dawn said sympathetically.

Then the group decided that they had lost their appetites, and they walked over to the couch in front of a television that was showing a weather report. Ash set Riolu down to play with Pikachu and Azurill, who immediately decided they needed to say something comforting to their youngest friend. "I sure am glad Riolu has friends like Pikachu and Azurill who'll have his back." Ash commented.

Then Zoey found her friends and sat down on the couch next to them, "Paul trouble?"

"How'd you guess?" Dawn sighed. Dawn looked out the window, and gasped when she recognized who was outside, "Wow! Hey, look who's out there guys!"

The group looked out the window as well, and they all laughed in delight at who they saw, with the exception of Zoey who had no idea who they were talking about, "Who's that guy?" she asked.

"That's Paul's big brother Reggie," Dawn replied, "He's a breeder down in Veilstone City!"

"Well since you guys seem happy to see him; I'll assume he's a nice guy." Zoey figured.

"He is! He's NOTHING like Paul," Misty said, "Come on guys! Let's go say hi!" Misty grabbed Azurill and hurried outside.

Pikachu and Riolu hopped onto Ash's shoulders, and together they went outside to greet the Pokémon Breeder, "Reggie!" Ash exclaimed.

"Well would you look at that," Reggie chuckled, "Wow, it's been a long time."

"Yeah, it really has." Dawn replied cheerily.

"And who's this little guy?" Reggie asked, bending over slightly to get closer to Riolu, who was slightly apprehensive because he was close to Paul, but Reggie's light and friendly aura made the Emanation Pokémon feel slightly better.

"That's my Riolu! He only hatched a few weeks ago!" Ash exclaimed.

"Wow! Have you noticed how he feeds off your aura yet?" Reggie asked.

"It's kinda hard not to notice." Misty replied for Ash, slightly embarrassed.

Reggie's mouth formed into an "o" as he was unsure of what Misty meant by that, but he quickly shook it off and offered the Pokémon Trainer some sage advice, "Well keep in mind, Riolu get very attached to their trainers when they're very young, so make sure you give it lots of love and lots of training, and you'll have an awesome Lucario in no time!"

"Gee thanks Reggie!" Ash replied gratefully, "So what are you doing here in Snowpoint City?"

"I just finished bringing a Pokémon I was watching back to its trainer," Reggie explained, "You here to challenge the Snowpoint Gym too?"

"Yeah! I battled Candice yesterday and won the badge!" Ash replied proudly.

"Really? Awesome!" Reggie turned to his younger brother and smiled down at him, "You hear that Paul, that's great huh?" Reggie wasn't exactly surprised when all Paul did was "hmmph" in frustration, "Mind if I come watch your battle?" he asked.

"Whatever you want." Paul replied dismissively, not bothering to even open his eyes or raise his head to look at his older brother.

"Man, Paul may be the exact opposite of Ash, but he's absolutely nothing like his brother either!" Zoey said quietly.

"For sure." Dawn replied.

Suddenly the ground started to rumble, shocking the group, "What's that?" Ash exclaimed. They then saw a large shadow fly over them, and when Ash saw what had made that shadow, he got really excited, "It's the Battle Pyramid!"

"Wow, you guys know about that thing?" Reggie asked.

Ash turned back to Reggie and smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, I finally beat it but it took me a whole bunch of tries." he laughed.

That got Paul's attention, "What? You beat it?" he exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, but it sure wasn't easy." Ash replied, "Hey, let's go in and give Brandon a call! Maybe I can have another battle with him!" Ash hurried inside, which provoked his friends to follow him in.

"Wow, that Ash sure is something huh Paul?" Reggie said, obviously impressed with Ash. Reggie didn't notice, but Paul was now seething with anger and resentment for an unknown cause. After a few minutes, the group came back out, their cold weather outfits now on their bodies.

"Reggie, Brandon's landing now! Could you drive us over there?" Ash asked hopefully.

"He can." Paul caught everyone off guard with his reply, but he didn't bother to open his eyes to see their faces, and merely got in the front passenger seat and waited for Reggie to get in.

"Looks like my van just turned into a bus, hop in everyone!" Reggie got into the front seat, and waited for everyone to squeeze in before driving off.

"Ash, what was it you called that thing? The Battle Pyramid?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, it was the final facility Ash challenged back in the Kanto Battle Frontier." Brock explained for the black haired trainer.

"Wish I could've seen some of those battles, darn Gym Leader title." Misty huffed, somewhat annoyed over her past. Ash placed his arm around her to remove her annoyed feeling. It worked. "At least I get to see him battle NOW." she giggled.

"The Battle Frontier…you mentioned that once I think…that's…um…" Dawn struggled to remember, but Brock bailed her out and reminded her.

"It's a group of facilities, somewhat like a Gym, but more intense, where you challenge and battle against an amazing group of powerful trainers called Frontier Brains. Brandon's the most powerful Kanto Frontier Brain, and everyone calls him the Pyramid King." Brock explained. Dawn was honestly in awe…until Brock spoke up again, "And Lucy is the most beautiful Kanto Frontier Brain…oh how I miss her!"

"You harassed a Frontier Brain Brock? Have you no shame?" Misty huffed, giving Brock a sharp tug on the ear for emphasis.

"Not so fast Mist." Ash replied, removing Misty's hands from Brock's ear, "Sorry Brocko, I know how you feel."

Brock sighed and stared out the window, remembering the lovely Pike Queen he had been forced to leave behind. "_Lucy…now and forever in my heart…"_

"Am I missing something?" Misty asked, suddenly regretting what she had done.

"Having you as my girlfriend Mist…taught me a lot of things…and looking back, Lucy didn't react to Brock like most of the girls he hits on did…I think she REALLY liked him." Ash explained.

"Oh Brock, I'm so sorry." Misty said sympathetically.

Brock looked back and smiled slightly, "It's alright Misty, you couldn't have known." Brock decided it was time to change the subject, "Hey Reggie, didn't you challenge him too? I remember seeing the Frontier Symbols on display in your house."

"Yeah, but I never got the Brave Symbol," Reggie replied, "Which of course is proof of winning at the Battle Pyramid." No one noticed, but Paul scoffed silently at that.

"That's right, Brock told us about that. So why'd you stop battling?" Ash asked.

"Because I learned one thing." Reggie replied.

"And what's that?" Misty asked curiously.

"That I have a LOT more to learn." Reggie chuckled. After a few minutes more, the group reached the area the Battle Pyramid and touched down. "Ok, everyone out!"

The group all got out, and saw Brandon standing there with his arms crossed and a smile on his face, "Reggie, what a nice surprise."

"It's been too long Brandon." Reggie replied.

"So nice to see so many familiar faces, and a couple of unfamiliar ones. I'm sure you'll introduce me later." Brandon would've asked right away, but Paul had walked to the front of the group and was glaring right into the Pyramid King's eyes, "If I recall, you're Reggie's younger brother right?"

"So you DO remember me." Paul said, a kind of resentment slipping through his voice, "I'd like to challenge you to a Pokémon Battle, right here and now!"

"Oh?" Brandon was surprised by Paul's sudden declaration.

"Battle?" Ash looked over at Paul who seemed to have only one thing on his mind, but then out of the corner of his eye he saw someone riding over to them on a Dodrio, "Hey, it's Candice."

"Wow! It's the real Battle Pyramid!" Candice hopped off her Dodrio and looked up in awe and admiration at the structure, gasping as she did so, "And it's…so huge!"

"Sorry to cause such a fuss, but I'm Brandon, the Pyramid King of the Kanto Battle Frontier." Brandon said to the young girl.

"I'm honored to meet you!" Candice folded her hands in front of her waist, "I'm Candice, the Snowpoint Gym Leader."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Brandon replied with a nod. Just then, yet another vehicle came driving up, this one a silver jeep. When it stopped, a young woman with short black hair and a white headdress. "Oh, it's you Maria." Brandon said.

"We've been waiting for you, Pyramid King." Maria bowed in greeting to the Frontier Brain.

"I'd like to introduce you all. Everyone, please say hello to Temple Maiden Maria." Brandon said.

"It's an honor." Maria bowed in greeting to everyone else as well, but she never would've guessed what would happen next.

Brock shouted in happiness and leaped about twenty feet in the air, and landed on one knee right in front of the Temple Maiden, a blush on the Breeder in training's face, "With a beautiful maiden like you, I must make a pilgrimage to the Snowpoint Temple right away!" he exclaimed passionately. But before Maria even got a chance to react, Croagunk appeared and jabbed his master, rendering him temporarily incapacitated as the frog dragged him away, "No fair, I haven't even left yet!" he strained.

With that distraction out of the way, Dawn asked Zoey a question, "Zoey, there's a temple here?"

"Oh yeah! The Snowpoint Temple." Zoey replied, "It's a bit far from here, but it's an ancient temple with a rich history."

"Wow, that's awesome!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That must be why Brandon's here, to check out that temple." Ash figured.

"You're exactly right Ash. You see my purpose here in Sinnoh is to investigate the Snowpoint Temple." Brandon replied.

Brock had since recovered and offered his two cents, "Of course! You do research on MANY ancient civilizations right?"

"But I never would've imagined that you were going to travel here in your amazing Battle Pyramid!" Maria said.

"I have to agree with Maria," Misty said, "It's not exactly the most inconspicuous way to travel."

Upon hearing Misty speak up, Brandon's curiosity was piqued. "It appears we've caused a bit of a scene." he said. Then the Frontier Brain turned his attention to Ash, "Now Ash, I think you've kept me in the dark long enough."

Ash was confused by that statement. "Huh? In the dark? Whaddya mean?"

"You still haven't introduced these other two young ladies that are here with you, a true gentleman would never leave them out." Brandon said.

"Who ever said Ash was a gentleman?" Misty said with a playful smirk.

"Hey!" Ash shouted, which provoked the water-type trainer to giggle. "I'm sorry Brandon. These are my friends Misty and Zoey."

"It's a pleasure to meet you two, are you both Snowpoint residents?" Brandon asked.

"I am, I grew up here in Snowpoint City and now I'm on a journey to become a Top Coordinator, I just kinda run into Ash and the others every once in a while." Zoey explained.

"As for me, I used to be the Gym Leader back in my hometown of Cerulean City, but that was before I came to travel with Ash again." Misty added.

Brandon's face suddenly lit up, "NOW I know why you seemed so familiar, you're a Kanto Gym Leader. The Cerulean Gym became one of the most challenging gyms in the whole region once you took control of it. It certainly has been a long time since that one time I saw you and your gym on the Kanto News Network. My how flowers blossom."

Misty couldn't help but blush at the Frontier Brain's compliment, "Please, you're embarrassing me." she giggled bashfully.

"Although this does bring a question to mind, why would you leave a thriving gym behind?" Brandon asked.

"Let's just say I found a higher calling." Misty replied, clutching onto Ash's arm.

"Ahh, I see." Brandon smiled, "One of my fellow Frontier Brains is considering leaving her facility to search for the same thing you've already found."

"Who?" Brock suddenly asked excitedly.

Before Brandon could reply, Paul growled and shouted, "Enough!" his outburst got everyone's attention. "I challenged you to a battle! Will you accept it or are you too cowardly to battle me?"

"Paul, don't be disrespectful!" Reggie scolded. Paul merely turned his head slightly so he couldn't see Reggie, but he didn't dare avert his gaze from the Frontier Brain who was staring him down.

Finally, Brandon spoke up. "Sam…" he said, referring to his assistant.

"Sir!" Sam stood at attention.

"Please go on ahead with Maria to the temple." Brandon instructed.

"Huh? What about you?" Sam asked.

Brandon turned back to Paul, "Take a look," he said, "Look into his eyes, how can I refuse the battle this young man requests?"

"Sounded more like a demand to me." Candice whispered. The group nodded in agreement.

"Go on, I'll catch up with you soon." Brandon said.

"Thank you sir." Maria bowed once more and got into the jeep along with Sam.

"But Paul, why now?" Reggie asked.

"Because I have to do what YOU couldn't." Paul glared at his older brother, "And that's that."

"Sounds kinda resentful." Misty whispered.

"Yeah…" Ash walked up to Brandon as well, "Hey Brandon, it would be really great if you'd let us watch your battle."

Brandon nodded in agreement, and then turned to Paul for his approval, "Young man?"

Paul huffed, "I don't care."

"Very well then. Everyone inside." Brandon said.

The group followed the Frontier Brain into the Battle Pyramid, although Ash's group stayed a little further back to talk about the situation. "But I thought today was MY day to battle Paul." Candice said.

"I get the feeling there's more on the line here than just a badge or a symbol." Brock said.

"Yeah Ms. Senior, this whole time Paul's been hell-bent on battling Brandon. Ever since we first saw the Battle Pyramid fly over the Pokémon Center, and Ash told Reggie how he had beaten it a while back, he's been obsessed with getting this battle." Zoey explained.

"So it's a rivalry thing then." Candice figured.

"No." Misty's response caught the others off guard, with the exception of Ash and Brock, who had also noticed why Paul's demeanor was the way it was, "No, it's not because of Ash, although he doesn't help the situation any."

"Then what is it?" Dawn asked.

"Paul is looking to do what Reggie couldn't pull off a long time ago. What I CAN'T figure out is why he seems so resentful, it almost seems like Paul is looking for revenge." Brock said.

"So you think that could be it?" Ash asked, "Paul's looking to get revenge on Brandon for beating his older brother?"

"Seems too noble to me." Zoey commented.

"There's no way to know for sure until we see the battle unfold." Brock said. Finally the group made it to the arena, where Ash and Brock both chuckled in remembrance, "Good times, huh big guy?" the breeder in training said.

"You said it Brock." Ash replied.

"This place looks even bigger on the inside!" Candice said in awe.

"And to think he FLEW here in this." Zoey added.

The group made their way to the stands, with the exception of Brock who went to the side of the field, "Brandon, I could referee!" he offered to the Frontier Brain on one end of the field.

"Stay out of this, there's no need for that!" Paul's outburst had once again caught the Frontier Brain off guard. Paul clutched a Pokéball tightly in his hand; if he were a full grown adult he might've crushed it in his hand, "It's a full six-on-six battle. Pokémon exchanges are allowed. The battle will be over when all six of one side's Pokémon are unable to continue."

Brandon frowned, he sensed something was wrong about Paul's attitude, "Very well." the Frontier Brain replied.

"Magmar, stand by for battle!" Paul threw out his first Pokéball, and his fire-type emerged ready for battle.

"Regirock, I need your assistance!" Brandon threw out his first choice, and the legendary rock-type appeared and stared down the fire-type opposing him.

"Wow! A Regirock!" Candice exclaimed.

Dawn pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the creature opposing Paul's Magmar, "Regirock, the Rock Peak Pokémon. Regirock's body is made of rock and if something chips off in battle it attaches rocks to repair itself." the Pokédex chirped.

"So Brandon's starting off with Regirock…just like he did with my brother." Paul whispered bitterly to himself.

"I remember Paul was watching, of course that was back when my Pokémon and I were defeated by Brandon." Reggie said, "Paul was a new trainer and had just gotten his Turtwig he had gone to Kanto during his Sinnoh journey so he could watch my battle. I had already gone from league to league, and I felt ready to challenge Kanto's Battle Frontier. So to become a Frontier Brain, I had one more challenge I needed to face, and that was the battle against Brandon…but…we lost without defeating a single Pokémon…and Paul saw it all…"

"You could've become a Frontier Brain, then that means Ash was offered the same title!" Misty said in awe.

"Yeah…but I wanted to keep travelling. But now I get exactly why Paul's so obsessed with power." Ash replied.

"Yes…in a way…I'm responsible for the way he is right now." Reggie sighed.

"You can't blame yourself," Candice said, "Paul didn't have to react the way he did."

"Alright! I can handle anything you bring, because that's my battling style!" Brandon roared.

"Magmar, return." Paul responded to Brandon's determination by returning his fire-type to its Pokéball.

"Return?" Brandon was shocked by Paul's action.

"What's with Paul? They haven't even started yet!" Zoey asked.

"From personal experience, I can tell you that Paul prefers to have the type-advantage over his opponents and then overpower them, so he's probably switching out to get a better matchup." Ash explained, "But one thing that Paul may not realize, is that you CAN'T just overpower Brandon, believe me, I know."

"Hariyama, stand by for battle!" Paul threw out another Pokéball, and this time his fighting-type emerged for battle.

Dawn pulled out her Pokédex again, "Hariyama, the Arm Thrust Pokémon, Hariyama can send a truck flying with its powerful Arm Thrusts." the Pokédex chirped.

"A fighting-type, that's a good choice." Zoey noted.

"I've seen better. Primarily from Maylene." Candice added somewhat bitterly.

Brandon crossed his arms, "Let's begin!" he roared, "Stone Edge' now!" Regirock acknowledged, and a storm of small pointed stones began to circle the Rock Peak Pokémon, and then it fired them at Hariyama.

"Block it!" Paul countered. Hariyama held out its hands and blocked the rock-type move with some effort, "You know rock-type moves won't have much effect on Hariyama! Is this a test?" Paul spat.

"You'll have to wait and see!" Brandon replied.

Paul growled to himself and barked out another order, "Arm Thrust'!" Hariyama acknowledged and started pounding on the Rock Peak Pokémon's body with powerful thrusts with its huge hands.

While Hariyama was attacking, Brandon called out his counter, "Hold it down!" Regirock suddenly stopped Hariyama's assault by grabbing the Arm Thrust Pokémon and holding it tightly in its rocky arms, effectively immobilizing it.

"Oh no!" Paul shouted in horror.

"Now 'Shock Wave'!" Brandon ordered. As impossible as it seemed, the rock-type Pokémon unleashed a furious electric-type attack on Hariyama, who could do absolutely nothing except take the hit.

"Even after damage from the 'Arm Thrust', Regirock has that much power! Incredible!" Brock exclaimed.

When the attack finished, Regirock released Hariyama, and the Arm Thrust Pokémon staggered backwards and fell to one knee, supporting itself with its right arm. "Snap out of it! Use 'Force Palm'!" Paul ordered.

Immediately after Paul ordered his attack, Brandon ordered his, "Use 'Focus Punch'!" Regirock watched as Hariyama tried to get to it, but when its palm glowed with energy, Regirock stepped out of the way of Hariyama's thrust, and used its right arm to crush Hariyama and knock it to the ground, where it revealed itself to be unable to battle.

"It's unable to battle…" Candice said in shock.

"Like I said…there's no overpowering Brandon." Ash replied. The group watched as Paul returned Hariyama to its Pokéball and growled as he pondered his next choice, "That Regirock of his sure is tough." Ash said. While the battle was raging, Riolu had been watching in awe, periodically sending aura messages to Ash. _"Yeah, I know Riolu. But there are those kinds of trainers out there who just seem too powerful to beat. But no one is ever unbeatable, remember that."_

"Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" Paul launched out his electric-type, and smirked at the Frontier Brain when he saw his slightly surprised expression.

"Why would Paul choose an electric-type?" Candice wondered.

"It makes perfect sense." Ash replied. Ash's statement caught everyone off guard.

"Ash, you do remember that electric-types aren't a great matchup versus rock-types right? Or do I have to remind you of your battle with Brock again?" Misty said.

"Just watch." Ash replied simply.

"Brick Break'! Paul ordered. Electabuzz acknowledged, and with a hand that was sparking with electric power, Electabuzz karate chopped Regirock's chest, slightly electrocuting the rock-type as Electabuzz's natural electricity added extra power.

"I knew he was gonna use 'Brick Break'." Ash said.

"I take it back; you know your rival well." Misty added.

"Brandon's Regirock is a high level Pokémon and Paul knows it. So of course he's got to use an attack that would be a powerful match." Reggie explained.

"But even after that Regirock barely looks tired." Dawn said.

"Stone Edge', go!" Brandon ordered. Regirock fired the chunks of rock once again, but this time Paul knew he couldn't simply order Electabuzz to block it with its hands.

"Protect'!" Electabuzz crossed its arms and formed a green shield around itself, but the rock-type move was so powerful that it barely lasted more than two seconds before the barrier broke and Electabuzz was sent tumbling backwards.

"Even 'Protect' wasn't strong enough!" Candice said in awe.

"The fact that a move that's supposed to negate any attack was broken so easily, it shows just how powerful Brandon and his Pokémon really are." Brock added.

"Now 'Hyper Beam'!" Brandon ordered. Regirock put its arms together, and the ultra-powerful beam formed in between the ends of its arms and made a direct hit on the electric-type, who was left fainted on the ground.

"I can't believe how easily he took out Paul's Electabuzz." Dawn said.

"I can. After battling Brandon a bunch of times, I know how tough it is to battle him." Ash replied.

Paul returned the fainted electric-type to its ball, but then Brandon also did the same with his Regirock, "Good, Regirock, return!"

"After using 'Hyper Beam', a Pokémon can't act right away, so it's good that he's making an exchange now." Brock said.

Brandon grabbed his next Pokéball and held it tightly in his hand, "Registeel, I need your assistance!" with a bright flash of light, Brandon's legendary steel-type emerged to take its turn on the battlefield.

"Registeel, the Iron Pokémon. Because Registeel's body has been tempered by underground pressure for thousands of years, its body cannot be scratched." Dawn's Pokédex chirped.

"A Registeel!" Paul knew exactly who to call for now, "Magmar, stand by for battle!" Paul's fire-type emerged ready for battle again, "I beat the Veilstone Gym Leader's Lucario with this Pokémon, beating YOUR steel-type shouldn't be that much more difficult!"

"You think so do you?" Brandon replied.

"If he says ONE MORE thing about Maylene, I. Am going. To lose it!" Candice snarled.

"You have to admit though; a fire-type is a good choice against a steel-type like Registeel." Zoey replied.

"Use 'Flamethrower'!" Paul ordered. Magmar fired, and made a direct hit on the Iron Pokémon. But instead of taking loads of damage, the Iron Pokémon threw the flames off of it and stood tall, "But how?" Paul said in horror.

"It must've had an effect…but it's hanging in." Reggie said in awe.

"That's Brandon's Registeel for you." Ash replied.

"Use 'Iron Head'!" Brandon ordered. Registeel charged forward like a locomotive, its body glowing in a bright white aura.

"Block it and use 'Will-O-Wisp'!" Paul countered. Magmar crossed its arms and braced itself for impact.

"Is he out of his mind?" Misty asked.

"There's NO WAY Magmar can just block Registeel's attack!" Zoey added.

Registeel crashed into Magmar, and the fire-type was knocked backwards and slid across the dirt, holding up its hands to try and block its face, "Magmar's scared?" Paul said in disbelief.

"Where's the 'Will-O-Wisp'?" Dawn asked in shock.

"Iron Head' may cause opponents to flinch, and then it prevents them from attacking." Brock explained.

Paul decided to just return Magmar to its Pokéball, "You're gonna come back out later and fight like you mean it." Paul reached for another Pokéball, "Now Nidoking, stand by for battle!" Paul launched another one, and this time his poison/ground-type emerged for battle.

"Boy, my Pokédex is sure getting a workout today." Dawn laughed.

"Nidoking, the Drill Pokémon, and the evolved form of Nidorino. One swing of its mighty tail can snap a telephone pole as if it were nothing but a matchstick." Dawn's Pokédex chirped.

"Wait a sec, Nidoking is a poison-type; I thought poison-type moves don't work on steel-types." Dawn said.

"True, but Nidoking is also a ground-type Pokémon, and those kinds of moves ARE effective on steel-types. Guess we'll just have to wait and see what move he calls." Zoey replied.

"Use 'Flash Cannon'!" Brandon ordered. Registeel formed a ball of shimmering energy in its hands and launched the blast at Nidoking, who took the hit in the face and tried its hardest to stay grounded.

"Earth Power', now!" Paul ordered. Nidoking glowed in a yellow light for a moment, and then punched the ground as the same yellow energy cracked the ground open and made its way over to Registeel, who seemed to finally feel some pain from the attack.

"Well, that's some impressive strength." Brandon said to himself.

After seeing Registeel take a significant amount of damage from the 'Earth Power', Paul decided it was time to go for broke. "Use 'Double Kick'!" Nidoking leaped up with its feet glowing white, and it pounded the Iron Pokémon with two crushing kicks. Registeel got close to falling over backwards, but it stayed strong and steadied itself.

"Whoa, even after a hit like that, Registeel's still up!" Misty said in awe.

"I keep saying it. Brandon's Pokémon mean business." Ash replied.

Paul growled as it seemed Registeel just refused to go down, "Use 'Thunderbolt'!" Nidoking's horn glowed with electricity and it fired towards Registeel.

"Iron Head' go!" Brandon countered. Registeel surged forward in a white aura, bounced off the electric-type attack and sent Nidoking flying. When the poison/ground-type hit the ground, it fainted.

"Nidoking's unable to battle too! It WAS a good attack though…" Zoey said in awe.

"Alright, what's wrong?" Brandon asked expectantly, "And here I thought you wanted to BEAT the man who defeated your brother."

Paul returned Nidoking to its ball, "The truth is, it's only because you defeated Reggie that my victory over you will have meaning! The challenge you always present to trainers to find their own strength was something my brother wasn't able to do! But I'm NOT like my brother! My WILL gives me strength! And now, you'll see it firsthand!" Paul ranted, his anger growing as he went on.

"NO!" Brandon barked, "All wrapped up in the past, but why then do you walk the Pokémon path in the first place? Tell me why do you battle?"

Paul growled furiously and grabbed a Pokéball off his belt, "Rrrah! Now Torterra, stand by for battle!" Paul sent out his starter Pokémon, and the Continent Pokémon emerged and made the ground rumble upon landing.

"Whoa, it's Torterra!" Ash exclaimed.

"If anyone can get Paul a win, it's Torterra." Misty added.

"Registeel, return!" Brandon returned his somewhat fatigued steel-type and sent out his third Pokémon, "Regice, I need your assistance!" Brandon's legendary ice-type emerged and faced off against Torterra.

"Regice, the Iceberg Pokémon. Formed in the Ice Age, its body stays at a temperature of -328 degrees and cannot be melted, even by fire." Dawn's Pokédex chirped.

"This is just an AWFUL matchup, Torterra is a dual grass/ground-type, ice-type moves will be doubly effective on Torterra." Candice noted.

"Paul's running out of options. At this point he can't be too choosy; he'll just have to go with his strongest Pokémon." Reggie replied.

"Use 'Stone Edge'!" Paul ordered.

"Stone Edge'?" Ash exclaimed in shock.

Torterra summoned hundreds of sharp rocks that swirled around it, and sent them flying towards the Iceberg Pokémon. "Use 'Blizzard'!" Regice summoned a huge snowstorm and ordered it to go in the direction of Torterra and its attack. The 'Stone Edge' was lost in the wind and Torterra was forced to endure a super-effective hit from one of the most powerful Pokémon it could face.

"Torterra's enduring the hit…" Ash said in awe.

"When Torterra taught Grotle how to battle, it definitely knew what it was talking about." Brock replied.

"Don't give up Torterra, 'Frenzy Plant', let's go!" Paul ordered. Torterra opened one of its eyes and summoned vines that shot out of the ground and picked up Regice who was caught off guard by the attack and lost focus on the 'Blizzard'. "Now use 'Giga Drain'!" Torterra used the vines to bring Regice in close and started absorbing its power.

"Hmm, there's something different about the way this young man uses his Torterra…" Brandon said to himself, "Use 'Ice Beam'!" Regice looked down and formed a beam of icy energy and fired it at point-blank range, and when the beam stopped, Torterra was frozen solid and the vines were withdrawing into the ground since Torterra could no longer control them.

"Torterra, no!" Paul shouted.

"That's the same thing that happened when Paul battled with Gary!" Dawn said.

"Use 'Zap Cannon'!" Brandon ordered. Regice formed a ball of electricity and threw it at the frozen Continent Pokémon, and upon impact, the blast shattered the ice Torterra was encased in and left the grass/ground-type severely drained. "Finish it with 'Hyper Beam'!" Regice obeyed and blasted the super-powerful laser attack, and Torterra finally was unable to continue after that barrage of attacks.

"I thought Torterra was part ground-type, how did the 'Zap Cannon' have any effect on it?" Dawn asked.

"That just goes to show how powerful Brandon's Regice is, he shatters the mold of Pokémon battling." Reggie replied.

"But it sure was amazing how Torterra took all those hits." Zoey added.

Paul growled and returned Torterra to its ball, staring at it for a second before placing it back on his belt. "Ursaring, stand by for battle!" Paul's powerful normal-type roared and readied itself for its turn to face Brandon, "Use 'Hammer Arm'!"

"Focus Punch' go!" Brandon countered. The two Pokémon charged forward with their respective fighting-type moves making their arms glow with power, and the collision caused a shockwave to go across the arena that nearly blew the hat off of Ash and blew everyone else's hair into a sloppy mess.

Ursaring was knocked backwards and groaned a bit after the hit, "Now 'Focus Blast'!" Paul ordered. Once Paul ordered the move, Ursaring grunted and started trying to form a ball of energy in its hands, but the fatigue and stress of the battle was slowing the process down.

"Zap Cannon'!" Brandon countered. Regice easily formed the ball of electricity and fired, and Ursaring stared at the attack coming towards it as it tried to finish forming the 'Focus Blast', but it couldn't pull it off in time and the paralysis inducing attack hit it in the gut and went all the way up its body and hit in the jaw after that. After being hit by that, Ursaring bent over and put its claws on its knees, as the paralysis made it almost unable to move.

"Whoa, what happened?" Dawn asked.

"Zap Cannon' ALWAYS paralyses its target if it hits." Brock replied. But then the group gasped as down on the field, Ursaring roared out a battle cry, "Is that what I think it is?"

"That's Ursaring's special ability 'Guts' alright. When a Pokémon with that ability gets burned, poisoned, or paralyzed like Ursaring is now, its attack power goes up!" Reggie explained.

"Well, that was unexpected." Brandon said to himself.

"Now Ursaring, 'Hammer Arm'!" Paul ordered. With the power of 'Guts' willing it forward, Ursaring slowly made its way over to Regice to try and finally secure one victory.

"Ice Beam'!" Brandon countered. Regice fired and stopped the bear in its tracks, and it growled and snarled as it tried to stay up and endure the hit, and eventually Ursaring was able to stay up, but even with 'Guts' it was clear Ursaring had nothing left.

"So why isn't Paul switching out?" Zoey asked.

"I know why." Ash growled.

"Now, Regice return!" Brandon returned his somewhat fatigued ice-type and reached for a Pokéball, "Regirock, I need your assistance!" Brandon's rock-type appeared on the battlefield once more.

"Regirock AGAIN?" Paul roared.

"Use 'Stone Edge'!" Brandon ordered. Regirock unleashed one more barrage of pointed stones, these seeming much bigger than previous ones, and the bear was sent flying by the power of the stones as each one hit its body and caused more and more agony. Once the bear hit the ground, it fainted without question.

Paul growled, "Ursaring, return!"

"Paul had already given up on Ursaring; he just stopped giving it commands." Reggie sighed.

Ash growled at that, and when Ash growled, Riolu growled as well, feeding off his aura. One thing had been learned by the little Emanation Pokémon from watching this battle. Paul wasn't someone to fear, if anything, he was someone to pity. _"You just won't learn, will you Paul?"_ Ash thought to himself.

"Now Magmar, stand by for battle!" Paul threw out his final Pokéball, and his fire-type appeared for the third time.

"Paul's last Pokémon." Dawn said.

"It's ironic that it's the same matchup Paul tried to avoid when this battle first got started." Misty added.

"Not only is it a mad matchup, Regirock's just too powerful…it's almost over." Candice said.

"I almost feel sorry for Paul." Zoey added.

"Now 'Flamethrower'!" Paul ordered. Magmar fired, and Regirock crossed its arms and easily deflected the flames.

"_I won't cause unnecessary pain to this poor Pokémon; I'll use a less damaging move. I should have a talk with this young man once this is over." _Brandon thought to himself, "Shock Wave', let's go now!" Regirock formed a blast of blue electricity and launched it, and the fire-type took the hit and groaned in agony.

Paul watched his fire-type take the attack, and once it was over, it hunched forward and panted for air, and after a moment, it fell over backwards fainted. Paul gasped in horror and disbelief…not only had he not defeated Brandon, he had failed to defeat a single one of his Pokémon…just like his brother.

"Paul lost…and after all that…I wonder if he'll ever figure it out." Ash sighed.

Paul sucked up his emotions and tried to put on a stone-face, but the utter humiliation he was feeling in his seemingly cold heart was eating away at him. He returned Magmar to its Pokéball, and that was when Brandon spoke up.

"Young man!" Brandon yelled across the field, "This battle of yours…was that your TRUE battle? You've done an excellent job training your Pokémon for battle, but the way I've seen you treat them seems suspect to me. And not only that, you allow your emotions to betray you on the battlefield!" Paul opened his eyes and looked up at Brandon, bringing a small smile to the Frontier Brain's face, "We WILL battle again someday when you've learned to control them, and when you've learned to see your Pokémon in a different light. Consider my words."

Paul could do nothing except bow in humility; the Pyramid King had put him back in his place. Paul then walked out of the arena, with the others following close by. Paul stopped in his tracks once he was a couple of yards away from the entrance to the pyramid, "You can expect to see me later at the Snowpoint Gym." he said, refusing to meet the Gym Leader's gaze.

Candice smiled with sympathy, somehow, even as nasty as Candice knew Paul really was, seeing the trainer so broken forced her to act nicely towards him, "Great Paul, I'll be looking forward to it."

Once he got his answer, Paul turned and began the long trek back to the Pokémon Center, hoping to avoid making eye contact with anyone in the area. Unfortunately, Reggie wasn't going to allow that. "Hey Paul," Reggie said, "Do you think there's any chance that you and Ash could treat us to a full battle at some point?" Paul opened his eyes in shock and turned around to face the group when Reggie said that.

"Me and Paul?" Ash asked suddenly, caught off guard by Reggie's request.

"You two!" the group turned and saw Brandon standing there, a smile on his face at the notion of a six-on-six between the two rivals. "Interesting idea! Let's set the time and place and agree to meet again, that's bound to be a battle guaranteed to raise the level of BOTH of you. Of that there can be no doubt."

"Yeah! Sounds great, I'm in!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

Paul growled and stared his rival in the eye, "Great, I'm in too!"

"Reggie, what about the time and place?" Brock asked.

"Exactly ten days from now, at the Pokémon Center near Lake Acuity." Reggie declared.

"Fine, we'll be there!" Ash replied.

"And so will I." Paul said.

"Brandon, you're gonna come and watch too?" Misty asked.

"Perhaps if I'm still in Sinnoh by then, but even if I'm not I would still like to be informed of the results." Brandon said.

"It's official then!" Reggie said, "But right now, Paul has a battle at the Snowpoint Gym to prepare for. Come on little brother, lemme drive you to the Pokémon Center." Reggie looked at Paul and shrugged, and eventually his little brother silently accepted the offer and got into the passenger seat of Reggie's truck, "Guess that's Paul's way of saying yes." Reggie chuckled, "Ash, I can guarantee you Paul will prepare himself for his battle against you, I suggest you do the same, maybe throw a few new Pokémon his way." the breeder suggested.

"Yeah, maybe I will." Ash replied.

"Alright, we'll see you in ten days!" Reggie got into his jeep and drove away, leaving the rest of the group amongst themselves.

"Well Zo-Zo, while I wait for Paul, I think it's time you and me had a kiai battle!" Candice exclaimed.

"You got it Ms. Senior!" Zoey replied.

Candice tossed out a Pokéball and summoned her Dodrio. And was about to hop on, when suddenly the jeep that Sam and Maria drove up, "Hey, what's going on?" Candice wondered.

The jeep screeched to a halt and the two passengers came out, worried expressions on their faces, "Brandon!" Sam cried out.

"Something terrible has happened at the temple!" Maria explained.

"Oh no!" Brandon shouted with concern.

"What happened?" Ash asked.

"It seems a mysterious group of people has sealed off the temple!" Sam explained.

"A mysterious group of people?" Dawn exclaimed.

"Why would they do something like that?" Brock wondered.

"Could it be Team Galactic again?" Misty suggested.

"Who knows?" Ash replied.

"Regardless, let's board the Battle Pyramid and head there right away!" Brandon ordered.

"I'm going with you! As the Snowpoint City Gym Leader it's my duty to protect that temple from harm!" Candice exclaimed.

"Yeah, please Brandon, you've gotta let the rest of us go with you!" Ash pleaded.

"Alright kids, then let's get going!" Brandon replied. The group nodded and hurried in, and a few minutes later the Battle Pyramid was once again airborne, its destination the Snowpoint Temple.

Back inside, the group was discussing what could be going on, "I wonder what it is they're after." Ash said.

"Whoever 'they' are." Misty added.

"Young man," Brandon said, "You don't happen to know the legend of the Snowpoint Temple do you?"

"No, I've never heard of it," Ash replied, "But I'd sure like to."

"Alright then." Maria began her story, "It happened a long time ago…once, after a volcano violently erupted, the Snowpoint Forest, rich in natural resources and beauty, was transformed into a sea of flowing lava. Then, out of a bright blue light, Regigigas appeared."

"Regigigas?" the group exclaimed in shock.

"Correct. Along with Regice, Regirock, and Registeel, together the four of them halted the volcano's eruption, thus saving Snowpoint City from destruction…later; Regigigas transformed itself into a stone of light and fell into a deep sleep. In order to protect Regigigas, the legend says that Regice, Regirock, and Registeel were transformed into three guardian pillars, made of amazing elements, ice, rock, and steel." Maria explained.

"And their location is the Snowpoint Temple." Brandon added.

"Wow, that's amazing, do you think that Regigigas is the one that helped save Sonzonia City?" Dawn asked.

"Who knows? There are more than one of several legendary Pokémon in this world." Misty replied.

"So what do you think those people are trying to do at the temple?" Ash asked.

"They're most likely after Regigigas." Brandon replied.

"I'll put up a view of the temple entrance on the main monitor!" Sam pressed a few keys and a view of the temple came onto the screen above them.

"Ash…that's not Team Galactic…" Misty said.

Once they got a closer look at the people at the temple, they gasped, "You're right Mist, it's Pokémon Hunter J!" Ash growled.

"Who's Pokémon Hunter J?" Maria asked.

"She's part of a group that steals Pokémon and sells them on the black market." Brandon replied.

"That's awful!" Candice exclaimed.

"You guys have run into her before I'm assuming?" Zoey said.

"Once or twice." Misty hissed.

"But Brandon," Dawn said, changing the subject slightly, "I thought you just told us that the sleeping Regigigas was just a legend right?"

"Not so." Brandon replied, "There has been sufficient evidence uncovered that shows it's NOT just a legend. THAT'S why I came here."

"Right, and that means they'll do whatever it takes to catch Regigigas, so we gotta do something first!" Ash exclaimed.

"I agree." Brandon replied with a nod.

"We better get our Pokémon ready to go, Ash, I think you should return Riolu to his Pokéball, we don't want J seeing him as potential black market fodder." Misty suggested.

"Right." Ash nodded and picked up the little Emanation Pokémon off his shoulder, "I'm gonna put you in your Pokéball Riolu, I want you safe ok?" he said. Riolu hesitated, but then nodded as he read Ash's aura was indeed sincere. "Riolu, return." Ash shot the red light at Riolu, and the little Pokémon disappeared into the Pokéball.

Misty returned Azurill for the same reason, and called out Surskit just in case something happened, "Can't hurt to be prepared." she shrugged. Just then, a bunch of dots appeared in the distance, "Uh…what are those?"

"Sensors indicate several Pokémon coming right at us!" Sam exclaimed.

"It must be J's henchmen, they know we're coming!" Brock shouted.

"Brace yourselves everyone!" Brandon roared.

All of the Pokémon got close enough for them to be seen, "It's a whole army of Metang and Skarmory!" Zoey exclaimed nervously.

Then the Pokémon started firing upon the Battle Pyramid, the Skarmory unleashed a barrage of 'Flash Cannon's', while the Metang all fired a bunch of 'Sludge Bomb's'. "J's not messing around this time!" Ash yelled.

"When does she ever?" Brock replied.

Suddenly an explosion was heard, and the entire pyramid rumbled, and the group fell to the ground and shouted in fear, "Sir, one of the rotors is no longer functioning!" Sam shouted.

"Hang on everyone! Emergency landing!" Brandon gave it all to keep the Battle Pyramid level as it plummeted to the ground, and thanks to his excellent piloting skills, he was able to do just that, as the pyramid landed upright and slid through the forest, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine, but the temple can't wait!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

"You're right Ash; we'll use the mini-craft to get to the temple while Sam stays behind and repairs the motor!" Brandon said.

"Sir!" Sam stood at attention and nodded to comply.

The group ran towards the mini-craft, which had a quite fitting name as not everyone was able to fit. "Uh oh, too small." Misty said.

"There's no way we'll all fit!" Zoey added.

"No problem!" Ash threw a Pokéball to the ground, and Charizard emerged from it, already prepared for his rematch with Hunter J's Salamence. "Come on Misty, we'll just ride Charizard there, his 'Flamethrower' and 'Heat Wave' attacks will really be useful against all those Metang and Skarmory!"

"Well well, it's quite a pleasure to see that Charizard again," Brandon said, "I have fond memories of our battle. But now's not the time to reminisce, let's hurry!" Brandon helped everyone into the mini-craft and started it up, and a hatch door opened and allowed the group to take off flying.

"Pikachu, heads up!" Ash tossed another Pokéball, and Staraptor emerged from it with a shrill cry, "You know what to do!"

"Pika!" (You bet!) Pikachu leaped onto Staraptor's back with his cheeks sparking, as he readied for the tough battle against Hunter J's goons' Pokémon army.

"Good idea Ash!" Dawn tossed out a Pokéball as well, and Buneary emerged from it and hopped onto one of the wings of the mini-craft, "Piplup, you follow Buneary's lead and get on the other wing!" Piplup nodded and hopped onto the opposite wing.

"Just one more for good measure!" Misty took Surskit off of her head, "I'm gonna use Surskit like D. Shad uses his gauntlet! Surskit, I want you to get on my wrist and grab on tight! And I want you to fire 'Bubblebeam' at whatever I aim at!" Surskit nodded and gripped onto Misty's wrist, its face showing sheer determination.

"Here they come!" Brandon roared over the cry of all the incoming Pokémon, as the seemingly endless army of steel-types closed in on them.

"Alright Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt', and Charizard, 'Heat Wave'!"

"Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam', and Buneary, you use 'Ice Beam'!"

"Fire away Surskit, 'Bubblebeam' now!"

All the Pokémon blasted away, and the army of steel-types were stopped in their tracks by the barrage, "Alright, now let's go!" Brandon shouted. Thanks to all the falling Pokémon, Brandon was able to land the mini-craft without any henchmen going after them, and they quickly got out of the craft.

Once on land again, Candice called out Abomasnow and Medicham, while Zoey decided to follow suit and call out Glameow to flank them, "Zo-Zo and I will cover you guys and keep these losers at bay, hurry and make sure Hunter J doesn't do anything to the temple!" Candice exclaimed.

"Right, good luck you two!" Brandon left the Gym Leader and her childhood friend to hold off J's henchmen and rushed into the temple to stop Hunter J, with the group not far behind. Suddenly they heard crashing noises coming from the room ahead of them, "Oh no, we're too late!" Brandon picked up the pace and saw J destroying the pillars that guarded the legendary Regigigas, she was about to destroy the final one, the steel pillar, when Brandon roared in fury, "Stop! Stop this at once!"

"Hmmph…so…you got past all my men." Hunter J scoffed, unimpressed.

"You've got to understand that you mustn't awake Regigigas, the result would be disastrous!" Maria exclaimed.

"Hmmph." J huffed, "Now Salamence!" she ordered.

Salamence reeled back and charged one last 'Hyper Beam', "No don't!" Ash yelled, "Charizard! Go!" Charizard leaped into action and attacked Salamence with a powerful 'Steel Wing', knocking the dragon off balance, "We're NOT gonna let you do this J!"

"I suggest you stay out of this you little brat, there's no David to rescue you from me this time." J snarled, "Salamence, take care of that distraction and finish the job, now!" Salamence heard the words of J and blasted Charizard down to the ground with a powerful 'Dragon Pulse', and fallen rubble then came crashing onto Charizard, trapping it, then Salamence turned around and destroyed the final pillar with a 'Hyper Beam'.

Ash growled in anger and sneered at the bounty hunter, "J, do you know what you just did?" he snarled. Suddenly, the sphere that had been in the middle of the three now fallen pillars began to pulse with a glow, "Uh oh!"

"Could Salamence's attacking be waking up Regigigas?" Maria said nervously.

J walked up to the pulsating sphere and smirked, "I would certainly hope so."

"I will NOT allow you to go through with this!" Brandon roared determinedly.

"All you can do now is stand and watch." J shot back coolly. But J's smirk began to disappear when the sphere did nothing more than continue to pulse with the light, "What? Why won't it wake up?" she hissed, "Quick, use 'Flamethrower'!"

"Don't do it!" Brandon yelled.

It was no use, J wasn't going to hold back, and her Salamence unleashed a burning flame that hit the sphere and bounced off of it, shooting the flame in three different directions…suddenly the triangle it had been sitting in began to glow in an angry red light, and the light created a barrier that shot up into the ceiling, and J did a backflip onto Salamence as she prepared to make her capture. When the light dissipated, Regigigas revealed itself.

"Oh no, it's Regigigas!" Brandon exclaimed worriedly.

Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan this legendary Pokémon, "Regigigas, the Colossal Pokémon, according to legend, Regigigas has towed continents using ropes." her Pokédex chirped.

"After what we saw in Sonzonia City, that doesn't surprise me." Misty gulped. Suddenly Regigigas held up its hands and fired two 'Hyper Beams' at the temple, causing rubble to fly off from every direction, "What's it doing?"

"Regigigas, you gotta stop!" Ash yelled, as the Colossal Pokémon continued to blast in every direction, "Stop! Stop it!"

"It's no use! Intense rage is making Regigigas go berserk!" Maria exclaimed.

"Well, you should thank me then." J said as she locked and loaded her arm cannon to make the capture.

"You mean like we should've thanked you for 'sparing' that Riolu from the fire that YOU started?" Misty spat, her fists clenched in anger.

"Exactly. And now I shall preserve the rage that dwells deep inside of Regigigas forever!" J aimed her cannon, but then Regigigas in its blind rage aimed 'Hyper Beam' at her and Salamence, and she quickly pulled her arm back, "Salamence, 'Dragon Pulse'!" Salamence acknowledged J's order and fired a green sphere of energy to try and counter the power of Regigigas's 'Hyper Beam', but the power was just too great and the shock wave from the explosion knocked Salamence off balance.

Regigigas then fired into the ceiling, and rocks began raining down on everyone below, Ash dove to avoid being crushed by one huge boulder, but he was by no means safe yet, "That was way too close!" he gulped.

"If these attacks keep up there's no doubt the temple will collapse!" Brandon shouted over the noise.

"Retreat, now!" J ordered. Salamence acknowledged and flew out of the temple with J on its back.

"We gotta get out of here!" Ash yelled. Then the trapped fire/flying-type roared his own rage as a surge of power allowed him to break free of his tomb of rocks, and he flew over to cringing group of humans, "Way to go Charizard! Think you can carry everyone out of here?" Charizard gave a thumbs up, and Ash, Misty, and Dawn hopped onto the powerful dragon's back.

But then, Regigigas fired right above them, and rocks began raining down on them, "Let's go!" Brandon threw out three Pokéballs, and his trio of legends emerged to protect the group from harm, "Regirock, 'Focus Punch', Registeel, 'Flash Cannon, and Regice, 'Zap Cannon'!" The three legends shattered the falling rocks and protected the group, allowing the group to run off, not caring about a ride on Charizard's back; they'd go on foot if necessary, as long as they were leaving. Brandon hung back a moment until his three Pokémon landed in front of him again, "Regirock, Regice, Registeel, I need your protection until we get out!" The three Pokémon nodded and ran off with their master.

Outside, Candice and Zoey were making quick work of all the henchmen with Abomasnow's 'Blizzard' and Glameow's 'Shock Wave', but they had heard the commotion inside the temple and were worried just the same, "I hope they're ok!" then Hunter J and Salamence flew out of the temple, and Candice immediately switched targets, "That must be Hunter J! Quick Abomasnow, use 'Blizzard'!" Abomasnow turned and fired the freezing snowstorm at the dragon and her master, who cringed as the attack overtook them.

"Nothing but distractions at every turn." J hissed, "Salamence, use 'Flamethrower', now!" Salamence regained its balance and fired at Candice, and upon seeing its master in danger, Abomasnow rumbled forward and took the hit itself, roaring in agony as the super effective attack made contact.

"No, Abomasnow!" Abomasnow fell to its hands and knees and panted in exhaustion, and the Gym Leader rushed over to tend to her aching battle partner, "Are you alright?"

"I don't have time for this, so I'll spare you." J then turned her attention to her henchmen, "Move to Point C and standby, I'm going to check on our target once again." She ordered. Her henchmen obeyed and hurried off to their next checkpoint.

"Stop her Zo-Zo!" Candice shouted.

"Glameow, 'Shock Wave', now!" Zoey ordered. Glameow acknowledged and fired the electric-type move, but Salamence was once again able to dodge, "Man she's tough!"

"I don't have time for this!" J snarled, "Salamence, use 'Hyper Beam' in front of them!" Salamence obeyed and fired right in front of Zoey and Glameow, causing smoke to rise where the attack had just hit, then unnoticed to Zoey and Candice, J got out of their sight and waited to make her next move.

"Where'd she go?" Zoey said in shock. Deciding that it was a waste of time to look around aimlessly, Zoey ran over to Candice to check on her and Abomasnow, "You alright Ms. Senior?"

"I'm fine, and I think Abomasnow is too, but that was one powerful 'Flamethrower'." Candice replied.

"What kind of people are we dealing with here?" Zoey commented, horrified by what she had seen from these people so far.

Back inside, the group was running out of the temple as fast as they could, with Regigigas right on their heels, firing 'Hyper Beams' in every which direction. Finally the Colossal Pokémon aimed right at them, and the glowing light caught Ash's attention, "Look out!"

The glowing light was then spotted by Zoey, who gasped in horror, "Ms. Senior, out of the way!" Zoey dove and tackled Candice just before the blast surged out of the temple entrance, just barely missing them and their Pokémon. When the dust settled, she saw that Ash and the others had been nailed by that attack, but Regirock, Regice, and Registeel had protected them from the majority of its power, "Hey, you guys alright?"

"Yeah…we're ok…" Ash groaned. But then Ash gasped and looked back at the temple, and saw that the entrance had been blocked off, "Where's Regigigas?"

"Buried under the rubble." Brandon replied.

"Not even Regigigas could break free of that." Brock figured.

But then the Colossal Pokémon proved everyone wrong and blasted out of the rubble like it was nothing, roaring with rage, "You were saying Brock?" Misty gulped.

"It's Regigigas, I don't believe it!" Candice squeaked.

Once it was free, Regigigas continued to fire 'Hyper Beam' in every direction, destroying the canyon walls with its blasts, "Regigigas, stop it!" Ash yelled.

"I'm afraid no one is able to stop Regigigas now." Maria said sullenly.

"There has to be SOMETHING we can do!" Zoey exclaimed.

"There is!" Brandon turned towards his three Pokémon, "Regice, Regirock, and Registeel." Understanding what Brandon wanted, the three legendary Pokémon jumped into action.

"Whoa, Brandon, what are you doing?" Ash asked.

"I'm going to calm down that rage by catching it!" Brandon replied, Unleash 'Hyper Beam' together!" The trio leaped up and fired 'Hyper Beam' simultaneously, and Regigigas countered with its own, causing a huge explosion in midair. "Now, get up close and unleash your 'Focus Punch'!" The three legends dove down towards Regigigas to attack, but Regigigas simply put its hands together and used a different attack, crushing the trio with a downwards blow.

"That was 'Mega Punch'!" Brock exclaimed.

"And it stopped all three of them with just one hit!" Dawn added.

"This leaves me no choice! Regirock, Registeel, hurry and hold down Regigigas!" Brandon ordered. The trio of Pokémon burst out of the rubble, and the rock and steel-type Pokémon both charged towards their much larger opponent, and grabbed onto its arms, holding the Colossal Pokémon down if only for a moment, "Regice, use 'Ice Beam'!" Regice fired, and the beam froze Regigigas solid, along with Regirock and Registeel who were still gripping its arms.

"You did it Brandon!" Ash cheered.

"Amazing how you froze Regigigas with along with both Regirock and Registeel too." Brock added.

"It was a last ditch strategy, but it worked." Dawn also commented.

"But what do we do NOW? We can't just leave your Pokémon frozen like that." Misty said.

But suddenly, Regigigas broke free of the ice, sending shattered pieces of the frozen water in all directions, but it could still barely move since Regirock and Registeel were determined to keep it from doing any more damage, "Regice, 'Zap Cannon'!" Brandon ordered. Regice acknowledged and fired the ball of electricity at the Colossal Pokémon, and its body began crackling once the attack detonated.

"It HAD to feel that." Brock groaned.

"Now Registeel, use 'Iron Head', and Regirock, 'Stone Edge'!" Brandon ordered. The two remaining Pokémon unleashed their most powerful moves on their much larger counterpart, and their attacks left Regigigas nearly exhausted as it fell to its knees, "Now to get you in this Pokéball!" Brandon was about to make his move, when suddenly the entire group found themselves covered in sticky webbing. "What is this?"

The group then saw an Ariados growling at them, and an all too familiar figure riding a Salamence coming down from the sky, returning the spider to its Pokéball, "It's J!" Ash spat.

"Nice work," J chuckled, as she moved in on the now exhausted Regigigas, "I'll be taking Regigigas." J aimed her cannon once again in order to make her capture.

"No way!" Ash barked.

Regigigas had had enough of this situation, and decided to try a different approach. Its body began glowing in a dark pink aura, and J growled as she knew what was happening. Brandon on the other hand, was horrified, "Oh no, that's 'Confuse Ray'!" Regirock, Regice, and Registeel suddenly turned towards the group of humans, their backs faced to Regigigas as if blocking it from any more harm.

"NOW what are they all doing?" Ash gulped nervously. Ash got his answer when Regirock and Regice fired 'Zap Cannon' at them, while Registeel unleashed 'Flash Cannon'.

"What the?" J and Salamence got hit by all three attacks, leaving Salamence severely depleted.

"Oh whoa, look at that!" Dawn exclaimed, as Brandon's three legendary Pokémon marched forward with Regigigas walking right behind them.

"It's just like the legend…" Maria explained, "Regirock, Regice, and Registeel have become the three pillars that will protect Regigigas."

J had Salamence hover weakly over the marching Pokémon as she examined the situation, "Let's go to Point C so we can reconfigure our plan." she finally said. Salamence growled weakly and flew off, leaving the group to watch as Regigigas walked off with Brandon's three Pokémon.

Then, Regigigas began firing 'Hyper Beams' again, and in their hypnotized state, Brandon's legendary Pokémon followed suit and fired their own 'Hyper Beams'. "I've got to do something!" Brandon ran in front of the marching Pokémon, struggling to reach for Regirock, Regice, and Registeel's Pokéballs. Once he finally got his hands on them, he made his move, "Return, all of you!" Brandon fired, but the three beams for some reason bounced off of the three Pokémon, and then Regice switched attacks momentarily to fire 'Zap Cannon' at Brandon. Brandon gasped and dove out of the way, just before the attack hit the ground.

"Oh no, Brandon!" the group rushed over to the Pyramid King to see if he was alright, and it seemed that he was.

"Regirock, Regice, Registeel, come back!" Brandon called out. In his mind however, Brandon knew that it was a waste to just call for his Pokémon, Regigigas's 'Confuse Ray' had left them completely oblivious to what they were doing.

"Oh no, they're heading right for Snowpoint City!" Candice exclaimed worriedly.

"We gotta find a way to stop them or a lot of people are gonna get hurt!" Zoey added.

"First we have to break free of this webbing somehow!" Brandon said.

"Right!" Dawn knelt down onto the ground, "Piplup, try and pull it off with your beak!" Piplup acknowledged and tried to yank the sticky substance off of Dawn with his beak, but it was holding strong and wouldn't break. "It's no good!"

"No! We gotta break free!" Ash started straining himself as he tried to rip apart the webbing with brute strength, "We've gotta stop Regigigas!"

"There's gotta be a way to break free of this stuff!" Misty said, "Brock, any ideas?"

"No…but still…if I must be tied up it's great to be tied up with you Maria!" Brock exclaimed, looking over his shoulder at the Temple Maiden with hearts in his eyes.

"Brock, for crying out loud!" Misty exclaimed exasperatedly.

"He may be a genius but his timing can be the pits." Dawn groaned in annoyance.

"Just hear me out sweet Maria, the web of love that intertwines our romantic fate will stay tight and taut and never be undone!" Brock said passionately. But then, the webbing DID come undone, as Croagunk appeared and broke through it with 'Poison Jab', which of course crippled Brock in the process and sent him to the ground, "Not…without…a little…coaxing…which Croagunk's so good at…"

"Brilliant ploy!" Brandon complimented.

"Yeah that's our Brock alright; he's brilliant at looking stupid." Misty replied. Dawn couldn't but giggle at that comment.

"Alright Brocko, pull yourself together and get us out of here!" Ash exclaimed.

Brock eventually recovered from the jab, and managed to pull apart the webbing and free the others, "Alright, let's go after them!"

The group ran back to the temple and got into the mini-craft, with the exception of Ash and Misty who got back onto Charizard's back. Brandon started up the mini-craft and contacted Sam, "Sam, what's the Battle Pyramid status?"

"I'll need a little more time to get it fully repaired!" Sam replied over the crackly radio.

"We're going to catch up to Regigigas by air; meanwhile you contact Officer Jenny and advise her to be on the alert!" Brandon ordered.

"Yes sir!" with that, Sam signed off.

"We gotta hurry, who knows what J will do if we don't get there soon?" Brock said.

"Can't this thing go any faster Brandon?" Candice asked.

"Hold on, I'm giving it all it's got!" Brandon jammed down the gas pedal, and the mini-craft accelerated towards a canyon that led into Snowpoint City.

"Let's go Charizard!" Ash shouted. Charizard roared and sped up as well, and before they knew it they spotted Hunter J on her Salamence, evading multiple 'Hyper Beams' from Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. "Uh oh, J's aiming her cannon!"

J fired at Regigigas, but then Regirock stepped in front of the blast and was turned into a statue by the beam, "Regirock, no!" Brandon cried.

"Get out of my way!" J fired again, but this time Registeel leaped up and took the hit, and it too turned into a statue and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"Look what's happened to Registeel!" Dawn exclaimed.

"That's enough J, stop it!" Ash barked.

"I don't think so!" J went to a different angle and fired again, but Regice leaped up and took the hit for Regigigas, and also fell to the ground, petrified by J's cannon.

"And now Regice…" Dawn said in horror.

"Whoa…they did what they did so they could save Regigigas." Ash added.

Brandon growled with rage, seeing his three Pokémon petrified by J was something that was eating away at him, "She'll pay for this…" he said to himself.

"Look at Regigigas now!" Dawn exclaimed.

The group looked down and noticed that the dots on Regigigas were pulsating red, "Regigigas is getting less angry!" Maria explained.

Brandon gasped in realization, "So…your true intentions are clear to me now…Regirock…Regice…Registeel…"

"I'm afraid it's all over." J aimed her cannon once more, convinced that with Brandon's Pokémon out of the way, there was no one who could stop her.

But Brandon refused to let J win, as he stepped out of the mini-craft, "Alright young man, take the controls!" Brandon leaped out of the mini-craft, roaring what could be taken as a battle-cry, as he followed his Pokémon's lead, took the hit for Regigigas, and turned into a statue, just like Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. Regigigas had caught Brandon in its hand, and stared down at the human who had sacrificed himself on its behalf.

"No, Brandon!" Ash shouted.

After a moment, the dots on Regigigas's body blinked blue, and it seemed to come to its senses after seeing FOUR different people and Pokémon sacrifice themselves for it. "Regigigas!" Maria cried.

J got right in front of Regigigas and aimed right in between where Regigigas's eyes would be, "Meddlesome fools! But it's over now!" J got ready to fire.

"No way! Let's go Charizard!" Ash yelled in anger. Charizard roared and flew towards J and Salamence, "Use 'Flamethrower'!"

J growled and had Salamence back off, "Salamence, 'Dragon Pulse'!" Salamence fired its counter attack, and the attacks collided and made an explosion in the air, and a thick cloud of smoke formed as a result.

"Now Charizard, through the smoke and use 'Steel Wing'!" Ash ordered. Charizard started his route through the smoke, but then he came flying back out of the smoke as a 'Dragon Pulse' knocked him back, which in the process bucked Misty off of Charizard and sent her flying, "Oh no, Brock catch her!"

Brock piloted the mini-craft and flew over to where Misty was going to land, and the group made a team effort to catch the water-type trainer and they sat her safely in the craft, "Ash, look out!" Misty cried suddenly, getting back up from her seat.

Ash looked back up and saw Salamence unleashing another 'Dragon Pulse' "I've had enough of you; it's time for you to vanish forever!" J snarled. Salamence fired, and Ash awaited the impact as Charizard was still off-balance and was unable to retaliate. But suddenly, Regigigas broke free of the liquid adhesive J had trapped it in, and stepped in front of the incoming 'Dragon Pulse', and crossed its arms into an X, and bounced the 'Dragon Pulse' back at J and Salamence who were so shocked that they didn't react in time and took the hit. And in the process, a stray shard of 'Dragon Pulse' energy hit J's cannon and destroyed it, "No!"

"Regigigas must be back to normal!" Dawn cheered.

"Yeah, Brandon's feelings must've gotten through somehow!" Ash added.

"That means Snowpoint City is safe!" Candice also exclaimed.

"I wouldn't count on that just yet!" J hissed, "Onto the next phase men, prepare to attack!" she shouted at her henchmen below.

"Master J! The clients have been scared off by all the commotion and have retracted their request!" one of the henchmen shouted.

"What?" J growled, her visor coming up off her face, "Those spineless fools! Retreat!" she shouted. J's henchmen drove off, but J stayed back a moment.

"You lose again J!" Ash bark-laughed.

"Now get out of Snowpoint City! As Gym Leader I will no longer tolerate your actions here!" Candice added.

"This is FAR from over; if nothing else I WILL have my revenge on ALL of you!" J and Salamence flew off, furious at the whole group for ruining her assignment once again. "David, you'll pay for sending your worthless friends after me, that I promise." she snarled to herself, as hate filled thoughts of D. Shad flooded her mind. One thing was for sure, she'd find a way to make them all pay.

Once things calmed down, Brock landed the mini-craft and Ash had Charizard fly down to the ground, and the full weight of the situation came down on them, "Oh man…Brandon…" Ash sighed.

"They gave their lives for Regigigas…" Zoey said in awe.

"Brock, isn't there any way we can return them back to normal?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know." Brock replied sullenly.

Maria gasped and turned around, running up to the Colossal Pokémon who had been quietly watching the humans, "Regigigas, forgive us please, I'm so sorry we weren't able to protect your slumber! But please, they all did their best to save you, so save them! They honestly couldn't have tried any harder to help you, I swear it! Please help Regigigas…please help…" After a moment of silence, Regigigas responded with a few blue bleeps and beeps of the dots on its body. "Thank you Regigigas!" Maria exclaimed, "Quick everyone, please stand back!"

"Right!" the group ran to the side of the canyon and allowed Regigigas to walk up to Brandon and his Pokémon.

Regigigas began glowing in a light blue aura, and in doing so, the glow covered Brandon and his Pokémon, "Regigigas is using 'Hidden Power'…" Brock said.

After a moment, Brandon and his Pokémon were returned to normal, and the Frontier Brain got up holding his head and groaning, and he suddenly gasped, "Where's Regigigas?"

"Relax Brandon, it's all over." Ash said with a smile.

Brandon walked up to Regigigas, "Regigigas, thank goodness you're alright."

"Thanks to you and the kind assistance of all your Pokémon, Regigigas has returned to its gentle and normal self." Maria explained.

"Great." Brandon sighed in relief, "And thank YOU Regigigas." Regigigas nodded and suddenly turned back into the sphere that it was in the temple. Brandon knelt over the sphere, "Regigigas, I'm asking one thing…that you'll entrust your future to me." The sphere stopped glowing and went completely idle once more, and Brandon picked up the sphere that was Regigigas, "Let's go back to the temple and set things right." By the time they made it back to the temple, the sun was already beginning to set. Brandon walked into the middle of the triangle and placed Regigigas back on its pedestal, "I'm going to rebuild this temple so that Regigigas's slumber will NEVER be disturbed again. And until it's completely rebuilt, I will honor the legend and have Regirock, Regice, and Registeel become the three guardian pillars that will protect Regigigas."

"Thank you Brandon." Maria said.

"Maria, would you work together with me to rebuild this temple and protect Regigigas's slumber?" Brandon asked, extending a hand to the Temple Maiden.

"Yes, I'd be honored to." Maria accepted the gesture and shook the Pyramid King's hand, making their agreement official.

"I'm happy for you Regigigas." Ash said to the sphere.

"Yeah, thanks for all your help." Misty added.

"You sleep soundly from now on." Dawn also said.

"And don't you worry," Candice said, speaking up, "As Gym Leader of Snowpoint City, I'm gonna do MY part to keep you safe from here on out."

"As for all of you," Brandon said, turning his attention to the group of teens, "You have all done well in helping stop Hunter J and saving Regigigas, I would like to thank you all for doing so."

"No problem Brandon, glad we could help." Ash replied with a thumbs-up.

"Now I suggest you all go and get a good rest, we've had a long day, and you Ash, have a battle ahead of you." Brandon said.

"Yeah, that's right! Will you come and watch Brandon?" Ash asked.

"Unfortunately no," Brandon replied, much to Ash's dismay, "However I would still like to know the outcome, so perhaps you could contact me afterwards."

"Sure thing Brandon, you got it!" Ash exclaimed.

"Good. Candice, can I count on you if I ever need some extra help in rebuilding the temple?" Brandon asked.

"Sure thing! It'll be good to have something to do when there aren't any challengers around!" Candice replied.

"Excellent. Now go on, we'll take care of everything here." Brandon said.

"Alright, seeya Brandon." the group began to walk out, but then Brock turned around and grabbed Maria's hand again.

"My dear Maria, parting is such sweet…" Brock was quickly jabbed by Croagunk, "And sour…sorrow…" Brock was dragged away by the poison/fighting-type, groaning all the way out of the temple.

"Ah love." Brandon chuckled, "I certainly hope my fellow Frontier Brain finds what she's looking for."

Back at the Pokémon Center, Candice and Zoey were about to say goodnight to their friends, "Well gang, it's certainly been an eventful few days." Candice said.

"You can say that again Ms. Senior." Zoey replied.

"Alright I will!" Candice joked, bringing laughter from everyone, "Now Ash, remember what Paul's older brother said, Paul's gonna get ready for you, so I want you to put some serious kiai into your battle with him!"

"Don't worry Candice; I'll be ready for whatever Paul throws at me!" Ash replied determinedly.

"And I'LL make sure of that." Misty added, punching Ash playfully in the arm.

"Well, keep in touch everyone!" Candice got on her Dodrio and headed home.

"Bye Candice!" the group shouted out, waving farewell to the ice-type Gym Leader.

"And what about you Zoey?" Dawn asked.

"Well, I figure I'll spend one more night at home with my family before heading out again." Zoey replied, "I tell ya, when it comes to recharging your batteries, there is NOTHING like being at your home sweet home."

"I hear ya." Dawn giggled.

"Well, I'll see you guys around!" Zoey began the short trek home, leaving the others on their own.

The group headed to their room and got ready for bed, but Misty had a short chat with Ash first, "Ash, you're going up against Paul in ten days for the ultimate six-on-six battle, I think you should get Professor Oak to send you some of your powerhouses before then, like Snorlax maybe."

"I have a plan Mist, don't worry. We'll be ready for Paul, I guarantee it." Ash kissed Misty on her forehead, which got her to blush slightly, "We can talk about it more tomorrow, right now, I am FRIED."

"Alright Ketchum, I'll let you off the hook for tonight, but TOMORROW, we are going to have a looooong discussion about your battle plan." Misty smirked.

"Deal." Ash nodded with a smile. And so the group settled down after the long day, and the next day they would once again be on their way, this time to Lake Acuity for the ultimate battle between Ash and Paul.  
_

**A/N: What a chapter...and because I've seen so far a lot of complaints about Charizard losing...lemme just say this...he can only learn so much in the Charicific Valley, and Ash hasn't spent much time training with him during his Sinnoh Tenure. Ash relied on Charizard when he was practically a rookie trainer to bail him out. Now he's an expert, and he still has to give it his all to win in Sinnoh...Charizard doesn't equal easy win anymore guys, but actual Pokemon reasons aside, lemme speak as an author. I can't have Ash use Charizard every five minutes to win every gym battle, that'd make for a lousy story. Chimchar needs his time in the sunshine, so I tried to make it seem that Candice and Abomasnow were super strong...my apologies Charizard fans, I didn't like doing it either, but it was necessary. Now, a small note about my writing style, after much criticism about how I put emphasis on words, the next chapter will have a new approach. Just thought I'd mention that. I hope I get the next one out faster gang! I know I'M looking forward to it! (Like I said, new approach in the NEXT chapter. =P)**


	54. Greased Fighting

**Was I faster this time? I think I was. Well anyway, Happy Pokeshipping day! I think it's awesome I was able to update on this official day (that was made official by people I don't know lol) just because I think it's awesome. Also, this chapter is another request chapter I promised a long time ago to LooneyTunerIan of deviantART, so I hope this one comes out better than the one before, I definitely tried my best to make everything fit with my storyline and get as many elements as Ian wanted involved as well. Now...anonymous reviews.**

**Guest1: We'll see what I do.**

**Guest2: Is that so? Pretty cool! xD**

**BlueHoundoom: Here ya go!**

**Pokemonguy8: Glad you liked it, and I'm glad I could be an inspiration to you! Maybe I'll check it out!**

**Anna: Neither can I. xD**

**Guest3: Maybe...**

**sparky1001: I'm glad you're ok with Charizard losing, my explanation in the last chapter seems legit, but that's all in the eye of the beholder I guess.**

**Guest4: No divulging secrets here, but I WILL say that it'll be six-on-six. Not eight. Sorry. :(**

**Without further ado, enjoy!  
_**

Chapter 54

**Misty's POV**

What an experience we had in Snowpoint City. First, we run into the Gym Leader, who happened to be an old friend of Zoey's, then Ash barely manages to beat her in her Gym Battle…where even _Charizard_ couldn't beat her Abomasnow! I had to admit, Ash hasn't been training a whole lot with Charizard, since he has to take care of Riolu, Chimchar, and his whole Sinnoh team. And like I had observed once before, these Sinnoh Gyms are _incredibly _strong. I'll be sure to tell Ash that he has to do some serious training with Charizard so he can get his power up to par with the competition again, especially since he'll be going up against Paul in a few days. And Paul…what a story with Paul…right after Ash received the Icicle Badge from Candice, Paul came walking up, demanding a Gym Battle. Well Candice obviously couldn't comply since she had just used her Gym team against Ash, so she rescheduled the battle to the morning after. But then an exchange of words between us and Paul made Candice realize that Ash and Paul's rivalry was _much _more hostile and serious than Dawn and Zoey's rivalry. We explained the situation to her on the way to the Pokémon Center, since she had to heal her Pokémon after the battle.

She was quite honestly shocked, and also horrified. And she would eventually get her own shot at Paul since she had been able to see firsthand how awful Paul really was when he ridiculed Ash's methods at beating her. What _really_ ticked her off though, was the fact that Paul had admitted that he had humiliated Maylene, and as it turned out, Candice was a good friend of Maylene's, and she did _not_ appreciate hearing that Paul had been cruel to her. If Candice was determined before, it had been multiplied tenfold now. The next morning, we all went down to get breakfast after Riolu woke us up because he was hungry, as the parents that Ash and I had evidently become, taking care of the baby Emanation Pokémon together, we went to take care of the young Pokémon's hunger.

But then Paul came down, and Riolu leaped into Ash's arms and tried to hide his face in Ash's chest, he was reading Paul's aura…and he _didn't _like it. After a few remarks back and forth, Paul walked out of the center, and we all smiled sympathetically at Riolu as the Emanation Pokémon sighed in relief. And at the same time, Zoey walked in, and she had a smug grin on her face, I never asked her why though. But then, the atmosphere lightened a bit when Dawn looked out the window and saw that Paul's older brother Reggie was outside talking to Paul, and we _knew _that Reggie was nice guy, so we hurried outside and said hi…but almost as soon as we got out there, a _huge_ structure flew over our heads, and Ash identified it as the Battle Pyramid from the Kanto Battle Frontier, and when Paul heard that Ash had beaten it, I thought his eyes were going to fly out of his head in shock.

Ash was excited at the idea of seeing Brandon again, so Reggie offered to drive us all to where the Pyramid had landed…during the trip…I realized something that I never knew before…apparently…Brock actually had someone he really cared about…her name was Lucy, she was a Frontier Brain too…I knew that _Ash_ had a Frontier Brain that had a crush on him, but I never knew that _Brock _had a similar experience…I did feel sorry for Brock, even when someone returns his affections, it somehow finds a way to not work out, whether it's his own fault or other circumstances cause it.

But Brock eventually perked back up, and we made it to the Battle Pyramid where Brandon was waiting for us. What a charming man Brandon was, I knew who he was since we worked in the same region, but I never actually met him before…he told me that he recognized me from when the Cerulean Gym got back on the map thanks to my return as the main battler…I couldn't help but blush when he told me how I'd blossomed since last time he saw me…everyone was telling me that, even my sisters…I suppose it's true…

Anyway, all of a sudden Paul walked up to Brandon and demanded a battle with him, and of course, Brandon accepted. And we were so graciously _allowed _by Paul to watch the battle, and we walked into the Pyramid to do so. Oh yeah, Candice had shown up by then, did I mention that? Anyway, Brandon started with Regirock, and Paul started with Magmar, but he immediately withdrew his choice and switched out to a Hariyama, who was of course a fighting-type. Well…we knew how Paul battled, and _Ash _knew how _Brandon _battled…and long story short…Paul got swept…in a _six on six_ Pokémon battle. All Brandon needed to take out all six of Paul's Pokémon, were his Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.

And I honestly couldn't _believe_, after seeing Brandon take down Paul with little to no effort _whatsoever_, that _Ash _had been able to defeat Brandon a year ago. Just watching, seeing how polished and how powerful a trainer Brandon was, I tried to imagine Ash beating him, I just couldn't do it! As much as I didn't like it, Paul _was _a more powerful trainer, and he had more powerful Pokémon than Ash did. The only thing that Ash has that Paul doesn't, is a relationship with his Pokémon. Maybe that was the difference maker, I dunno. Brandon gave Paul a lecture after it was all over, and the cruel trainer couldn't do anything but bow in humility to the obviously superior Pokémon battler. None of us had _ever _seen Paul look so defeated, as he walked out of the Pyramid and tried to keep his composure.

We all followed, and Paul informed Candice, without looking at her of course, that she could expect to see him show up for their Gym Battle. Candice nodded and agreed, and then the unthinkable happened…no, not the stuff with Hunter J, Regigigas, and Brandon turning into a statue, oh no, I've gotten used to weird stuff like that happening…what was unthinkable…was that Reggie and Brandon together convinced Paul and _Ash_ to have a six on six battle! And what was _even more _shocking, was that Paul wholeheartedly _agreed_ to it! I guess after taking a beatdown from Brandon, he needed something to recover his pride, and evidently he saw Ash as a good choice to do. Well one thing's for sure, I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure Ash is _more_ than ready to go up against Paul…that is if he ever _lets_ me help him!

**Normal POV**

"Where's the next stop Brock?" Ash asked.

"Um…" Brock opened up his guidebook and looked through it, "Well if you want, we could stop here at Talhasee Town and take a break."

"A break is good," Misty cut in, "I need to _discuss _battle strategies with Ash."

"Misty, come on." Ash whined, "I _have _a plan ok?"

"Would you mind letting me in on it?" Misty placed her hands on her hips, framing her annoyance at the situation.

"I _will _Mist! I _will! _Just not right _now _is all, I have to place the finishing touches on it is all!" Ash exclaimed defensively, his hands up to try and repel Misty's wrath.

"You know Misty, killing Ash _before _his battle with Paul would really defeat the purpose of even _going _to Lake Acuity." Dawn said, hoping she could bail one of her trainer mentors out of a jam.

"Oh fine, I'll kill him _after."_ Misty huffed and turned her head, but almost immediately turned it back towards Ash, "All I want is to be able to help you prepare for your battle against Paul, you heard what Reggie said! Paul's gonna make _sure _to be ready for whatever you throw at him, _especially _after that beat down _Brandon _gave him. Paul is coming for_ you, _to try and _humiliate _you the same way _Brandon _humiliated _him."_

Ash smiled and put his arm around Misty's shoulders. She tried her best to look unamused, but anytime Ash showed her affection, she found it difficult to resist, "I appreciate it Misty, I _do. _And I _promise_, I _will_ discuss it with you, but for right now, just relax, we're gonna take a break after all the drama in Snowpoint City, ok?"

After a moment, Misty settled down and smiled back, "Ok Ash."

"Wow Ash, you're getting good at this." Brock laughed.

"Coming from _you, _that's not much of a compliment, seeing as the way you handle girls is to drool all over them." Misty countered for her boyfriend.

Brock face-faulted, but immediately recovered, "I guess _I'm_ getting the leftover frustration then. Ok, go ahead Misty, anything else?"

"Nope." Misty smirked, "I have a relationship of my _own_ to enjoy, _you _can try whatever you want."

"Oh, so…if I decide that I wanna hit on…that girl over there!" Brock pointed to a cute girl that was busy talking to a friend, "You won't yank on my ear or bash my head in with your mallet or…" Brock was cut off.

"I get the picture Brock." Misty rolled her eyes, "It really doesn't matter anyway."

Oh? And why's that?" Brock asked, an eyebrow raised suspiciously at Misty.

"Because _I _do not have to do _anything_ anymore. That's what Croagunk's for." Misty smiled to herself, and almost on cue, she heard the groaning of Brock on the ground after being jabbed by Croagunk, "The prosecution rests." Misty giggled.

"The defense _needs _rest…" Brock groaned.

"Well we can rest here," Dawn said, "Look!" she suddenly pointed towards a sign, "Talhasee Town! We made it!" The group walked into town with Croagunk dragging Brock along, and they looked around at the scenery, "Wow, this is a _really_ big town, check out all the skyscrapers!"

"Yeah, sure is impressive." Ash added. But suddenly, the group heard hoots and hollers coming from down the road, and they identified the sound as a gang of bikers riding over, "Whoa, watch out!"

The bikers surrounded the four teens, who immediately made a move for their Pokéballs just in case these bikers wanted trouble. But then the bikers made a path for two more bikers, apparently the leaders of the gang. One of them was a male, with fiery orange hair with yellow highlights so it looked like his hair was a flame, with a headband keeping it up. The other, a female, with long forest green hair; they both were wearing leather jackets, which made them look like legit bikers. "Hey, do three of them look familiar to you Tyra?" the male leader said.

"I think you're right Chopper!" the female replied.

"No way…" Ash said in shock.

"Ash, Misty, Brock? That you?" Chopper asked, as he hopped off his motorcycle and confronted the teens.

"Chopper? Tyra?" Misty asked.

"It _is _you! Awesome Ash and Mighty Misty!" Tyra exclaimed.

"Awesome Ash and Mighty Misty? Can someone _please _explain to me what's going on?" Dawn asked in confusion.

"These guys are the Bridge Bike Gang, from back in Kanto! Ash and Misty became honorary bikers after they helped a sick Shellder get its medicine!" Brock explained.

"The _real _question is, what are you guys doing here in Sinnoh?" Ash asked.

"You haven't heard?" Chopper said proudly, "We've become a for real biker gang! No more goofing around, we're the real deal now!"

"Wow, sounds awesome!" Ash exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah…except…" Tyra sighed.

"What is it?" Brock asked, confused by the sudden change of atmosphere.

"No worries Tyra, we'll take those posers down just like we do every other time." Chopper said confidently, placing his arm around Tyra's shoulders.

"What are you talking about Chopper? What's going on?" Ash asked.

"These losers named Whopper and Myra have been trying to take us down for years now." Chopper said, "They got all upset because _they _wanted to name their gang the 'Bridge Bike Gang', but we took it first."

"They vowed that one day they'd beat us, and claim the right to be called the 'Bridge Bike Gang'." Tyra finished. Just then, another gang of bikers appeared, and the two leaders of that group barged through all the others, and they looked almost exactly like Chopper and Tyra, with the exception of their hair colors. "Speak of the devils." Tyra spat.

"Whaddya guys want?" Chopper growled, "Our meeting isn't until later tonight."

"We know," Whopper snickered, hopping off his motorcycle to confront Chopper, "We just wanted to remind you that the Pokémon Rumble is tonight, and in case you and your pea brain forgot, it's in the back alley near the Pokémon Center."

"Pea brain?" Chopper snarled, "Why I oughta!"

"No Chopper!" Tyra held Chopper back, "Don't let them get to you!"

Whopper laughed heartily at the sight, "Big man can't take a little insult? Some biker _you _are!"

"We'll see who's the real biker tonight; we'll beat you down just like we do _every _year!" Chopper growled at his rival.

"Oh no Chopper, trust me, this year's gonna be _way _different." Whopper got back on his motorcycle and started the engine, "I can't _wait _to see the looks on your faces when you meet our ace in the hole!"

"Oh and…" Myra spoke up suddenly, "Not showing up at all means you forfeit, and it's an automatic win for us!"

"Don't worry; we'll be there _for sure_." Tyra snarled.

"Well then, we'll see you tonight! Move out!" Whopper signaled for his gang to motor away, and in doing so, the antagonistic biker gang made a huge cloud of exhaust that left the remaining group coughing, as they listened to Whopper and Myra's gang laugh as they sped off.

"That was just plain rude!" Dawn coughed, as she tried to find some decent air to breathe in.

"That's just the kind of people they are, but we'll beat 'em!" Tyra said determinedly.

"That's the kind of attitude I like to see you have Tyra!" Chopper laughed.

"I dunno Chopper, they seemed pretty confident," Ash said, "Aren't you _at least _a little worried about that 'ace in the hole' they mentioned?"

"Nah, trust me, we've got this in the bag, maybe we should remind you just how awesome we are as battlers!" Chopper grabbed a Pokéball and tossed it out, and Tyra followed suit. Immediately, A Golem and a Cloyster emerged from the Pokéballs, and shouted out their names with pride.

"Whoa, awesome!" Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan the two Pokémon.

Golem, the Megaton Pokémon. Once a year it sheds its bedrock shell and grows larger…Cloyster, the Bivalve Pokémon. Its shell is incredibly strong and resistant to a bomb. Its shell only opens when it attacks." the Pokédex chirped.

"Hey, Golem and Cloyster! Man, they sure look a lot stronger!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's because they _are_ stronger! Hey, I have an idea! Why don't we have a warm up battle? Tyra and I could use a good battle to get ourselves pumped for later!" Chopper suggested.

"Sounds great to me!" Ash replied excitedly.

"Why don't we make things a little more interesting?" Tyra said with a smirk.

"Interesting how Tyra?" Chopper asked.

"Let's have a tag-battle, you and me…versus Awesome Ash and Mighty Misty." Tyra suggested.

"You wanna go up against Ash _and _Misty? Boy are _you _guys gluttons for punishment." Dawn laughed.

"Oh please. We're not worried about a teeny little Charmander and a dopey Psyduck." Chopper bark-laughed.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Chopper; you guys aren't the _only _ones who've gotten stronger over the years." Misty replied confidently.

"Oh yeah? Well then let's see _your _Pokémon, who do ya got for us?" Chopper guffawed.

"Lemme show you!" Ash reached for a Pokéball and tossed it out, "Now Grotle, I choose you!" Grotle emerged from his Pokéball and shouted his name, and he stomped the ground with purpose, making it rumble a little.

"Now it's my turn!" Misty also reached for a Pokéball, "And this time there won't be any Psyduck-based distractions!" Misty launched a Pokéball, "Misty calls Vaporeon!" Vaporeon emerged and stretched out upon release, and then she glared at her opponents as she awaited Misty's commands.

"Ok then, looks like you've become a _somewhat_ legit trainer," Chopper teased, "_Maybe_ this'll be interesting."

"Whaddya say you two? First team to fall loses?" Tyra said.

"Sounds good to us." Ash replied determinedly.

"But keep in mind, we've become a potent team, this won't be as easy as you think!" Misty added.

"You guys need a referee?" Brock asked.

"What, you kidding? We're _bikers! _We don't need a ref! Let's just get it on!" Chopper bellowed.

"Don't worry Brock, this won't take long." Ash said, waving off his friend.

"Think so huh? We'll show you! Cloyster, let's start with 'Icicle Spear'!" Tyra ordered. Cloyster immediately fired a barrage of thin barbs of ice at the two opposing Pokémon.

"Dodge it!" Misty countered.

"Brace yourself Grotle!" Ash shouted. While Vaporeon leaped out of the way of the incoming attack, Grotle lowered his head and took the attack dead-on, able to endure the hit with his awesome defense. "Nice job! Now, use 'Energy Ball' on Cloyster!" Grotle fired, and Cloyster groaned in pain as the super-effective attack took its toll.

"Hey, you're not getting off _that_ easy!" Chopper shouted, "Golem, help Cloyster out by unleashing 'Fire Punch' on Grotle!" Golem lumbered forward and raised its fist to punch Grotle with the fire-type attack.

"No you _don't!_ Vaporeon, 'Water Pulse', go!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon cut Golem off and fired an energized ball of water, which knocked the rock/ground-type onto its back and caused it to roll backwards until it ran into Cloyster who set it back upright. "Who's tough _now?" _Misty smirked.

"Looks you like you guys really _have _improved, but I bet you weren't expecting _this!" _Chopper nodded at Tyra, who nodded back at him.

"What are they up to?" Dawn wondered.

"I dunno, it's been a _long time_ since I saw Chopper and Tyra in action." Brock replied.

"Get ready Mist, there's no telling what _these _two have planned." Ash tensed up as he waited for what Chopper and Tyra would try.

Misty did the same, and gave the same warning to her Pokémon, "Stay on your toes Vaporeon."

"Now!" Chopper and Tyra shouted in unison, "Protect Cannonbolt'!" Golem picked up Cloyster and threw it at Grotle and Vaporeon, and Cloyster activated 'Protect' as it hurtled towards them.

"Oh man! Grotle, watch out!"

"Vaporeon, dodge that!"

The two Pokémon tried to get out of the way, but the radius of the 'Protect' due to Cloyster's size was too much for them to dodge, more so for Grotle than Vaporeon, who got clipped by the attack rather than getting hit directly like Grotle, who had gotten knocked down by the impact. "Whoa, I don't _believe _it!" Dawn exclaimed in shock.

"_There's_ a combination I've _never _seen before. Golem threw Cloyster like it was a cannonball, and since Cloyster was using 'Protect', there was _no way _for Grotle or Vaporeon to counter!" Brock commented.

"_That's _our _signature _move, there's quite literally _no way _for you to stop Cloyster when it's using 'Protect' like that…so…what are you gonna do _now?"_ Tyra laughed.

"Misty, we're _stuck!"_ Ash said, "We can't stop Cloyster from coming while it's using 'Protect' like that!"

"Maybe not…" Misty replied thoughtfully, but then she came up with an idea. "Ash, we can't _stop_ Cloyster, but maybe we can _redirect _it!"

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Just follow my lead." Misty replied.

"Are you two _done_ with your little conference? We still have to take you two down before tonight you know!" Chopper barked.

"Keep your jacket on, we're ready!" Misty spat back.

"Good! Then so are we!" Tyra shouted, "Ok Cloyster, get ready for 'Protect Cannonbolt' again!" Cloyster activated 'Protect' once more and was picked up by Golem.

When Golem raised Cloyster up over its head, Misty made her move. "There! Quick Vaporeon, use 'Water Pulse' on Golem!" Vaporeon ran as fast as she could and launched the ball of water at Golem, who was unprepared for the quick move, and flung Cloyster into the air by accident.

"Oh no, Cloyster!" Tyra cried worriedly.

"I get it!" Ash exclaimed in realization, as he watched Cloyster fall back down to earth, "Grotle, use 'Rock Climb' and knock Cloyster back to where it came from!" Grotle's claws extended out and he roared a battle-cry, as he ran forward and head-butted the Bivalve Pokémon inside its shield and sent it flying towards the still recovering Golem.

"Vaporeon, up and over!" Misty shouted. Vaporeon heard the order and leaped up onto the shield and then jumped back down, and watched as Cloyster crashed into Golem and left both Pokémon reeling. "Yeah, _that's _the way!"

"Incredible!" Brock exclaimed in shock, "Grotle used 'Rock Climb' to give himself the leverage he needed to bang Cloyster into Golem!"

"Yeah! Leave it to Misty to realize that while in the 'Protect' bubble, Cloyster could be bounced around like a pinball!" Dawn laughed.

"Come on Golem, on your feet!"

"Keep it together Cloyster!"

The two Pokémon forced themselves back to their feet and stared down Grotle and Vaporeon, "This ain't over _yet!" _Chopper said determinedly.

"Then let's finish it!" Ash shouted back.

The four trainers were about to bark out their finishing moves, when all of a sudden four police cars arrived and surrounded the biker gang, sirens wailing and lights flashing. Then Officer Jenny came out with seven other backup officers, guns raised and aimed at Chopper and Tyra, "Alright you two, return your Pokémon and keep your hands where I can see 'em!" Officer Jenny demanded.

"Uh, is she talking to us?" Ash asked.

"Not this time…" Misty replied in shock.

Chopper and Tyra returned Golem and Cloyster and did what they were told, despite the fact that they hadn't done anything to warrant the criminal treatment, "What seems to be the problem officer?" Chopper asked.

"You're under arrest!" Officer Jenny pulled out a pair of handcuffs and took a few steps towards Chopper and Tyra, before being cut off by Ash and Misty.

"On what charge?" Misty asked angrily, her arms spread out to block the police officer.

"Yeah! These guys may _look _mean but they're _really _nice guys! What could they have done to make you have to arrest them?" Ash added, following Misty's lead.

"These two have been committing a series of crimes in this town and several adjoining towns and cities for the past few weeks, and they've finally stayed in one place long enough for us to catch them!" Officer Jenny replied. Officer Jenny's statement got the entire biker gang to begin whispering to one another, debating whether her claim could be true or not.

"Hold it! We haven't done _anything!"_ Tyra shouted angrily.

"Oh this has _gotta be _Whopper and Myra's lame way of making us _forfeit _the match tonight!" Chopper snarled.

"I suggest you both keep quiet and make it a little _easier _on yourselves, the more you talk, the worse it's gonna be!" Officer Jenny suggested strongly.

Chopper clenched his fists, but then a gang member whispered something into his ear, and the biker leader stood down and allowed Officer Jenny to cuff him and Tyra. "Guys, we're gonna go along with this, we'll sort this out."

"But Chopper…the rumble!" one of the bikers exclaimed.

"Yeah, what'll we do without _you guys?_ Whopper and Myra will _clobber_ us!" another biker added.

"No they won't…" Chopper looked at Ash and Misty, who both raised eyebrows at him, "You'll be in the capable hands of Awesome Ash and Mighty Misty."

"What?" the couple exclaimed in bewilderment.

Before they could question anything, Officer Jenny had placed Chopper and Tyra into the back of her police car, and the squadron drove off towards the local jail. "What just happened?" Dawn asked absent-mindedly.

"I think Ash and Misty were just made biker gang leaders…" Brock replied in the same manner.

The whole gang of bikers closed in on Ash and Misty, who now had their backs to each other as the bikers got uncomfortably close. "What do we do then?" a biker asked sincerely.

"Uh…" Ash couldn't think straight at the moment, luckily, his other half was quicker when it came to thinking on the spot.

"You guys get ready for the…rumble…" Misty hesitated since she had to try and recall what the later event had been referred to as, "We'll go to the jail and talk to Chopper and Tyra, with any luck we'll be able to sort things out in time for them to lead you to victory against your rivals."

"You heard Mighty Misty!" a biker shouted, "Let's go guys!" the bikers all got on their motorcycles and sped off, whooping and hollering at the top of their lungs and leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.

Ash and Misty coughed as the dust cloud overtook them, and when it dissipated they dusted themselves off, and were finally able to see their other friends clearly again. "Thanks for the save Mist." Ash said.

"Yeah…but now it's out of the frying pan and into the fryer, I got the _bikers _off us, but _now _we have to put up with being the _leaders _of that unruly bunch." Misty replied.

"You guys can't be biker gang leaders!" Dawn exclaimed with concern, "Have you _seen _them? They're…they're…" Dawn couldn't think of the right word, but Misty had her covered.

"Animals?" the redhead suggested.

Dawn pounced on the word like a football player chasing a fumble, "That's _just_ the word I was looking for!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers, "What are you gonna _do?"_

"We're gonna do what we said we'd do, we're gonna head to the jail and talk to Chopper and Tyra, _something _must be going on for something like this to happen _again." _Misty replied.

"At least this time it's not _you guys_ under arrest this time." Brock commented.

The group walked to the local jail, and stopped in front of the entrance, "Another visit to a jail, I hope this doesn't turn into a regular thing." Dawn groaned.

"Yeah, seriously, it's almost as if**_ SOMEONE _**wants us to keep dealing with all these dramatic frame ups." Ash then felt a sharp twinge in his head, "Ow!"

"What happened Ash?" Brock asked.

"Sudden headache…weird…" Ash mumbled.

"Maybe you're overthinking things, let's just deal with this situation and move on." Dawn suggested.

"He could be hungry; it _has _been a while since we ate." Brock added.

"As much as I'd _like _to eat, we gotta take care of Chopper and Tyra first." Ash said, "Here we are."

The group walked into the prison and saw a man working on the computer, "Excuse me." Brock said, getting the man's attention, "We're here to see Chopper and Tyra."

The man shrugged and pressed the button that raised the bars to the entrance of the prison, "There's no time limit, right?" Dawn asked, remembering the last visit to a prison they had.

"Time limit? The man asked, "What kinda question is _that?" _

"I'll take that as a no." Misty figured. The group walked into the prison, and found Chopper and Tyra moping around in their cell, "Uh, hey guys."

"Hey! What are you guys doing _here?" _Tyra asked, "You're supposed to be getting ready for the Pokémon Rumble!"

"Yeah, about that…" Ash said, "You put _us _in charge of your _biker gang?_ Guys…we're _not _bikers. And even if we _were,_ we have _no _idea what a Pokémon Rumble is!"

"Yeah, even _I've _never heard of one." Brock added.

"There's a reason for that." Chopper said, "Pokémon Rumbles aren't exactly the most…legal events to hold." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Wait a sec…you're telling us that Rumbles are _illegal?" _Misty snarled, "You're trying to make us lead _your _biker gang in something that is _against the law?"_

"It's not against the law _exactly_, it's just that the Pokémon League doesn't recognize a Rumble as an official type of battle." Chopper replied.

Misty raised an eyebrow at the two with her arms crossed, "Ok…you know what? I really don't care at this point."

"You guys _gotta _help us!" Tyra pleaded, "We won't be outta here until we convince Officer Jenny we're innocent!"

"And given her attitude, that's gonna take a while." Chopper scoffed.

"We're not bikers!" Misty exclaimed, "Even if we knew _how _to rumble, Whopper and Myra wouldn't take us seriously!"

"Hmm…" Tyra scratched her chin thoughtfully, "I have an idea Chopper…" she smirked, "I think Awesome Ash and Mighty Misty need to be given a major makeover, you know, so they turn into _real _bikers!"

"Great idea Tyra!" Chopper agreed.

"Whoa, _real_ bikers?" Ash asked excitedly.

"Calm yourself Ketchum." Misty warned her boyfriend, then turned her attention to Chopper and Tyra, "Alright guys, we'll help."

"Thanks!" Tyra said gratefully.

"Ok, I've been quiet because these two are _your _friends…but now I gotta say this…" Dawn seemed about ready to explode, "Are you guys _crazy? _These two are doing nothing short of asking you to take over a biker gang and not only _take part _in an illegal battle, but _lead _a whole biker gang in one!"

"Relax Dawn." Brock said.

"No, she's right." Tyra replied, "We _are _asking a lot of you guys."

"But we're friends." Ash said, "And that takes precedence over everything else. We'll take care of everything for you."

"Yeah…just one thing…" Misty said, "You _still _haven't explained what a Rumble is."

"Oh yeah. Well, basically a Rumble is just like any other Pokémon Battle, except the trainers don't give any orders. The Pokémon have to battle it out by themselves, the last one standing wins." Chopper explained.

"I can see why the Pokémon League doesn't like Rumbles, that's _definitely _not the way a battle is _supposed _to work." Brock said.

"No problem! We go, let Charizard and Gyarados have a field day with Whopper and Myra's Pokémon, and then if we have a little spare time, hunt down the crooks that framed you guys!" Ash said cheerfully.

"Oh, is _that _all?" Dawn scoffed.

"Alright guys, sit tight, we'll be back." Ash and the others turned to leave.

"Hold it you guys!" Chopper exclaimed suddenly. The group stopped in their tracks, "You forget one _very _important detail."

"Yeah! The gang needs people who actually _look_ like bikers leading them." Tyra looked Misty over and scratched her chin, "You look about my size, I've got just the thing!" Tyra rummaged through her bag, which of course had been searched by the police before being given back to them, and she pulled out a black t-shirt with a Zubat on it and tossed it to the redhead, "That should give you a headstart, but the gang still has a lot of work to do with you."

"And as for you Ash, take my jacket, it's practically a _necessity _for _any _biker." Chopper took off his leather jacket and handed it to Ash, "Alright, we've done _our _part, the gang'll take care of you from here!"

As the two looked at their new clothing accessories, Dawn was having a fashion anxiety attack, "They're _hideous._" She whispered.

"Ok guys, we'll do what we can." Misty waved farewell to the two bikers, and the group walked out of the prison.

"Have a nice day you guys!" the man at the desk said. Once the teens left, the man went to the phone next to him and dialed a number, "Yeah, we got 'em…but now we have _another _problem."

Meanwhile, the group was walking through Talhasee Town, looking for the biker gang, but at the same time, hoping they _wouldn't _find them. They weren't exactly looking forward to what was going to happen when they found them, "You guys aren't _really _gonna wear those awful things are you?" Dawn asked.

"What choice do we have? We have to at least _look _the part." Misty sighed.

"I don't think it's so bad, it's actually kinda exciting!" Ash commented.

"Speak for _yourself_." Misty spat, "I'm _so _not looking forward to this."

Suddenly, the teens found who they were looking for…or rather, _they _found _them_. "Hey guys!" a biker shouted, as the whole gang of bikers surrounded the teens once more, "What's the story on Chopper and Tyra?"

"Well…they won't be able to make it out in time for the Rumble…" Misty said hesitantly.

The gang groaned in disappointment at that, "But!" Ash exclaimed, "We're gonna lead you guys to victory, so no worries!" Ash expected a roar of approval from the gang, but all he got was a few scattered mumbles, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"See…the thing is…" a biker spoke up, "You guys don't _look _like bikers."

"Don't act like bikers either." another biker said. The other bikers mumbled in agreement.

"Uh…well…we're _not _bikers…" Misty said, suddenly nervous that the biker gang would revolt, "But we _are_ great battlers with great Pokémon!"

"Well that's good, but if you're gonna _represent _us, you gotta _at least…look _like us." the bikers closed in on Ash and Misty, making the trainers start to panic.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Dawn shouted. One of the bikers looked at the coordinator calmly, motioning for her to relax, then set his attention back to Ash and Misty. "Brock! Do something!"

"Ash…I think we're in trouble." Misty gulped. Ash nodded in agreement. Suddenly the two trainers were picked up by two bikers, and they carried them away, "Hey! Put us down!" Misty demanded.

"Don't worry guys, we're just gonna go and get you set for tonight, time for you to get a makeover!" one of the bikers explained, earning a roar of approval from the rest of the gang.

The two bikers placed Ash and Misty on separate bikes and got on, "Guys! If Ash and I aren't back in a couple of hours, call Officer Jenny!" Misty shouted over the roar of the revving motorcycle. Misty shouted in fear as the gang sped away, leaving Brock and Dawn in a cloud of dust.

When the cloud dissipated, the two teens coughed and dusted themselves off, "Is it bad that I'm getting used to that?" Dawn asked.

"Yes." Brock replied simply.

"Pika." (Ditto.)

That little squeak got the attention of Brock and Dawn. They looked down and saw Pikachu standing there, giving them a perplexed look, as he couldn't understand why they were staring at him, "I thought you were with Ash." Dawn said.

"Pika pika." (Not a chance.) Pikachu replied, shaking his head aggressively.

"Yeah, I wouldn't wanna be in their situation either." Dawn said, "So…now what do _we _do?"

"Dunno, guess we could go to the Pokémon Center and wait." Brock suggested. Suddenly, Pikachu sniffed the air, and then got down on all fours and growled, cheeks sparking in anger, "What is it Pikachu?" Brock asked. Pikachu pointed towards the nearby intersection, and they saw the all-too familiar trio sneaking around the corner, "Team Rocket…what are _they _doing here?" Brock wondered, "You wanted something to do Dawn? How about some recon?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of sight-seeing…but I guess this'll do." Dawn sighed. The two teens followed the Team Rocket trio into a dark alley, and they gasped when they saw Jessie, James, and Meowth talking to the two bikers who confronted Chopper and Tyra earlier, "It's Whopper and Myra!"

"It worked! Chopper and Tyra are in jail!" Myra laughed.

"Perfect, which means when we take down whatever rejects their gang throws at us, we'll embarrass them so badly that they won't even _want _to be bikers anymore!" Jessie snickered.

"Yeah…but…there is _one _snag." Whopper said.

That comment got Jessie's attention, "What _snag?"_

"Our inside man found out that Chopper and Tyra have four friends that visited them in jail…they _could _be trouble." Myra replied.

Jessie just smirked, "Oh please, obviously some leftover biker bozos trying to convince the cops that their friends are innocent. Nothing to worry about!" Jessie said dismissively, "Now the only thing left is to get ready for tonight, where we will put the Team Rocket Riders on the top of the proverbial heap!"

"Yeah!" Whopper and Myra roared their approval, pumping their fists with excitement.

"I just can't believe dat you guys are gonna bring back your biker personas back." Meowth commented.

"I'm actually very excited! Little Jim and Big Jess were who we were at the peak of our lives!" James exclaimed.

"And even _dat's _not impressive." Meowth mumbled to himself.

"Hey! You better shut up!" Whopper snarled, "It was Big Jess and Little Jim's idea that we frame Chopper and Tyra to ruin the gang's reputation!"

"And once they take down the Bridge Biker Gang, they'll lead our new Team Rocket themed gang to terrorize Sinnoh!" Myra added.

"I don't need you two to tell me da plan! I helped _come up _with da plan!" Meowth hissed.

While the group argued more, Brock and Dawn had heard every word, "We shoulda known right away that Team Rocket was behind this!"

"We gotta tell Ash and Misty!" Brock was about to lead Dawn away, but he bumped into someone…someone he _really _didn't want to. "Uh oh…"

"Brock, do something!" Dawn whimpered.

"Whadda you two think you're doing?" the biker growled.

"I think we're escaping!" Brock exclaimed, "Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu acknowledged Brock's order and zapped the biker until he was nice and crispy, "Let's go!" the two teens ran off, but they were soon surrounded by the rest of the biker gang, "Looks like we're trapped."

"Well well well, if it isn't the oldest twerp and the youngest twerpette, looks like we'll have to keep you two captive until we take down the Bridge Biker Gang, and then we'll snag…" Jessie stopped talking when she realized Pikachu was running off, "Stop that Pikachu!"

Several of the gang chased after the electric mouse, while three others stayed behind to take Brock and Dawn to holding cells. "I hope Pikachu can get away." Dawn said worriedly.

"Don't worry, Pikachu's dealt with worse." Brock assured.

_"These guys aren't gonna give up are they?" _Pikachu thought to himself, as he continued to run from the gang of thugs. _"Let's see if another 'Thunderbolt' will get these guys off my tail!" _Pikachu leaped up and blasted a powerful shock of electricity at the gang of bikers, and most of them fell to the ground from the shock, but there were still a choice few who were able to keep going. "Pi pika!" (Oh come on!)

"That's not gonna keep us away!" the biker growled, "We're gonna capture you for Big Jess and Little Jim!"

_"If I hear those names _one more time _I think I'll lose it." _Pikachu thought, _"Enough games, time to lose these creeps."_ Pikachu unleashed the power of 'Quick Attack' and sped away from the leftover bikers, leaving them in his dust. _"Now to find Ash and Misty!"_

Speaking of the couple, they were currently in a very dark, musty store with punk rock music being blared over the in-store speakers at a painfully loud level. The bikers were busy dressing Ash and Misty up in various outfits, all of which made Misty squirm with disgust. "Ok, let's try this again." A biker sighed wearily, "Myra comes up to you and pushes you down, what do you do?"

"I get back up and smash her head with my mallet, duh!" Misty replied angrily, needless to say she wasn't enjoying this pop quiz on top of the awful clothes she was being forced to try on.

"No!" the biker yelled in annoyance, "Forget the 'mallet' or whatever, if you have a mallet, that's a baby weapon!" the biker got up and pulled something out from behind his back, "You see this? This is a crowbar! _This _is a weapon bikers use!" Suddenly the biker found himself on the ground, holding his head in pain.

"And _this _is my mallet, _this _is the _only _weapon _I'll _use! See how well it works?" Misty spat back, crossing her arms with her mallet still in hand.

"Whaddya think Misty?" Ash now came out in his third biker outfit, he had tried on two others before, and Misty had been utterly _revolted _by them...and this outfit was no exception.

"I think the same as I did with all the others! It looks _awful!"_ Misty stressed.

"You're not making this easy Mist." Ash whined.

"I don't blame _you _Ash, I blame this whole mess we're in!" Misty then directed her attention to the biker that had since recovered from her attack. The older man had taken it upon himself to transform Ash and Misty the Pokémon Trainers into Awesome Ash and Mighty Misty the bikers…but he was by no means prepared for Misty's stubbornness. "Why do we even have to do this? We agreed to lead you guys into the rumble and beat your rivals, we _did not _agree to be subjected to this sort of treatment! You dress us up in these clown costumes, try to tell us 'how to be _bikers', _which apparently means you have to be as mean and nasty as we possibly can, I mean what's _next?_ Taking candy from babies?"

"Actually we tried that once…we didn't like it much." the biker admitted.

Misty's jaw dropped and she just threw her hands in the air in defeat, "I can't do this anymore Ash, if you wanna be a biker, you're gonna be a biker without _me." _

"But Mist, I _need _you, I can't beat Whopper and Myra by myself!" Ash said.

"I don't care! I'm not a biker! My _sisters _would make better bikers than me! At least _they _have the 'all about me' attitude that is apparently required to be a biker!" Misty replied.

"That's not what being a biker is! Bikers are just rough and tough trainers who understand that when the time comes, rules are meant to be broken!" the biker tried to explain.

"Oh, so let's say that you need something from a store, and you can't afford it, does that mean you break the rules and steal it? No! Just _no!"_ Misty was about to walk back into the changing room and get back into her regular clothes, when Pikachu rushed in, panting to try and catch his breath. "Pikachu, where have _you _been?"

"Pika pika, Pikaka pi Pika-Chu! Pika pi pi pika PiPi-kachu!" (We got trouble, Dawn and Brock have been captured by Team Rocket!)

"What? Team Rocket's here?" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu nodded. "Misty, we gotta help them!"

"Any excuse to get outta here!" Misty replied.

"Pika chu!" (Hey wait!) the electric mouse shouted.

"What is it Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pikakachu pi Pipichuka pika pika chu!" (Whopper and Myra are working with them!)

"What? Whopper and Myra are working with Team Rocket?" Ash growled.

"So _they _must be behind Chopper and Tyra getting arrested!" Misty snarled, "Why those no good, rotten creeps! I'll pound the living daylights out of 'em and then some!"

"Hey, now _there's _a biker attitude!" the biker said approvingly, "Maybe all you gotta do is channel that temper of yours."

"That's not _biker _attitude, that's me being worried about my friends!" Misty exclaimed.

"That's exactly what I mean! Being a biker is more than just being rough and tough! We look out for each other! And anyone who hurts one biker, hurts _all _the bikers! And when _that _happens, we make sure they don't get away with it!" the biker said.

"In that case…" Misty grabbed a pair of badly frayed denim shorts, which were made that way on purpose, and held them tightly in her fist. "Call me Mighty Misty!"

Meanwhile, Brock and Dawn were having their own issues. "I can't believe it's happening _again!" _Dawn whined.

"Believe it." Brock replied, as he struggled to break free of the bonds that held him and Dawn strapped to two chairs. "It's no use." he sighed.

Just then, Jessie, James, and Meowth walked in with smug grins plastered on their faces…and also horrible biker gear on their bodies. "Looks like the twerp patrol couldn't make a clean getaway this time around." Jessie snickered.

"It would seem we really got the jump on them this time!" James added.

"And now dat we got one half of da twoip team, de other half won't be far behind!" Meowth also commented.

"Why are you doing this?" Dawn asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Jessie replied, "As former bikers ourselves, we felt obligated to help this gang regain the respect that was underhandedly taken from them by our _ex_-friends Chopper and Tyra!"

"You guys aren't bikers! You barely qualify for intelligent!" Dawn spat back.

"You can blowviate dat junk all ya want! Da fact is _we're _not da ones tied to a chair, and _you _are!" Meowth cackled.

"Now, we'll just go and take down whatever losers are left in that Bridge Bike Gang, and start up an awesome Team Rocket gang of our very own! And then we'll find your other two twerp friends and snag Pikachu! Toodles!" Jessie walked off with James and Meowth, laughing heartily as they did so.

"Great. Now what?" Dawn huffed.

"We get some help." Brock started struggling to reach for his Pokéballs, but the ropes around him were too tight. "No good. How about you?"

Dawn had been trying to reach her Pokéballs as well, but just like with Brock, the ropes were tied too tight. "Nope. Sorry Brock."

"You two shouldn't even _try._ We _wanted _to use chains to tie you up, but Little Jim said that was cruel and unusual…so, we just tied the rope around you _real _tight." The guard said.

"Thanks a lot." Dawn grumbled. The coordinator slumped in her chair and began to sulk…but then she got an idea, "Hey you, guard guy!"

"What _now?"_ the biker growled.

"I need water, I haven't had anything to drink since yesterday!" Dawn said.

"And…this is _my _problem _because?" _the biker guard asked.

"Because if I pass out from dehydration, Little Jim isn't gonna be happy with you, and I _know _you don't wanna deal with _him." _Dawn replied with a smirk.

The guard glared at the coordinator for a moment, but eventually conceded with a snarl and got up to get Dawn her water. "Ok, you got him to leave, but how are you gonna get us free?" Brock asked.

"Easy." Dawn snickered, "Brock, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Uh…weird time for a heart to heart…but ok…" Brock replied in confusion.

"Tell me exactly how why you love Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny…in _excruciating _detail." Dawn said with a smirk.

As expected, Brock went into girl-crazy mode and started spewing words, "What's _not _to love? They're both so absolutely beautiful in every way, shape, and form! Why when I see either one of them, my heart starts beating at about a million beats per minute, and once _that _happens, true love simply can't be…" Brock was rudely cut off when Croagunk appeared and jabbed him, "Stopped…unless…Croagunk…jabs me."

As painful as it was, the jab had done what Dawn wanted. Croagunk snapped the ropes and freed Brock from his chair. "Nice job Croagunk! Come on Brock, get up and untie me before the guard comes back!"

Brock rubbed his side and went to work on Dawn's bonds, "You _had _to go there huh?" he grumbled.

"Hey, it worked once! Why not twice?" Dawn replied in defense. Suddenly the guard came back, and he dropped the glass of water, causing it to shatter all over the floor, "Uh oh…uh hey…you dropped my water…" Dawn chuckled nervously.

The guard tossed out a Pokéball, and an angry Granbull emerged and growled at the two teens, "Sick 'em!" he ordered. The Granbull charged forward to attack.

"Brock!" Dawn cried.

"Croagunk, 'Brick Break', go!" Brick ordered. Croagunk jumped up to meet Granbull with a powerful downwards chop, and he effectively knocked out the antagonizing normal-type. "Now, take down that guard with 'Poison Jab'!" Croagunk acknowledged and jabbed the guard in the side, taking him down as well. "Great job Croagunk!" Brock turned his attention back to Dawn, and finally broke her free of the ropes, "Alright, let's get out of here!" Brock returned Croagunk to his Pokéball, and the two teens hurried to find Ash and Misty.

At that moment, just as the sun was beginning to set, the two gangs met each other in the appointed place. Whopper and Myra led their gang, while two random bikers led the Bridge Biker Gang. "So…where are Chopper and Tyra?" Whopper guffawed.

"Busy. Can _we _help you?" the opposing bikers snarled. Naturally they were all too aware of exactly what had happened to their biker leaders, and they also knew that it was Whopper and Myra's fault that it happened.

"Looks like they ran home crying once they heard about our ace in the hole!" Myra laughed.

"Introducing…the greatest biker duo ever known!" Whopper led his hand to the back of the alley, where someone threw smoke pellets, causing smoke to rise.

Jessie: "Is that the sound of wimps and losers we hear?"

James: "It sounds like them and they're already here."

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "In your ears!"

Jessie: "We're the toughest biker bunch!"

James: "And we have a hunch."

Jessie: "That we'll win for once in a while!"

James: "And that we'll surely make us smile!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "James!"

Myra: "Myra!"

Whopper: "Whopper!"

Meowth: "And Meowth, too! "

Whopper: "And if you ain't scared of us..."

Myra: "Listen up and fear."

Jessie: "We're now called The Team Rocket Riders!"

James: "Our name for our own biker gang..."

Jessie, James, Meowth, Whopper, Myra: "You hear?!"

Team Rocket had made their appearance; both Jessie and James were now wearing blood red t-shirts with an "R" on them, with black leather jackets over them. They also wore ripped up blue jeans, and black boots with spikes on the bottom, and on their wrists they wore spiked bracelets. Jessie made the biggest difference however, as her long, magenta hair was now hanging down all the way to her waist, with her bangs covering up her right eye, and a chain wrapped around her waist. One thing was for sure, they didn't look anything like they usually did.

"The Team Rocket Riders?" The Bridge Biker Gang members exclaimed.

"That's right!" Whopper said, "We decided to let you losers keep your biker name."

"Since our heroes, Big Jess and Little Jim showed up, we decided to honor them by giving our gang a new name." Myra explained, "The Team Rocket Riders!"

"And we love it!" Jessie, James and Meowth cackled.

"The Team Rocket Riders?" A teenage voice scoffed, "Yeah, right!"

"More like the Team Rocket Reekers if you ask us." A female voice added with a cool but soft tone.

"James, did those voices sound familiar to you?" Jessie asked.

"Uh huh." James gulped in response.

The Bridge Biker Gang members smiled as they stepped aside, and Jessie, James and Meowth saw two figures leaning against the walls. The figures looked like a boy and girl, who looked all too familiar to the Team Rocket trio. "It _is _them!" they exclaimed.

Ash: "_You're_ the ones who should prepare for trouble."

Misty: "And while you're at it, make it double trouble."

Ash: "Usually we're good, but sometimes we're bad!"

Misty: "Which by the way, only happens when you make us mad!"

Ash: "We ride through the roads in the night or day!"

Misty: "Anyone who hurts _our_ friends better run far away!"

Ash: "Ash!"

Misty: "Misty!"

Ash: "We're the Bridge Biker Gang, we give other gangs fright!"

Misty: "You mess with _our _friends, and you're in for a fight!"

Pikachu: "Pika!" (That's right!)

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu had emerged from the back of the gang, wearing biker gear that they had finally decided on once they heard Brock and Dawn were in trouble. Ash was wearing a shredded Gastly t-shirt, with faded blue jeans with holes in them. He had black gloves on his hands, similar to the ones he usually wore, and he wore his hat sideways. And to top it off, he was wearing Chopper's leather jacket. Misty on the other hand was wearing Tyra's spare Zubat t-shirt, on her arms were chopped pieces of cloth that went from her hands to her elbows. She was wearing the badly frayed denim shorts she had grabbed previously, with a white belt that was crooked. And finally she wore black and white striped socks that reached her knees, and old light brown boots; Misty had put her hair back in her side ponytail, which of course was longer than it was years ago.

"What are _you _two doing here?" Meowth asked, his claws extended for battle.

"We're here to help our friends!" Misty replied hotly.

"Speaking of which, where _are_ Dawn and Brock?" Ash demanded.

"We don't have to tell you two twerps anything!" James replied.

"The great thing about being Team Rocket Riders, we answer to _no one!"_ Jessie cackled.

"Except _us!" _Ash growled.

"Yeah! I thought we had a rumble to take care of!" Misty added.

Jessie and James gulped silently, they knew that they were at a disadvantage against Ash and Misty, and they were at a loss for words. Fortunately, and also _unfortunately,_ Whopper and Myra weren't. "You actually _want _to fight Big Jess and Little Jim? You're either really brave, or really stupid!" Whopper guffawed.

"No kidding! I say we get this rumble started! C'mon Big Jess and Little Jim, show these two posers who the _real _bikers are!" Myra exclaimed.

The whole gang began cheering on their two leaders, trying to drive them to victory, "Uh…would you excuse us a moment? We have to discuss our strategy!" Much to the confusion of the bikers, the Team Rocket trio huddled into the back corner of the alley to plot, "Ok, any ideas?" Jessie asked.

_"I _have an idea, I say we get outta here while we can and let dose two biker bozos go up against da twoips, dere's no _way_ dat Seviper and Carnivine can go mano a mano wit _their _Pokémon." Meowth suggested.

"And did you see how upset they were?" James added nervously, "More than likely they'll be using their most powerful Pokémon, and that means Charizard and that terrifying Gyarados!"

"In that case, I think it's time for a change of plans." Jessie said. The Team Rocket trio hopped back to where they were before, "Alright, as the leaders of the Team Rocket Riders, we have come to an important decision! Our biker protégés Whopper and Myra now have the honor of crushing you twerps!"

"You know you can't beat us." Misty translated.

Jessie flinched, but refused to admit the redheaded Gym Leader was right, "That's not it at all! A leader always looks for ways to improve the people around her, and as leader, I choose to give these two aspiring young Team Rocket Riders the chance to do just that!"

"Awesome! I can't wait to bust some heads!" Whopper pounded his palm with his fist with excitement, "C'mon Myra, let's take care of these wannabes."

"Yeah, we'll show 'em!" Myra flanked the young man and sneered at the couple opposing them.

_"When _we beat you, you have to let Dawn and Brock go, understand?" Misty demanded.

"You're in no position to make demands, especially since you're in for one doozy of a fight." Whopper grabbed a Pokéball and tossed it onto the field. "You're the man Primeape!" Whopper's Pokémon appeared in a flash of white light, an angry Primeape who seemed burlier and angrier than most Primeape.

"Now it's my turn! Let's burn some rubber Blaziken!" Myra launched out her own Pokéball, and the tall fire/fighting emerged with a loud battle cry. "Make your move." Myra sneered at the opposition.

"Two fighting types…maybe Staraptor…" Ash thought out loud.

"No Ash," Misty broke the black-haired boy's train of thought, "We can't treat this like a regular battle, remember our Pokémon won't be getting orders from _us_, they'll be on their own. We've _got _to stick with our A-game." Misty reached for a Pokéball and tossed it out, "Misty calls Gyarados!" Gyarados emerged and roared in anger, as it towered over its two opponents.

"I knew it!" James whimpered, luckily for him no one noticed except for Jessie and Meowth.

"Alright then! Charizard, I choose you!" Ash launched his own Pokéball, and the mighty fire/flying-type emerged with a roar of his own, ready to battle.

"Time for a Rumble Riot!" all the bikers shouted.

The four Pokémon began fighting immediately after the announcement. Charizard had taken it upon himself to battle Whopper's Primeape, while Gyarados matched up against Blaziken to take advantage of type. Charizard led off with a classic, using 'Flamethrower' to test how well Primeape could move. Primeape responded by quickly dodging, bouncing off the alley walls and then unleashing a 'Cross Chop' that caused the dragon to stumble. Gyarados on the other hand was having trouble with Blaziken's agility, as its 'Hydro Pump' couldn't seem to connect. Blaziken on the other hand was able to answer back with a powerful 'ThunderPunch', which made the dragon roar in agony.

_"This _is your idea of rumbling? Primeape could beat this lame Charizard with his eyes shut!" Whopper heckled.

"And your Gyarados is as slow as molasses; even a Magcargo could outrun it!" Myra added.

After hearing the two bikers belittle them, Charizard and Gyarados looked at each other and nodded. Gyarados got in front of Charizard and activated 'Protect', and then Charizard stepped in and began lifting the energy shielded water-dragon.

"Ash…are they doing what I think they're doing?" Misty asked in shock.

"I think so Mist! That looks like Chopper and Tyra's 'Protect Cannonbolt'! Only _way _bigger!" Ash replied.

With a grunt of determination, Charizard managed to lift Gyarados over his head, and roared as he threw it at Primeape and Blaziken, who were powerless to stop it. The two biker Pokémon hit the ground after being flattened by Gyarados, and fought to try and get back up. However, Charizard and Gyarados surrounded the two Pokémon, attacks armed and at the ready. Needless to say, the Team Rocket Trio was getting antsy, "I think it's time for a not so hasty withdrawal." Jessie whispered to her two comrades.

"Good call." They replied.

The trio started to sneak away, but they were stopped when a biker noticed them, "Hey, where are you going?" he asked.

Team Rocket panicked, but Jessie was able to think fast, "We just wanted a better vantage point with which to observe this rumbly rumble!"

"Oh yeah? Lemme see!" the biker went over next to the trio, and smiled, "Hey you're right! This is much better! That's why we chose you as our leaders!" the biker exclaimed.

"Great." The trio sighed; it seemed that their escape plan had been effectively prevented.

"Give up you two, there's no way you can beat _our_ Pokémon!" Ash exclaimed.

"Not by ourselves maybe." Whopper chortled, "Another awesome thing about being Team Rocket Riders…is that rules mean _nothing!" _Whopper made a signal, and suddenly there were several flashes of white light, and a whole army of biker Pokémon stood behind the two. "Now if you don't wanna get mugged, I suggest you stand down…if you do, maybe we'll beat you up with our fists instead of crowbars."

"This isn't good." Misty stated. But suddenly, more sounds of opening Pokéballs were heard, and the couple looked back to see their own army of Pokémon smirking at them, "What are you guys doing?"

The biker who went with them to the store spoke up, "Like I told you, we bikers look out for each other, even if it means that rules have to be broken to do it."

Misty smiled, and then turned back to Whopper and Myra, "So how's this gonna go down?"

"Let me respond to that, in the following way…" Whopper charged forward to take down Misty, but he was suddenly swept aside by what seemed to be a 'Whirlpool' attack. "Get me outta here!" Whopper shouted as he spun around in the water.

"A 'Whirlpool'…Dawn?" Ash looked around, and spotted Dawn and Brock running towards them, with Piplup and Sudowoodo flanking them, "Hey guys!"

"Ash! Misty!" Dawn hurried to join her friends, but stopped short when she saw what they were wearing, "Uh…what _happened _to you?"

"Uh…we're representing the biker gang…" Ash chuckled sheepishly, his hand now scratching the back of his neck.

"Ash, if I were to take a picture of you right now and send it to your mom, she'd lock you in a small closet until you were thirty years old." Brock laughed.

"Then don't." Ash quipped back, "You wanna join in this battle?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Brock replied. The breeder and the coordinator both joined in the standoff, waiting for someone to make a move.

Meanwhile, the Team Rocket trio was watching in horror at what was about to take place, "Jessie…I'm ready to leave now." James gulped.

"Yeah, it's time ta clear out!" Meowth agreed.

"Let's wait for the battle to get heated before we sneak away, maybe they'll forget all about us." Jessie said, hoping that what she suggested would happen.

"Whopper, are you alright?" Myra asked, hurrying over to her partner now that the 'Whirlpool' had worn off.

Whopper got back up and snarled at Dawn, he was extremely angry at the coordinator for humiliating him, "No…I am _definitely not _alright." Whopper turned to his gang, who were staring at him intently, waiting for the word. "Team Rocket Riders…_attack!" _

But before the gang could start fighting, Ash made sure to prevent actual fisticuffs, "Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu leaped off Ash's shoulder and shocked all the humans who were ready to attack, stopping them in their tracks, "Let's keep this between our Pokémon, shall we?"

"Fine." Whopper seethed, "Primeape, 'Hyper Beam' on those twerps!" Primeape acknowledged the order and fired a super powered beam at the teens, but the attack was repelled by a Cloyster using 'Protect'. _"Now _what?" Whopper shouted in frustration.

"You guys are pathetic." A voice said. Two figures were standing back to back in the shadows, and when the figures walked into the light, they were revealed to be none other than Chopper and Tyra. "Need a hand?"

"Chopper! Tyra!" Ash exclaimed, "How'd you guys manage to escape?"

"Well…it's not like they didn't know about it…I'm willing to bet Officer Jenny and her little helpers will be here any minute now." Tyra admitted.

"What?" Jessie, James, and Meowth all exclaimed at once. Suddenly the trio found all the attention being directed at them, totally contrary to what they wanted. Now they had to think fast, and that's just what Jessie did. "Don't let these two intimidate you, you're Team Rocket Riders! Ride them!"

"Exactly my intention." Whopper replied, "Alright Riders, it's battle time!" All of the Team Rocket Riders ordered their Pokémon to attack, and in turn, all the Bridge Bikers did the same, and nothing short of an all-out Pokémon war had just broken loose. As attacks flew everywhere, Whopper noticed Jessie, James, and Meowth sneaking away, "Hey, where do you think you're going?" he shouted. This time, Team Rocket didn't even bother to try and convince the gang that what they were doing was legit, they just picked up the pace, "Why those no good, rotten cowards!" Whopper growled. Whopper spotted Chopper ordering Golem to use 'Fire Punch', and sneered at him, "Well looks like the gang falls back on me, and I know _exactly _what I'm gonna do first." Whopper charged forward and tackled Chopper to the ground, pounding his face in with his fists, "You won't beat me again Chopper! You _won't!"_

Chopper fought back and kicked the insane biker leader off of him, but Whopper just came back at him again, "I _will _beat you, and this time I'll make sure you _stay _beaten!" Chopper grabbed the outstretched arms of Whopper and fell to the ground, using the momentum of his fall to make Whopper fall forward, and then kicking the biker up into the air and against an alley wall. Then he looked and noticed that Team Rocket had all but disappeared, "Hey Ash! Team Rocket's getting away!"

"Oh no they're not!" Ash shouted, "Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu acknowledged and zapped the Team Rocket trio, effectively blasting them into the sky, "Oh…well…maybe they are."

"I knew this was a bad idea, I just knew it!" Jessie squealed angrily.

"So the question comes up, whose idea was it again?" James replied.

"We both know da answer ta dat question, but it'd be in our best interest ta keep quiet about it." Meowth commented.

"We're blasting off again!" *Ping*

"I thought you said Officer Jenny was coming!" Ash exclaimed.

"I _thought _she was! I hope she is!" Chopper replied.

"Why? Won't she just put you into jail again?" Ash asked.

"Not if Whopper and Myra are still here, we'll have an alibi then!" Chopper explained.

Almost on cue, several cars drove up, all with flashing lights on top, and Officer Jenny came out with a megaphone, "Everyone freeze! This battle is over!" she shouted.

When the bikers saw that Officer Jenny and her police cohorts had the drop on them, they stopped ordering attacks. "Busted." One biker grumbled.

Officer Jenny came up to Chopper and Tyra, and then noticed Whopper and Myra, "Whoa…" even she was shocked by the resemblance.

"Told ya it wasn't us." Chopper shrugged.

"I'm sorry for reacting too brashly, you all are clearly innocent of the crimes you've been accused of. We'll take it from here." Officer Jenny then walked up to Whopper and Myra, the latter of whom was busy tending to the former, who was still recovering from crashing into the wall. "You both are under arrest for various crimes. Oh, that includes assault and battery since we found our _real _jail guard tied up behind the station. Your buddy's already in jail." Whopper and Myra glared at Chopper and Tyra before being taken away by the police officer. "You behave yourselves." She said before driving off.

Chopper then turned to the former Team Rocket Riders, who were without leaders now. "You guys clear out, start a new gang or something." He said. The bikers grumbled, but reluctantly decided to go with what Chopper had said. "Well, that's that."

"You were amazing Chopper." Tyra suddenly leaped towards the biker leader and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips, which _everyone _was shocked by…but especially Brock, who fainted out of sheer disappointment.

"Thanks babe." Chopper replied when the kiss was broken.

"When did _this _little love connection happen?" Misty asked.

"In the jail. Not a lot to talk about in there, so…some things were said." Tyra admitted shamelessly.

"Funny how things like that work out eh?" Chopper chuckled.

"No it's _not _funny!" Brock exclaimed, suddenly recovered from fainting, "What is it you like about him?"

"Well…I've always had a soft spot for bad boys." Tyra grabbed Chopper's arm and hugged it tight, "I always hang around with him because of how great a leader he is…not to mention he's handsome as all get out."

"I could be a bad boy if you wanted! And I'm a former _Gym _Leader! Quick, guys, where'd you buy those clothes? I'll buy the whole store; I'll do whatever it takes!" Brock was once again abruptly cut off when Croagunk popped out of his Pokéball and jabbed him, "Or…maybe…I won't." Brock fell to the ground and was dragged away by the poison/fighting-type.

"Uh…ok…" Chopper sweat-dropped, "Anyway, thanks for stepping up when we needed you guys, we owe you."

"Hey Chopper, I have an idea!" Tyra whispered something into Chopper's ear, and the biker leader smiled at what she said.

"That's a _great _idea Tyra." Chopper turned his attention to the two teens in the biker wear, "In honor of your services, we, the leaders of the Bridge Biker Gang, have decided to make you, Awesome Ash and Mighty Misty, the next-in-line leaders of the Bridge Biker Gang!"

The whole gang roared their approval at what was said. "Hey, that's awesome!" Ash exclaimed. "What does that mean exactly?" he asked.

"He means that when he and Tyra step down as the leaders, they want _us _to come and take over for them." Misty translated for her boyfriend.

"Oh." Ash smiled at his newly coupled friends, "I appreciate the offer guys, but we can't accept. See, I'm still working to conquer the Sinnoh League."

"And _I _still have my goal of becoming a water Pokémon master." Misty added.

Chopper sighed, "Somehow I figured." he said with a somewhat disappointed smile, "Well, we'll be rooting for you, and if you ever need help or anything, just give us a call, we'll be there faster than you can say 'bridge bikers'."

"Oh, and Misty..." Tyra said.

"Hmm?" Misty directed her attention to the female leader.

"Don't ever let him go; you got yourself a good one there." Tyra said.

Misty looked at Ash, provoking the boy to smile, "He's a work in progress." Misty replied teasingly, causing Ash to face-fault, "And _you_ take _your own_ advice, _he's _a good one too."

"Nope, he's a _baaaaad _one. Just the way I like it." Tyra smirked.

Misty smirked back, and together the group waved farewell to their friends and their gang, and headed to the Pokémon Center for a much needed rest, "Boy, what a day this has been." Misty commented after a while.

"Yeah, no kidding." Ash replied.

"Now that we're out of earshot of those guys, I just gotta say this…" Dawn got in front of the couple and placed her hands on her hips, "Can you guys _please _get out of those _horrible _clothes?" The group laughed at Dawn's outburst, and they continued on to the Pokémon Center, and tomorrow they'd get back on the road again, where Ash would take on Paul for an exciting full battle no one would want to miss.  
_

**A/N: Yeah...so...what'd you think? Oh, no comments about the really big capitalized, italicized, boldfaced "someone" please, that was meant as a gag because Ian keeps asking for chapters like this. :P Anyway, I did my best Ian, I hope you liked it, and thanks for helping out with those mottos, those are a serious weak point of mine. xD If you guys want pics of Ash and Misty's clothes, look for Cleopatrawolf on deviantART...as for Jessie and James...you're on your own, it was a random deviant whom I forgot the name of. xD Oh yeah! Anyone who figures out where the name "Talhasee Town" came from gets a cookie from me. But i won't be giving any, it's too simple yet clever. xD No spoiling it Ian...I'm watching you...anyways...next chapter hopefully coming soon, happy Pokeshipping day!**


	55. Pedal to the Mettle

**Hey everyone! w00t! I managed to update in less than a month! Maybe it's because of how excited I was to get to these episodes, the battle between Ash and Paul was one of my favorite episodes of all time! And now I've gone and made it better, because of the Misty factor, and that factor makes some _serious _changes! So now, I will respond to anonymous reviews for the last chapter...oh wait...there's only one. xD**

**Guest: Sorry dude, May didn't fit in the equation, but I don't think I'm done with her yet, she'll probably be back.**

**Well, that's it then, what are you waiting for? Read the awesomeness! I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 55

**Misty's POV**

Another frame up. This is just too coincidental for words. A few days ago, we ran into our old biker friends Chopper and Tyra, who had since become the leaders of a for real biker gang. They explained to us how they were gonna go through what was called a Pokémon Rumble, which meant that Pokémon fought without being told what to do. Well, as a warm up, Chopper and Tyra challenged me Ash and me to a double battle, and of course we accepted. Piece of cake right?

Well, just when we were about to win, Officer Jenny showed up, and arrested Chopper and Tyra for various crimes around Sinnoh! And even _that _wasn't the most shocking part. Before they left with Officer Jenny, Chopper and Tyra appointed "Awesome Ash" and me, "Mighty Misty", as the new _leaders _of their gang! Well…as leaders, we decided to send the bikers away, and we went to the jail to see Chopper and Tyra, and they explained to us exactly what they needed us to do.

Well they were our friends, so we reluctantly agreed. Boy was _that _a mistake. Dawn and Brock got kidnapped by the opposing gang, _we_ wound up getting dressed up in these _awful _clothes so we looked like bikers…overall, it was an experience I never wanna relive. Well, all in all, everything turned out alright. Whopper and Myra were sent to jail, Team Rocket blasted off again, and Chopper and Tyra realized their true feelings for each other. Later that night at the Pokémon Center, Ash and I threw our clothes outside, _after _changing of course, not like we were outside wearing nothing ok? We threw them outside and had Chimchar _burn _those clothes. I _never _wanted to wear that stuff again.

Even later, I actually got to talk to Ash a little about his strategy. He said that he wants to throw some new ideas around…and that's all he said! I just don't understand! When did Ash learn to be mysterious? Well one thing was for sure, I was gonna crack Ash like a walnut, either mentally, or _physically _if that's what it would come to.

About two days before the battle, we got on a train, met a weird guy named Looker, met an Ampharos that runs the train, and ran into Team Galactic again. Same old, same old. I'm not gonna spend four hours talking about this, I _have_ to talk to Ash, the battle's _tomorrow!"_

**Normal POV**

"Ash Ketchum, I swear if you don't tell me _right now _what you plan on doing about Paul, I am going to make sure you don't live long enough to even _get _to the battle tomorrow!" Misty shouted, much to the annoyance of everyone else in the room. The group had stopped at a Pokémon Center next to Lake Acuity, so they could rest up before the big day.

"Misty, for the last time, _I have a plan! _I haven't been _ignoring _the fact that I need a strategy, I just haven't been telling anyone what it _is _yet!" Ash replied, not even bothering to look up from his Pokémon Trainer magazine.

"But why _not?" _Misty stressed, "In case you forgot, you're _not _the only one here who knows how to battle! Need I remind you that you have not one, but _two _Gym Leaders travelling with you, and a coordinator whose unique styles have been instrumental to your battle style! Why haven't you consulted us?" the redhead demanded to know.

Ash lowered his magazine and sighed, "Ok, I'll tell you this then. I _do _plan on consulting someone. But not _you guys_, not _yet _at least." Ash put his magazine on the desk Brock was sitting at, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to. Come on Pikachu." Ash walked out of the room after Pikachu hopped onto his shoulder, leaving a somewhat curious Dawn and Brock and a _very _upset Misty behind.

"Come to think of it, I _am _kinda wondering why Ash has been so quiet about this." Dawn said.

"I'm sure he has his reasons, we know Ash well enough to know that whatever he does concerning battling is a pretty good idea." Brock replied.

"Speak for _yourself!" _Misty spat, _"I _don't know that! I know that Ash is still stubborn as all get out and that's never changed!" Misty stomped towards the door and opened it, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to eavesdrop on!" Misty slammed the door behind her.

"Wow." Dawn commented.

"With _that _attitude, she won't be hiding very long." Brock went back to his breeder book, "If at all." He added.

"Pika pika pikachu?" (You sure about this?)

"Sure am buddy. I'm sure he'll be able to help us, he spent at least two years studying this kind of stuff on the road, and there's no way he just _stopped _when he went home." Ash replied.

"Pika chu." (I guess.)

While Ash and Pikachu headed to the videophones, Misty was busy trying to keep out of her boyfriend's sights, "Who's the 'he' Ash is talking about?" She managed to sneak around a corner and find Ash, where he was now sitting in front of a videophone, "What are you concocting in that weird imagination of yours?"

"Hope he's home." Ash dialed, and a few moments later, a face appeared on the screen. It was the face of a young boy, straight black hair that rivaled Ash's, with the main difference being that it was a little longer than Ash's, he wore glasses and a red and black striped polo shirt, "Hey Max!"

"Wha – _Max?!" _Misty screamed. She immediately covered her mouth as if trying to push the words back into her mouth, there was _no way _Ash didn't hear her, practically the entire _Pokémon Center _heard her.

Ash turned around suddenly, and spotted Misty hiding behind the corner. "Good grief." he sighed.

"What's the matter Ash?" Max asked, confused as to what was going on.

"Nothing, just that my girlfriend is being nosy." Ash replied, "Come on over here Misty, you already know so it's not like hiding does anything at this point."

Misty sheepishly walked over to her boyfriend, who was glaring at her in annoyance. Normally she would take offense to that look, but in all honesty, she knew it was justified; she had been caught in the act of eavesdropping. "Don't look at me like that." She said quietly, her hands folded in front of her waist.

Ash's expression softened and he sighed again, "Sit down Mist." Ash scooted over so that Misty had space on the videophone seat, and the redhead complied, still looking slightly guilty. "You two have met of course." Ash said.

When Max saw Misty, he had to do a double take. He even went as far as to take off his glasses and clean them with his shirt to try and make sure that he wasn't seeing things. When he put them back on, it was clear this was real. "Wow…" Max said adoringly, "Nice to see you again Misty, you look really good!"

Misty's mood brightened when the young boy complimented her, "Aww, thank you." she said with a smile, "And speaking of looks, look at _you! _You've grown haven't you? I can tell, your face looks much more mature."

Max blushed and shied away a bit from the screen, giggling gleefully, "Heh…yeah." he said bashfully.

"Max, guys don't giggle, try to remember that." Ash said in annoyance.

"Now Ash, be nice! After all, _you're _the one who called _him." _Misty replied.

"No, he's right." Max cleared his throat and straightened his back, as he tried to regain his composure, "Guys don't giggle, I was just caught off guard, that's all."

"Don't be tryin' to steal my girl now Max." Ash warned jokingly.

Max laughed, "Don't worry, I won't…" Max turned her attention back to Misty, and he suddenly became shy again, "You really _do _look pretty though Misty, I _love _the way your hair looks."

"You're sweet Max; someday some lucky girl will be more than happy to call you her boyfriend." Misty then turned to Ash and smacked his shoulder, causing the trainer to jump, "See? Now why couldn't you be more like _that _when you were ten years old?"

Ash rubbed his shoulder and glared at the redhead again, "Geez Misty."

Max laughed at the sight of the quarreling couple, "Actually I'm not ten _yet, _but I _will _be! In just a couple of weeks I'll be going to get my starter Pokémon!"

"Hey, that's great!" Misty exclaimed, "So which one are you gonna get? There in Hoenn the choices are Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip right? Have you decided?"

"I sure have." Max glanced at Ash a moment, and the trainer smiled at the young boy, "My first Pokémon ever is gonna be a Ralts."

Misty was taken aback by that statement, "A…Ralts? How are you gonna get a Ralts if you don't have a real starter to catch one with?"

"See, Max made friends with a Ralts back when we were travelling In Hoenn, and Max promised that as soon as he was old enough to become a Pokémon Trainer, he'd go back for it!" Ash explained.

"I actually made contact with Ralts a couple of days ago, he told me how excited it was that he was gonna see me again!" Max added.

Now this information caught Ash off guard. "Wait, whaddya mean you made contact?" he asked.

"Oh yeah! Ralts could use telepathy with me! See, maybe I forgot to tell you this, but that's the whole reason I heard Ralts in the first place! He used telepathy to call for help, and it just so happened that I was able to hear it!" Max explained.

"And why couldn't anyone else?" Ash asked.

"Dunno, maybe Ralts's telepathy isn't nearly as powerful as some legendary Pokémon. Take Jirachi for instance, its telepathy was strong enough for _all _of us to hear it, I guess Ralts can only use telepathy with people that he could build a strong connection with." Max suggested.

Ash suddenly smacked the desk the videophone sat on, "See? _This _is why I need Max's help; he knows the ins and outs of almost _any_ Pokémon."

"Wait, _you _need _my _help? I thought this was just a pleasure call! Wow, Ash needs _my _help! What can I do?" Max asked excitedly, ecstatic over the fact that the trainer he looked up to the most was asking for his assistance.

"I'm going up against a really tough trainer tomorrow, and he's kinda my rival, and he's got really powerful Pokémon." Ash started to explain.

"Oh yeah…Paul right? I think May told me a little bit about him." Max replied.

"Wait, how does _May _know about _Paul? I _never told her about him." Ash said.

"She said she talked to Misty and your other friend Dawn about him a little bit during the Wallace Cup…she _also _told me about how you guys are together now." Max smirked.

"Typical May." Misty sighed.

"Anyway, Paul's got a battle style that's giving me a hard time, he just keeps overpowering my team, I was hoping _you'd _be able to come up with a few ideas on how I could have a few extra tricks up my sleeve for the battle tomorrow, since you love studying abilities and special moves and all that." Ash explained.

"Awesome! I'd _love _to help!" Max exclaimed, "So who do you wanna start with? Sceptile? That awesome Snorlax I met during the Battle Frontier?"

"Uh…" Ash stammered, "They're not with me right now."

"Huh? Then who _is? _Aipom maybe?" Max asked.

"Aipom evolved into Ambipom and got traded to Dawn for her Buizel; I thought you said May told you stuff!" Ash said.

"She did! Just nothing involving _Pokémon_."

"Again, typical May. Go with the gossip and ignore everything else." Misty said, "Ash has a new Sinnoh team Max."

"Hmm…then I dunno how much my knowledge will help…I mean, I know about all the Sinnoh Pokémon, but if what May told me about Paul is true, then the fact is, your team just won't be powerful enough. Period." Max shrugged.

Ash whined, "Come on Max!"

"Ash, I think Max is right." Misty said, catching Ash's attention, "He's not dissing your current team Ash, but the simple fact is that Paul's been training his team a lot longer than _you've _been training your _Sinnoh _team. With the exception of Pikachu and Charizard, and _maybe _Staraptor since she's fully evolved now and she's been with you almost since you _started _Sinnoh, none of your Pokémon are on the same level as Paul's, that's probably why you've had to work so hard to keep up with him."

"So if I'm gonna beat Paul…I have to send some new Pokémon his way." Ash sighed, "This stinks. I _really _wanted my team to battle Paul."

"Well you know, just because you can't use your team to battle, doesn't necessarily mean they can't _watch _the battle." Max said.

"How would that work? I can only have eight Pokémon with me at a time. That means that only _two _of my Pokémon get to watch as it is right now." Ash replied.

"Why don't you decide who you wanna use in the battle, and then send out the Pokémon whose _Pokéballs _you'll send back to the Professor, you know, as empties." Max suggested.

"Great idea Max!" Ash's face lit up, but then contorted into a thoughtful expression. "Hmm…" Ash then turned to Misty, "Eh…can I _consult _you on this?"

"Oh _now _you want my help." Misty rolled her eyes, "Ok, to start with, Riolu has to stay _out _of consideration."

"Well I know _that._ I can't send Riolu out there to fight against _Paul, _that'd be cruel." Ash scratched his chin, "Well I know I'm gonna use Pikachu of course," he said, rubbing the electric mouse behind his ears, "And Charizard's my most powerful Pokémon overall, so using him is a no-brainer."

"Can I make a suggestion?" Misty said.

"That's what consulting is right?" Ash replied.

"I think you should use Chimchar." Misty suggested.

"Chimchar? But why? You just finished saying how he's not on Paul's level. Besides, I already _have _a fire-type chosen, that's Charizard." Ash said.

"Well he's _not _on Paul's level, and I know you have a fire-type already, but hear me out." Misty said, "Chimchar has a lot of history with Paul, in battle, his emotions would be riding high, which would make him a valuable asset in battle, you've seen how Chimchar's determination has proven to be the deciding factor in _several _of your battles, like with Fantina and Candice. Against _Paul_, Chimchar will battle with more heart than ever before."

Ash smiled, everything Misty said made sense. As usual. "Alright then, I'm going with Chimchar! So that leaves three more slots open…maybe Staraptor could battle…she'd be able to go up against Torterra and Hariyama…"

"I don't think that's smart." Misty said.

"Wha? _Now _what?" Ash asked.

"Ash, I think you're using your heart when you _should _be using your head. I _know _you want to use your Sinnoh team, but I think it'd be best if at least _half _your team consisted of Pokémon Paul is either unfamiliar with, or have never seen before. He _knows _you." Misty explained, "Remember when Paul battled Brandon, we saw Torterra use a move we never saw coming."

"That's right…Torterra used 'Stone Edge'! And Electabuzz's electric-type moves would give Staraptor a hard time too." Ash sighed and rubbed his eyes, "This is hard."

"Wow Ash, I've never seen you this intense without it being a life and death situation." Max spoke up, "Is this battle with Paul _really _that big a deal?"

"You have _no _idea." Misty replied for her boyfriend. "Come on Ash, use your head."

Ash inhaled and exhaled, trying to clear his mind. "Ok…" Ash pulled out all his Pokéballs and looked at them, "So Staraptor won't cut it, she has too many weaknesses against Paul's main Pokémon…Grotle's defense is great…but knowing Paul he'd use Torterra and just overpower him…so _that's _out…"

"Good, keep going." Misty encouraged.

"Gliscor's not experienced enough…but Buizel…" Ash paused a moment, "Misty, I'm going with Buizel as my water-type."

"What? Why? You have so many _other _powerful water-types at your disposal! You could even use my Gyarados if you wanted!" Misty exclaimed.

"I know, but listen…" Ash said, "Not counting _your _Pokémon, I really _don't _have that many water-types. I have Kingler, Corphish, Totodile, and Squirtle's out there _somewhere…_none of those guys with the possible exception of Squirtle are gonna be able to keep up with Paul's Pokémon, I want a little speed, and I need experience…while Buizel's been with me the shortest, I've worked on more special techniques with _him _than any of my other water-types, the counter-shield, 'Ice Aqua Jet', all of those were inspired by Dawn, and they've _worked. _Add to that the fact that Buizel is my fastest water-type, it seems to me that it's a no-brainer."

Misty smiled and kissed her boyfriend passionately on the cheek, "I'm so proud of you, that was _very _well thought out. I approve of your choice."

"Misty…not in front of Max…" he replied bashfully, rubbing his cheek.

"Oh don't worry, that icky stuff doesn't bother me as much as it used to." Max assured.

"Alright, I'm out of Pokémon. So it looks like I'll have to break the news to Staraptor, Grotle, and Gliscor." Ash sent out the three Pokémon, plus Riolu, and they looked at their trainer waiting for what he had to say, "Guys…I'm not gonna use you in the battle against Paul…" Ash was expecting his Pokémon to get all depressed, but they just relinquished a small smile, "Wait…why aren't you guys upset?" he asked.

"Looks to me like they don't care _who_ you use Ash, they just wanna see Paul get what's coming to him." Misty replied. Ash's Pokémon agreed with Misty by shouting out cries of encouragement, with the exception of Riolu who instead hopped into Ash's lap and gave him a hug. "You guys rock, thanks." Ash then dialed Professor Oak, and his face appeared next to Max's, placing the young boy on standby. "Hey Professor!"

"Hello Ash! And hello to you too Misty! How are things?" the Professor asked.

"Doing good, hey, how'd you like the Gateau we sent you?" Ash replied.

"It was _divine! _I haven't tasted Gateau like that in _ages._ Thank you. Now, what can I do for you Ash?" Prof. Oak asked.

"I'm gonna send you some Pokéballs." Ash placed two empty Pokéballs into the transport slot, and within moments the Pokéballs arrived in Prof. Oak's lab.

Prof. Oak picked up the Pokéballs and stared at them in confusion, "Ash, these Pokéballs are empty."

"I know. I want the Pokémon I have now to see this battle I have tomorrow, but I can't have anymore Pokéballs with me, so I sent you two empties." Ash replied.

"O…k…" the Professor raised an eyebrow at Ash before putting the Pokéballs on the shelf next to him, "So…who do you want me to send?" he asked.

Ash gulped, "Uh…I don't know…guess I didn't think that through…" Ash rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I think you should just go with your A-game. Take Sceptile and Snorlax, you saw how excited Max was to see them; he's probably _already _looking for ways to up their game." Misty suggested.

"You heard her Professor." Ash shrugged with a smile.

"I heard her." Prof. Oak also smiled and went to get the two chosen Pokémon, "And here they are." Prof. Oak sent the two filled Pokéballs to Ash, who immediately placed them onto his belt. "By the way, I noticed you have a Riolu; I certainly hope you're giving it lots of love."

"Come on Professor, you know me, would I do anything less?" Ash asked, as he pet the emanation Pokémon on the head.

"I suppose not. Well, I have lots to do today, so if there's nothing else, I'll let you go." Prof. Oak said.

"Nope, we're good, thanks Professor!" Ash hung up on Prof. Oak, and Max's face came back to the front, "Ok Max, I got Sceptile and Snorlax here, my team is ready to go!"

"Awesome! And hey, cool Riolu!" Max exclaimed, "Those are rare!"

"Yeah, I'm lucky to have him." Ash chuckled.

"Anyway, I'm gonna start coming up with battle plans, Call me back in like ten minutes ok? Lemme do some research!" Max said.

"Sure thing Max, good luck!" Ash hung up the young boy, and looked at his Sinnoh team, "Alright guys, this is the big one, I'm sorry I'm not using you guys this time." Ash's Pokémon all spoke up at once, basically saying that there was no resentment whatsoever, "Let's go Mist." Ash hurried to find Dawn and Brock, with his Pokémon following closely behind.

"Ash, you'll never change." Misty shook her head with amusement and chased after her boyfriend.

Back at the room, Ash opened the door, and the people inside noticed Riolu hanging on Ash's shoulder, and Grotle, Gliscor, Staraptor walking next to him and Misty, who had since caught up. "What's up Ash? Is this your team?" Brock asked.

"Nope…these are the guys who _aren't _battling." Ash replied.

Now the two other teens were confused, "Wait, if you're not using them, then who _are _you gonna use?" Dawn asked.

"I'll show you." Ash smirked, "Come on in guys!" Ash, Misty, and the non-battle chosen Pokémon stepped out of the way, and allowed the team that would go up against Paul to walk in.

The first three walked in, and those three were Pikachu, Chimchar, and Buizel. "Ok, but who are the other three?" Brock asked. The ground started rumbling a bit, as the last three Pokémon walked into the door…Ash's powerhouses came in: Charizard, Sceptile, and Snorlax. "Whoa…impressive." Brock said in shock.

"Wow Ash! Amazing!" Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan the Pokémon she hadn't scanned before, which was Sceptile.

"Sceptile, the Forest Pokémon. Its arms are equipped with razor-sharp leaves, and it moves lightly through tree branches in order to attack its enemies." The Pokédex chirped.

"Ash, if _this _is your team, Paul's in for quite a shock." Brock smiled.

"It sure is, only thing is…Grotle and Staraptor don't have Pokéballs right now, so they'll be hanging here for a while ok? And I'm gonna leave Riolu here for a while too." Ash said.

"Sure, no problem!" Dawn emphasized her point by picking up Riolu and holding him in her arms, "So what's next?" she asked.

"I gotta go back and have another meeting; I just wanted you to see what I was planning." Ash replied.

"And it's about time too." Misty added.

"By the way, who's the meeting with?" Dawn asked.

"Max." Ash replied simply.

Brock's eyes widened, as wide as Brock's eyes _could _of course. _"Max?!_ Did you say _Max?!_ As in May's _little brother _Max?!"

"He's been studying strategies ever since we met him Brock, and my plans aren't working, I think it's time to consult someone who actually _studies _battle strategies. Maybe Max can help me throw a few tricks at Paul." Ash explained.

"I guess you have a point. Alright Ash, go ahead, and good luck." Brock shrugged and went back to his book.

Ash returned his Pokémon to their Pokéballs, with the exception of Riolu and Staraptor, and he along with Misty and Pikachu headed back to the videophones. "Let's hope he came up with something." Ash dialed Max again, and the young boy looked up and smiled, "Whaddya got for me Max?"

Max pushed his glasses back onto his face, "Well I did some research, and I think it'd be a good idea to teach your more experienced team members some new moves, moves that you don't expect certain Pokémon to have."

"Ok, like what?" Ash asked.

"Take Pikachu for instance, what moves does Pikachu know right now? What's the usual move set?" Max asked.

"Pretty much the same, 'Thunderbolt', 'Quick Attack', 'Iron Tail', and the big one: 'Volt Tackle'. He can use 'Agility' when he has to, and sometimes we use 'Thunder' but that's too inaccurate for our tastes." Ash explained.

"Right, so Pikachu is pretty much built for offense only, he can't support other teammates with his current move set. After doing a little research into what Pikachu can learn, my suggestion would be to teach Pikachu 'Light Screen', so that he can weaken the effects of special attacks for other teammates." Max said.

"Wow…never thought of that, 'Light Screen' could come in handy, eh Pikachu?" Ash said.

"Pika chu." (Sure could.)

"Alright Max, what else you got for me?" Ash asked.

And so for the next hour or so, Ash, Misty, and Max discussed battle strategies and improving the powers of Ash's Pokémon. Max was able to give great ideas involving Snorlax, Sceptile, and even Charizard. "Well, that's about all I can do for you Ash." Max said after a while.

"That's _all _huh?" Misty replied, "Max, you are gonna be an _incredible _trainer! You know more _now _than Ash _ever_ will."

"Hey!" Ash exclaimed in offense to that statement.

"Oh hush." Misty replied dismissively.

"Thanks Misty, I appreciate it." Max blushed slightly, "I hope I find someone like you when I go on _my _journey."

"I'm sure you will." Misty assured, "You're a sweet and smart boy, _any _girl would be _thrilled _to call you hers."

"Alright Max, thanks for all your help!" Ash exclaimed with a wave.

"No problem! Say hi to Brock for me!" Max waved goodbye and the video screen went dark.

"Well, guess I better get to training!" Ash got up and took two steps towards the Pokémon Center battlefield outside, but then stopped in his tracks, "Uh oh…"

"What's the matter Ash?" Misty asked.

"I just forgot just about everything Max told me! There was too much for me to remember all of it!" Ash exclaimed in frustration, "Why? Why does this stuff happen to me? WHYYYYY?" Ash fell to his knees dramatically; too bad he wasn't trying to be dramatic.

"Get up." Misty ordered. Ash complied and stood back up, her tone of voice had a warning sign attached to it. "I _knew _you'd forget, that's why _I _took the precaution of taking notes." Misty showed Ash and notepad that had the basis of everything Max had told them written on them, "See? I got your back."

"Aww, awesome!" Ash grabbed Misty into a tight hug and placed a passionate kiss onto the redhead's lips, "Misty, you're the best! Come on Pikachu, let's get to work!"

"Pi pika chu!" (You got it!)

Ash and Pikachu hurried outside while Misty wobbled a moment, weak in the knees from the kiss, "Wow…that was _something." _She said to herself. Eventually however she was able to regain her senses and went outside to join her boyfriend, who had already called out his Pokémon to give them a briefing.

"Ok here's the plan. Chimchar, Buizel, I want you guys to go over there and practice your Counter Shield techniques, we'll be needing them against Paul tomorrow, just don't overdo it. If you get tired, take a rest, and then get back to it when you're ready, I'll let you know when we'll do some regular training." Ash instructed. Chimchar and Buizel nodded and went to do just that. "Alright you guys, today's gonna be dedicated to teaching you moves that you didn't know before, so that when we use 'em against Paul, he'll never see 'em coming, you ready?" Ash asked. Pikachu, Charizard, and Sceptile all shouted out determinedly, Snorlax however, laid down and went to sleep, "Snorlax! Come on, it's not naptime!"

"Some things never change huh?" Misty asked with amusement, "Don't worry about Snorlax right now, we got other stuff to do first."

"I guess you're right. Alright Charizard, we'll start with you." Ash said, provoking a nod from the dragon, "Max says that with your current move set, you're vulnerable to rock-types and water-types, and I know Paul's gonna have at least one of the two ready for you, so Sceptile's gonna teach you how to activate 'Solarbeam', that way you'll have a counter move for water-types and you won't have to get in close with rock-types and ground-types with 'Steel Wing' all the time. Got it?" Charizard nodded and went over with Sceptile to begin the 'Solarbeam' training.

"Ok, let's work on 'Light Screen' with Pikachu." Misty called out Azurill, who bounced up and down happily upon her release.

"Why Azurill Mist?" Ash asked.

"Because I don't nail Pikachu with a really powerful attack while he's trying to activate a move he doesn't know yet, so this way if he doesn't get it the first few times, he won't take much damage." Misty explained.

"Great idea Mist! Ok Pikachu, let's see if we can get that 'Light Screen' up!" Ash exclaimed. Pikachu nodded, and his cheeks started sparking as he tried to use the electricity stored in his body to create a screen of light…but all Pikachu managed to do was fire an off-target 'Thunderbolt' that wound up waking up the snoozing Snorlax. "Sorry Snorlax!" Ash exclaimed apologetically. Snorlax shrugged and easily fell back to sleep, "Maybe this won't be as easy as we thought. According to Max, Pikachu should be able to learn 'Light Screen'."

"I'm sure he can, but without another Pokémon to teach him it'll be twice as hard. Teaching Grotle 'Energy Ball' and Staraptor 'Brave Bird' all happened with some help." Misty pointed out.

"Yeah, you're right…" Ash scratched his chin for a moment, but then he snapped his fingers in realization, "I know a Pokémon who can use 'Light Screen'! Hold down the fort Misty, I'll be back as soon as I can!" Ash hurried inside and ran to his room where Brock was still reading and Dawn was playing games with Riolu, "I need to borrow Riolu for a while!" Ash grabbed the baby Pokémon and ran back out, much to Dawn's chagrin.

"Hey! We were playing pattycake!" Dawn whined.

Meanwhile with Ash, he and Riolu were hurrying back to the videophones, "Ok Riolu, today you're gonna meet someone very special to me." Ash dialed the videophone, and after a few rings, Delia answered, "Hey mom!"

"Hi Ash! You're looking well!" Delia replied, "How are things going?"

"Pretty good, I have a pretty big battle ahead of me…and that's part of the reason I'm calling." Ash explained.

Delia laughed airily, "Oh Ash, if you think _I _can help you with battling, you're quite mistaken. You already know more about Pokémon than I _ever _did."

"Well I'm not exactly looking for _you_, I wanna teach Pikachu 'Light Screen', and I know Mimey knows how to use that move, so I was hoping I could borrow it for a while." Ash explained.

"Oh Ash, I would _love _to help…but…Mimey's the only company I have." Delia said regretfully, "If I don't have Mimey, I'm all by myself."

"I thought about that Mom! I'm gonna send you someone to keep you company!" Ash exclaimed, "I want you to meet my 'son'." Ash used air-quotes, but when Ash mentioned "son", Delia freaked.

"_SON?! _Ashton Ketchum, what did you _do?! _Did you _really _get poor Misty _pregnant?!" _Delia was yelling so loud, that everyone else in the Pokémon Center was now giving Ash weird looks.

"No Mom no! Shhh!" Ash pleaded, "You got it all wrong! He's not _literally _my son!"

Delia crossed her arms, giving Ash the kind of look that made children melt with fear, "I'm listening."

Ash picked the somewhat nervous Riolu up off the floor and showed him to Delia, "See, _this _is who I'm talking about! Riolu hatched from an egg not too long ago, and he considers me and Misty his parents 'cause he's connected to my aura, and he knows how close I am to Misty!" Ash tried to explain.

Upon hearing that explanation, Delia's expression softened, "I'm sorry Ash, I overreacted." she admitted, "But you shouldn't have referred to your little Riolu as your son, that gives the wrong impression to people."

"I'll keep that in mind from now on." Ash nodded, "So how about it? Can we trade for a while?"

"Oh, I suppose. I'd love to get to know that little sweetheart!" Delia said sweetly. Riolu squealed happily at the compliment, and held out his arms to the screen, "Aww, how cute!" Delia gushed.

Ash smiled, both in pleasure and relief, he was happy that Riolu seemed to be excited to be with his mother, but he was more relieved that he had dodged a bullet from his mother. "Ok Riolu, I'm gonna send you to Mom now, I want you to behave, ok?" Riolu nodded and hugged Ash before he allowed Ash to return him to his Pokéball, "Ok Mom, here he comes, get Mimey."

Delia picked up the Pokéball and immediately called out Riolu, and the little emanation Pokémon looked around in awe at his new surroundings, "Hello Riolu, I'm your grandma!" Delia giggled. Riolu smiled widely at the older woman, reading that her aura was very friendly and nurturing, "You're such a cute little Pokémon. Yes you are!" Delia picked up Riolu and raised him up in the air, and the baby Pokémon laughed with glee.

"Mom! I'm glad you like him, but I called to get Mimey! Not just introduce you to Riolu!" Ash exclaimed.

It took a second for Delia to process that Ash had spoken, but when she did, she stopped playing with Riolu and blushed bashfully, "Oh I'm sorry sweetie; it's been so long since I've able to do things like this, not since _you _were this size!"

Now it was Ash's turn to blush, "Mom…" he mumbled.

"I'll get Mimey now." Delia turned in her chair, "Mimey, could you come in here a moment? And bring your Pokéball!" A few moments later, the psychic-type appeared from the kitchen with its Pokéball in hand…and when it saw Riolu in Delia's arms, it frowned. "This is Ash's new Riolu, say hi!" Delia exclaimed, raising the little emanation Pokémon up to it. At first Mimey glared at Riolu, but after watching the emanation Pokémon squirm in Delia's arms cheerfully, even the somewhat jealous psychic-type fell under Riolu's charm.

"Mimey, I need your help! I want you to teach Pikachu how to use 'Light Screen'!" Ash exclaimed through the screen.

"See, Ash has an important battle coming up, and he wants to teach Pikachu a new move! So I'm going to send you over to Ash for a little while, and once Pikachu learns 'Light Screen', Ash will send you back here, and I'll send Riolu back to Ash. Is that ok with you?" Delia asked. Mimey thought about it for a moment, but eventually gave a reluctant nod. "Oh splendid! Ok, into the Pokéball you go!" Delia took the Pokéball from Mimey's hand and returned it, then sent it over to Ash via the videophone, "There you go Ash! One very special tutor!"

"Thanks Mom!" Ash was about to hang up, but then he got a sudden flashback, "Mom! No dressing Riolu up please!"

"Aww, why don't you just rip my heart out?" Delia whined with a pout.

"I mean it Mom, no little outfits." Ash warned.

"Oh fine, but when you get married, do I have permission to dress up your _real _children?" Delia asked.

Ash sighed and face-palmed, "Yes mom, you have my permission to completely _humiliate _my future children."

"Oh goodie!" Delia cheered, "Bye bye Ash! And remember to wear clean underwear!" The screen went blank, and Ash groaned as loud as he could.

"So not _only _did Mom remind me in public to wear clean underwear _again, _but I also made sure that my future kids are gonna be dressed up like stupid toy dolls…maybe she'll forget by then…" Ash rethought what he said to himself, "Nope…it's mom…she's worse than a Donphan, she'll _never _forget." Ash sighed and looked at the Pokéball in his hand, "At least I got what I wanted." Ash hurried back outside, and he saw Misty conversing with Charizard and Sceptile, "Misty, I'm back!"

Upon hearing her boyfriend's voice, Misty turned her head to face him, "Took you long enough!" Misty then turned the rest of her body just as Ash made it to her, "Who did you call anyway that took so long? Lance the Dragon Trainer?" she asked sarcastically.

Ash made an annoyed face at the redhead, "No, for your information I called my mom, and I had to go and get Riolu from Dawn so I could send him to her in exchange for this," Ash held up the Pokéball, and then tossed it to the ground, revealing a Mr. Mime from within.

"Ash, is this _Mimey?" _Misty asked.

"Sure is! See, I knew Mimey knew how to use 'Light Screen', so it'd be perfect to teach Pikachu!" Ash then turned his attention to the psychic-type, "Ok Mimey, go over there with Pikachu and start teaching him how to activate 'Light Screen', I'm gonna check on the other Pokémon, we have a _lot _of work to do before tomorrow." Mimey nodded and went over to where Pikachu and Azurill were, and the electric mouse greeted the Barrier Pokémon cordially. "Ok Mist, where are we at with the 'Solarbeam' training?"

"I'll show you." Misty replied with a smirk, "Alright you guys, 'Solarbeam' that rock over there!" Misty pointed at a large rock, and together the two Pokémon charged energy from the sun, and fired. While Charizard was able to fire the blast, Sceptile's attack was clearly more powerful and better executed due to his experience. "See how awesome your girlfriend is? Charizard went from knowing nothing to being able to pull it off in almost no time flat!" Misty bragged, her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out in pride.

"Wow Mist, impressive, I didn't know _you _could use 'Solarbeam' to teach Charizard!" Ash said sarcastically, which earned him an annoyed look from Misty, "And just a second ago you were _complaining _about how long I took!"

"Ash, I'm helping you train here, don't make me mad." Misty said simply.

Ash chuckled and put his hands up in self-defense, "Ok Mist, I get it. In all seriousness though, you did an _awesome _job with the move training. Thanks." Ash said gratefully.

Misty smiled, "No worries Ash, you know I'm more than happy to help you out." she said.

Just then, Dawn and Brock came out as well, watching all the Pokémon train, "Wow, this is serious." Dawn commented.

"Ash has a lot on the line with this battle with Paul." Brock replied.

Ash spotted his other two friends and waved, "Hey guys!" he hurried over to them with excitement, "Check it out! I got Sceptile teaching Charizard 'Solarbeam', Chimchar and Buizel are working on their special Counter Shield techniques, and over there, Pikachu's learning how to use 'Light Screen' from Mimey!"

"Mimey?" Brock looked over and glared at the Barrier Pokémon, who took a moment out of its instructing to glare right back at its rival in housekeeping, "Nice to see it again." Brock grumbled.

"Looks like you got the whole gang working here!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly, "What can we do to help?"

"Well, Chimchar and Buizel could use some opponents, why don't you go over there and give them someone to battle while they practice?" Ash suggested.

"Aye aye Ash!" Dawn gave a playful salute, "Come on Brock, we've got Pokémon to train!" Dawn grabbed the breeder's wrist and dragged him away, but Brock never averted his gaze from the psychic-type teaching Pikachu, who had long since gone back to explaining how to use 'Light Screen', "What's with you and that Mr. Mime anyway?"

"Ahh Brock, you'll never change." Ash shook his head with amusement.

"Hey Ash?" Misty called.

Ash turned and jogged over to Misty, "What's up Mist?"

"Now that Charizard's got the basics of 'Solarbeam' down, all that's left is to practice. I think we should work on getting Sceptile _his_ new move." Misty suggested.

"Good idea Mist…hmm…but where are we gonna find someone who can use 'Focus Blast' to teach Sceptile?" Ash scratched his chin in thought, but then he heard an explosion on the other end of the Pokémon Center, and then someone barking out orders, "Misty…that sounds like…_him." _Ash ran off, with Misty following close behind. When Ash reached the corner, he peeked around it, and gasped at who he saw, "It _is _Paul!"

The purple haired trainer had taken the other battlefield, and was squaring Electabuzz and his Ursaring against each other. "Electabuzz, 'Light Screen'!" he ordered. Electabuzz acknowledged, and a cube of light appeared for a moment and then dissipated, signaling 'Light Screen's' activation, "Now Ursaring, use 'Focus Blast'!"

"Ash, quick! Gimme your Pokédex!" Misty whispered. Ash complied and pulled his Pokédex out of his pocket and handed it to his girlfriend, "Time to learn by television!" Misty activated the Pokédex camera mode, and took a video of Ursaring using 'Focus Blast', and hitting Electabuzz with it. However the 'Light Screen' kicked in and halved the damage that Electabuzz would've taken without it active, "Whoa, looks like Max was right about the 'Light Screen'."

"Yeah, let's get out of here before Paul realizes we're watching." Ash carefully headed back to his end of the Pokémon Center, trying to make his footfalls as light as possible. Misty followed suit, and got up next to him, "So now we can show Sceptile 'Focus Blast', guess this kinda works out." Ash said dejectedly.

Misty picked up on Ash's suddenly melancholy attitude and became concerned, "Hey, you ok?"

Ash looked into the sky, but then he shook his head vigorously and pasted a smile onto his face, "I'm alright, let's go!" Ash ran over to Sceptile with Pokédex in hand, and began to show the Forest Pokémon what Misty had recorded.

Misty however, was now deep in thought, "That smile was faker than the chests of some supermodels…something's bothering him." Misty decided to shake it off for a while and concentrate on helping Ash train his team, if her suspicions were correct, he'd need her now more than ever.

By the time the day was over, the Pokémon had done several sparring matches with each other to test their new abilities, and it seemed to be an effective day, as all three Pokémon taught new moves seemed to be able to pull them off without much effort at all. "Ok Sceptile, one more time! 'Focus Blast'!" Ash ordered. Sceptile acknowledged and put his claws together, and slowly a ball of energy formed in his hands, and he fired it just like Paul's Ursaring did.

"Buizel, counter that by spinning and using 'Aqua Jet'!" Misty ordered. Buizel acknowledged the water-trainer's order and did just what she said. Standing in place, Buizel used 'Aqua Jet' and spun around, which made a barrier of water that effectively blocked the power of 'Focus Blast' and deflected it away. "Nice job!"

"Ash." Brock walked up to the black haired trainer with a somewhat stern look on his face.

"What is it Brock?" Ash asked, turning his head enough so that he could see his older friend.

"That's enough training for today, you've been working them all day long, they need _rest." _Brock said, his arms crossed over his chest.

"But Brock, tomorrow is…" when Ash turned back to see his Pokémon, he noticed that Buizel and even _Sceptile _was panting in exhaustion. Gasping, Ash looked around, and everywhere he looked he saw his Pokémon about ready to keel over, their energy had been depleted from all the training, but nevertheless they were still going at it. "Stop! Stop it, _everyone!" _Ash shouted at the top of his lungs.

All the Pokémon stopped their training and looked at Ash, who was now breathing heavily and looking down to avoid anyone's gaze. Upon seeing his master's apparent distress, Pikachu bounded over to him, "Pikapi?" (Ash?) Ash looked down at Pikachu, his eyes only open a slit, but then he bolted, back into the Pokémon Center with no warning at all, "Pikapi!" (Ash!)

"What happened?" Dawn asked worriedly.

"I _knew _something was wrong." Misty sighed, and then turned to her breeder friend, "Brock, take care of these guys, I'm gonna go take care of Ash."

Brock nodded, "Do your thing Misty." Brock went over to the Pokémon and started feeding them handfuls of special Pokémon snacks, while Misty went inside the Center to look for Ash.

"Come on Ash, where are you?" Misty ran through the Pokémon Center, looking for where Ash was, "He's not in our room…" Misty was quite honestly stumped. "Where on earth did he go?" Misty scratched her head as she tried to imagine where Ash could've gone, then she snapped her fingers as she figured something out. "I know where you are, hang on." Misty ran up the nearest set of stairs, as she remembered how this particular Pokémon Center had a balcony, and sure enough, there was her Ash, leaning over the railing.

Ash heard the footsteps coming up behind him, and he tried to wipe his eyes as discreetly as he could, "H-Hey Mist." He stammered, his voice unintentionally cracking. Ash punched the railing; he knew he had given himself away once his voice cracked.

"Don't 'hey' me." Misty went over to Ash and gently used her hand to turn his face towards her, "What's wrong?"

Ash sighed and turned away, "I can't believe this is happening."

"Can't believe what is happening? I don't understand." Misty turned Ash's head back to her again, "I want you to look at me Ash, talk to me, _what's wrong?" _

"Misty, I looked at all my Pokémon, I saw them killing themselves to train for the battle tomorrow, I've never worked them that hard before in my _life_, how could I be so insensitive to my Pokémon?" Misty was about to respond, but Ash continued, "Do you know _why _I called Max for help?"

Misty shook her head, "No…why?"

"Because I don't trust myself." Ash slumped his shoulders and leaned on the railing again, "I knew I couldn't beat Paul with my own training techniques…I mean, _every time _I battled Paul, someone got hurt. Look at what happened to Chimchar, a traumatizing experience with 'Blaze' thanks to my own failure to give orders; Grotle evolved from Turtwig during a battle with Paul that led him into a depression, once again because I couldn't step up to the plate. So I knew that doing more of the same would lead to someone else getting hurt. I called Max, hoping that his knowledge of Pokémon battle strategies would be able to give me an edge over Paul that I didn't have before, but instead I'm using two Pokémon, three if you count Charizard, that have never _met _Paul before, which means I'm depriving three of my Sinnoh Pokémon the chance to beat Paul…and even then…I'm hurting my Pokémon, pushing them beyond their limits just like Paul would…if _this _is what happens when I go up against Paul, maybe I should just call it all off."

Misty had heard every word that Ash said, and she couldn't believe the words that had just oozed out of his mouth, "Ash, are you _kidding _me?" that comment got Ash to look at her again, "Your Pokémon are down there right now, training their hearts out, pushing their limits, all because they _love _you! They _want _to see you succeed! In no way, shape, or form are you in any way related to Paul, you and Paul are _polar opposites_. _His _Pokémon train because Paul _makes them _train, _your _Pokémon train because they _want _to train." Misty looked down, and saw all of Ash's Pokémon interacting, happily socializing and laughing with each other, "Look down there Ash," Ash complied to Misty's request, "Those Pokémon spent all day training because they want the same thing _you _want, and that's to give Paul what he deserves! Do you _really _think that Staraptor, Grotle, and Gliscor would've volunteered to stay out of the battle so that you could call on your powerhouses Snorlax, Sceptile, and Charizard, if they didn't wanna see you win? I can guarantee you they would've objected the first chance they got."

"So what are you saying Mist?" Ash asked.

"I'm saying that there's no reason for you to feel guilty for working them. They would've _told _you if they felt you were pushing them too hard, that's the kind of connection you have with them. And that's something Paul can never take away from you, no matter what. And there's _nothing _wrong with asking for help, Max gave you some _really _good advice! Teaching Sceptile 'Focus Blast', Charizard 'Solarbeam', and then _you _came up with the idea of borrowing Mimey to teach Pikachu 'Light Screen', and Snorlax…I mean Paul's gonna be in for quite a shock with Snorlax."

Ash breathed out a chuckle at that, "Yeah…Max had some great ideas for Snorlax…I just hope it doesn't come down to that…"

"Even if it does, it's all a part of battling." Misty got up close and hugged Ash tenderly. Then she backed up a little so she could look into his brown eyes, "We're all behind you Ash, you've done _nothing _wrong for you to feel guilty about, now I want you to go back down there and talk to your Pokémon, they need you to get them ready for tomorrow."

Ash finally relinquished a sincere smile, and returned Misty's hug with interest, kissing her forehead, "Thank you Misty. I was really feeling down."

"I know, and that's ok Ash, you're human, no one expects you to be perfect. You're allowed to have feelings too." Misty kissed Ash's nose briefly, "Just don't let those feelings get in the way of what you do best, train your Pokémon in a loving and masterful way, just like you always do, just like you've done just now."

Ash smiled, and this time pulled Misty in for a passionate kiss which she was more than happy to reciprocate. When they finally pulled away, the couple gasped for air, "I needed the talk, but I _really _needed that." Ash said cheekily.

Misty smirked and whacked the aspiring trainer in the back of his head playfully, "Get outta here Ash, you've got Pokémon to take care of."

Ash nodded and ran back downstairs, once he reached the battlefield, he saw all his Pokémon looking at him with concern. "I'm ok _now." _Ash said. The way Ash said "now", the Pokémon couldn't help but smirk as they knew all too well what that implied, "Wipe those smirks off your faces." Ash mumbled with a blush on his face. Ash glanced over at Snorlax, and saw the Sleeping Pokémon wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Snorlax!"

The whole team laughed, even provoking Ash to laugh as well. But then Brock came up again, looking somewhat apologetic, "Sorry for being so stern with you Ash, I didn't mean to make it sound like you had done something _wrong_, you _didn't." _Brock had realized what set off Ash about five minutes after he ran off, and he was feeling pretty bad about it.

"I know that now, don't worry Brock." Ash turned to his team, "Alright guys, tomorrow's the big day, I want you all to get a good night's rest, we're in for a battle none of us will _ever _forget." After a determined cheer from his Pokémon, Ash returned his battle team to their Pokéballs, while Grotle and Staraptor stayed out. "Ok Mimey, time to send you home." Ash looked around and saw that Mimey was nowhere to be found, "Mimey? Mimey?!" Ash panicked, "Brock! I lost my mom's Pokémon!"

"No you didn't!" Dawn came out of the Pokémon Center with Misty, who was currently holding Riolu in her arms, "Misty told me earlier that I should send Mimey home as soon as the training was over, and I think that was a good idea, your mom said that even though Riolu liked her and all, he was starting to miss you and Misty." To emphasize her point, upon seeing Ash, Riolu leaped out of Misty's arms and scurried over to Ash, jumping into his arms instead. "See what I mean?" the coordinator giggled.

Ash laughed as he hugged Riolu, "Did you have fun with my mom today Riolu?" he asked. Riolu nodded and squealed happily, just thrilled to be back with his trainer. "I take it Mimey wasn't too happy about Riolu." Ash predicted.

"Mimey was a _little _jealous," Misty replied, using her hand to show how little, "But once Mimey was home, everything went back to normal."

Ash smiled, but then he frowned when he felt Riolu suddenly dig into his chest, as if he was trying to hide, "What's the matter Riolu?" Ash asked. Ash looked around the corner, and he saw what was wrong. "Paul."

"I hear you've been training for me, at least you have _that_ much sense." Paul scoffed, and then looked at Riolu, who was still trying to avoid looking back at Paul, "That Riolu has serious issues, you've been coddling it for too long."

"Leave him alone! He doesn't like your aura!" Ash growled.

"Excuses, excuses." Paul turned to leave, "I'll be waiting for you at the lake tomorrow, if I were _you, _I'd just forfeit, you're _outmatched." _Paul disappeared from sight, and Riolu finally calmed down once the ruthless trainer was gone.

"We'll see about that." Ash looked at his friends, and they nodded at him, then he looked at Pikachu and the other two Pokémon that currently had no Pokéballs, and they too nodded at him. "We'll _see _about _that."_

The following morning, Ash woke up and didn't hesitate to prepare himself for the battle that was about to take place in no less than an hour, he went into the bathroom, layered his favorite deodorant about four times, _"The _last _thing I want is for Misty to get a whiff of me after this battle, there'd be no victory hug." _He thought cheekily, a smirk creeping onto his face as he thought it. Ash changed into his clothes, and when he came out, his friends were all awake, waiting their turn, "You guys ready for this?"

"Yep. Are _you?" _Dawn asked.

"I sure am, I've got my team ready, I've got my friends behind me…this is gonna be a battle that'll I'll remember the rest of my life." Ash pumped his fist, and Pikachu did the same after hopping onto his shoulder, "Let's do it!" the group headed downstairs, and Ash met Nurse Joy at the desk, "Hey Nurse Joy, could you give my team a quick recharge before my battle?" Ash asked.

"Of course," Nurse Joy took Ash's battle team, which included Pikachu. "I'll be back shortly." the nurse walked away, luckily Brock hadn't noticed, he was watching something else.

"Brock, what are you looking at?" Misty asked.

"See for yourself." Brock replied.

The group did just that, and saw that there were dump trucks and workers outside on the battlefield, "What's going on?" Dawn wondered.

They headed outside, and saw three somehow suspicious workers working on the battlefield, "Hello!" Ash exclaimed.

The workers stopped, and the shortest one mumbled something that got the two taller ones to bonk him on the head, "Sorry, someone came yesterday and pretty much demolished the field, no battles today!" the female exclaimed, somewhat nervously however.

"Oh man." Ash groaned, slumping in disappointment.

"Seems legit though, we _did _kinda beat this battlefield to a pulp yesterday." Misty added.

"So what'll we do then?" Ash wondered.

"Excuse me, are you Ash from Pallet Town?" a voice asked.

The group saw a man in a referee uniform walking over to them, "Yeah, that's me." Ash replied.

"I've been looking for you!" the man said, "The name's Olivier and I'm a travelling referee! I got a call from Reggie a few days ago, asking me to come to Lake Acuity and officiate the Pokémon Battle between you and Paul." He explained.

"Well that's great, but if the battlefield's closed…" Ash was cut off.

"Don't worry, Reggie told me he's got a backup plan just in case! You and Paul are gonna battle right by the lake!" Olivier exclaimed.

"Really? That's awesome!" Ash exclaimed, "Alright then, I'll go get my Pokémon and we'll meet you there!"

"You got it!" Olivier started the walk to the lake, while the others went back into the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy was waiting for them.

"Your Pokémon are all ready for your battle, now everybody's in tip-top shape!" the nurse said happily. The Pokémon all cheered in agreement.

"Thanks Nurse Joy!" Ash then turned his attention to his Pokémon, "You guys look ready for anything!"

"I'll say! You all sure look confident!" Dawn exclaimed, "You're all ready to battle for sure!" Dawn then turned her attention to Ash, "And you can count on us to cheer you on _big time!"_

"Thanks Dawn, I sure could use the encouragement." Ash turned his attention to his Pokémon once again, "Alright guys, we're gonna win this battle, and as soon as we do, Paul will have _no choice _but to give us a little respect for the way we train!" Ash's Pokémon cheered at that, "Alright! So let's move it! We're gonna give Paul a taste of what _real _training can do!" The Pokémon cheered again, but one Pokémon was more determined than any of the others, "Wow Chimchar, you're all fired up aren't you?"

"Watching Chimchar reminds me of what Cynthia once told us." Brock commented, as Ash gave his battle team one last rundown of the plan.

"You mean when she said 'when one life meets another life, something will be born'?" Dawn asked.

"Right…but that's not all." Brock replied.

"Then what's on your mind Brock?" Misty asked.

"She also spoke of a larger than life destiny waiting for Chimchar…and that Chimchar is the touchstone for Ash and Paul's relationship." Brock explained.

"So what are you saying? That Ash and Paul will become friends through Chimchar?" Misty asked, not really believing her own words.

"I'm not saying _that,_ all I know is that Chimchar will do something for Ash and Paul…guess we'll have to wait and see what that something is." Brock replied.

By this time, Ash was finished giving his team the plan, "Alright, you guys ready for this?!" Ash's Pokémon all cheered determinedly, "Then let's do it!" Ash returned his battle team to their balls, while Pikachu hopped onto Ash's shoulder, and within minutes, the whole group was standing in front of Lake Acuity, "Finally…Lake Acuity…"

A soft breeze blew through the group's hair, and ripples were made in the water because of it, and that also triggered a thought in Dawn's mind, "You know, I just remembered, there's supposed to be a legendary Pokémon here!"

"That's right, Uxie!" Brock added, confirming the coordinator's thoughts.

"That means Uxie could be watching our battle today…" Ash shook his head and decided to not think too much into legends, he had a battle to focus on, "Come on, let's get over there, if I know Paul, he's there already." The group sprinted towards the other side of the lake, and sure enough, there were the two brothers Reggie and Paul, the latter of which was returning Electabuzz to its Pokéball. "Well, there's _one _member of his team." Ash mumbled to himself. As soon as they stopped, Ash and Paul immediately got into a silent but heated stare-down, they both knew what was at stake today, and neither one wanted to show any kind of weakness.

"Thanks for coming Ash, welcome." Reggie got up and walked down the hill he was sitting on, "I really believe the two of you were destined to battle each other this way."

"The two of us?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, you see, you and Paul are _completely _different, yet at the same time you're a lot alike too!" Reggie didn't notice, but Misty seemed offended by the notion of Ash being in any way like Paul, "You both wish to become strong with your Pokémon, yet your training methods are complete opposites…so as long as you're _this _tuned into each other and also have the desire to become stronger, I think a full battle between you two was unavoidable! As rivals you need to know each other's current strengths, you need to learn how powerful you each have become, and _that _will lead to your _own _evolution as a trainer."

Reggie's explanation kind of made sense to Ash, but like Misty, he didn't like being compared to Paul in _any _way; out of respect for Reggie however, he kept quiet about it. "So I guess we're battling right here then?"

"Yep, since we can't use the battlefield, I thought it'd be a great idea to go all out here in the great outdoors!" Reggie said, "That ok with you Paul?"

"Makes no difference to me." Paul replied apathetically.

"Good, then we're all decided!" Olivier suddenly showed up, in a huge Pokéball themed hot-air balloon, "I'm here and ready to referee, and so are my helpers for the day!"

Three people appeared from the balloon basket, all wearing masks, "That's us!" they exclaimed. The shortest one pushed a button, and the balloon retracted into a metal container above the basket, and a huge screen appeared and extended outwards.

"Wow, awesome! What's that?" Dawn asked.

"It's a potable reference monitor," Olivier explained, "Ok team, all set?"

The three helpers saluted the travelling referee, "Right! Couldn't be any more setter!" with another push of a button, the monitor turned on, and Ash and Paul's trainer profiles appeared on the screen.

"This is it guys!" Ash exclaimed.

The spectators took their place on a makeshift bleacher, a log that was lying there, but Misty made sure to take a moment to wish her boyfriend luck, "Take him down Ash, this is _your _moment!" with a quick kiss on the lips, Misty took her place on the log, just as Riolu and Buneary appeared from their Pokéballs, also wanting to see what would happen.

"I take it that since Grotle, Gliscor, and Staraptor are here, Ash has some new Pokémon to throw at Paul." Reggie said knowingly.

"He spent all day yesterday training for this; Paul has _no idea _what he's in for." Misty replied.

Olivier finally took his place on the field and began to announce the rules, "Representing Kanto is Ash from Pallet Town! And representing Sinnoh is Paul from Veilstone City! We now begin a six-on-six full battle, there is _no _time limit and both sides can exchange Pokémon freely as desired! The battle will be over when all six Pokémon on either side are unable to continue! We will now use coin toss to see who will unleash the first attack! Alright then trainers, heads or tails? What will it be?"

"I call heads." Ash said.

"Then tails." Paul replied.

The monitor showed the electronic Magikarp coin, and after the coin flipped, it landed on heads in Ash's favor. "Heads! So Ash has the honor!"

"Ok Pikachu, let's do this!" Ash grabbed a Pokéball from his belt and held it tightly, while Paul just waited patiently with the ever-so-familiar cold glare he always wore.

One of the spectators however was beginning to get nervous, easily spotted by a squirming Piplup, "Sorry Piplup." Dawn eased up her grip on her starter Pokémon, but her anxiety wasn't easing up _at all._

"Dawn, relax." Misty said soothingly, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Ash _did not _come unprepared, he's got his strongest Pokémon, his best techniques at the ready, and best of all, he's got _us _backing him up, that's one advantage Paul can _never _replicate."

As much as Dawn wanted to be reassured, she couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety, it felt like the air was too thick to breathe. To Reggie this was just a friendly battle between rivals, but everyone else knew the truth. "I know Misty…but I _still _feel nervous."

"This is it Pikachu, we either go big today or go home." Ash started his windup, "Alright, Buizel, I choose you!"

At the same time, Paul made _his _choice, "Torterra, stand by for battle!"

The two Pokémon made their appearances, calling out their names with determination, "Torterra huh?" Ash said to himself. The monitor beeped briefly thanks to the work of the three helpers, and the pictures of the two Pokémon came up, and seeing it caused Ash to think, _"This is _not _a good matchup…"_

"Alright!" Olivier shouted, "Let the battle begin!"

Before anything could happen, Ash grabbed Buizel's Pokéball, "Buizel, return now!"

"Ash is _retreating?" _Dawn wondered worriedly.

"Not because he's _scared _Dawn, he knows that Buizel is a terrible matchup versus Torterra, Ash has got a bunch of Pokémon that can take it on though." Misty replied.

"As much as I wanted to battle with you Buizel, water-type moves don't work too well against grass-types like Torterra, so hang tight, you'll get your chance." Ash placed Buizel's Pokéball back onto his belt, and reached for another one, "You're up instead! Charizard, I choose you!" Charizard emerged and roared, spewing flames as he did so.

"There's that awesome Charizard again." Reggie said, "Just one thing though…" That comment caught the attention of the teens, "Paul _knew _Charizard would be on Ash's team, simply because he recognized in their _last _battle that Charizard was most likely Ash's strongest Pokémon, and he adapted accordingly."

"So Paul isn't surprised to see him…" Dawn said, "But still, it's…_Charizard!_ There's _no way _Paul would try to use Torterra against him…would he?"

"Alright Charizard, unleash your 'Flamethrower'!" Ash ordered. Charizard complied and fired a powerful blast of fire at the Continent Pokémon, who had no choice but to take the super-effective hit.

"Hey! _That _looked pretty good!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah, but remember this is still Torterra, I have no doubt that it _felt _Charizard's attack because of how powerful he is, but I'm sure _Torterra's _powerful enough to keep battling." Reggie replied.

"I'm sure Ash realizes that, he's seen Torterra enough times to know what it can do." Misty added.

"Alright, use 'Dragon Breath'!" Ash ordered. Charizard opened its mouth again, and this time Torterra took the hit and barely gave an inch, _this _move was _not _one that would bother it.

"Now, 'Stone Edge'!" Paul ordered. Finally getting a chance to attack, Torterra's eyes glowed blue, and sharp pieces of rock came flying at the dragon.

"We knew _that _was coming!" Ash exclaimed, much to Paul's shock, "Use 'Steel Wing' to block it!" Charizard's wings became hard as steel, and the dragon folded them in front of him, allowing the rocks to bounce harmlessly off of his wings, "Nice job Charizard, you negated its power! Now, use 'Flamethrower'!" After the last of the rocks fell to the ground, Charizard fired another blast that hit dead on again, causing Torterra to groan in pain.

"Wow! I can't _believe _it! Ash _knew _Paul would use the super-effective 'Stone Edge' against Charizard and he was able to block it with that 'Steel Wing'!" Reggie said in awe.

"Ash learned a lot from Paul's battle with Brandon, that's when he first saw that Torterra had learned that move, so he was ready for it when it came." Brock replied.

Paul was beginning to get frustrated, he was hoping 'Stone Edge' would be the move that gave him the edge, and Ash had just eliminated that possibility. "Use 'Giga Drain'!" he ordered.

"Quick Charizard, take off!" Ash countered.

Just as the green energy sapping attack came up through the ground, Charizard became airborne, and the 'Giga Drain' became a wasted move. "Awesome! Paul can't seem to do _anything _with _this _matchup!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Don't get _too _excited." Reggie warned.

"Now, get in close and use 'Heat Wave'!" Ash ordered. Charizard swooped downwards, bombarding Torterra with waves of heat that weakened Torterra further, "We got this Charizard!"

"Stone Edge'!" Paul barked.

"Huh? Oh no! Pull up Charizard!" Ash had made a grave mistake, Charizard was forced to take the hit and with a pained roar, the dragon fell to the ground with a loud thud, and panted in exhaustion as the super-effective move took its toll.

"Just _one _'Stone Edge' did _that much _damage?" Dawn asked nervously.

"Stone Edge' isn't just super-effective because Charizard's a fire-type, which of course are weak against rock-type moves, but it's actually doubly super-effective because Charizard is _also _a flying-type, which are _also _weak to rock-type moves, so Charizard actually took _four times _as much damage as usual. Paul saw that Ash was getting too comfortable and tried to get Charizard airborne, knowing that while flying, Charizard had no way to block the attack since his wings were busy keeping him airborne." Reggie explained.

After getting the attack in, Paul returned Torterra, knowing that Ash was smart enough to not fall for the same trick twice, not that he would ever admit it. "Now Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" Electabuzz emerged and smirked at the weary dragon, who snarled back at the electric-type.

"Now _Paul _has the type advantage." Dawn gulped.

"Paul knows that Charizard is powerful, so he had a backup plan in case something like this happened." Reggie explained.

"Alright Charizard, I think it's time to go all out! Use 'Overheat'!" Charizard growled, and his body turned red with power, and when he opened his mouth, a white flame with a yellow-orange fire spiral came shooting out of it, heading straight for the electric-type who actually seemed intimidated by the sheer power.

"Hold your ground! 'Light Screen'!" Paul countered.

"What?! 'Light Screen'?!" Ash watched in horror as Electabuzz activated the damage cutting move, but even through the cubed barrier, Electabuzz seemed to feel the heat, "So _Paul_ has 'Light Screen' at the ready _too." _Ash growled to himself.

"Oh no, Electabuzz can use 'Light Screen'!" Dawn exclaimed worriedly.

"And after all that time we spent working on it too. Now _Ash _has to deal with it." Misty added.

"I knew Paul was going for type-advantage, but I _never _saw _that _coming." Brock also commented.

"See, Paul switched in Electabuzz not just because he knows that he has the type-advantage, but he realized that the majority of Charizard's moves so far have been special attacks, which of course 'Light Screen' cuts their power in half. So now as long as Ash goes with Charizard, almost every move he uses won't do nearly as much as it should for a while, until 'Light Screen' wears off." Reggie explained.

"Charizard, return!" Ash returned his worn out dragon, "You did an awesome job Charizard, take a good long rest, I get the feeling I'll be needing you again."

"Electabuzz, return." Paul did the same, leaving both trainers unsure of what the next choice should be.

"That was a smart move by Paul." Reggie's comment got Misty and Dawn's attention, Brock however had already figured it out. "Paul didn't want to give Ash an advantage by letting him know which Pokémon he was using, and since 'Light Screen' carries over to the next Pokémon, any Pokémon Paul picks next will have the same defenses."

"Wow…I know this battle's just getting started…but I can hardly breathe just from watching!" Dawn was certainly able to tell the air between Ash and Paul was thick, and she wasn't the only one.

"Calm down Riolu, it's ok." Misty tried to soothe the Emanation Pokémon by rubbing his arm, but Riolu continued to whine in discomfort, as he could sense that Ash was tense through his aura. He had never seen his master this wound up before, and their connection almost actually hurt the child.

"Ok…let's see…" As Ash thought about his next choice, Pikachu spoke up.

"Pikapi! pika pika chu!" (Ash! Let _me_ try!)

Ash smiled, "Alright then buddy, get in there and we'll show Paul some of your _real _power!" Pikachu nodded and scampered onto the field, standing on all fours with cheeks sparking furiously with electricity.

After seeing the choice of Pokémon, Paul made his move. "Magmortar, stand by for battle!" Paul threw out his Pokéball, and a huge, powerful Pokémon emerged from it, glaring down at Pikachu.

The teens on the side gasped in shock, they were by no means ready to see _that._ "He evolved his Magmar, figures. He couldn't stand how badly he got beat by Brandon, so in Paul's mind the only move would be to evolve it and make it stronger." Misty hissed.

"Magmortar…" Ash was now starting to feel the pressure, he wasn't ready to see one of Paul's Pokémon being raised to the next evolution level, especially since a week ago that particular Pokémon was still just a Magmar. "I can't believe it…he _really _evolved his Magmar!"

One thing was for sure, the battle was very quickly getting more and more intense, even though neither side had yet to have a Pokémon fall. While Paul's strategy hadn't been working as he had planned it so far, he still felt more than confident in his sheer power, while Ash was beginning to feel the pressure due to Paul's powerful Pokémon, but his faith in his Pokémon still remained unbreakable, and his confidence in the counsel Max provided, combined with the training he had done with Misty, Brock, and Dawn, still left him feeling confident in his own chances to win. As to who _would _come out on top, was yet to be decided.  
_

**A/N: Well it looks like a lot of you were right, I went with the powerhouses. You've already seen Charizard in action, and let me apologize beforehand, but I'm sorry, even in the games, one 'Stone Edge' from any decently leveled Pokemon would KO Charizard, so I was being _nice _letting Charizard stay in the battle. Now Pikachu's coming in against Magmortar, and with a new trick up his sleeve too, but Paul has some tricks too, and Sceptile and Snorlax are waiting in the wings for Ash to call their number. And what's the big plan with Snorlax that I've yet to reveal? The answer, in the next update. R&R please!**


	56. Evolving But Conflicting Strategies

**This is it! The (hopefully) thrilling battle between Ash and Paul! I gave it my all guys, I tried to look up to other authors to try and build on their battle writing skills, and hopefully I did ok since this chapter is quite literally almost all battle. I tried to add small bits and pieces in between switches, but this chapter is pretty much all battle all the time...so...without any more delay, I'll take care of anonymous reviews for the last chapter.**

**Guest: Maybe I am, and I know how powerful Charizard is, but like I've said in the past, I can't make Charizard be the star of the show every chapter. Like I said once before, Charizard's not invincible, and just for being an author, in order to have a story, I need more drama than that, Charizard can't mean automatic win otherwise it'd get boring. I hope you (including all others reading this) can understand.**

**the Pokeshipper: Um...ok? xD**

**Well that's it...I own nothing but the story. And so now, with a full heart and an empty stomach...I say to you now in the words of my uncle...allez cuisine! Oh wait...wrong show, that's Iron Chef America, my bad. xD Just watch/read the battle ok? xD  
_**

Chapter 56

**Misty's POV**

Forget it. I'm watching Ash and Paul battle, let's go!

**Normal POV**

"Paul's pulling out all the stops…and I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Electabuzz knew 'Light Screen' since I saw it yesterday…" Ash said to himself, "Ok Pikachu, don't let your guard down, we gotta be careful with this guy!" Pikachu nodded in compliance.

Dawn meanwhile had pulled out her Pokédex to scan Magmortar. "Magmortar, the Blast Pokémon and the evolved form of Magmar. It launches fireballs that can reach temperatures over three-thousand six-hundred degrees from the ends of its arms and lives in volcanic craters." The Pokédex chirped.

"Since Paul knew that Ash was going to use Pikachu, why isn't Paul using a ground-type Pokémon instead?" Dawn asked.

"He may be thinking that using a ground-type won't matter because Ash could simply switch Pikachu and use a water-type like Buizel at any time." Brock suggested.

"Paul wanted to come into this battle with the mindset of always being two steps ahead of Ash, but since his gameplan's already been thrown off by Ash's Charizard, he might be just testing to see what Ash will do." Reggie added.

"Alright Pikachu, let's start things off with a 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu heard Ash's order and unleashed a furious blast of electricity, which hit the Blast Pokémon and also activated 'Light Screen', making the damage taken unnoticeable, "Didn't do a thing…somehow I'm not surprised." Ash grumbled.

"Ash _knows _Magmortar has 'Light Screen' to defend it thanks to Electabuzz, so why isn't he trying some physical moves instead?" Dawn asked.

"We talked to Max a little bit about Paul's Pokémon, we told him about Magmar, and he warned us about its special ability 'Flame Body'." Misty explained.

"Yeah, Ash probably doesn't wanna come in with a physical attack because he knows that he'd risk Pikachu getting burned by 'Flame Body'." Brock added.

"True, Paul probably wanted to goad Ash into doing something foolish by overwhelming him, but so far Ash has kept a cool head about it." Reggie added.

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt' again!" Pikachu fired once more, and again the 'Light Screen' weakened 'Thunderbolt's' power down to half its original strength, "Keep your distance Pikachu, that 'Flame Body' could be a big problem if we try to get too close."

Paul growled to himself, Ash had figured out his plan, "Magmortar, use 'Flamethrower'!" Magmortar aimed its arm cannons and blasted two powerful flames at the electric mouse.

"Spin and dodge it!" Pikachu twirled in mid-air and was able to dodge the incoming flames, "Whoa, I felt the power from that." Ash said to himself, "Alright Pikachu, now it's time for you to use that new move!" Pikachu nodded, and just like Electabuzz did, Pikachu activated 'Light Screen'.

"What?! They copied my move!" Paul exclaimed in anger.

"Alright Pikachu, come here!" Pikachu acknowledged and scampered back over to Ash, "Alright buddy, you did good, take a quick breather, now that we've got 'Light Screen' up, I know just the Pokémon who can take Magmortar on!"

"Wow, I never thought this battle would get so back and forth!" Reggie said in surprise.

"Like I said, we spent all of yesterday preparing for this battle, Ash is gonna make sure that he doesn't pull any dumb moves that could make things worse for himself. If Paul's gonna beat Ash, he's gonna have to beat him through skill, not intimidation." Misty replied.

"Get ready for _this _Paul! You're about to meet _another _old friend of mine!" Ash grabbed a Pokéball and held it tightly, "Now, Snorlax, I choose you!" Snorlax emerged from his Pokéball, and stomped the ground like a sumo wrestler, "Meet Snorlax, an awesome battler and an even _more _awesome friend!"

Paul growled, "Where does he keep getting these Pokémon?"

"Ash's Snorlax sure _looks _strong." Dawn commented.

"When he's not eating or sleeping, Snorlax is one of Ash's most powerful Pokémon, and they've been through a lot together, I should know, I was there most of the time." Misty laughed, reminiscing on old times.

"Alright Snorlax, let's use one of those new moves! Use 'Earthquake'!" Snorlax stomped down on the ground, and an earthquake was created, making cracks in the ground and causing Magmortar to lose balance and fall over. "Yeah, _that _worked!"

"Wow! I didn't think Ash would be able to put Paul on the ropes like this! That 'Earthquake' was super effective, and it probably caused _major _damage to Magmortar! And since it was a physical attack, 'Light Screen' couldn't help Paul at all!" Reggie exclaimed.

"Not to mention the fact that it probably does major damage to Paul's psyche." Misty snickered.

"Get up Magmortar!" Paul demanded. Magmortar did, and glared at the Sleeping Pokémon who just stared blankly at it, "Use 'Flamethrower'!"

"Alright Snorlax, charge ahead and use 'Body Slam'!" Ash ordered.

"Is Ash _crazy?!" _Dawn exclaimed, "I mean I _know _'Light Screen' is up, but Ash is telling Snorlax to run right into an attack!"

Snorlax lumbered forward, and just as the attack hit, 'Light Screen' activated and halved its power, and Snorlax kept moving as if he hadn't felt a thing. "Magmortar, don't let it…" it was too late; Snorlax had already fallen right on top of Magmortar.

"But…what about 'Flame Body'? Isn't Ash running the risk of getting Snorlax burned?" Dawn asked, shocked at what had just happened.

"Yes, but Ash figured it was worth the risk with Snorlax, and the reason why is the same reason Ash had Snorlax run right into the 'Flamethrower'. Snorlax's special ability is 'Thick Fat', which gives resistance to fire and ice-type moves, and Ash figured that with 'Thick Fat', Snorlax ran a better chance of getting away with hitting Magmortar." Brock explained.

"Get that blob off of you! 'Rock Tomb'!" Paul snarled. Magmortar managed to get its cannons underneath the belly of Snorlax, and used the rock-type move to shoot Snorlax off of it, sending both Snorlax and several boulders flying through the air until they hit the ground, which when Snorlax hit it, the ground rumbled. "Return Magmortar!" Paul returned Magmortar to its Pokéball, "I'll deal with you later."

"You ok Snorlax?" Ash asked. Snorlax got up and shook his head to try and shake of the stun he had endured from the fall, but eventually Snorlax got back up and went back to staring blankly at Paul, "Nice 'Body Slam' by the way."

"I gotta say, I'm impressed with what Ash has been able to do." Reggie said, "He's got Paul fighting to make the right moves, since he was _totally _unprepared for these new moves and strategies Ash is using."

Paul growled and grabbed another Pokéball, "Now Ursaring, stand by for battle!" the bear emerged from its Pokéball and roared in anger and determination, "Take it down with 'Hammer Arm'!"

"Quick Snorlax, use 'Hyper Beam'!" Ash countered. Snorlax opened his mouth and blasted a super powerful beam of orange energy at the bear.

"Hit that with your 'Hammer Arm'!" Paul ordered. Ursaring used the fighting-type move's power to hit the 'Hyper Beam' and negate its power, then it rumbled forward and punched Snorlax in the gut while he was immobilized, causing the normal-type to groan in pain.

"Oh no, Snorlax!" Ash exclaimed worriedly.

"Now use 'Bulk Up'!" Paul ordered. Ursaring roared angrily and glowed in a red aura, as its power was increased.

"Ursaring just raised its attack _and _defense!" Ash said to himself, "I think I need some speed on the field, I can't let Ursaring take down Snorlax. Snorlax, return!" Ash returned the normal-type to his Pokéball, before Ursaring could take him down with another hit.

"That was a smart move by Ash," Reggie said, "Snorlax ran into trouble with Ursaring's fighting-type moves, and since Paul had Ursaring use 'Bulk Up', it could have very possibly ended that battle with one more hit."

"I've noticed something else though…" Brock added, "Neither Ash or Paul seem to be willing to let one of their Pokémon go down for the count, it almost feels like they're both wary of losing a member of their team because of the unpredictability."

After hearing Brock say that, Misty gasped, "Ash is overthinking things…I hope that doesn't come back to bite him later in the battle."

"Alright, I've got one last surprise Paul! Now, Sceptile, I choose you!" Ash launched his final unknown Pokémon, and the grass-type revealed himself, glaring coldly at Paul as he chewed on the twig in the side of his mouth, "This is my old friend from Hoenn…meet Sceptile!"

"Here we go, I can't wait to see what Ash's Sceptile can do!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly.

"I had no idea Ash had so many powerful Pokémon in his arsenal, it almost feels like this shouldn't even be a close battle." Reggie admitted, "If Paul weren't my brother, I'd say he has no shot from what I've seen so far."

"Sceptile was Ash's ace in the hole back in Hoenn, I'd say he's the second most powerful Pokémon Ash has, the first being Charizard." Brock explained.

"Do you realize what you've done?!" Paul shouted, earning the attention of everyone watching, "All you've done by using these new Pokémon is prove my point! If you had gone with the team you made here in Sinnoh, you would've already lost by now! Instead you went and found the most powerful Pokémon you could and brought them all here to face me, _proving _that your training style can't produce strong Pokémon!"

"But…" Ash was frozen in his place, had he _really _gone against everything he professed to believe in by calling on his old friends?

"Paul's messing with Ash's head…trying to get an edge." Reggie said.

"I don't think so Reggie…" Brock replied, confusing the established breeder, "I think Paul is genuinely angry at Ash…see, you thought they were just rivals, but you haven't seen what goes on when Ash and Paul meet when you're not around…they've almost gotten into fist fights on _more_ than one occasion, they're _always _butting heads over their training techniques, Ash _hates _the way Paul treats his Pokémon…this isn't just a friendly rival battle, this is a battle to determine whose training style is superior, and the winner will probably hold it over the loser's head forever…_that's _how intense this battle is."

Reggie sighed, "Maybe this battle _wasn't _such a good idea."

Meanwhile Ash was still unable to react, his mind was in a haze thanks to what Paul had said to him, _"He can't be right! I trained these guys the same way I train _all _my Pokémon! But still…they're my strongest Pokémon, and I brought them all here in one fell swoop just so I could win! Does that _really _count?"_

Paul sneered, it looked like he finally had the edge over Ash, and he was going to take advantage, "Now I'll show you what true power is! Ursaring, 'Focus Blast'!" Ursaring formed a ball of energy in its claws, and launched it at the Forest Pokémon.

"Huh?! Oh man! Sceptile, dodge it!" Ash was able to regain his senses long enough to order a dodge, which Sceptile's speed allowed him to do, but when Sceptile got ready for the counter strike, Ash became quiet again.

"Misty, look what Paul did to Ash!" Dawn said worriedly.

"That creep thinks he can mess with Ash's head, but he forgot that _I'm _here, and there's _no way _I'm just gonna let him get away with that. Paul can break Ash, _I _can rebuild him! I've been quiet for too long!" Misty handed Riolu to Dawn, who now had one Pokémon on each leg, Piplup on one and Riolu on the other, while Misty stood up and took a deep breath before shouting, "Hey Ash!" her voice got Ash's attention, "He's trying to mess with your head, don't let him! Remember, no matter _how _strong your Pokémon are, _you're _still the one who trained them from the ground up! The same way you always do! What he's saying is a flat out _lie! _Your training style _has _produced strong Pokémon, and one of them is standing there waiting for you to tell him what to do!"

Ash blinked a few times and then looked back at Sceptile, who was giving his trainer a thumbs-up. Ash smiled, and then turned back to Misty, who winked at him in reassurance, "Thanks Misty, I needed that." Ash then turned to Paul, as his own trash talk came into his head, "You see that Paul? One of the greatest things about _my _training style is not _only _because it builds up strong Pokémon and relationships, it's because now I have _friends _that'll back me up! We make _each other _stronger! And in the end, that's all that matters!"

Paul growled, "We'll see about _that." _He said.

"Wow, Paul _never _could've prepared for the Misty factor." Reggie laughed.

"That's usually the factor that matters in the end." Brock replied with a chuckle.

"Ok Sceptile, 'Bullet Seed'!" Ash ordered. Sceptile acknowledged and fired a barrage of energized seeds at the bear, who got protected by 'Light Screen'…at least for a moment. The screen fell at the tail end of the 'Bullet Seed', and Ursaring was pelted briefly by the attack, leading up to only a minor annoyance for the bear. "Hey, the 'Light Screen' fell! Alright Sceptile, hit 'im hard! 'Solarbeam'!" Sceptile began absorbing sunlight in order to unleash a full power blast of energy.

"Ursaring, counter with 'Focus Blast'!" Ursaring formed a ball of energy in its claws, and it fired just as Sceptile unleashed his grass-type attack. The attacks collided, and an explosion took place in the center of the field, causing smoke to rise everywhere. But suddenly, through the smoke, Ursaring appeared with its left claw glowing white, and it slashed at the surprised grass-type and knocked him to the ground, "Now, follow up with 'Focus Punch'!"

"Get up Sceptile, it's coming for ya!" Sceptile shook off the pain and jumped up and over the bear with his powerful legs, just before Ursaring punched the ground, leaving a divot of dirt where there used to be grass, "Nice dodge! Ok, 'Leaf Blade'!" Sceptile took off running and managed to get in a hard swipe with 'Leaf Blade', causing the normal-type to slide across the ground, using its claws to create friction.

"Looks like an even matchup." Brock said, "Sceptile's faster and has a lot of power in his own right, but Ursaring has way more brute strength than Sceptile, and with Sceptile's low defense stats and Ursaring having raised its attack, too many hits like that 'Slash' attack and Sceptile could fall."

"I think Ash needs to do what he's doing _now_, he's got his strategies in place, now it's time to get back to basics, and battle the way he _always _does. He _chose_ his team with his head, he needs to _battle _with his heart." Misty commented.

"Alright Sceptile, let's get some speed going! 'Quick Attack', go!" Sceptile charged forward with a burst speed, and managed to smack into the bear who got turned around by the hit, "Now use 'Pound'!" Sceptile turned right around and hit Ursaring with its leafy tail, but still the normal-type didn't seem to be taking as much damage as one would expect.

"So why isn't Sceptile doing more damage? It looks like Ursaring is barely feeling it!" Dawn exclaimed worriedly.

"Remember, 'Bulk Up' does _more _than just increase attack power, it _also _raises _defense _power, so when Sceptile uses physical attacks like that, Ursaring takes less damage than usual." Brock explained.

"I don't particularly _care_. As long as Ash goes back to his battling instincts, he can pound away at Ursaring all he wants." Misty added.

"Ok Sceptile, time for that new move! Use 'Focus Blast'!" Sceptile acknowledged, and began charging the ball of energy in his claws.

"Ursaring, 'Secret Power'!" Ursaring glowed in a pink aura, and the grass began glowing in the same manner all around Sceptile, and within moments, Sceptile lost concentration on the 'Focus Blast' and fell asleep, as the 'Secret Power' took effect. And as a result, Paul couldn't help but snicker at the surprised look currently on Ash's face.

"Oh no, not 'Secret Power'!" Dawn exclaimed worriedly.

"Just like when _I _battled Ash, 'Secret Power' in grassy terrain has a chance of causing the opponent to fall asleep…Ash is in deep trouble." Reggie said.

"C'mon Sceptile, you _gotta _wake up!" Ash exclaimed.

"You and your faith again, pathetic." Paul scoffed, "Get up close and use 'Hyper Beam'!"

Everyone in the stands, including Reggie, gasped at what Paul had ordered, "A blast like that could seriously injure Sceptile!" Reggie shouted, "Don't do this Paul!"

"This is a battle! There are no rules against what I'm doing, so you can't tell me _anything! _I'm doing this to make sure I come out on top, and that's all that counts!" Paul shouted back.

Up until now, Reggie hadn't known just how deep-rooted the rivalry between Ash and Paul truly was…he knew that under normal circumstances, even _Paul _wouldn't do what he was about to…the only explanation was that it was simply _Ash. _"You were right Brock…now I _know _this was a bad idea."

Ursaring stomped up to Sceptile, who was still fast asleep, and began charging the ultra-powerful beam at point-blank range. "Sceptile, wake up! _Sceptile!" _Ash's cries seemed to be falling on deaf ears, as Sceptile remained asleep. "SCEPTILE!" But just then, Sceptile's eyes snapped open, and the Forest Pokémon got back up and jumped back, just as Ursaring fired at the ground, causing a huge explosion that caused smoke to fly everywhere.

"What happened to Sceptile?!" Dawn cried.

When the smoke cleared, Sceptile was seen on his claws and knees, panting in exhaustion, "Sceptile, are you ok?!" Ash asked. Sceptile raised his head and glared at Ursaring, who had its arms crossed confidently over its chest.

"I can't believe Paul would try to do that." Dawn gasped.

"You _can't?" _Misty asked incredulously.

"I've _never _seen Paul do anything like _that._ He _really _isn't _that _bad, it's just…I don't know…maybe it's _my _fault." Reggie sighed and drooped his head in disappointment.

"You can't blame _yourself _Reggie, Paul obviously has something in his heart that _makes _himthis way…maybe someday we'll be able to figure out what." Brock placed a comforting hand on the older breeder's shoulder. He could understand how Reggie felt, he'd feel the same way if Forrest acted out that way.

"Let's end this." Paul said, "Use 'Hammer Arm'!" Ursaring started to close the distance between it and Sceptile, its arm glowing with power.

"Come on Sceptile, you _gotta _get up!" Ash's encouragement apparently worked, as Sceptile suddenly began glowing in a green aura, "Whoa…is _that…?"_

"What's happening to Sceptile?!" Dawn asked in shock.

"It's Sceptile's special ability 'Overgrow'! It works just like 'Blaze', except it's the _grass-_type version!" Brock replied.

Sceptile suddenly got up, and the seeds on his back began glowing white, "Is that 'Solarbeam'?" Ash wondered. But instead of a beam of energy coming out of Sceptile's mouth, energized leaves began swirling around Sceptile, and then shot out at Ursaring who was unprepared for the powerful attack, and the bear took the hit and fell to its back, "Whoa, was that 'Leaf Storm'?_"_

"Did Sceptile already _know _'Leaf Storm'?" Dawn asked.

"No, Sceptile must've learned that move _just now!_ It must've been Ash's encouragement that brought that move out!" Brock replied.

"Wow! So that means Ash has _two _new moves at his disposal!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Wow Sceptile, you learned 'Leaf Storm'! That's awesome!" Ash exclaimed. Sceptile nodded to agree. "What do you think about _that _Paul? See what my style of training can do?"

Paul growled in fury, "Ursaring, 'Focus Blast'!" Ursaring began charging its attack, but Ash wasn't about to let Paul go uncontested.

"Sceptile, let's take this battle! 'Leaf Blade'!" Sceptile ran forward with his arms sporting blade like leaves, energized with power. Ursaring fired, but similarly to how Ursaring countered Snorlax's 'Hyper Beam', Sceptile used one side to cut the 'Focus Blast' in half and leave it to fly off, while Sceptile used the other blade to take Ursaring down to the ground. Sceptile landed on one knee and smirked to himself, as he heard the soft groaning of a Pokémon behind him.

"Ursaring is unable to battle! Sceptile is the winner!" Olivier announced.

"Alright!" Dawn cheered.

"Sceptile came back and showed Paul just how powerful he is!" Misty added.

"Sceptile, return!" Ash called back his worn out grass-type at the same time Paul returned his fainted normal-type. "You did awesome Sceptile, take a good long rest." Ash put the Pokéball away and smirked at Paul, "One down Paul! Who's next?!"

Paul growled and pulled out another Pokéball, "Now Weavile, stand by for battle!" Paul's Weavile emerged and grinned maliciously at Ash.

"So Paul's going with Weavile this time, makes sense since Paul's used almost all of his other Pokémon so far." Brock said.

"Weavile's an ice-type and a dark-type…" Ash said to himself. "Ok…" Ash grabbed a Pokéball, then that means it's time for Chimchar!" Ash tossed out the Pokéball, and Chimchar emerged and shouted determinedly at Paul, "You got this Chimchar! Let's do this! 'Flamethrower'!" Chimchar acknowledged and fired a beam of flame at the Sharp Claw Pokémon.

"Dodge that!" Weavile easily moved out of the way with its amazing speed, "Now use 'Swords Dance'!" Weavile's claws glowed purple and extended out, and the ice/dark-type did a short dance and then held out its claws to try and intimidate the small fire-type.

"What's that?" Dawn asked.

"It's called 'Swords Dance' and it greatly increases the user's attack power." Reggie explained.

"Which means that Paul is trying to build up power to make up for the advantage Chimchar has." Misty added.

"Use 'Flame Wheel'!" Ash ordered. Chimchar rolled up into a ball and charged right for Weavile.

"Blizzard', go!" Weavile unleashed a powerful storm of snow, but Ash was ready for it.

"Quick, use 'Flamethrower'!" Ash shouted.

"What?!" Paul couldn't believe what he was seeing. In mid-'Flame Wheel', Chimchar began firing a 'Flamethrower' that whipped around and countered the 'Blizzard' and then the 'Flame Wheel' nailed Weavile head on. "How is that possible?"

"There's Chimchar's Counter Shield! We worked on that yesterday, we wanted to make sure there were _no _glitches in that technique." Misty said.

"I've never seen anything like that before! Amazing how it totally countered the 'Blizzard' like that!" Reggie exclaimed, impressed by Ash's strategy.

"It's _really _meant for offense _and _defense!" Brock explained, "The 'Flamethrower' blocks the 'Blizzard' while the 'Flame Wheel' gets to hit uncontested!"

"I'm done playing games." Paul growled to himself, "Use 'Ice Shard'!" Weavile fired a chunk of ice at the fire-monkey.

"Dodge it!" Chimchar managed to avoid the attack, but suddenly Weavile came out of nowhere and slammed Chimchar with a 'Metal Claw'. "Oh no, Chimchar!"

"Now use 'Ice Beam'!" Weavile immediately followed up with another ice-type move, this one hitting Chimchar dead-on, and even freezing Chimchar solid. "Perfect." Paul sneered.

"Oh no, Chimchar!" Ash shouted.

"That 'Ice Beam' froze Chimchar solid! But how is that even _possible?!" _Dawn asked.

"It's possible…just rare." Misty groaned.

"Finish it Weavile! 'Swords Dance', and then use 'Night Slash'!" Paul ordered.

"Wah?! 'Night Slash'?! Since when?!" Ash gulped. Weavile raised its attack even further, and then charged forward to attack the frozen Chimchar, "No ya don't! Chimchar, return!" Ash returned the frozen fire-type to his Pokéball, just as Weavile slashed so hard that even Ash felt the power, "Whoa…dodged a bullet there." Ash gulped.

"Is Chimchar thawed out now?" Dawn asked.

"No..." Misty sighed, "Come on Ash, you were on a roll!"

"If Paul wants to use 'Ice Beam', I'll oblige." Ash said quietly. "Now, Buizel, I choose you!" Ash launched the Pokéball out of his hand, and Buizel appeared for the second time, "Use 'Water Gun'!" Buizel obeyed and fired a spray of water at the Sharp Claw Pokémon.

"Use 'Night Slash'!" Weavile quickly dodged the attack and moved in to use its own attack.

"Dodge it!" Buizel tried to dodge, but Weavile's speed made it impossible for even Buizel to get away unscathed. Weavile grazed Buizel with the attack, and caused the water-type to groan in pain. "Hang in there Buizel!"

"Ice Beam'!" Weavile acknowledged and fired the freezing beam again.

"We'll take that!" Ash exclaimed, "Alright Buizel, let's do it! Use 'Aqua Jet'!" Buizel smirked and enveloped himself in water, and hit the 'Ice Beam' dead on, causing the water around it to freeze, "Yeah, it worked!"

_"Again _with that coordinator garbage!" Paul snarled.

"Whoa, what's _that?" _Reggie gaped in awe at what just happened.

"That would be an 'Ice Aqua Jet'!" Misty replied.

Buizel hit Weavile dead on, and when the dust settled, Weavile had fallen. "Weavile is unable to battle! Buizel is the winner!" Olivier exclaimed.

"Yeah Buizel! That rocked!" Ash cheered. Buizel nodded with a smirk, his arms crossed over his chest proudly.

"Where did Ash come up with that move?" Reggie asked.

"Ice Aqua Jet' was actually _Dawn's _idea first, but _Ash _was the one who actually got it to work right." Brock explained.

"I'm actually pretty shocked at how much Dawn's coordinating has helped Ash along, the Counter Shield technique was inspired by Dawn as well." Misty added.

"So whaddya think Paul? I'd say we're a lot stronger than you give us credit for!" Ash said, "Maybe it's time for you to give in and say we were right all along!"

Paul didn't answer and simply called out his next Pokémon, "Magmortar, stand by for battle!" Magmortar appeared again, "Use 'Smog'!" Paul ordered. Magmortar opened its mouth and a poisonous cloud of smoke hovered over to the water weasel.

"Buizel, spin and use 'Aqua Jet'!" Buizel acknowledged, and a barrier of water was thrown up that changed the direction of the smog so that it hit Magmortar instead. "Yeah Buizel, nice job!"

"Amazing how they deflected the smog like that! That Counter Shield is turning out to be a _great _strategy!" Reggie said.

"So tell me Paul, how'd you like a taste of our little Counter Shield? Chimchar's not the _only _one who can use it." Ash said confidently, "Now, use 'Aqua Jet'!" Buizel surged ahead and nailed Magmortar in the gut with the super-effective move, and the Blast Pokémon slid across the ground as a result. "Now use 'Water Pulse'!" Buizel immediately followed up by throwing an energized ball of water towards the ground, making it detonate and form a mini-tidal wave that headed right for Magmortar.

"Now, 'Rock Tomb'!" Magmortar pointed towards the ground, and shot several purple balls of energy that grew into boulders in front of Magmortar.

"They're using 'Rock Tomb' as a shield!" Brock exclaimed in shock.

"That means Ash better watch out, because when Paul does stuff like that, it means he has a plan." Misty added.

"That move's got _no_ chance against a water-type attack!" Ash laughed, "Alright Buizel, use 'Aqua Jet'!" Buizel rammed forward and broke through the 'Rock Tomb' with 'Aqua Jet', but was then shocked to find that Magmortar had disappeared, "Uh oh!"

"Smog', let's go!" Paul ordered. Ash and Buizel looked up, and saw Magmortar hovering above the water weasel, and the Blast Pokémon spewed out another poisonous cloud, and this time Buizel could do nothing except take it.

"Great…Ash is losing ground." Misty sighed.

"You gotta admit it was a good strategy though," Brock said, "That 'Rock Tomb' kept Buizel from seeing what Magmortar was up to."

Magmortar landed on the ground in front of the weakened water-type, and then disappeared as a red light called it back, "He's switching _now?" _Ash asked himself.

"Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" Paul threw out a Pokéball, and Electabuzz appeared once more. "Use 'Thunder Punch'!" Electabuzz obeyed and pounded Buizel with an electrified fist, sending the water-type flying.

"Buizel's in trouble!" Dawn gulped.

"Paul switched into Electabuzz and got the type-advantage, and even if Ash switched _now,_ Paul would probably just use 'Light Screen' and switch to someone else with some added defense. Ash either has to step up and beat the disadvantage or sacrifice Buizel for the rest of the battle." Misty said.

"Hang in there Buizel, use 'Sonic Boom'!" Buizel leaped up and swung his tail around, firing bursts of sound at the Electric Pokémon.

"Protect'!" Paul shouted back. Electabuzz formed a green barrier, and Electabuzz went untouched. "Now use 'Thunder'!" Electabuzz charged up and unleashed a super powerful blast of electricity that struck Buizel while he was descending from using 'Sonic Boom'.

"No, Buizel!" Ash cried.

"Finish this Electabuzz, 'Thunder Punch'!" Electabuzz charged ahead and punched Buizel down, causing dust to rise and leaving Buizel fainted in a crater that was shaped like him. Paul scoffed and placed his hands in his pockets, and kept quiet beyond the initial scoff.

"Buizel is unable to battle, Electabuzz is the winner!" Olivier announced.

"Poor Buizel…" Dawn sighed.

"I called it. Ash really had no choice." Misty added.

"Ok Buizel, return!" Ash pointed the Pokéball at his fainted water-type, and the red light retrieved him and put him to rest in his Pokéball, "Thanks Buizel, now you take a good rest."

"Paul put Ash into a trap he couldn't escape from. Switching would've made no difference since 'Light Screen' was always a threat." Reggie said.

"And with Electabuzz still in, that threat is _still _there." Misty added.

"Kay, if you're sticking with Electabuzz, then Chimchar, I choose you!" Chimchar emerged from his Pokéball, but unfortunately he was still frozen from Weavile's 'Ice Beam'. "Come on Chimchar, thaw out…" Almost as if the ice obeyed Ash's command, it melted and allowed Chimchar to be free, "Yeah Chimchar! Your tail melted the ice!" When Chimchar saw he was facing Electabuzz, he growled at the bully electric-type, and also at the one controlling it. "Here we go, 'Flamethrower'!" Chimchar acknowledged and fired the blast of fire at Electabuzz.

Unfortunately, Paul had predicted that. "Protect'!" Electabuzz shielded itself with an unbreakable green barrier and deflected the 'Flamethrower'. "Now, 'Light Screen'!"

"There it is." Misty commented knowingly.

Electabuzz obeyed, and once 'Light Screen' kicked in, Electabuzz was back in its Pokéball. "Whoa," Brock said, "Electabuzz used 'Protect' and then 'Light Screen' on top of that."

"Right. I'm certain Paul's strategy all along was to first use 'Protect' to cover Electabuzz and then 'Light Screen' to cover his _next _Pokémon." Reggie replied.

"So going by _that _logic, until Ash knocks out Electabuzz, 'Light Screen' is gonna be a severe pain in the butt." Misty said bluntly.

"That's about as simple an explanation as one could get." Reggie replied.

"Now Torterra, stand by for battle!" Paul tossed out Torterra again, and the Continent Pokémon shouted a battle cry.

"Paul _knows _we have the type-advantage…maybe he figures with 'Light Screen' up we won't be able to do much damage, not to mention Chimchar's not on the same level of power as Charizard…" Ash shrugged and decided not to mind, "Guess we'll just have to try it out! Use 'Flame Wheel'!" Chimchar acknowledged and charged forward at the grass/ground-type starter.

"Stone Edge', now!"

"Dodge it!"

Torterra formed sharp stones that orbited around it momentarily before sending them flying towards Chimchar, but Chimchar refused to take the hit so easily, and quickly swerved out of the way before turning back towards his target, "Changeup!" Paul shouted. Torterra nodded and grunted as it forced the 'Stone Edge' to come back around and chase Chimchar, much to the horror of Ash.

"Change direction?!" Dawn gasped.

"How is that even _possible?!" _Misty added.

"The ability to control 'Stone Edge' is just _incredible!" _ Just as Brock said that, Chimchar took the hit and groaned as he was forced out of his attack.

Chimchar then turned back at Torterra and growled in anger at it, "Use 'Flamethrower'!" Chimchar fired, but 'Light Screen' came into play again as it protected the Continent Pokémon from taking heavy damage. "Oh man!" Ash growled in frustration.

"Light Screen' _halved _the damage from 'Flamethrower', Chimchar may have the advantage as a fire-type, but _this _is getting _difficult _now." Brock said.

"Not only that, there's the danger of getting hit with 'Stone Edge' if Chimchar gets too close, leaving both Ash _and _Chimchar with precious few options in this matchup." Reggie commented.

"Alright Chimchar, return for now!" Ash called back the fire-type again, much to the chagrin of the three helpers who were manning the big screen.

"Hey! Make up your mind! Our fingers are starting to hurt!"

Ash totally ignored the trio and decided to go with a different approach. "Alright, if it's bulk I need, then it's time for Snorlax!" Ash tossed the Pokéball, and Snorlax appeared for the second time.

"Think Snorlax can take on Torterra?" Dawn asked.

"Not sure, Torterra has some serious defense, Ash is gonna have to get in close." Misty replied.

"Use "Frenzy Plant'!" Paul ordered. Torterra's eyes glowed green and vines shout out from underneath Snorlax, then the vines wrapped around the Sleeping Pokémon and lifted him into the air. "Take him down!"

"Ice Punch' Snorlax!" Snorlax managed to fight the vines, and punch one of them with an ice-powered punch that froze the vine and caused it to crumble, and the remainder of the vines dropped Snorlax to the ground. "Yeah! Way to go Snorlax!" Ash cheered.

"Snorlax's weight is too much for those vines! When he punched out that one holding him by the waist, the vines let go!" Brock exclaimed.

"Torterra can't move right after 'Frenzy Plant'! We'll use 'Ice Punch'!" Snorlax rumbled forward and unleashed a brutal uppercut to the Continent Pokémon's jaw, "That _had _to do some damage!"

"Torterra _had _to feel that." Brock said.

"No kidding. Not _only_ was that a hard hit, that 'Ice Punch' was _super_-effective, since Torterra's a grass-type _and _a ground-type." Misty added.

Torterra was now panting with fatigue, its previous encounter with Charizard had left it drained, and now after the 'Ice Punch' from Snorlax, Torterra was ready to collapse. "Stand your ground Torterra, use…huh?" Suddenly Torterra began glowing in a green aura, and Paul chuckled as he realized what was happening, "About time 'Overgrow' kicked in."

"Uh oh, Torterra's using 'Overgrow' too!" Dawn gulped.

"Ash better be careful now." Misty added.

"Time for you to be put back in your place. Use 'Leaf Storm'!" Torterra unleashed a cyclone of energized leaves flying at Snorlax, who growled lowly when he saw them coming.

"Alright Snorlax, time to show 'em why you're a champion! Fight through it and use 'Ice Punch', full blast!" Snorlax roared out a battle cry and ran as fast he could, through the leaves that were now pounding his body in an attempt to keep him back, but the Sleeping Pokémon refused to go down, and managed to get to Torterra and let loose with another fierce uppercut of ice, this one with so much strength that Torterra actually got airborne, and came down to the ground making the earth tremble violently around the battlefield.

"Impossible!" Paul barked.

"Torterra is unable to battle, Snorlax is the winner!" Olivier announced.

"Yeah Snorlax! That was awesome!" Ash cheered. Snorlax sighed and hunched over, he was starting to run out of gas, especially since Paul's Ursaring had done major damage to him before.

"Snorlax ran _right through_ that 'Leaf Storm', unbelievable!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Snorlax has awesome special defense, but even _he _can't keep this up _forever…_it's gonna be a close call." Misty replied.

"Close call?" Dawn asked. Misty didn't respond, and simply turned her attention back to the field, absent-mindedly petting Riolu who in her lap, had been watching in complete and total awe at the intensity of this particular battle. One day that would be _him _battling alongside Ash…he couldn't wait.

"Ok Snorlax, return for now!" Ash called Snorlax back and stared at the Pokéball Snorlax was now encased in, just as Paul did the same to the fainted Torterra, "Hang on Snorlax, I may need you later…" Ash pulled out another Pokéball, "Now Charizard, I choose you!" Charizard emerged with a roar, ready for battle after a decent rest.

"Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" Electabuzz came out for the third time, and smirked at Charizard deviously. "Use 'Thunder'!" Electabuzz discharged a super powerful 'Thunder' attack, and Charizard was just barely able to dodge it in time purely by instinct, "Thunder Punch'!"

"Take off Charizard! Don't let Electabuzz get to you!" Charizard took off and managed to get high enough that Electabuzz couldn't reach with the 'Thunder Punch'. "Alright, nice dodge!"

"Ash is back in that bad matchup he tried to avoid earlier." Misty said.

"It could be that Paul is trying to wait Ash out, hoping he'll get anxious and start pulling the trigger prematurely and make a mistake." Reggie explained.

"Now, use 'Flamethrower'!" Charizard spewed fire, but like several times before, it would do no good.

"Protect', then 'Light Screen'!" First Electabuzz shielded itself, then it put up the damage cutting screen once again. Only this time, Electabuzz wasn't recalled.

"I'm getting _really _sick of that 'Light Screen'." Ash growled to himself. "Alright Charizard, use 'Heat Wave' on the ground!" Charizard acknowledged and started to heat the ground with his attack, while down below, Electabuzz began to get a bit of a hotfoot.

"What are you doing? Stay still!" But Electabuzz just couldn't obey at the moment, the Electric Pokémon currently felt like it was standing on a hot stove and it kept jumping up and down to get some relief.

"Ash gave Electabuzz a hotfoot! Now's his chance!" Misty exclaimed.

And Ash took that chance. "We got 'im now! Charizard, it's time for 'Seismic Toss'!" Charizard swooped down and grabbed Electabuzz, and got ready to throw it down and finish the battle.

"No! Use 'Thunder' now!" Electabuzz's eyes snapped open, and in the middle of the final flip, Electabuzz fired at point-blank range in Charizard's grasp, and the dragon roared in agony as the electricity surged through his body and caused his whole body to tingle painfully, and Charizard unwillingly released Electabuzz and crashed down to the ground, his signature move cancelled.

"Charizard, no!" When the dust settled, Charizard was in a crater, but he _still _hadn't fainted, and was growling in anger at Electabuzz, who was merely smirking back at the dragon smugly. "Come on Charizard, you're not done _yet! _You can take this guy!" Charizard started to try and push himself up, but he was suddenly stopped by electricity that crackled around his body, causing the fire/flying-type to groan, "Oh no!"

"Charizard's paralyzed!" Dawn cried.

"On top of being a super-effective move, 'Thunder' has a pretty significant chance of paralyzing the opponent, and _that's _at mid to long range…so _point-blank_ like that? It's no surprise." Brock sighed.

Paul smiled maliciously and glared straight at Ash before calling out the final attack, "Electabuzz, 'Thunder Punch'!" Electabuzz ran up to Charizard, then leaped high into the air, both fists raised over its head, "Do it!" Paul barked. Electabuzz came down, and crushed Charizard with a downward smash that was just sickening to hear.

"Charizard!" Ash ran onto the field and looked down into the now even deeper crater, where Charizard was most definitely down for the count. The dragon's face was swollen around the sides, one of his horns was slightly bent out of shape from the impact, and a big black eye finished the visual demonstration of what a beating looked like. "Oh man, Charizard…"

"Charizard is unable to battle! Electabuzz is the winner!" Olivier announced.

_"That _was just uncalled for." Misty spat, Riolu growling angrily at Paul in her lap.

"Paul knew Charizard was coming, he just needed the right matchup…wow…I've _never _seen a rivalry this hostile before." Reggie sighed and shook his head despondently, his little brother was seriously disappointing him, "Why are you trying to hurt these Pokémon Paul?" he asked himself.

"Charizard, return." Ash recalled the suffering dragon to his Pokéball, "Don't worry Charizard, I won't let Paul get away with this." Ash looked up and glowered at the purple-haired trainer, who seemed to show no remorse for what he had done.

"What are you waiting for? We have a battle to finish." Paul said emotionlessly.

"I'll give you a battle alright." The black-haired trainer grumbled. Ash looked down at his starter Pokémon, "Pikachu, get in there." Pikachu nodded and scampered back onto the field and scowled at Electabuzz…if there had been any chance of a possible friendship between the two electric-types, it had been soundly eliminated by the heartless act committed by the Electric Pokémon. "Use 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu acknowledged and blasted away, but Electabuzz stood still and just let 'Light Screen' pretty much negate the attack. "That does it."

"Light Screen' is really turning into a pain for Ash." Misty commented.

"Paul can just keep throwing 'Light Screen' up to act as a defensive strategy and to get inside Ash's head, Ash even seems to be getting more frazzled as the battle wears on." Reggie replied.

"Ok Pikachu, if that's how he wants to play it, we'll play that way! _You _use 'Light Screen'!" Pikachu formed his own barrier of light, and Ash smirked up at the purple-haired trainer after it was done. "Stalemate Paul!"

"You'd think so wouldn't you?" that comment confused Ash, "Electabuzz, 'Brick Break'!" Electabuzz suddenly appeared in front of the surprised Pikachu, and with a hard karate chop, the 'Light Screen' appeared momentarily as the power of 'Brick Break' shattered the barrier and knocked Pikachu off his feet.

"No way!" Ash shouted in shock.

"What happened to the 'Light Screen'?!" Dawn asked.

"Brick Break' happened! See, 'Brick Break' is a very unique fighting-type move as it's able to remove the effects of defensive moves like 'Light Screen' or 'Reflect'! Ash has got his hands full now." Brock replied.

"Pikachu, come back here!" Hearing Ash's voice, Pikachu rushed over to Ash's side and looked up at him, "I don't like the matchup, so sit tight ok? I can't let Paul keep abusing 'Light Screen' like that and wear you down." Pikachu nodded, as he too could feel the pressure Ash was currently under, "Now Sceptile, I choose you!" Sceptile emerged again, somewhat rested after being inside his Pokéball for a decent amount of time. "Use 'Bullet Seed'!" Sceptile opened his mouth and bombarded Electabuzz with energized seeds, and this time 'Light Screen' didn't come up as it had already worn off. "Aww man, and here I didn't wanna chance losing Sceptile's special attack power because of 'Light Screen'."

"Ash didn't wanna gamble that time. It was a smart move but at the same time it's gotta hurt knowing that he could've used 'Leaf Storm' and possibly finished Electabuzz off." Misty said.

"I think Paul is in Ash's head, he's starting lose his nerve now that Paul is catching up with him, and since Paul still has one fresh Pokémon, he honestly has the advantage here." Brock added.

"Light Screen'!" Electabuzz grinned evilly as it knew Ash would be annoyed by this move, and it found pleasure in bullying and tormenting its opponents, but then it found itself in its Pokéball again, as Paul called out his next choice, "Now Honchkrow, stand by for battle!" Paul's lone flying-type appeared, puffing out its chest at the worn down grass-type. "Use 'Aerial Ace'!"

Honchkrow dove down towards Sceptile to attack, but the grass-type was locked in and focused, and Ash fed off that and was able to call out his move, "Dodge that Sceptile!" By some miracle, Sceptile was able to dodge the flying-type attack by sliding down on the ground like a baseball player sliding for home, and the Forest Pokémon could actually feel how close the attack had come to hitting him, as he could feel the wind that was generated by Honchkrow's swoop back into the sky, "Now, use 'Quick Attack'!"

Sceptile jumped into the air and managed to get a decent hit off of Honchkrow, but the dark/flying-type didn't seem to take too much damage, "That's not gonna do you any good. 'Dark Pulse'!" Honchkrow fired rings of dark energy from its chest, and Sceptile took the hit with some difficulty.

"Come on Sceptile, hang in there!" Sceptile wanted to listen to Ash, but after dodging the close call from 'Aerial Ace', and now taking a 'Dark Pulse', the Forest Pokémon had used up all his reserve energy from the rest he had been granted, he could barely move his legs as it was, but still he was pushing himself past his limits for Ash's sake, he could sense that his opponent had an distinct arrogance and cruelness to him that he had never seen in any other trainer before, why was he like that? Why did he seem to get pleasure out of hurting Pokémon? That was something he would have to ask his friends after the battle was over. "Stay strong Sceptile! 'Solarbeam'!" The seeds on Sceptile's back glowed white, as he began charging the ordered attack.

"Now! 'Sky Attack'!" Paul barked.

"Oh no!" Ash immediately regretted calling out 'Solarbeam', as after moments of charging its own attack, Honchkrow swooped down in a vicious white aura, dodging 'Solarbeam' in the process so that 'Light Screen' wasn't even necessary, and the Big Boss Pokémon hit Sceptile hard…but by some sort of unknown reason, Sceptile had _still _refused to relinquish victory. "Sceptile…" Ash's voice cracked at seeing how broken down his powerful grass-type had become.

"You're just making it harder on yourself." Paul returned Honchkrow wordlessly, "Now Magmortar, stand by for battle!" Magmortar appeared in front of Sceptile, who fought to raise his head and look up at the large fire-type.

"Scep tile." (Give it your best shot.)

"Mag mortar." (Best offer I've had all day.)

Ash was frozen in place, he didn't order a dodge, he didn't try to call Sceptile back, all he could do was stand there like a statue and watch in horror as Magmortar blasted a 'Flamethrower' at point-blank range, forcing Sceptile to shout in agony at the top of his lungs, as the fire engulfed his body and left him with burn marks all over his body. Magmortar finally stepped back and admired his work. Sceptile was barely noticeable at this point. The 'Flamethrower' had charred his body, and his tail had actually been partly burned off…it would heal and grow back of course, but not for quite a while, and in the meantime, the only comfort Sceptile had was the fact that he had been knocked out, granting him temporary sleep and relief from the pain he would soon be in.

"Sceptile is unable to battle! The winner is Magmortar!"

After hearing Olivier announce that, Ash began to tremble involuntarily…he hadn't expected this battle to be so difficult or this brutal, all of his Pokémon had suffered incredibly devastating hits that had gone past just knocking them out. Even now, Charizard was probably suffering inside Pokéball, now Sceptile had been all but destroyed by Paul's heartlessness…what kind of monster was this trainer? What kind of person would push the rules to their limits, just so he could impose pain on his friends and Pokémon? He knew Paul treated his own Pokémon wrongly, but this…this was a new low. "You disgusting creep." Ash had only said it loud enough for himself and Pikachu to hear…but he hadn't taken into account that one other was able to know how he felt…and he wasn't happy about it.

"Riolu, come back here!" Hearing Misty's outburst, Olivier called timeout on the field as he saw Riolu running angrily towards Magmortar, a 'Force Palm' at the ready.

"Give me a break." Paul sighed. Magmortar swung its arm and sent Riolu flying right into Ash, who had since snapped out of his pity-induced trance and was now holding the baby Pokémon in his arms, "Too much love, not enough discipline. I tried to warn you."

Ash looked down at Riolu, who was now breathing heavily after taking the cheap shot from Magmortar. He looked ok, but it was clear he would be hurting for a little while. By this time, Ash had had it. "You didn't have to do that!" he yelled with anger never felt by him before, "Why are you trying to hurt my Pokémon Paul?! Why are you trying to make them hurt?! That's not what battling is about! Battling isn't an opportunity to make your opponents suffer!"

"You're a fool." Paul replied coolly, "I do what I need to do in order to win, my attacks ensure victory beyond the shadow of a doubt, that's all that's been happening here. If your Pokémon can't take the hits, maybe you should consider a different approach to your training." Once Olivier called time in…albeit reluctantly, Paul returned Magmortar and called out Honchkrow again.

It was then that Ash decided he had talked enough, there was only one thing Paul understood, and that was battling. He wanted so badly to go over to Paul and size him up, take him down and send him to the hospital, it was what he deserved in his mind. But then another look at Riolu, who was stirring in his arms, he decided he would keep his wits about him, he would teach Paul a lesson through his Pokémon. Ash stood up and handed Riolu back to the Emanation Pokémon's adopted mother, Misty. "Take care of him Mist."

His voice displayed no emotion, he seemed almost robotic…but Misty being Misty, she could read her boyfriend like an open book. She could see Ash's heart in turmoil, she could see that he was hurting over the fact that his Pokémon had been brutally beaten on by Paul. She wanted nothing more than to comfort him, hug him and kiss him and let him know that she was behind him, but she knew she couldn't interfere, Ash wouldn't let her at this point. He was angry, and he was determined to finish the battle. And so, all she did was nod at her boyfriend, and then she watched him walk back to the battlefield and face Paul, _"Ash…don't worry, everything's gonna be alright after…I'll make sure of that."_

"Pikachu, he called out Honchkrow. This battle is all yours." Ash raised a determined fist, "Take him down buddy." Pikachu nodded and took his place on the field, his feelings at this point were the same as his trainer's. He wanted revenge on Paul for hurting his friends, and he would make sure that he'd come out on top.

"The battle will now resume!" Olivier shouted.

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu fired a blast of electricity that was actually so powerful that rocks jumped off the ground from the energy spike, and it nailed the Big Boss Pokémon who despite having protection from 'Light Screen', clearly felt the hit, "Again!" Pikachu fired again, but this time Paul was ready.

"Aerial Ace'!" Using the power of 'Aerial Ace' to add to its evasiveness, Honchkrow spun away from the attack and then swooped down to attack.

"Ready Pikachu?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded with sparking cheeks, as he knew exactly what Ash was about to tell him.

"Why isn't Ash telling Pikachu to dodge?!" Dawn exclaimed.

Brock thought about it, but then he figured it out, "Wait, I know why!"

"Do it!" Paul shouted. Honchkrow picked up speed and eventually made it so that it was only inches off the ground and was closing in fast.

"Now! 'Volt Tackle'!" Much to the shock of everyone in the stands, Pikachu ran as fast as he could, generating a veil of electricity that covered the mouse completely, and he ran headfirst into Honchkrow's 'Aerial Ace', causing an explosion to take place, which blocked the view of everyone watching. "Pikachu?!"

When the smoke cleared, Pikachu's body had leftover electricity giving him recoil damage, but Honchkrow had fallen. "Honchkrow is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu!"

Normally Ash would've cheered, but he was still upset over what Paul had done to his Pokémon, so he remained stone-faced. And Pikachu didn't mind it one bit. He knew Ash was focused, he knew Ash could care less about pride at this point, all that mattered was making sure Paul didn't get away with doing what he did with a victory today. "Be ready Pikachu."

"Ash doesn't seem happy about winning." Dawn pointed out.

"Makes sense." Misty's comment got the attention of the coordinator girl, "Ash doesn't care about winning anymore, he just wants to make sure Paul loses. He doesn't want Paul to leave this place as the winner of this battle, knowing that he got away with being abusive to his Pokémon."

Dawn frowned and looked back at her mentor and friend on the battlefield, this wasn't the same Ash who taught her almost everything she knew about battling and building relationships with her Pokémon, this was an angry version of that trainer…but she could understand very easily why he was feeling that way. _"What a disaster _this _turned out to be."_

Paul returned Honchkrow and glared at its Pokéball, "You didn't move fast enough, and you lost because of it." Paul put the Pokéball back on his belt and grabbed a different one, "Now Magmortar, stand by for battle!" Once again Paul's huge fire-type emerged, glaring down at who it hoped would be its next victim.

"Ok Pikachu, take the fight to _him! _'Quick Attack', let's go!" Pikachu ran with a burst of speed and trail of white light behind him, and the electric mouse head-butted the Blast Pokémon in the chest with a hard tackle that knocked it back slightly. But when it recovered, it smirked maliciously at Pikachu, who had just landed back on the ground. "What's so funny?" Ash suddenly knew _exactly _what was so funny. Pikachu gave a cry of pain as his body burst into flame without warning or reason. And just as quickly, the flames died down, but Pikachu was left weakened, and he got down on one knee to try and keep his composure.

"Magmortar's 'Flame Body'…it got Pikachu!" Dawn gulped.

"Pikachu, are you alright?!" Pikachu turned back to Ash and nodded, and then turned back to Magmortar and got on all fours, cheeks sparking wildly with built up electricity, "We'll make this quick then, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu unleashed his most powerful 'Thunderbolt' of the day, and it made a beeline for the Blast Pokémon.

"Magmortar, 'Flamethrower'!" Magmortar aimed its cannons and fired, and when the two attacks collided, the group witnessed the biggest explosion of the day, as flames burst outward from the explosion and forced everyone to shield their eyes from the bright light it created, all except for Paul who seemed unfazed by the display.

_"Man_ that's powerful." Ash said to himself, "Can't wait all day, that burn'll get Pikachu sooner or later…Pikachu, 'Volt Tackle'!" Pikachu surged forward with his most powerful attack charged and ready to go, but Paul was more than ready for it.

"Use 'Rock Tomb'!" Magmortar aimed its left cannon, and fired purple balls of energy that turned into rock upon impact with the ground, and one by one Pikachu ran through them with the power of 'Volt Tackle'.

But as the rocks kept coming, Pikachu lost steam and eventually couldn't break through one last boulder that had been set for him, and he was sent flying back from the impact. Pikachu then landed on his back and got a rather unpleasant reminder of what happened the last time he struck Magmortar physically in the form of a burn spasm. "Pikachu, you gotta hang in there!" Hearing Ash's encouragement, and also remembering exactly what he was battling for at this point, Pikachu growled and fought himself back onto all fours, but as determined as he was, even Pikachu realized that at some point his body would stop doing what he wanted it to.

"Use 'Smog'!" Paul ordered. Magmortar opened its mouth, and poisonous smoke came out of it in an attempt to choke the electric mouse into submission.

"Pikachu, spin and 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu heard the order and followed through. He began breakdancing on the ground while using 'Thunderbolt', making a barrier that not only knocked back the 'Smog' attack, but bombarded Magmortar with decently powered waves of electricity that 'Light Screen' didn't repel because it didn't recognize the move.

"Alright! Pikachu's 'Thunderbolt' Counter Shield! _That _should hold Paul off!" Dawn exclaimed.

"I'm surprised Paul hasn't found a way to stop that move yet." Reggie said.

"It's probably too new, has he ever seen anything like it _before _today?"Misty replied. Once Pikachu stopped spinning however, the burn came back to not let Pikachu get too confident. "But that burn effect is still there unfortunately, if Ash doesn't finish off this battle soon, Pikachu's going down one way or the other."

"Magmortar, 'Flamethrower'!"

Just as Magmortar fired, Ash made his call. "Use 'Iron Tail' from above!" Pikachu leaped over the flames that had barely begun to lick at his fur, and managed to slam his now iron hard tail into Magmortar's head, making the Blast Pokémon feel pain solely from the impact. But as Magmortar recovered, Pikachu was hurt by his burn again, and at this point Pikachu felt no desire to resist anymore, as he hunched over in pain with his teeth clenched. "Come on Pikachu, stay strong!"

"Magmortar, finish this with 'Fire Punch'!"

Magmortar rumbled forward with 'Fire Punch', and wound up its cannon for the final blow, "Pikachu, quick! Dodge it with 'Quick Attack'!" As much as Pikachu wanted to do just that however, the electric mouse soon found he had no energy left to move, and could do nothing but brace himself as Magmortar punched Pikachu with all its might and sent Pikachu flying into the nearby lake. "Pikachu!" Ash ran into the water where Pikachu had made an electricity infused splash, and after a few tension filled moments, bubbles began to come from under the water, and Pikachu weakly walked up out of the lake, "Pikachu, are you alright?" Pikachu smiled feebly at Ash for the briefest of moments, before falling into his arms with swirls in his eyes, signaling his defeat.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! The winner is Magmortar!"

"About time." Paul scoffed.

"Even Pikachu couldn't handle all that, gotta give this to him, that little electric-type's got heart to spare." Reggie said sympathetically.

Ash gently placed Pikachu into his arms and started walking over to the stands, "Thanks Pikachu, you gave it your all and then some." Pikachu had regained consciousness and smiled at Ash, his eyes displaying extreme fatigue. Ash then looked up at his friends, and then down at a certain Pokémon who had been watching in worry the whole time Pikachu was battling, "Take good care of him Buneary." Ash smiled at the rabbit and carefully laid Pikachu down on the vacant spot on the bench, and Buneary wasted no time in comforting the electric-type with a gentle hug, which Pikachu was more than glad to accept after the beating he had withstood.

"Is it time Ash?" Misty asked suddenly, much to the confusion of everyone else on the bench.

Ash frowned as he looked at Misty, whose face seemed to send mixed emotions of concern and determination all at once. "Yeah…it's time. Have Gyarados ready."

Misty nodded, and called out her large water-dragon who growled softly upon release. "You know what to do Gyarados." Gyarados nodded, understanding what it was to do when the time came.

"What's going on?" Dawn asked nervously.

Nobody replied to the coordinator's question, and Ash simply took his place back on the field, "I hope you're satisfied with what you've done Paul." He began, "You've proved to me that you _really _don't care about the well-being of Pokémon, I always thought to myself that way deep down, you cared about Pokémon, and you really _did _want to be friends with them, but now I see. I see that you really _do _only see them as tools, and I've never met any trainer that was as cruel to Pokémon as you." Ash's speech didn't seem to be having any effect on Paul, until he heard what Ash said next, "I was there when Brandon swept you, using only Regirock, Regice, and Registeel to do it…you wanna know how I beat him Paul? I beat him because my Pokémon didn't know the meaning of the word quit, they refused to let me lose because they cared about me, and they knew that _I _cared about _them. _And until you learn that, you'll _never _be a true winner like Brandon, no matter _how _strong you get."

That last part seemed to get to Paul, as the normally cool trainer seemed to flinch at Ash's words. The truth was, he could argue that his battle-style was better than Ash's all he wanted…the fact was that Ash had still beaten Brandon, while he had not, and that cold reality made Paul seethe inwardly, but at this point in the battle, he refused to let Ash even get an idea that his speech had made him think.

"Ash is pouring it on thick." Brock said.

"I just hope that what Ash is saying somehow gets through to Paul…if not now…then sometime in the future." Reggie replied hopefully.

"Now you'll witness firsthand what friendship between trainer and Pokémon can do!" Ash grabbed his second to last Pokéball and held it tightly before winding up his throw, "Snorlax, I choose you!" The Sleeping Pokémon emerged one last time, still clearly exhausted from his previous two bouts.

"I already saw what your Snorlax can do and I'm not impressed." Paul scoffed, "Besides, it looks about ready to fall over, I'd say you're a hypocrite to your own foolish beliefs by letting it battle." Normally Ash would've taken offense to that comment, but the black-haired trainer had a plan that was completely unknown to Paul. "Let's end this. Use 'Fire Punch'!" Magmortar once again charged forward to finish off its opponent.

"Get ready…" Snorlax tensed his muscles and waited for the right moment. Just as Magmortar was about to strike, Ash made the call. "Now Snorlax! Grab its arms!" Snorlax stopped the punch by grabbing onto Magmortar's arms, "It's time Snorlax! 'Self-Destruct'!"

"What?!" Paul shielded his eyes as Snorlax suddenly glowed white while still holding onto Magmortar who was desperately trying to break free of the normal-type's grasp.

"Now Gyarados! 'Protect'!" Gyarados activated the huge green barrier, just as Snorlax seemed to explode, causing Ash, Paul, and even Olivier to be knocked down from 'Self-Destruct's' power.

When the smoke cleared from the attack, both Snorlax and Magmortar had fainted. "Way to go Snorlax, I'm proud of you." Ash sighed.

Olivier got back up and dusted off his uniform, "Both Pokémon are unable to battle!"

Paul returned Magmortar and said nothing, while Ash returned Snorlax to his Pokéball with a somewhat sad expression, "Way to take one for the team Snorlax."

"What…was _that?" _Dawn asked.

"Self-Destruct'. 'Self-Destruct' is a super-powerful move that causes the user to…well…self-destruct. It faints the user automatically, but luckily the attack is so strong that unless the opponent has a resistance to normal-type moves, it almost guarantees that the opponent faints too." Brock explained.

"Ash sacrificed Snorlax in order to take down Magmortar, but it makes sense since Snorlax was pretty much a dead duck anyway." Misty added. Suddenly Psyduck appeared, holding its head as always, "Psyduck, you're clearly still alive, don't come out unless I call you." Misty returned Psyduck and then returned Gyarados as its purpose had been served.

"Now Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" Electabuzz emerged again, and glared at Ash who had yet to make his move.

"Ok…Chimchar, I choose you!" Chimchar popped out of his Pokéball and growled at the bully of an electric-type, "Chimchar, let's show him how powerful you can be! Use 'Flame Wheel'!" Chimchar enveloped himself in flame and charged forward to attack.

"Use 'Thunder Punch'!"

Electabuzz swung its fist and punched the 'Flame Wheel' back, but Chimchar stayed in the attack, showing he had taken no damage from the hit, "Use 'Flamethrower'!" Still in midair, Chimchar came out of 'Flame Wheel' and unleashed a powerful 'Flamethrower' that managed to nail Electabuzz dead-on.

"Thunder'!" Electabuzz quickly recovered and fired back with its most powerful attack, which badly electrocuted the fire monkey and left him depleted. "This battle's over." Paul scoffed.

"Chimchar, come on! You're the last one, you're the only one who can beat Paul!" Chimchar forced himself to his feet, growling and snarling as he summoned every ounce of energy he could…but no one could've predicted what happened next. Chimchar suddenly became enveloped in a white light, bringing gasps from everyone, even _Paul _looked shocked. "Could it be?!"

"Chimchar's evolving!" Brock exclaimed.

Ash watched as his small fire-type grew slightly larger in size, and a long tail sprouted from where his smaller ember tail used to be. His arms became more defined and powerful looking, and a spike collar grew around his neck. Finally the evolution was complete, and the Pokémon shouted his name with determination unlike any other. "That's great! You evolved into Monferno!" Monferno smirked and gave Ash a thumbs-up.

"Wow, amazing!" Dawn pulled out her pink Pokédex to scan the newly evolved Pokémon.

"Monferno, the Playful Pokémon and the evolved form of Chimchar. It controls its flaming tail to keep its opponent at an ideal distance when battling." The Pokédex chirped.

"Amazing! Chimchar answered Ash's call and gained new power in order to rise to the challenge! The trust between Ash and his Pokémon is being demonstrated right before our eyes!" Reggie exclaimed, impressed.

Monferno then turned to face Paul and did some shadow boxing, as his fists began moving faster and faster while starting to glow white with a new power, and then one powerful swing of his fist sent a whirlwind Paul's way, that made the trainer's hair blow. "Wow Monferno, you learned 'Mach Punch' and that's a brand new move!" Monferno did backflips in excitement, now that he had evolved, he couldn't wait to get the battle going again, he was going to prove to Paul and Electabuzz just how powerful he really was.

"You know what else this shows?" Reggie said suddenly.

"What Reggie?" Dawn asked curiously.

"This shows that Chimchar wasn't really compatible with Paul's training style, but with _Ash's _training style it's a perfect fit! Simple as that. Just as some Pokémon have compatibility issues, there can be the _same _issue with Pokémon and _trainers_. And Chimchar's evolution is a great example. I'm not saying Paul's style is right, but at the moment this isn't about who's right or wrong. This is a battle for pride, and for Ash, it's even more than that, it's a battle for his fallen Pokémon, he's gonna try and win it for them as well as himself." Reggie crossed his arms, "I doubted myself and my idea when I saw just how hostile Ash and Paul's rivalry was, but the truth is I'm still right about one thing…this battle will make both trainers and their Pokémon stronger in the long run. I just wish it could've been done without the unnecessary, extra violence."

"Alright Monferno, use 'Mach Punch'!" Monferno rushed forward with incredible speed, and before Electabuzz could even react, Monferno's face was two inches away from its own, and the Electric Pokémon soon found a fist digging into its gut, and with a hard push from Monferno, Electabuzz went flying into a nearby rock. "Alright!"

"Wow! Monferno's _super-_fast!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Now Paul gets to witness firsthand what training with love can accomplish, I would've _loved _to see _him _pull that off with Monferno!" Misty added with a grin.

"Get up Electabuzz! 'Thunder'!" Electabuzz gave its first real growl of the battle, and used all its power to fire an incredibly powerful electric-type attack at the Playful Pokémon.

Monferno had no time to dodge since the attack came so fast, so the fire monkey just crossed his arms and took the hit, getting pushed by the attack's power. When it finally wore off, Monferno shouted in pain, "Hang in there Monferno, use 'Flame Wheel' now!" Monferno shook off the electricity and burst ahead in a wheel of fire.

"Protect'!"

Electabuzz quickly countered with a green shield, and Monferno bounced off the barrier and flew into the air. When Monferno uncurled from his ball, Ash barked out another move, "Now 'Flamethrower' from up there!"

"Thunder Punch', quick!" Electabuzz managed to dodge the flames and jumped up into the air to strike Monferno, but the fire monkey's agility was too much for the Electric Pokémon, who was left swinging at nothing but air as Monferno flew over Electabuzz's head. "You missed!" Paul snarled.

"Monferno, 'Dig'!" Monferno was already hurtling earthward, so all he had to was go underground as soon as he made contact with the ground, and that's what he did. Once Electabuzz hit the ground, looking around warily for where Monferno would reemerge, Monferno did just that and connected with the Electric Pokémon's jaw, "Now 'Flame Wheel'!" Monferno was on the attack now, and there seemed to be no stopping him.

"Thunder'!"

Paul had Electabuzz try to shoot Monferno out of the sky, but Ash was once again ready for it, "Use 'Flamethrower'!"

"Not again!" Paul growled.

Monferno activated his Counter Shield and fended off the 'Thunder' attack, and that left Monferno free to nail Electabuzz with a brutal hit, "Keep it up Monferno!"

"All Paul can do right now is defend." Reggie said.

"Ash is on the attack now that Chimchar evolved into Monferno, I told Ash he'd battle with a lot of heart, now that he's battling for his friends as well as himself, that determination and will just got that much stronger!" Misty added.

"Mach Punch' go!"

"Protect'!"

Monferno blasted forward to attack, but this time even Monferno wasn't fast enough to get to Electabuzz before it activated the green shield, as he was left to punch nothing but what seemed like a brick wall, "Now, 'Thunder'!" Electabuzz fired again, this time at point-blank range, and Monferno took the full brunt of the attack and groaned in agony.

"Quickly switching gears between 'Protect' and an attack shows how impressive Paul's Electabuzz is." Brock admitted, "You gotta give this to Paul, he may have suspect methods but his Pokémon know what they're doing."

Monferno fell to his hands and knees and groaned in exhaustion, after using attack after attack and then getting hit with 'Thunder', his evolution-induced energy surge and since worn off, and he was quickly losing steam. "Monferno are you alright?!" Suddenly Monferno's body began to crackle with electricity; this concerned Ash. "Hold on…Monferno, use 'Flamethrower' now!" Monferno got back up and readied his attack, but then the electricity came back and stopped him, "I knew it…he's paralyzed!" Ash groaned in worry.

"Oh no…not _now!" _Dawn cried.

"If Ash doesn't find a way to work around this, it's all over!" Misty gulped.

Paul smirked as he knew that victory was ensured now that the power of 'Thunder' had paralyzed Monferno…but the purple-haired trainer gasped in shock when Monferno suddenly roared his name at the top of his lungs, and shook off the paralysis, "No way…"

The flame on Monferno's tail suddenly grew and shot off in five different directions, as Monferno shouted out battle cries, "Whoa!" Ash gasped.

"Oh no, is that 'Blaze'?!" Dawn exclaimed nervously.

Reggie just smirked, "That's not 'Blaze'." He snickered with amusement, "It's Monferno's determination not to be beaten and avenge his friends manifesting itself in his flame." He explained.

Monferno then shouted another battle cry, which got Ash to relinquish a proud smile, "That's right Monferno! We're not gonna give up no matter what! We're gonna win this for our friends! Alright Monferno, 'Mach Punch'!" Tail blazing and fist glowing, Monferno rushed forward to unleash the fighting-type move.

"Electabuzz, 'Thunder Punch'!" Electabuzz also ran to meet Monferno's punch with its own electricity infused one.

When the two attacks collided, a blinding white light flashed, and then an explosion took place on the field, causing smoke to rise all over the field, blocking the two Pokémon from view and leaving everyone wondering who had emerged victorious, and Ash extremely worried about his Pokémon and friend.

"MONFERNO!"  
_

**A/N: Wow wow wow wow wow! What have I done?! I'll tell you what I did! I made my first ever _real _cliffhanger! We all know what happened in the anime...but the big question is...am I gonna change what happened? Or am I gonna stay true to the anime? Either way is possible! And you've seen what the strategies are with Charizard, Sceptile, and Snorlax...unfortunately Charizard never got to use 'Solarbeam', but at least now he has it at his disposal for future battles...wanna see what happens? I wanna see reviews! The winner is still up for grabs! I haven't even decided myself yet! Sit tight everyone!**


	57. The Aftermath

**Well everyone, this is it! Now we find out who came out on top in the thrilling battle between Ash and Paul! To all my reviewers, I thank you for your input, but what it came down to was which would I be able to make a better story out of both right now and going forward. So if I disappoint anyone with the decision, my apologies ahead of time. So now with the anon reviews.**

**Guest1: You'll see now**

**Guest2: Glad you were excited, guess that means I did a good job with the battle. ^^**

**Guest3: Cliffhangers are evil, yes...but somehow fitting in this particular situation lol**

**Guest4: If you find that time machine, be sure to keep Misty's VA from ever trying to go on a singing tour. I mean seriously? Geez...**

**XwildtorchicX: Yes, Paul's a jerk, but there's a reason for that, and it will be revealed in the distant future. And yes, cliffhangers are evil, but as I said before...it was fitting.**

**That's it! Now hold on tight folks, it's time for the results! I own nothing except the story.  
_**

Chapter 57

**Misty's POV**

I…uh…forget it, who won?!

**Normal POV**

The smoke finally cleared from the collision of two powerful attacks, and it appeared that both Pokémon were still fighting to just stand up…if someone were to drop a pin at this moment, everyone around would've been able to hear it hit the ground. No one murmured, no one even breathed as if any little obscure factor could make the decision.

Suddenly though…Monferno gulped and began to fall over, "No Monferno no!" Just when Ash thought he had lost the battle, Monferno caught himself with one hand and managed to keep from falling, at the same time Electabuzz ran out of steam and fell over without question. "Monferno…you…won…"

Electabuzz is unable to battle! Monferno is the winner and the match goes to Ash of Kanto!" Olivier announced.

Everyone on the stands leaped up in joy and began cheering, all except for Reggie who simply had a small smile and went over to Paul, who seemed to have no emotions at the moment, "It was a good battle Paul." He tried to comfort his brother. Paul didn't respond and just returned the fainted electric-type to its Pokéball.

Ash friends might've been happy, but Ash felt no desire to cheer, despite his close victory. With the sun setting behind the nearby mountains, Ash walked onto the field and knelt down in front of Monferno, who had since succumbed to his fatigue once he had been declared the winner. Monferno opened his eyes to look up at Ash, and the black-haired trainer relinquished a small smile, "Monferno…thank you."

The entire group gathered together, "That was a spectacular battle you two." Reggie said, "Many thanks."

Paul dipped his head a bit, "Yeah…I suppose it was." The trainer admitted reluctantly, "I'll send you my Pokémon Reggie."

"Got it Paul." Reggie replied.

Paul nodded and turned to walk away, the weight of his defeat weighing heavily in his heart. But as down as Paul was feeling, Ash was feeling worse. The trainer got up from his knees with Monferno resting in his arms, and as he watched Paul walk away, he was reminded of exactly what had taken place during the battle. He may have won, but his victory was extremely hollow. It had come at such a high price, he wondered if it was even worth the trouble. "I gotta go." Ash picked up Pikachu and carried both him and Monferno to the Pokémon Center, without his friends.

"What's wrong? He won!" Dawn exclaimed with concern.

"Yeah…" Misty sighed sadly, "He won the battle Dawn, but at what price?"

"I'm gonna catch up with Paul," Reggie said sympathetically, "You guys take care of Ash, I think he could use some reassurance."

"Ok…seeya Reggie…" Brock and the other teens turned to part with Reggie, but then Brock turned his head back to talk once more to Reggie, "Reggie, I'm sure what Ash said got to Paul somehow, try to talk to him huh?"

Reggie smiled, "I intend to Brock, you take care of _your _guy, and _I'll _take care of _mine."_ With a nod, the two breeders parted ways.

Back inside the Pokémon Center, Ash had gone to Nurse Joy and given his Pokémon over to the nurse to try and heal. Needless to say, when Ash saw how badly his Pokémon had been hurt by Paul, Ash felt heartbroken. He watched from outside the recovery room window as Nurse Joy went to each Pokémon and bandaged their wounds. Not one Pokémon wasn't groaning in pain, even the normally tough as nails Charizard was wincing as Nurse Joy applied Super Potion cream and then bandaged the damaged horn on his head.

Sceptile's tail had been badly charred along with the rest of his body, and Nurse Joy had to apply a special grass-type fertilizer spray to help it grow back faster and to hopefully provide some pain relief. Snorlax, his 'Self-Destruct' had left him extremely depleted and weakened, it looked as if he wouldn't wake up for weeks because of how powerless he had been rendered.

His partner Pikachu. The burns on his fur stung like nothing he had ever felt before, and he could barely move without feeling sharp pain. And of course his newly evolved Monferno…Monferno had battled like never before, with more heart and determination than he had ever exhibited before, and now even as the victor, the fire monkey couldn't even enjoy it. He was hurting far too much, as Nurse Joy bandaged his arms and legs which had been badly bruised by his battle with Paul, Ash could only imagine how his Pokémon felt, how much pain they were in right now, and all for what? A hollow victory against his cruel rival. No…not rival…_enemy. _

"Ash!" Misty found Ash staring intently inside the recovery room, where all of his Pokémon were being bandaged by the pink haired nurse. "Ash, it wasn't your fault."

Ash didn't stick around to listen to her reassurance; he didn't even want _Misty's _company. All he wanted right now was to be alone. Ash dipped his head and used his cap to hide his face, and briskly walked away to try and escape.

By this time, Dawn and Brock had found their way as well, "I think it might be best if we give Ash a little time to himself." Brock suggested.

Misty looked back at her older brother figure and frowned, how could he expect her to leave Ash alone in his time of despair? Misty shook her head and chased after Ash, who had been keeping a steady pace to their room. "Ash, please!" Ash stopped at her voice, but he refused to look at her, "Ash," Misty hugged him from behind, and moments later she felt him start to shake, she knew what was coming. "It's ok Ash, don't be embarrassed, this is _me, _remember? You can cry if you want."

Ash did start to cry, but he didn't want her there right now, "M-Misty…please…I just wanna be alone for a while…o-ok?" Ash broke free and went into the room without waiting for a reply; he just couldn't stand to face anyone right now.

After having him run from her twice, Misty decided that maybe Brock was right, maybe Ash _did _need some time to himself…but seeing her boyfriend so broken and so emotionally hurt by what happened in the battle, it made her heart ache. _"Maybe _tomorrow_ he'll let me talk to him." _With a sad sigh, Misty walked in and just headed to the shower, sneaking one last longing glance at the trainer who was outside on the balcony, looking up into the now starlit sky.

The next morning, Ash was downstairs again before anyone else was even awake; Brock had slept on the couch so that Misty could sleep on his bed, so she could give him his space. He was grateful that they honoring his wishes, but somehow in the deep recesses of his mind, he was sort of hoping Misty would be stubborn enough to stay with him. He didn't even know why he was shunning the comfort of his friends, all he knew was that right now, his Pokémon friends were in the recovery room, trying to sleep off their pains and aches from the day before. Eventually Ash couldn't stand to look anymore, and he went outside to a large grassy area, and just lied down to think about things…like his future as a Pokémon Trainer, _"How can I ever do this to them again?"_

There was one Pokémon that was awake in the recovery room however. Riolu. Riolu had sensed Ash's distress with his aura and it made him sad just like him. Riolu scampered over to the door and tried to open it, but the baby Pokémon was still too small to reach the knob. "Why can't I be big like them?" Riolu whined, as he slid against the door of the recovery room and just flopped onto the floor.

Riolu's displeasure however hadn't gone unheard. Buneary, who Dawn had allowed to stay with Pikachu that night, had heard Riolu whining with her sensitive hearing and woke up to see what was wrong. "What's wrong Riolu?"

"Daddy's sad." Riolu whimpered, sniffling a little.

Buneary frowned sympathetically and hopped off the recovery bed, accidently waking up Pikachu in the process. "Don't cry Riolu," the rabbit said comfortingly, "I'm sure Ash will feel better soon."

"I dunno about that." Pikachu's voice got the attention of Riolu and Buneary, and the rabbit gasped when Pikachu carefully made his way off the recovery bed and onto the floor.

"You should be resting," the rabbit scolded gently, "Why are you walking around?"

By now all the Pokémon had been awoken by the ruckus, also curious as to what was going on. Pikachu groaned softly and winced a little before responding to the rabbit. "Can't sleep anymore." He said through a grunt, "Besides, we've got _bigger _problems at the moment."

"What could be bigger than the fact that we can barely move?" Buizel asked bitterly, not because of Ash of course, he just hated being vulnerable.

"I think Riolu's right, Ash is sad." Pikachu replied, "I think he's starting to doubt himself as a trainer."

"What for? We won!" Buizel exclaimed.

"Did we?" Pikachu asked rhetorically. That comment raised the eyebrows of almost everyone in the room, "I've known Ash for a long long time, and I can tell you that there's only one thing more important to him than winning."

"That's Mommy!" Riolu exclaimed.

Pikachu smiled a little at that, "True," but then he got back to his main point. "Lemme rephrase, when it comes to _battling, _only one thing is more important to him than winning. It's building relationships." Pikachu looked around the room and saw that Monferno and Charizard were nodding at him, but the others were still a little confused, so he went on. "Ash isn't just our trainer, he's our friend, wouldn't you all agree with that?"

This time everyone in the room nodded at that. "I think I get what you mean Pikachu." Monferno said.

Pikachu nodded at the fire/fighting-type. "Ash won the battle, but look how it left _us._" The Pokémon took a moment to examine themselves. "We're bruised, battered, burned, broken, whatever adjective you wanna use…and the fact that Paul seemed to go out of his way to hurt us, means more to Ash than winning the battle."

"Oh yeah," Sceptile spoke up, "I meant to ask you guys about him, what's _with _that guy anyway?"

"Paul's just a jerk, that's all there is to it!" Buneary spat angrily, "He hurt you guys on purpose for absolutely no reason!"

"I disagree." The Pokémon all turned to Monferno, who was now watching different trainers and Pokémon walk around the Pokémon Center through the window, "Paul didn't hurt us because that was his intention. Paul did what he felt he had to do to make sure he won."

"Never expected to hear that coming from _you _Monferno." Charizard commented.

"Yeah, Paul hurt _you _more than anyone else! How can you defend him?!" Buneary exclaimed.

"I'm not _defending_ him." Monferno replied, "I just _know_ him, that's all. He doesn't train the way Ash does, he doesn't treat his Pokémon with love the way Ash does, but I know that what he does is just his way of getting stronger, he never _tries _to hurt his Pokémon, it just _happens_ that way because of the way he does things."

"Do you think he _cares _about what happened?" Buizel asked, his arms crossed in suspicion.

"I doubt it." Monferno shrugged, "But I'm just telling you what I know. Trust me, if I ever go up against Paul again, I'm gonna give it _more _than my all just like I did this time, _especially _if he tries to use Electabuzz…but when it comes right down to it, Paul's not as bad as he seems, but that doesn't mean I like him, I _don't._"

"He sure looked _that bad _during the battle." Sceptile replied, looking back at his half burned off tail.

"I dunno." Charizard said thoughtfully, earning the attention of the other Pokémon, "Monferno may have a point…if you think about it, this isn't the first time we've taken a beating during a battle, I know it's not _my _first time."

"I've seen you go head to head versus an Articuno with 'Water Pulse' and win!" Pikachu exclaimed.

Charizard smirked as old times were brought back to him, "Exactly my point. Paul didn't break any rules; he just battled rougher than most trainers we've run into. Don't forget how Candice's Abomasnow nailed me with that 'Wood Hammer', I swear I've _still _got lumps, that thing hits _hard."_

"So what you're saying is, this is nothing new." Buizel figured.

"Not battle-wise, no." Charizard replied.

"But something _is _new here." Pikachu said, "Ash is feeling guilty because he thinks it's _his _fault we got hurt!"

"But why?" Snorlax finally decided to say something, "I mean, like Charizard said, this is nothing new."

"It's because it was Paul." Monferno said, "If it had been _anyone _else, Ash wouldn't be feeling this way."

"You know what Monferno? I think you hit right on the head." Pikachu agreed, "If this battle had been with someone like Barry or even Gary, Ash wouldn't be doubting himself."

Charizard scoffed at this, "I think he's being too sensitive over this. We won, and the _next _time we rumble with Paul, we'll make sure we take him down _hard." _

"Getting kinda tense, ain't ya?" Sceptile snickered.

Charizard growled, "That guy reminds me _way_ too much of my old trainer, I wanna get even!" Charizard punched his fist into his claw, but he winced a little when his head started to pound.

"I think you should focus on getting better _before_ you start taking names." Sceptile replied coolly.

_"I _think you should watch yourself grass-type, my head might hurt but I can still breathe fire." Charizard said warningly.

Sceptile shrugged and dismissed Charizard's temper as nothing, "I'm just sayin'."

"Let's try to keep a cool head ok?" Pikachu said, "Charizard, you just acknowledged that Ash cares about _us _more than he does about winning, even _you _can respect that. As I recall, _you _were once the helpless Charmander that needed help from a loving trainer."

Charizard looked away and breathed a small ember with a huff, "I guess." he mumbled in defeat.

"Excuse me?" all the Pokémon glanced down at the Emanation Pokémon that was now raising his hand in the air, wanting a turn to talk.

"Yes Riolu?" Pikachu asked.

"What are we gonna do about Daddy?" The little fighting-type's question got everyone to start thinking, as much as they had talked that morning, the one thing they hadn't discussed was what were they gonna do about Ash.

"Well…he may not be 'daddy' to me," Sceptile smirked, but then got serious again, "But I think we should at least do _something._ Preferably _before _me and Snorlax head back to Prof. Oak's lab to babysit that loopy Haunter and that screwball Rotom." That comment brought chuckles to everyone except Riolu, who had no idea what they were talking about.

"We'll think of something." Pikachu nodded, but then winced again and groaned in pain.

"What's wrong Pikachu?" Buneary gasped in worry.

"I think the painkillers Nurse Joy gave me are starting to wear off…I gotta get some rest." Pikachu struggled to get back up to his bed, and finally made it with a little help from Snorlax. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." With that, Snorlax quickly fell back to sleep, something the Sleeping Pokémon never had problems doing, and that also brought chuckles from everyone.

Then Monferno groaned a little as well, "Yeah…the painkillers are _definitely_ wearing off, my whole body is killing me."

"Considering the beating you took, I'm not surprised." Buizel replied.

"Hey look!" Riolu exclaimed suddenly, "It's Mommy!" Riolu saw Misty walking over with Brock, Dawn, Nurse Joy, and the three still healthy Pokémon, Grotle, Gliscor, and Staraptor, and when the nurse opened the door, Riolu hurried to greet Misty with a hug.

"Hey Riolu, you doing ok?" Misty picked up the baby Pokémon and smiled at him, albeit half-heartedly. Riolu picked up on Misty's sad aura and whined at her. "I know…I'm not feeling too good today."

I don't think _any _of us are." Dawn added with a sad sigh, as she watched Brock and Nurse Joy work with Brock's Happiny and two Pokémon Center Chansey and Blissey, "Just _look _at them Misty, can you even _imagine _how hurt they must be?"

"Actually Dawn, yes I can." That comment caught the coordinator off guard, "They've dealt with worse, it's just that _Paul_ did it that makes it sting that much more." Misty then added in her head, _"Same goes for Ash too."_

Dawn then turned around and groaned sadly when she got tired of watching and slumped onto the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. "I just wish there was something I could do to help."

"Well you heard what Brock said, he said we should Ash alone for a while…and since he didn't want my company or anyone else's for that matter, that looks like all we can do for now." Misty replied.

"I know, and _that's _what's bothering me!" Dawn sighed again and buried her face into her knees. But then, Piplup decided to try and cheer up his master, as he poked her leg to try and get her attention, "What is it Piplup?" When Dawn looked at Piplup, she saw him making several funny faces, trying anything to try and make the coordinator laugh. While it only got a small giggle out of Dawn, it did _wonders _for Riolu, who was laughing really hard at the funny faces the penguin made, "Wow, thanks Piplup, I needed a good laugh."

"And so did Riolu apparently." Misty giggled, as Riolu laughed in her arms, eventually quieting down to a little snigger.

"Yeah." Dawn then snapped her fingers, "That's it!"

"What's it?" Misty asked in confusion.

"I just had the _greatest _thought! And I need _all _of you to help me out on this!" Piplup was all for whatever Dawn had in mind, and that was all the confirmation the coordinator needed, "Come on Misty, let's go!" Dawn got up and grabbed the taller girl by the wrist, dragging her through the Pokémon Center with her protesting all the way, "Wow, this is gonna be _great!"_

"How do I get wrapped up into these things?" Misty sighed, and then gasped as Dawn gave her a sudden tug, getting her to go faster.

Brock had noticed Dawn dragging Misty off, and shook his head with amusement before going back to his work on Pikachu, "I wonder what crazy concoction Dawn's thought of this time." He said with a chuckle.

"Pika pika chu." (Probably something weird.)

Brock then went over to a counter with several medicinal supplies hanging over it cabinets, "Hey, where'd my first aid kit go?" A few excited cries from Happiny answered that for him, "Thanks a lot Happiny!" Brock took the kit and pet Happiny's head, and then went back to work.

"Brock," Nurse Joy spoke up, "I really can't thank you enough, you're such a big help." She said.

"Pika." (Uh oh.) Pikachu rolled his eyes and looked away.

Brock actually squealed when Nurse Joy said that, even his hair stood up on end with excitement, and in less than a millisecond, Brock seemed to warp from one side of the room to the other, just to hold Nurse Joy's hands tenderly, "Nurse Joy, I would _gladly _give myself up _completely _in order to serve to even your _tiniest _desire." He said gallantly. But Brock was broken out of his euphoria when he suddenly felt a presence that wasn't there before.

"Mon ferno." (Not again.) Monferno sighed.

Both Brock and Nurse Joy looked down at the floor, and there was Brock's Croagunk 'Poison Jab' at the ready. Brock squeaked nervously and lifted one leg and both arms in the air as it to try and keep as many jab-able body parts away from the frog as possible, "Wait, Croagunk, please!"

"Scep tile _scep_ scep tile." (I see _some _things never change.) Sceptile snickered.

"You've got it all wrong Croagunk! I was just helping Nurse Joy out you see, it's all perfectly innocent, t-t-that's it!" Brock stood tall with his hands on his hips after dancing around trying to keep Croagunk from jabbing him. Eventually Croagunk powered down his attack, and walked away after deciding to let Brock off with a warning. After Croagunk disappeared, Brock hunched over and sighed in relief, sweat-dropping as well.

"Pika pi ka chu." (He'll never learn.) Pikachu sighed and tried to go back to sleep.

Nurse Joy giggled with some amusement; she had found Croagunk to be rather funny the way it made Brock react. But then as she got back to work, she noticed the progress report on Monferno and gasped softly with concern, "Brock," she said, getting the breeder's mind back on the situation at hand, "I'm concerned about Monferno, his recovery seems so slow, his body is healing at a much slower rate than the others."

"Makes sense." Brock crossed his arms over his chest, "Monferno took a serious beating yesterday." He said glumly.

After rubbing her chin in thought, the nurse looked over to Brock, "Do you think you could go into the woods near here and look for some Cheri Berries for me? I think I can use them to help Monferno's recovery along."

"I'd love to! I'll be back soon!" Brock hurried out of the Pokémon Center and into the woods only a few yards away, with a plastic bag in hand and Cheri Berries on his mind. But after about ten minutes of walking through the woods, Brock had yet to find what he was looking for. "Geez," Brock rubbed his neck that had started to ache a couple of minutes before, "Finding Cheri Berries around here is harder than I thought it'd be." Brock eventually walked all to Lake Acuity, and he still hadn't found a single berry.

"Lake Acuity? Wow…I must've walked farther than I thought." But just then, Brock saw ripples in the water that had been undisturbed until now, "What the?" Brock gasped when he saw a see-through silhouette of a Pokémon he never expected to reveal itself, "Could that be?!" Brock rushed forward to get a better look, but once he got too close to the edge of the lake, the figure disappeared, as if it was never there. "Was that…Uxie?" Brock looked around, and spotted a tree that he swore wasn't there before, "I don't believe it...Cheri Berries." Brock went over and gathered all the berries off the tree, and hurried back to the Pokémon Center to tell his friends of his sighting.

Back at the Pokémon Center, Dawn was working with Pachirisu and Mamoswine on a special project, that Misty really wanted _no part _of. _"What on earth is she doing?" _

"Ok you two, you're doing great!" Dawn then turned to Misty, "Ok Misty, I need _Buneary's _help now, can you go and get her for me? That is, if you can pry her away from Pikachu." The coordinator giggled.

"Sure thing!" Misty hurried off with Riolu in her arms, and once she was out of earshot, she slowed her pace. _"Anything _to get out of there." Misty eventually got back to the recovery room, and noticed that all of Ash's Pokémon with the exception of Monferno were now watching from outside the recovery room, "Hey! You guys are looking better!" The Pokémon smiled feebly at Misty, who had noticed how forced their smiles were, "What's the matter?" then she figured it out, "Wait a sec…Monferno's not with you guys." Misty looked into the recovery room and saw that Monferno was the lone Pokémon inside the recovery room, lying down on a bed with Nurse Joy placing monitor wires on his chest, "Monferno's not doing too good huh?"

Suddenly, Brock came running out of seemingly nowhere, startling the redhead in the process, "Misty, in Lake Acuity! It was there, and all of a sudden, it just _wasn't!" _

"Whoa, hold on a sec." Misty put Riolu down and let the little Pokémon rejoin his friends, "You sound more mixed up than Ash did when we saw Azelf in Lake Valor."

Brock snapped his fingers, "That's what happened!"

"Brock, emphasize please." Misty stressed.

"I think I saw Uxie!" the breeder exclaimed.

Misty's eyes widened at that, "Are you _sure?" _

"Of course I'm not sure! Were _you?!" _Brock replied.

Misty started to reply, but then she stopped herself and rethought her words, "No, I guess not." Misty decided to change the subject after hearing all of Ash's Pokémon, plus Dawn's Buneary, groan with worry, "What's wrong with Monferno?"

"Huh?" Brock shook his head to try and get back to the problem at hand, "Oh…Monferno's recovery hasn't been as fast as the others, Nurse Joy sent me to find some Cheri Berries to see if we could speed the process up a little."

"Well then what are we waiting for? If you have 'em, let's use 'em!" Misty exclaimed.

Brock nodded, and the two trainers walked into the recovery room, where Brock handed the berries to Nurse Joy, who began washing and picking them off their stems. "Sure hope this works." He said.

Outside, the Pokémon were still watching in worry. "Great, first us, then Ash, now it turns out that Monferno was more hurt than we thought." Buizel huffed.

"But he was fine when we talked this morning!" Buneary exclaimed.

"He might've been playing it tough." Sceptile suggested.

"Or he wore himself out and he's just out of energy." Snorlax added, "What do you think Charizard?"

But Charizard didn't answer; he was too busy watching intently at what was happening inside the recovery room. The fact that Nurse Joy had discharged everyone from the recovery room except for Monferno had left him with an uneasy feeling in the dragon's stomach. He saw himself lying on that table, a weak, helpless Charmander who was abandoned by his trainer and adopted by Ash Ketchum, the only human willing to save his life. And now Monferno, just one day evolved from Chimchar, was being worked on by Nurse Joy. _"How hard must it be," _he imagined, _"To face your past over and over again, and every time you do, something else happens to you." _

Charizard was awed by this monkey, who in certain ways was just like him, but in other ways, Monferno wasn't at all like him. Once Ash took him in, Charizard had been lucky enough to simply put the past behind him…but Monferno had to keep going up against his past and face it head on. He knew what Monferno said earlier about Paul not being so bad…he also wondered if when…not if…when he woke up, Monferno would reconsider, seeing as how he almost didn't survive the victory. _"If anyone ever does this to you again, someone's gonna get hurt, and it won't be you."_

"Charizard, anybody home in there?" Sceptile waved his claw in front of the dragon who seemed to be completely lost in thought, "He's gone, he's only with us physically right now." Sceptile concluded.

"He sure cares about Monferno." Gliscor commented.

"He and Monferno share a similar past, they were both abandoned by their trainers." Pikachu explained.

"So Charizard _does _have a soft spot somewhere!" Grotle exclaimed.

"I sort of knew that _before _now," Staraptor said, "No one is so hardcore that they're emotionally invincible."

"Well he did feel sad about…what was it again? Charla I think?" Grotle said.

"Yeah, Charla, his _ex-_girlfriend." Pikachu sighed, "Poor guy, I would hate to think how _I _would feel if I ever lost Buneeeaar - uhhh – a near perfect life!" Pikachu tried to hide his blush and his words by changing them midsentence, but the electric mouse wasn't fooling anyone.

"Sounded like you were gonna say something else." Buizel snickered.

"Yeah, like…I dunno, Buneary?" Gliscor added with a chuckle.

"Lay off you guys!" Pikachu exclaimed embarrassedly.

If Pikachu thought he was embarrassed now, he hadn't felt anything yet, "Aww Pikachu, you _do _care!" Buneary hugged the electric-type tightly, causing him to blush even deeper than a moment before.

"E-E-Easy! I'm still not fully recovered remember?" Pikachu stammered.

Buneary released Pikachu and giggled, "Sorry…just happy." She giggled again, which got Pikachu to relinquish a timid smile.

Back inside the recovery room, Nurse Joy had just finished mashing up the Cheri Berries Brock had gathered, and was about to feed a spoonful of them to Monferno, "Here you are Monferno," Nurse Joy gently lifted his head, "Mashed Cheri Berries." With a soft moan, Monferno allowed Nurse Joy to feed him the berries, and he weakly chewed and swallowed them. Nurse Joy then placed his head back on the table, "All that's left is to wait." As if on cue, Monferno opened his eyes weakly, and then suddenly became alert to his surroundings. With a smile, Monferno sat up and waved to his friends in the window, "I think we can relax now."

"Wow, those Cheri Berries _really _did the trick!" Misty exclaimed, "Actually…" the redhead rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Nurse Joy, is Monferno ready to be discharged yet?"

"Well he's pulled through the critical stage; I think it'd be ok, why?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Because there's another patient that needs help, a human one." Misty's statement got Monferno's attention, and the fire monkey raised a determined fist at her, "You know what I mean don't you Monferno? Ok, let's go!" Misty hurried out of the recovery room with Monferno trailing behind her, "Oh yeah! Buneary, Dawn wants you. The rest of you come with me!" Misty ran outside to find Ash, with all of his Pokémon chasing after her.

Ash of course was still lying on the grass, with the brim of his cap covering his eyes. The black-haired trainer had been replaying the events of yesterday's battle over and over and over again in his head, mentally seeing all his Pokémon take the brutally painful hits time after time. "How can I say I won when all my Pokémon are in pain? That's not winning…we just _both _lost."

"Stop being moody, you're freaking me out!" Misty was on her hands and knees, hanging her face above Ash's, he looked upside-down in her gaze, "Come on Ash, stop being so hard on yourself!"

Ash frowned and turned onto his side to try and avoid Misty's eyes, but then he was face to face with someone he definitely didn't expect. "P-Pikachu?"

"Pikapi." (Ash.)

"What are you doing out of the recovery room?" Ash asked.

"It's not just Pikachu Ash." Misty said with a tender smile.

"I-It's not?" Ash was answered by a slow shake of Misty's head, and he sat up and looked around and saw all of his Pokémon smiling sympathetically at him, except for Charizard who just had a smirk on his face. "Everybody…" he breathed. All the Pokémon tried to show they were alright by jumping up and down, but that proved to be a mistake as they all immediately started holding their still recovering wounds, provoking a sweat-drop from both humans, "Oh man, _please _don't overdo it!"

"They're just trying to cheer you up Ash; they know you've been feeling crummy ever since the battle yesterday." Misty got down next to him and hugged his arm, "Ash, you're feeling guilty for something that really isn't all that rare, you've seen your Pokémon take hits before, they've been knocked out _brutally _hard at times…but you've always made it through and so have _they,_ why are you beating yourself up about it _this _time?"

"Aww Mist…" Ash sighed and looked down at the grass in front of him, "I may have won the battle, but seeing the way Paul hurt them…I didn't feel like a winner." Ash looked up at his Pokémon, "Yeah, my Pokémon have taken hits alright, Charizard, Sceptile, Snorlax, Pikachu, they've been with me a long time and they've had their share of bruises..." Ash looked back down, "But none of those bruises have ever come on purpose like that."

"Pikapi, pika pika chu." (Ash, we're all ok.)

"Mon ferno, mon mon ferno!" (Yeah, and we're ready for round two!)

Ash smiled at Monferno's enthusiasm, "Thanks guys." Ash actually let a laugh escape his lips, as he looked at his faithful teammates who were there supporting him, "So…you're not mad at me for not quitting to keep you from getting hurt?"

"Scep? Scep _tile _scep scep tile scep _tile _scep." (Mad? We _would've _been mad if you _had _quit.)

"Wow, really?" Ash asked in astonishment, "You would've been mad if I'd quit even if it meant protecting you guys?" All his Pokémon nodded in response. "Wow…I can't believe this."

"You can't?" Misty asked in disbelief.

"Well yeah! I mean," Ash directed his attention back to his Pokémon, "Are you guys trying to tell me that you'd be willing to go through this all over again?" His Pokémon nodded vigorously in response, "Unbelievable." Ash looked down at the ground and frowned, "But…"

Misty couldn't take it anymore, "No buts! Smile already!" Misty jumped on top of Ash and knocked him down, and started tickling him just to get him to start laughing.

"H-Hey! Ha ha ha n-n-no fair!" Ash of course began to laugh as his girlfriend's slender fingers ran up and down his body, making a tingling sensation that he just couldn't resist. "C-Come on Misty! Enough already!"

"Stop. Being. A. Mope!" Misty continued the tickle torture, and she began to laugh along with Ash, even the Pokémon found the whole scenario hilarious and they began to laugh as well, "Besides, your Pokémon like seeing you get tortured, why should I stop?!"

"Ha ha ha! C-Can't…breathe!" Ash grabbed Misty's hands and stopped her from tickling him, "There, _now _you'll stop!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

Misty tried to fight Ash's grip, but as she had been repeatedly reminded already, Ash was no longer the small boy she used to travel with in Kanto, Ash had grown taller and stronger than her over the years and she could no longer simply overpower him…so, she decided to call in backup. "Hey guys! Poképile on Ash!"

"What?!" Ash suddenly saw all his Pokémon running towards him and Misty, even Charizard had joined in on the fun. "Oh boy, I'm outta here!" Ash carefully threw Misty off him and he got up and started running, with all his Pokémon chasing after him and laughing. "You guys can't catch me!" Ash was quickly proven wrong when he ran into a big round belly and was stopped in his tracks. "Uh oh." Ash was quickly tackled by all of his smaller Pokémon, who took their turns tickling their trainer. "Hey! Come on guys! Ha ha ha!"

Misty walked up to the group and smiled down at them, "Now _this _is what I expect from my boyfriend and his Pokémon."

The Pokémon stopped tickling Ash long enough to let him breathe and smile up at Misty. "You're right Mist." Ash rubbed the heads of Pikachu and Monferno, "You guys are the best."

"So you feel better then?" Misty asked, extending a hand out to Ash.

Ash took her hand and used her help to stand up, and he quickly turned that into a tight hug, "You bet I do. Thanks to you and them, I feel like a million bucks!" Ash released Misty from the hug and turned to his Pokémon, "Paul's a tough one, that's for sure. He's got his own way of getting strong, and I gotta admit, he gave it his all. We may have won _this _round, but I'm sure we'll battle Paul again sometime in the future, so we're gonna have to get stronger too, and this time, we'll _really _show him what we can do!" Ash's Pokémon cheered, and with the exception of Charizard, Sceptile, and Snorlax, they all jumped onto both Ash _and _Misty who happened to be standing next to him. "Hey, come on guys! Get off already!" Ash couldn't help but laugh as his Pokémon cuddled up to them, and after a few minutes of play, they let the humans up.

"Now that we've taken care of this, whaddya say we head back?" Misty suggested, pointing to the Center with her thumb.

"Sounds good to me!" Ash stomach suddenly growled, and the trainer rubbed his midsection embarrassedly, "Heh, guess I forgot I haven't eaten since yesterday."

Misty shook her head and smiled, "You always do this." She sighed, "Come on; let's get something in your stomach before you pass out or something." Misty took Ash's arm, and together the group walked to the Pokémon Center, and upon opening the door, they found Brock, Dawn, and Nurse Joy all talking about something, "Look who I found!"

The trio turned to see Ash, Misty, and all of Ash's Pokémon standing in the doorway, "Ash! Misty!" Dawn exclaimed, "Brock just told us he saw it!"

Ash blinked in confusion, "Saw what?"

"I think it was Uxie!" Brock replied.

"What?!" Ash shouted.

"I was just about to lead them to the library to do some research, come with me!" Nurse Joy started walking towards the library with Dawn and Brock following closely.

"Ok, too many Pokémon right now, so you need to return." Ash returned all of his Pokémon except for Staraptor and Gliscor, whose Pokéballs had yet to be retrieved from Prof. Oak's lab, "Alright, let's go!" Ash hurried to find his other friends with Misty and the Pokémon not far behind.

By the time they found them, Dawn was already on the library computer, and Nurse Joy had removed several books from the shelves to try and find what she was looking for. After opening a certain book, she turned Brock's attention to the page she found, "The Pokémon you saw at Lake Acuity, was it _this _one?" she asked.

Brock turned and scanned the page, and he gasped when his eyes recognized the image, "That's it! But now that I think about it…the thing that _I _saw was more like a shadow than the actual Pokémon itself."

"It sounds to _me _like the spirit of Uxie that you saw, just like the time when _I _saw Mesprit on Lake Verity!" Dawn exclaimed, recalling the event where she had witnessed a shadow floating above the lake.

"And just like when Misty and me saw _Azelf _on Lake Valor!" Ash added.

"Now according to this book, it says that all three Pokémon might actually have come from the same egg! It _also _says that from Uxie, who is referred to as the being of knowledge, comes the wisdom to solve problems. From Mesprit, called the being of emotion, comes the joy and pain of life, and from Azelf, the being of willpower, comes the resolve to accomplish whatever task may be at hand." The nurse continued, "And it's the _power _of these three that keeps the world in balance…at least…that's what the book is saying…"

"To think they're legendary Pokémon…and the four of _us _saw them!" Dawn exclaimed.

"We saw them alright." Ash added.

"Could it have been an accident?" Brock wondered, "Or do all of these happenings mean something?"

"I personally _hope _it was an accident. I'd rather _not _get into another life-threatening adventure." Misty replied.

"It's mysterious, _that _much is for sure." Nurse Joy said.

"Yeah…" Ash suddenly burst into laughter, "I dunno why, but this is starting to get kinda fun!" That was answered by a slam on the head from Misty's mallet, causing the black-haired trainer to groan in pain.

"What'd you do _that _for?" Brock asked.

"Just in case this is Ash's lame way of trying to get over what happened yesterday. If he's gonna laugh, laugh at something that's funny, _not_ in the face of danger." Misty explained angrily.

"Maybe Ash is trying to do too much…" Dawn added.

Ash groaned and rubbed his head as he got back up. He shot a glare Misty's way and then turned his attention to Dawn, "Whaddya mean too much?" he asked.

"Oh nothing." Dawn waved her hand as if it was nothing, "But there _is _something I wanna show you though!"

"Not _this _again." Misty mumbled to herself, face-palming in the process.

"You just stay here and I'll send Misty to come and get you guys when we're ready!" Dawn grabbed the redhead by the wrist again, and just like before, Misty was dragged along despite her constant protesting.

"Brock, what's going on?" Ash asked.

"Beats me, this morning Dawn grabbed Misty and disappeared for a while, but she never told me _why _exactly." Brock replied.

"I _will _say this," the nurse spoke up, "Dawn's been working really hard on her project, and from what little she's told me, it's all to cheer you and your team up!"

"Really? Wow." Ash then thought of something else, "Whaddya think she meant when she said I was trying to do too much?"

Brock frowned, "She's worried you're trying to laugh it off when you're _really _still not ok Ash…and I kinda have to agree." Brock sighed sympathetically.

Ash was taken aback…but when he thought about it…he realized Brock was right. His Pokémon, and Misty of course had all done their best to get his attitude back to its normally cheerful level, and it _did _work…to a certain extent…but now that Brock had pointed out, he found that he _did _still feel remorse for what happened yesterday. "I dunno Brock…" Ash rested his head in his hands and leaned on the windowsill, staring out at the grassy field he and Misty had just finished frolicking in, "Maybe…I just need a break, my team too…"

"Maybe…" Brock replied thoughtfully. Brock then walked up to Ash and placed a comforting hand on the trainer's shoulder, "Look…maybe this is a chance for you to learn something…like, you can't always be so concerned for your Pokémon that you lose your edge in battles." That comment got Ash to look at him with a puzzled expression. The breeder gave a small, sympathetic smile and continued, "I saw you battle with everything you had Ash…but at the same time, you seemed worried about what _could _happen, and you wound up getting burned by stuff you normally would've seen coming."

"Really?" Ash bit his bottom lip, as he thought about what he was currently hearing.

"Yeah…maybe this was a chance for you to learn not to be worried about what _could _happen, and just keep your cool. You've been battling with your head a little too much recently, now it's time to reset and get back to doing what you do, and that's battle with your heart, with instincts that you've been blessed with like no one else I've ever seen before." Brock squeezed the trainer's shoulder in an attempt to give some comfort to the younger boy.

Just then, Misty walked in, an annoyed scowl on her face. "Dawn's ready for her little show or whatever, so get your butts out here before I _kick_ them out, that's an order!" When her two male friends exited the library, rather briskly that is, Misty turned her attention to Nurse Joy, "That's an urgent request to _you _Nurse Joy." Nurse Joy smiled and walked out with Misty, who had made it very clear via her facial expression that she wasn't going to enjoy Dawn's plan. _"Dawn makes me nervous with her big ideas."_

The group soon found themselves in the Pokémon Center lobby; where there was a couch facing what appeared to be a stage, hidden by a pink curtain. "Whoa, pretty impressive." Ash said.

"Dawn said she wants all your Pokémon to see it too, so…" Misty said.

Ash nodded, and sent out all his Pokémon, "Ok guys, Dawn wants us all to see something." The Pokémon all looked at him curiously, tilting their heads to the side, "Yeah I know, I have _no idea _what she's up to."

All of a sudden, Dawn came out from behind the curtain dressed in her usual Pokémon Contest attire, and her hair up in a long ponytail. She gave a bow and was about to address the group, when all of a sudden she stopped for a moment, and then scowled at the redhead, "Misty, I said _everyone!_ Where are your Pokémon?! And Brock's too!"

"Oh for the love of…" Misty shook her head in annoyance and pulled out all her Pokéballs, and she apathetically dropped them all to the ground, releasing her Pokémon. "Happy?" Misty asked with her eyes narrowed at the coordinator.

"Not just yet! Brock, you too please!" Dawn exclaimed, giving a much more friendly expression to the breeder in training.

As Brock released his Pokémon, Ash gave Misty a puzzled look, "Why are you so upset about this?" he asked quietly so as not to alert Dawn.

"I'm not upset about her plan; I'm upset that she keeps dragging me _into _her plans without even asking." Misty knew Ash wasn't buying it from the look he was giving her. Unfortunately, being her boyfriend, Ash had learned a lot about her, "Ok fine," she conceded with a huff, her arms crossed in frustration, "I don't even _know _why I'm upset. Satisfied?"

"Yeah I kinda am," Ash gave her a toothy grin, but she had looked away so she didn't see it, although the redhead did gasp when she suddenly felt an arm wrap around her waist and drag her to the spot on the couch next to Ash, where she landed with an "oof", "Now I know that I can do _this." _He snickered impishly. Misty whipped her head around to face Ash, and she softly smacked him in the shoulder in mock protest to his action. Mock of course because they _both _knew that she enjoyed being close to him, and of course the reverse was true too, so it worked out.

"If you two are _done _with your flirting over there…" Dawn said with her hands on her hips, her face twisted into an annoyed scowl. Ash and Misty blushed and looked away from each other at that comment. Once Dawn saw that there would be no more cause for interruption, her face changed back into its normally upbeat self and she smiled with excitement, "Warm greetings ladies and gentlemen! I'd like to start off our proceedings by thanking you _all _very much for coming to see Dawn's Pokémon Circus!"

"A circus?" Ash wasn't sure what Dawn was up to, of course neither did anyone else for that matter.

"Now, keep your eyes open, we will begin Dawn's circus with a feat of pure acrobatic skill!" Dawn stepped back and with a wave of her hand, the curtain opened and revealed Mamoswine with a pompom on its head, and down below was Buneary in her vest, and Pachirisu in a cheerleading outfit.

"Seems ok to me." Ash commented quietly.

"We'll see." Misty was still skeptical, she had witnessed what Dawn was practicing.

Buneary and Pachirisu began dancing around the Twin Tusk Pokémon's legs, and then they flipped up and onto Mamoswine's head with fancy acrobatics, landing with their backs turned to the audience. But when they turned around, they made funny faces at the group, squishing and stretching their faces, much to the sudden shock of everyone watching. "Oh wow." Ash said, wide-eyed.

That was pretty much the whole show, Buneary and Pachirisu just danced all over Mamoswine's head and flipped in the air, making funny faces as they did so. The first act ended with Buneary and Pachirisu stretching out Mamoswine's face, and Mamoswine flaring its nostrils and sticking its tongue out. At first, no one even made a sound, but eventually a soft chuckling was heard that quickly evolved into real laughter. "Wow, Riolu _liked_ it?" Misty asked herself quietly.

But as Riolu kept laughing, it quickly became contagious and most of the other Pokémon began to laugh as well. Eventually leading up to the humans laughing, Misty of course, was trying very hard to resist. "They love you guys!" Dawn exclaimed, "Time to up the ante, come on out Piplup!"

Piplup walked on stage in a patchy clown outfit that was two sizes too big for the penguin, and _that _was enough to get Misty to laugh, "Poor Piplup!" she guffawed.

But Piplup didn't seem to be suffering at all, in fact he was enjoying being the center of attention, and he walked over to Dawn like a hula dancer, and chirped out his lines to the coordinator. "Wow, so you say you can _really _do it Piplup?" she said in response. Piplup chirped out a yes, and leaped into the air to start his routine. But he jumped too high and slammed his head on the ceiling, bringing out a worried gasp from Dawn, _"Now _that _wasn't part of the plan."_ Luckily though, Buneary and Pachirisu were there and managed to save the act by twirling Piplup around on their ears and tail respectively, and they started tossing the penguin up into the air, where he did various flips and faces at the still laughing crowd. "Kay, and again, pose!" all the Pokémon did just that, and got ready for their grand finale.

"Wow, I'll give Dawn credit for _this _much," Misty said, "She put her heart and soul into this."

"Now…for our next act…" Dawn was rudely cut off by three workers who did a fanfare for themselves, the same three workers that had been outside the day before fixing the battlefield. "What the?!"

"Hey, aren't they the cleaning crew?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Wow, _this _oughta be _good!" _Ash exclaimed excitedly.

"Ahem," the woman with long magenta hair cleared her throat, "Testing testing, one two three…now how many people do you see WHO COMPLETELY RUINED EVERYTHING?!" the lady shouted suddenly and obnoxiously.

"Say _what?!" _Ash jumped up and raised his fists at the workers.

"Aww," the shortest one mocked, "Looks like we got a sourpuss in da audience!"

"Rumor has it that _someone _let his Pokémon get _crushed _in his last battle…" the woman pointed directly at Ash, who looked at her finger as if it were a rotten egg, "That someone would be _you!"_

"Rotten jerks!" Ash snarled.

"Without foitha ado!" the short worker pulled out a bazooka, much to the shock of everyone else, "It's our super special patented Pikachu get net! Get set!" the worker fired the bazooka, and a net came flying out of it, snatching Pikachu and pulling him towards them.

"Hey! Give Pikachu back!" Ash shouted.

"Who _are _you people anyway?" Nurse Joy asked.

With an evil laugh, the trio of workers tossed off their disguises, revealing themselves to be none other than the Team Rocket trio.

Jessie: "If you don't know who we are, you'll know soon enough."

James: "Since the twerp gets depressed when the going gets rough."

Jessie: "Shovel may care!"

James: "Pick a pair!"

Meowth: "Want Pikachu? Well tough!"

Jessie: "We bring chaos at a breakneck pace!"

James: "We dash all hope and bring fear in its place!"

Jessie: "A rose by any other name's just as sweet!"

James: "When everything's worse, our work is complete!"

Jessie: "Jessie!"

James: "And James!"

Meowth: "Meowth's da name!"

Jessie: "Putting the do-gooders in their place!"

James: "We're Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket: "And we're in your face!"

Nurse Joy had taken the whole thing as a joke, and she smiled as she thought this was a big show, "Wow, what fun!"

Ash gasped and turned to Nurse Joy, "No, you're wrong Nurse Joy!"

"Those guys are the _bad _guys!" Brock added.

"Oh!" the nurse gasped in horror, "That's just _terrible!"_

"You guys really know how to spoil a mood!" Misty hissed.

"Give Pikachu back now!" Ash demanded.

But Team Rocket merely started creeping away from them, "If you think we're going to bicker with you when we could be shuffling off to success, you really _are _a mess!" Jessie cackled.

"We got happy feet!" Meowth exclaimed.

"Ain't it neat?!" With that, the trio burst out the back door with Pikachu still in their grasp.

"Hey, come back!" Ash chased after the snickering team of crooks as fast as he could, followed closely by all his friends and the Pokémon that came with them. "Gimme back Pikachu or you're gonna regret it!"

"Stubborn twerps are the worst twerps!" Jessie pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it behind her, "Seviper, atten_tion!" _the poison snake appeared and glared at the teens and nurse, "Please dear, 'Haze'!" Seviper acknowledged, and a thick cloud of smoke enveloped the pursuers, causing them to stop and cough for oxygen, "Hope smoke gets in your eyes!" Jessie snickered as they continued their getaway.

"I don't think so!" Ash growled, "Staraptor, Charizard, Gliscor, blow this smoke away!" The three Pokémon obeyed the command of their trainer, and with their combined wing flaps, they blew the smoke away and back towards Team Rocket who were suddenly trapped in their own trick.

"What a bore!" Jessie coughed as they ran out of the smoke cloud.

"Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt', let's go!" Ash's order reached the ears of the struggling Pikachu, and the electric-mouse charged up and fired, only to find that the net was electricity proof, "Geez, that never works anymore!"

"Keepin' your attitude in da bag is what _we're _all about!" Meowth cackled.

"Fine then, Gliscor, 'Sand Attack'!" Ash ordered. Gliscor flew low to the ground and threw sand at the trio of thugs, who were quickly surrounded by the move.

But Jessie wasn't ready to quit, so she called in backup, "Yanmega, you're on!" the dragonfly emerged and flew towards the teens, "Use 'Sonic Boom'!" Yanmega pushed its wings back and sent a sound wave flying towards the antagonizing Gliscor, and the Fang-Scor Pokémon took the hit in the jaw and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"Ok Carnivine, time to take the reins!" James called for his own help, and Carnivine emerged and rushed over to bite James's head affectionately, much to the annoyance of his two partners in crime, "I didn't say brains you poffin pinhead I said _reins!" _James threw Carnivine towards its target and barked out an order, "Carnivine, 'Bullet Seed'!" Carnivine fired a barrage of energized seeds at the teens.

"Alright, Grotle, use 'Energy Ball', Staraptor, you use 'Aerial Ace'!" Grotle countered the blast with his own attack, while Staraptor swooped in and took down both Yanmega and Carnivine with a high speed attack. "You guys are gonna pay for trying to steal Pikachu and hurt my Pokémon!" Ash growled, "Let's wrap this up gang! Monferno, 'Mach Punch'!" Monferno surged ahead, and in the blink of an eye Monferno appeared in front of Team Rocket and hit them with a barrage of punches that sent the Rockets flying backwards.

"That was _amazing!" _Dawn exclaimed in awe.

"Monferno's become a real powerhouse since he evolved." Brock added.

"Well then just imagine what'll happen when it evolves into Infernape!" Misty also commented.

Finally Meowth let go of the net and Pikachu was released from it, and with zero hesitation Pikachu scampered back over to Ash and leaped into his arms, "Ha ha, Pikachu!"

"Even my gloves hurt." James moaned.

"Whoever said that the twerp was bummed about his Pokémon and would be an easy target is an absolute buffoon…lemme at that idiot." Jessie groaned.

_"You're _dat idiot." Meowth grumbled, much to the horror of the female Rocket.

"Something about going after the weakest of the twerp herd." James quoted.

"Yeah and also somethin' profound about pluckin' Pikachu while de iron is hot." Meowth added.

Then James and Meowth ganged up on their teammate, "That would be our own Jessie…" they moaned eerily.

Jessie gulped for a moment, but then she remembered who she was and regained her nerve as she shouted back, "Don't you make this _my _fault! You bunch of babies are in denial! And since you didn't stop me, that makes it _your _fault!" As the other Rockets and their Pokémon protested that statement, Jessie growled in her own denial, "I can't hear you!"

"Uh…Jess, James…" Meowth gulped. The other two Rockets looked to where Meowth was staring, and they saw Ash and all his Pokémon smirking maliciously at them, "I tink we're in trouble here!"

"Well, such good health!" James sweat-dropped nervously, his hand behind his head.

"And you're all truly in the twerpish pink!" Jessie added.

"You guys chose the _wrong _day to tick me off! Ok guys, together! Buizel, 'Aqua Jet'! Staraptor, 'Brave Bird'! Grotle, 'Energy Ball'! Gliscor, 'X-Scissor'! Monferno, use 'Flamethrower'! Sceptile, 'Leaf Blade'! Snorlax, fire 'Hyper Beam'! Charizard, use 'Overheat'! And Pikachu…use 'Volt Tackle'!" All of the Pokémon began their assault, but then Ash noticed Riolu still standing next to him, "You too Riolu! Go give Team Rocket a 'Force Palm' they'll never forget!" Riolu squealed excitedly and rushed towards the trio with his palm glowing with energy. Team Rocket screeched in horror as all the attacks came in one after the other and resulted in a huge explosion that sent them flying.

"We're blasting off _really _far this time!" *Ping*

"Yeah! Boy, that felt _good!" _Ash exclaimed sincerely, "Ok gang, good to see you're all feeling better, now we can pick up right where we left off, and I say the next time we go after Paul, we make it a battle he won't have a _chance _to win!" The Pokémon cheered their approval at that.

"Now _that _was some serious teamwork." Brock observed.

"Sure was, nice to see everyone feeling great!" Dawn replied.

"You know what _I _liked? I liked how Ash had everyone attack all at once; I bet Team Rocket made it halfway across the _world _with _that _blastoff!" Misty laughed, which got the others to laugh as well.

"You know, I just remembered something!" Dawn exclaimed, _"I _have to get ready for my next contest!"

"So you're competing in contests Dawn?" Nurse Joy asked.

"You bet!" Dawn replied.

"Then you should head over to Lilypad Town right away! Their contest is going to take place very soon!" Nurse Joy said.

"Really?! That's so exciting! Guess we're going to Lilypad Town!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Come on inside, I'll show you where it is!" Nurse Joy led the teens back inside and directed their attention to an electric map. After setting it up for the desired location, she pointed to a red beeping dot on the map, "See, _this _is Lilypad Town right here."

"Oh, I see!" Brock pulled out his guidebook that had a map of Sinnoh in it as well, and the breeder examined it, "So all we have to do is head south right from here."

"Yeah, _that _looks right." Ash said.

Misty raised an eyebrow at Ash and smirked, _"Now _I'm worried that we're gonna get lost; you just said you think that looks _right._"

"You're _never _gonna let that go, are you?" Ash sighed.

"Nope. Never." Misty stuck the tip of her tongue out at Ash and winked playfully, which got Ash to respond with his own exasperated smirk.

"Well I just _know _that we're gonna do good in our next contest!" Dawn exclaimed, Piplup cheerfully agreeing with her as he sat on her head.

"Maybe Kenny will be there!" Misty replied with a teasing grin.

"Let it go Misty." Dawn said with a warning smile.

Misty raised her hands in self-defense, but her face still held a smug smirk, "Well whatever, not my problem." Misty then wrapped her arms around Ash's neck from behind, _"You _on the other hand, are my problem."

"Wha? Problem?" Ash asked.

"I'm kidding!" Misty shook her head with amusement, "Geez, stop taking things so seriously!"

"Sorry." Ash chuckled sheepishly, "It's just I wanna stay focused for my next Gym Battle! It's gonna be my last one after all, and then I can enter the Sinnoh League!"

"Why don't we have a bite before you go? After all, you need to keep up your strength." Nurse Joy suggested.

"Food? Oh yeah! I never got to eat!" Ash was about to run off to the cafeteria when Misty pulled him back by his jacket collar, "Eh?!" Ash looked back at Misty who was looking at him blankly, "Misty, I'm hungry! What's the problem?!"

"You still have something to do Ash!" Misty replied.

"And what would that be?" Ash asked in annoyance. Misty pointed back at Staraptor and Grotle, who were still standing there looking at Ash. Then Ash realized what Misty meant, "Oh man! I forgot to send back Sceptile and Snorlax!" Misty nodded at him with a wide smile, "Ok, you guys go on ahead, I'll be right there!" Ash hurried off to the videophones with Staraptor and Grotle following closely behind.

"So, what's for lunch?" Misty asked.

"Misty!" Dawn exclaimed incredulously, "You're so _mean _to him!" she said jokingly.

_"Someone _has to keep him straight." Misty replied with a dismissive shrug, "Now come on, I'm hungry!"

"Well alright then, follow me!" Nurse Joy led the remaining teens to the cafeteria, while Ash sat at the videophone to send back Sceptile and Snorlax.

"Guys," he said to his two powerhouses, "I really appreciate you guys coming and battling your hearts out for me, and even though you guys got kinda beat up, we still won! Thanks for helping me realize that it wasn't my fault this happened, thanks for helping me show Paul that my training style _has _proven to be successful. Now I'm gonna send you guys back to Prof. Oak's lab, but don't worry, once I get to the Sinnoh League, you'll both be back, and we're gonna take it all!" With a determined nod, the two Pokémon allowed Ash to return them to their Pokéballs, and Ash dialed the lab. "Hello, anyone there?"

"Bulba saur!" (Hi Ash!)

"Wha? Bulbasaur? Where's Prof. Oak? Where's Tracey?"

"Bulba bulb bulba saur." (They're out to lunch.)

"Oh, so you're holding down the fort huh?"

"Bulba." (That's right.)

"Ok…um, do you know where Grotle and Staraptor's Pokéballs are?"

"Bulba, bulba saur saur." (Yeah, they're right over there.) Bulbasaur used a vine to point towards them.

"Can you get them? I gotta send back Sceptile and Snorlax."

"Bulba saur." (Sure thing.) Bulbasaur used two vines to grab the two empty Pokéballs registered as Grotle and Staraptor's and showed them to Ash. "Bulba bulba saur!" (Ok go ahead!)

"Wow Bulbasaur, you should be getting paid for this!" Ash laughed. Ash sent the two Pokéballs to the lab, just as Bulbasaur sent Ash the empties, "Thanks Bulbasaur! And hey, once I get to the Sinnoh League, I'm gonna wanna use you, so you make sure you spar with everyone! I need everyone getting stronger, I'm almost there!"

Bulbasaur saluted his trainer with a vine, "Bulba saur!" (You got it!)

"Say hi to everyone for me!" Ash hung up and finally returned the worn down Grotle and Staraptor to their Pokéballs, "Wow, who knew Bulbasaur could do all the stuff Prof. Oak and Tracey could?"

Back at the lab, Bulbasaur hopped down from the videophone chair and released Sceptile and Snorlax, "Welcome home…whoa…what happened to _you _two?"

"Jerk trainer, but we won, so it was worth it." Sceptile shrugged dismissively.

"Sure is good to be home though, huh Sceptile?" Snorlax nudged Sceptile with his elbow.

"I dunno." Sceptile looked around, somewhat disappointed.

Suddenly Haunter and Rotom floated over, happy grins on their faces, "Welcome home! We brought you presents!" they exclaimed together.

"Really? Presents?" Snorlax asked.

"Why'd you say that?" Sceptile face-palmed.

Haunter and Rotom glanced at each other and splat whipped cream pies onto the two Pokémon's faces, "Gotcha!" the two jokesters cackled and flew off, laughing hysterically at their successful prank.

"Yeah Snorlax…" Sceptile wiped the cream off his face, "It's _great _to be home."

"I dunno, this _is _my kind of prank." Snorlax licked the whipped cream off of his face and happily swallowed, much to the annoyance of the powerful grass-type.

"Ash better not take too long getting that eighth badge, or I may have to kill a couple of ghost-types."  
_

**A/N: Interesting huh? Ash won...or did he? He didn't _feel_ victorious, that's for sure. Let's face it gang, Ash's heart is too big for his own good. Luckily his Pokemon, and Misty of course, are there to knock some sense into him. And what's this? Monferno understands Paul? What does he mean by that? You'll all see sometime in the future. And Charizard seems to have some sympathy for Monferno, they share a similar background. Anything can happen at this point gang, so sit tight, and PLEASE review!**


	58. Arceus and the Jewel of Life: Part 1

**I'm gonna level with you guys...I know it's been a long time, and that's the way it's gonna be from now on. I've reached a pinnacle time in my life where playtime is basically over. It's time to think about the future, and in order to do that I need to focus on my goals before all else. EchidnaPower is essentially retired. Dash Adventure is cancelled, SATDD is cancelled, I don't hang around to chat anymore. And for a while it seemed that this story would be cancelled too. But there's one part of me that just refuses to let this go, the part of me that hates to leave things unfinished. The other projects required other people...this story requires only me. With that being said, to any of my internet friends who read this, I thank you for the time I've had being EP, but now it's time to move on. ChaosDazer did it, now I'm doing it. A certain few of you will know who I'm referring to. To my readers, is this story through? No, I'll still update when I have the spare time, such as now. Would I like you all to still review? Yes, I enjoy reading them. Will I answer reviews or PMs? Most likely no, I don't have that time to spare. This story is alive because of the minimal requirements it involves. I hope you all can understand why I'm doing what I'm doing, and I hope you harbor no ill will towards me for it. It's time for EchidnaPower to move on, but the story lives. I thank you for my friends for the support you've given me through the years, and who knows? Maybe one day I'll return. But for now at least, I have my goals in the crosshairs, and it's time to catch them. Dear readers, enjoy this update.  
_**

Chapter 58

**Misty's POV**

It's been a pretty rough couple of days. Ash and Paul finally had their full battle, and what a battle it was. Ash's powerhouses came up big for him against Paul, and in the end Ash came out victorious…but the price was high. Ash won, but all of his Pokémon had been severely injured by Paul's Pokémon and their brutal strategies. For the whole rest of the day afterwards, Ash didn't wanna talk to anyone or see anyone or even think about anyone. Brock suggested that I give Ash his space, so he let me have his bed while he slept somewhere else. The next day I woke up and Ash was gone, I got the others up to go check and see if he was checking on his Pokémon, but as it turned out, Ash wasn't there.

He was outside, sulking over what had happened over the course of his full battle with Paul. Once Nurse Joy discharged Ash's Pokémon from the intensive care unit, I took them outside to try and cheer Ash up. It worked to a certain extent, we all played and had some innocent fun, and it seemed that Ash had broken out of his funk. But when Brock explained that he thought he saw Uxie in Lake Acuity, we went into the library and did some research, and Ash thought that the whole situation was getting kinda "fun", which it wasn't.

He was trying to force himself to be happy, which meant internally he was still upset about the fact that his Pokémon had endured a beatdown like no other. That left Dawn's plan. Earlier Dawn had come up with the idea for a Pokémon circus, and she wanted my help to do it. I wanted so badly to disappear at that time, it was so weird what she was having her Pokémon do, making freaky faces that it seemed only Riolu thought was funny during their rehearsals, and that's not a very big accomplishment, since Riolu is still just a baby, his sense of humor is easily triggered.

Maybe I was being too harsh on her, I dunno why I was so upset about her show, she was just trying to help after all. And in all honesty, it seemed to work, somehow…anyway, next thing we knew, the three workers who had been repairing the battlefield since the day of the battle came in, and they started trashing Ash! For no reason! And _then _the short one shot a net and snagged Pikachu, and they revealed themselves as Team Rocket. Sure, why not? It had been a while since we ran into them. They took off running; Ash caught them, and after blasting them off, Ash seemed to go back to his _real _old self. Well I had to admit, there's nothing like pounding on Team Rocket to make you feel better.

We headed back on the road shortly after that, and for once we were allowed a few days of uneventful rest, some might say those kinds of days are boring, I call them a refreshing change of pace. It's so nice not having someone trying to kill you every day. Now we were walking through a cornfield, the ears of corn stretching towards the sky to compete for the sunlight…of course their little competition was making it very hard for us, since we couldn't see over them.

**Normal POV**

"Whose idea was it again to go _through _the corn?" Misty asked in annoyance, "Oh yeah, my boyfriend's." Misty pushed back another ear of corn, accidently smacking Brock in the face when the ear whipped back.

"You know if you _hate _travelling with us so much," Ash replied without looking back, "Why do you bother? There's a nice and corn free Gym waiting for you in Cerulean."

"Like I'm that dumb," Misty responded with a huff, "The only things back home are my sisters, and as much trouble as I go through for you, it's better than catering to their every whim."

"Then why complain?" Ash asked.

"Because it's all I can do to break the silence." Misty replied apathetically. That wasn't the real reason she was complaining of course, but she felt the argument beneath actual effort.

"Hey, Piplup," Dawn said. Her Pokémon had been waddling on ahead with Pikachu to try and see when the corn would end, "See any daylight out there? Misty's complaining is starting to get on my nerves."

"Watch it." The redhead warned.

Almost immediately after that, Piplup began chirping with excitement, "Hey, what's up Piplup?"

"I think Pikachu and Piplup found their way outta here! Come on!" Ash began running forward, and before they knew it, they were out of the corn and back into the sunlight, "We made it guys! Michina Town!"

"What an _incredible _view!" Dawn eyes sparkled with awe at the majestic sight before her, Michina Town was a town surrounded by nature, and by nature, namely enormous snow covered mountains that seemed to have faces carved into them by rain and wind, green and lush foliage centered by a flowing stream, a picturesque image of what paradise was.

"Wow, it's beautiful!" Misty exclaimed, "And look at that water! Ash, I wanna go swimming! C'mon, let's take a break here!" Misty exclaimed pleadingly, tugging on her boyfriend's arm.

"Oh _now _you're nice." Ash rolled his eyes, "I dunno, we still have a long way to go."

"Oh please Ash, please please _please?"_ Misty batted her eyelashes at him, a usually surefire way to get him to yield, and sure enough, it proved itself an effective strategy once again.

"Weeeelll…I _guess _a swim could be nice, whaddya say Brock? Do we have time to stop?" Ash asked.

"Does what I have to say on the matter _really _make a difference? Misty has her heart _set _on this." Brock laughed in response.

"Then I guess we're stopping." Ash shrugged.

"Yes! Thank you Ashy!" Misty pressed her lips hard onto Ash's cheek, practically ripping the skin off his cheek with her kiss, "Come on Dawn, let's get changed! The sooner I get wet the better!" The two girls hurried off, laughing and giggling in joy and amusement.

Ash then fell to the ground with a goofy grin on his face, which was soon hidden by his hat that had fallen off his head and landed on his face. "I love you Misty." He said groggily.

"Misty loves you too," Brock tugged on Ash's arm and got him back to his wobbly legs, "But don't tell _me, _tell _her." _Ash apparently wasn't even self-aware yet, as he just moaned dreamily and wouldn't firm up, "Boy, Misty did a _job_ on you _this time._ Come on Ash, left foot right foot." Brock led the trainer over to the water, where Misty and Dawn had already gotten into their swimsuits and started swimming with all their Pokémon which they had released.

"Better get Ash out of here," Dawn said as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and wrapped it, "If he gets a look at Misty while he's like _that, _he might faint."

"Good point, in _this _state, _everything _probably looks like Misty." Brock laughed.

"You guys are silly." Misty giggled bashfully, _"I _know how to bring him back." Misty threw a wave of water at Ash, and once the water hit her boyfriend, he spluttered and looked around aimlessly trying to figure out what happened, "Snap out of it Ash!"

Ash coughed and rubbed the water out of his eyes, and the first thing he was greeted with when he focused his eyes was the sight of his beloved Misty in her light blue two-piece bikini, her hair pulled back into that familiar ponytail of old, "Looking good Mist." He said cheekily, which earned him another splash.

"Don't drool Ash, makes you look like a dork." Misty replied with a smirk, "Come on, what are you waiting for? Get changed and joined in!"

Ash laughed, "Alright, I'll be right there! In the meantime, come on out everyone!" Ash tossed out his Pokéballs, and Staraptor, Gliscor, Buizel, Grotle, Monferno, Charizard, and finally Riolu appeared to join in on the fun. "Time for some good old fashioned playtime guys, have a ball!" After announcing that, Ash took off behind a tree to put on his swim trunks.

"Riolu!" Misty swam over to the edge of the riverbank to interact with the little baby, who didn't seem to wanna get in the water. "What's the matter Riolu? You don't wanna get in?" Riolu shook his head as he stared into the gently flowing water.

Ash came walking up in his swim trunks and stood behind Riolu, "He's saying the water's too deep." He said, reading the Emanation Pokémon's aura messages.

"Oh is _that _all?" Misty asked. "Don't worry Riolu; you have _nothing_ to worry about, I'll be _right here _to help you!"

Before he could even think about it, Ash had knelt down behind him and picked him up below the shoulders, "Come on Riolu, time to get wet!" Riolu was smart enough to see what was coming and began squirming in Ash's grip to try and get free, but Ash was just too strong, "Don't worry! Misty's gonna catch you! Ok, one, two, three!" Ash gently tossed the flailing and panicking Riolu towards Misty, who caught the little Pokémon after the small splash and held him close to her chest.

"Riolu, relax! I got you!" Riolu eventually stopped his flailing and opened his eyes to see Misty smiling down at him, "See? You're not gonna sink, I'm holding you!"

"Cannonball!" Ash suddenly leaped into the air and curled into a ball, and splashed down hard and made a wave come crashing down over everyone in the surrounding area, that of course included Misty and Riolu.

"You might however drown." Misty said sarcastically. "What's _with_ you Ash? We spent like five minutes convincing Riolu to come into the water, and then you go and do something like _that, _you're gonna scare the living _daylights _outta him!"

"No I won't! I'm just showing Riolu how to have fun in the water! Here, watch this!" Ash turned towards Dawn and gave her a splash, much to the black-haired trainer's amusement.

"Think you're funny _huh?_ Take _this!" _Dawn splashed back, and that got Ash to splash some more, and pretty soon an all out water war was taking place, and it was enough to drive Pikachu, Buneary and the other Pokémon to the other side of the river away from the foolishness.

"Hey, come on guys, how old are you anyway?!" Misty exclaimed, trying to shield Riolu from the water with her body. Of course, Riolu was able to sense that whatever Ash was doing, he was enjoying it, so apparently forgetting he had been scared of the water, Riolu slipped up and out of Misty's arms and started doggy-paddling towards Ash through the back and forth waves, and started splashing along with them, "Well _that _makes sense." Misty huffed with her arms crossed.

"At least you don't have to worry about teaching Riolu how to swim." Brock shrugged, "And hey, as long as he's having fun right?"

"I _wanted _to teach Riolu how to swim!" Misty whined, "Just my luck that Riolu's a natural, just like all the other baby Pokémon we've ever had." Misty got out of the water and went over to Azurill, who was watching Happiny ride Buizel in circles. "Or not."

"Happiny can't swim yet, I guess it's just an aura thing." Brock replied dismissively.

Suddenly however, Happiny began exclaiming happily, as round green objects started bumping into Buizel, and then carried down the river past the other Pokémon, "Hey guys, heads up!" Misty exclaimed.

"Are those…watermelons?" Ash asked.

"They are!" Brock replied.

"Wow, guess this must be our lucky day!" Ash exclaimed, gathering the watermelons into his arms, "Hey, easy Riolu!" Riolu had been struggling to grab onto a watermelon, but he wound up almost getting smothered by it.

"I got it." Dawn giggled and took the watermelon for herself, "So who's hungry?"

"Hold it!" Suddenly a boy and his sister came running up to them, "Those watermelons are _ours!"_

"Yeah, they were cooling down but the stream caught 'em." The girl added, pointing over to where watermelons in a somewhat broken net were being held submerged in the water.

"Oh, what a shame." Dawn sighed.

"Tough break." Ash was about to give the melons he was holding back, but then the blue-haired boy decided to have some fun.

"Hey, you want those melons? You can have 'em on _one _condition! Beat us in a battle!" he exclaimed.

"You wanna _battle?" _Ash asked excitedly.

"Yeah! We'll settle this with a tag battle!" the sister replied, pulling out a Pokéball along with her brother.

"If that's what you want!" Ash exclaimed, "Hey Misty, ready to win some dessert?!"

Misty was about to accept the offer to battle with her boyfriend, but then noticed Pikachu looking at Buneary, "I think Pikachu had his heart set on battling with Buneary, I think _Dawn _should take this one."

"Really? You wanna tag battle with Buneary, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika pi pikachu!" (I sure do!)

"Well alright then! Ready Dawn?!" Ash asked.

"You _know _I am!" Dawn replied.

Within minutes, the whole group was changed, and they headed over to a small clearing where the grass had been removed for any trainers that wanted to battle. "The battle is between Kiko and Kato of Michina Town, and Ash from Pallet Town and Dawn from Twinleaf Town! This'll be a two on two match with each trainer using only one Pokémon each, and the battle will be over when both Pokémon on either side are unable to battle!" Brock announced.

"Alright Heracross, let's go!" Kato threw out his Pokéball, and a Heracross appeared from it.

"Beautifly, come on out!" Kato's sister Kiko tossed out her own, and a Beautifly emerged from it, fluttering in place and ready for battle.

"Alright Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash gave his signature call, and Pikachu leaped onto the field with cheeks sparking furiously.

"Buneary, let's go!" With an acrobatic twirl, Buneary leaped up and over Dawn and landed in front of the coordinator, and then took a quick and determined glance at her battle partner Pikachu, who nodded at her in response.

"Alright, let the battle begin!" Brock shouted.

"Buneary, 'Ice Beam' on Beautifly!" Dawn made the first move and ordered Buneary to fire at the butterfly Pokémon, who was unprepared for the sudden attack, and took the hit, pushed backwards by its power.

"No ya don't!" Kato shouted, "Heracross, let's get going! Use 'Megahorn'!" After watching Beautifly fall back, Heracross took off with its horn glowing with power.

"Counter with 'Iron Tail' Pikachu!" Pikachu rushed forward with his tail now hard as steel, and the mouse leaped into the air to meet Heracross's move, but when the two attacks collided, both Pokémon were knocked back down to the ground, but only Pikachu was able to make a quick recovery as he flipped backwards and landed on all fours, his cheeks sparking with determination.

"No _way_ are we going down _that _easy!" Kato exclaimed, "Heracross, 'Horn Attack'!"

"Beautifly, 'Bug Bite'!" Kiko added. The two Pokémon flew towards their opponents with attacks armed and ready, but Ash and Dawn had their own moves ready as well.

"I'm hungry, let's make this quick! Pikachu, 'Volt Tackle'!"

"Buneary, use 'Bounce'!"

Both Pikachu and Buneary surged forward with their most powerful physical attacks charged up, and they leaped up to meet Heracross and Beautifly, and this time it was a clean hit as both Heracross and Beautifly were knocked to the ground by their power. "They didn't faint; looks like these two are stronger than I thought." Misty said to herself, as she watched the battle take place with all the other Pokémon.

"Alright then," Kato said, "Let's try something more long distance! Heracross, use 'Hyper Beam'!"

"Yeah! Beautifly, unleash your 'Solarbeam'!"

"Dodge it!" the two other trainers shouted.

When the attacks fired, Pikachu and Buneary squeezed in tight to each other to avoid the attack, and they managed to escape getting hit as their bodies pressed together was too narrow a target to hit. "Now Buneary, 'Dizzy Punch'!" With the attacks finished, Buneary took a split-second to smooch Pikachu's nose and immediately surged ahead with her ears glowing with energy.

"Ok Pikachu, shake it off and use 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu did just that, he shook his head to try and get his emotions in check, and then he blasted a 'Thunderbolt' at the fluttering Beautifly.

"Dodge it Beautifly!" Kiko shouted.

"Heracross, use 'Megahorn' to knock that back!" Kato countered.

Buneary made it to her target and started swinging with her ears, however Heracross was able to avoid the first few attacks and managed to counter by swinging his energized horn and banging Buneary back to where she came from, while Beautifly was able to dodge and allow the electricity to fly right by it.

"Buneary, are you ok?" Dawn asked. Buneary quickly got up and nodded without looking back at her trainer.

"This battle is turning out to be interesting, in more ways than one." Misty giggled to herself, seeing Buneary take a timeout to kiss Pikachu had amused the water-trainer.

"Ok Beautifly, time to use 'Silver Wind'!" Kiko ordered. Beautifly gained a little more altitude and began flapping its wings faster and faster; creating a glittery gale that pounded the two Pokémon below, "Yeah! _Now _we've got 'em!"

"Think so?!" Ash shouted, "Quick Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt' and stop that attack!" Pikachu managed to charge up enough power to get off a 'Thunderbolt' that was just strong enough to bring a stop to the 'Silver Wind'.

"Alright! Now Buneary, use 'Dizzy Punch'!"

"Heracross, defend with 'Horn Attack'!"

The two Pokémon met in the middle of the field and began taking swings at each other, but Buneary seemed to have the obvious disadvantage as Heracross's tough horn was blocking every attack Buneary tried. Eventually, Heracross managed to get a good hit in, and sent Buneary flying high into the air, helpless to do anything.

"Oh no, Buneary!" Dawn cried.

"Now Beautifly, 'Shadow Ball'!" Beautifly flew up towards the now panicking Buneary and started charging a ghostly ball of energy.

"Uh oh, _that's _not good." Brock commented.

"Pikachu, quick! Use…huh?" Ash was about to order Pikachu to help Buneary, but Pikachu had already jumped up and used 'Iron Tail' to make the 'Shadow Ball' detonate right in Beautifly's face. "Uh, yeah, 'Iron Tail'! I _meant_ for you to do that!"

"Smooth recovery Ash." Misty scoffed.

While Ash's recovery may not have been smooth, Pikachu made sure that when he landed back on the ground he was there to catch Buneary and keep her from having a nasty fall. "Pika chu?" (You ok?)

"Bun eary." (Am now.)

"Thanks Pikachu!" Dawn exclaimed, "Alright Buneary, let's finish this! Use 'Ice Beam'!"

"Pikachu, merge that 'Ice Beam' with a 'Thunderbolt'!"

The two partners fired their most powerful attacks simultaneously, and the energies swirled around and merged to create one super strong beam that impacted the two opposing Pokémon before their trainers could even react, and when the attack finally wore off, Beautifly and Heracross dropped and went down.

Seeing the result of that final attack, Brock ran onto the field to check on the status of the two Pokémon, and wasn't surprised to find that his suspicions had indeed been confirmed. "Beautifly and Heracross are both unable to battle! The winners are Pikachu and Buneary!"

"Yeah, we won!" Ash cheered.

"High five Ash!" Dawn raised her hand up in the air and Ash gave her five, while the two victorious Pokémon shared a victory hug on the field, "Now we can have a nice snack!"

"I guess so. You beat us fair and square." Kiko sighed as she returned her Beautifly to its Pokéball, "That _was _a great battle though."

"Yeah I'll say, your Beautifly really had some great moves." Ash replied.

"Hey! What about my Heracross?!" Kato shouted.

"Relax dude," Ash sweat-dropped, "Your Heracross was awesome too, that 'Megahorn' is something else!"

Kato smiled when Ash said that, "Well, I guess all that's left is to eat."

"Eat?! Aww yeah, _now _we're talking!" Ash ran over to the stream and grabbed the watermelons, "What are we waiting for?!"

"We're waiting to _cut them _Ash, unless you plan on eating the rind!" Misty replied.

Ash sweat-dropped, "Hey no sweat! I'm sure ol' Brocko will have these chopped up in no time, ain't that right Brock?"

"Sure thing Ash, just gimme a knife and I'll have these watermelons sliced, diced, or whatever form of 'iced' you like!" True to his word, Brock had the watermelons opened and sliced in a matter of minutes with his fancy knife cuts, "There ya go! Watermelon for everybody!" Then Mamoswine came up behind Brock and stared longingly at the plate full of watermelon, "Whoa there big fella, you can have some too, but you gotta let everyone _else _have some!" Brock then proceeded to pass the watermelon around to everyone, much to the dismay of Mamoswine who was watching the plate of fruit shrink right before his eyes.

"Alright yeah!" Ash finally got his hands on his slice, and immediately began taking bites out of it, seeds and all. "Wow, this is the juiciest watermelon _ever!" _Ash then spotted Riolu eating and decided to play a little trick, _"Misty'll probably kill me for this…but it's worth it!"_ Ash scooted over to Riolu and got the young Pokémon's attention, "Hey Riolu, wanna see something cool?" Ash glared intently at a dandelion growing in the grass, and cocking his head back, he fired the watermelon seeds out of his mouth like a machine gun, ultimately ruining the poor plant. "Heh heh, awesome huh?" Riolu was inclined to agree…in fact he agreed so much that he wanted to try for himself. So he cocked his head back…and accidently swallowed the seeds, leading to a choking fit. "Whoa, Riolu! Brock!"

Ash's panicked cry got everyone's attention, and they all crowded around Riolu who was holding his throat as he coughed violently, "What happened?!" Brock asked.

"He-he must've swallowed some seeds when he tried to spit them out!" Ash replied.

"And why would _that _have happened?! Were you goofing off trying to pretend to use 'Bullet Seed', because if that's what you did, I _swear…"_ Misty was so angry that she was about ready to slit Ash's throat, but a pained squeal from Riolu averted her attention away from her soon to be ex-boyfriend, "Brock, _do something!" _

"Right!" Brock picked the choking Riolu up off the ground and held him across his forearm tilted downwards and began giving the Emanation Pokémon back thrusts.

"Why aren't you doing that wrestling move or whatever?!" Ash asked in a panic.

"You can't apply the Heimlich maneuver to an infant Ash! This is the only way I can _do _anything! Now calm down, Riolu doesn't need anyone panicking." Brock continued softly hitting Riolu's back, and eventually the seeds that had gotten lodged the in the little fighting type's throat came out and fell to the ground, much to everyone's relief, "There ya go, feel better now?" Riolu craned his neck to look back at Brock and nodded gratefully, exhausted from the frightening ordeal.

Once it was all over, Misty took Riolu into her arms and hugged him close, "You poor thing, at least thanks to Brock you're alright now." She cooed softly.

"Wow, that was kinda scary." Kato said.

"Yeah, we're sure glad your Riolu is ok!" Kiko added.

"No thanks to _Ash." _Misty spat.

"Hey, it's not like _I_ madeRiolu choke! You don't think I wasworried too?!" Ash replied.

"I'm sure you were, but you've _got _to learn to be more responsible!" Misty turned her back on Ash and walked over to all the other Pokémon, who had since gone back to their watermelon, mostly because they wanted no part of the quarreling couple's argument. Dawn, Kiko, and Kato went with Misty, leaving Ash and Brock to talk.

Ash crossed his arms and exhaled, "I guess Misty's right, it _was _pretty stupid of me to mess around like that." He said begrudgingly.

"She'll get over it eventually." Brock said reassuringly, and as long as you and _Riolu _are still cool, everything should work out fine, and I doubt he'd be mad at you for this."

"Yeah, maybe…I'm not feeling anything bitter in Riolu's aura or anything, so I _guess _we're still cool…" Ash replied, "I should still apologize though."

"Good idea." Brock replied with a nod.

Ash went over to Misty who was still cradling Riolu in her arms, and he was relieved to find that Misty had sensed his remorse and allowed him to approach the baby Pokémon, "Hey, I'm sorry Riolu, can you forgive me?" Naturally, Riolu hopped out of Misty's arms and hugged his true trainer, reassuring him that he held no ill will towards him, "Thanks Riolu, you're awesome."

After the touching Trainer-Pokémon moment, the group finished their snack in peace, and then was given a tour of the town by Kato and Kiko. "You _really _can't come to this town without seeing the ruins!" Kato said.

"Ruins?" Ash asked.

"Yeah! Of a temple from _thousands _of years ago!" Kiko replied.

"Hey, my guidebook talks about those ruins too." Brock commented.

"Sounds pretty interesting if you ask me." Misty added.

"They _are!" _Kato exclaimed, "Trust me, you're gonna _love 'em!"_

"Well we don't have anything better to do, so _I _say we go check 'em out!" Ash exclaimed, "Lead the way guys!"

"Oh…um…well…" Kiko chuckled.

"What's the matter?" Dawn asked.

"Well the thing is, we kinda gotta get home, but we'll point you in the right direction before we go!" Kiko replied.

"Yeah! Just go through the forest over there and walk all the way to the lake, and then you gotta climb up the mountain and you're there!" Kato explained.

"Oh gee, is _that _all?" Dawn slouched with fatigue just at the thought of the long excursion ahead of them, "It could be worse I guess, at least we don't have to go to _space _or anything."

"I sense sarcasm." Misty replied in a sing-song voice.

"Says the _queen _of sarcastic remarks." Dawn huffed.

"She's got ya _there _Mist." Ash chuckled.

"Careful Ash, every day I don't use my mallet is another day the mallet fuse gets shorter." The redhead warned.

"You guys are real characters!" Kato laughed, finding the whole banter highly amusing.

"Well, it was nice meeting you guys, thanks for the battle!" With that, Kiko and her brother headed home, leaving Ash and Co. on their own.

"Well, we're not gonna get there if we just stand here, let's get going!" Ash hurried into the forest which provoked the other three to go after him, and much to their delight, and in Dawn's case relief, the forest wasn't nearly as thick as they originally thought, and within minutes they had reached the lake that Kiko and Kato had told them about, "Wow, check _that _out!"

It was indeed a marvel to behold, the rock that had the ruins at the top just seemed to emanate pride by the way it seemed to stick out where its chest would be if it were alive. Two narrow waterfalls were pouring out of holes in the mountain, flowing into the lake below which was clearer than even the freshest water. "It's beautiful!" Misty gaped in awe.

"Yeah, and the ruins are _waaaay_ up there." Brock pointed out to the group. Then the breeder took a deep breath and exhaled with vigor, "Man, I can just _feel _positive energy flowing through this place!"

"Me too! It feels like getting a recharge!" Ash added, stretching his arms out to take in the serene feeling.

Unbeknownst to them however, something was stirring in the lake, and a vortex of darkness momentarily appeared in the sky and disappeared again before anyone could notice. Pikachu went down to the water's edge for a drink, when suddenly his ear twitched as he sensed something out of the ordinary, "Pikapi!"

"What's the matter Pikachu?" Ash asked. Suddenly the lake didn't seem so serene, as the water seemed to get sucked upwards and began swirling into a powerful vortex, "What's going on?! Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash ordered the electric mouse to attack, and the lightning hit the water and broke up the vortex…but despite that, something still seemed off.

"What…was _that?" _Misty asked in shock.

"I dunno, that vortex came outta _nowhere!" _Brock replied. Suddenly Pokémon of all different types came running out of the forest, just trying to escape from the area, "The Pokémon are all running away!"

"Something's happening!" Dawn gulped fearfully.

"Something like _that?!" _Misty pointed towards the middle of the lake, where suddenly a much a larger vortex formed, and this it brought friends with it as three more vortexes shot up into the sky, where a huge vortex of what seemed to be pure darkness sucked up the water…and what was worse, the dark vortex seemed to want more than a drink, "Let's get outta here!"

The teens took off running, but Dawn had been grabbed by the wind and started to fly away, "Guys!"

"Dawn!" Ash managed to grab ahold of Dawn's hand and started tugging to bring her back to earth, but if it weren't for Misty and Brock, Ash would've gotten sucked in with her. After a short struggle, Dawn was able to get back onto solid ground, but then she noticed that the two other members of their party had been sucked in, "Piplup! Pikachu!"

The two Pokémon flailed helplessly in the wind of the vortex, until Pikachu grabbed onto Piplup and the penguin fired a desperate 'Bubblebeam' to try and use its power to resist the pull of the vortex. "We gotta do something!" Misty shouted over the wind.

"I can only think of _one _thing! It's Charizard time!" Ash was about to release his dragon and go after the two Pokémon, when a man and woman ran up seemingly out of nowhere, "Whoa, who are _they?"_

"Now Dialga, come forth!" the woman cried, "Dialga, please save these Pokémon for me!" Just then, the legendary Dialga appeared through a time portal, and flew up to the two struggling Pokémon just as Piplup ran out of energy and stopped firing. Just before the two Pokémon were lost forever, Dialga caught them and pulled them safely away from the vortex's pull.

"The legendary Pokémon that rules time…Dialga…" Brock said in awe.

"_That's _Dialga? Incredible!" Misty gaped.

"But…how can it be _here?" _Dawn wondered.

"And how can _she talk _to it?" Brock added.

Moments later, Dialga came swooping down and dropped off Pikachu and Piplup into the waiting arms of their respective trainers, and as soon as they were safe, the Temporal Pokémon flew back up towards the vortex and unleashed a 'Roar of Time' attack that negated the vortex completely. The splashdown of the water however created a huge wave that the teens ran up a ledge to avoid being swept away by, _"That _was close." Ash commented. Once the danger seemed to be over, Dialga hovered over the humans and roared out a victory cry, "Hey Dialga!" But just then, another portal appeared in the lake, and out of this portal came the legendary Pokémon Giratina, who Ash and his friends had already been acquainted with through their adventure with Shaymin. "It's Giratina!"

After morphing into his real world form, Giratina flew up to Dialga and attacked the Temporal Pokémon, first by ramming into it, and then blasting a huge ball of blue energy at it. "Giratina must still be angry with Dialga!" Dawn exclaimed. Dialga roared and tried to get away, but the Renegade Pokémon's rage refused to let Dialga escape, it chased after Dialga and pinned it down into the water, making a huge splash that again almost swept away everyone.

"It's too dangerous, get away quick!" the strange man suddenly shouted.

"Right!" Dawn for one wanted badly to leave while she could, but her other party members didn't seem to have any desire to leave now. "Guys, come on! We gotta get out of here!"

"No way Dawn! Giratina's our friend, and Dialga saved our Pokémon! We gotta find a way to stop this!" Ash replied determinedly.

"That may be impossible Ash, Giratina's _obviously _after Dialga _still!" _Brock explained.

Ash growled and ignored the breeder's analysis and looked back towards the two battling giants, "Giratina, stop it! Dialga saved Pikachu and Piplup for us, come on! Remember us!" the trainer shouted. But the trainer's cry fell on deaf ears as Giratina blasted another ball of blue fire at the Temporal Pokémon at point-blank range, "Giratina…"

While the teens looked on in horror, the woman who had summoned Dialga stepped up and clasped her hands together, "Now transcend…the confines of time and space!" No one else could see it, but the woman's mind and soul had basically transported to another dimension, one where she and Giratina's mind and soul were the only ones there. However there was something very different about Giratina's aura, it was an angry red color as opposed to the woman's yellow one, "Giratina!"

"What's she doing?" Misty wondered.

"I dunno Mist…" Ash replied, "But…it's something like…the way I communicate with Riolu, when my aura connects with his."

"You mean she's connecting auras with Giratina?!" Dawn asked.

"Kind of…but…on a deeper level, it's almost like…their hearts are connected." Ash replied thoughtfully. Suddenly however, the woman gasped and grimaced at a supposedly unseen force, and stumbled backwards into the arms of the man by her side, "It stopped! Giratina must've pushed her away!"

"Sheena!" the man exclaimed with concern.

"Giratina's rage…it's too strong!" Sheena replied.

"Maybe for _you _it is!" Ash jumped into the lake and ran towards the two fighting Pokémon, ignoring the protests of his friends, "If Giratina doesn't wanna talk to _her, _maybe _my _aura can get through!" Ash got as close as he felt he could without getting right in between the fighters, "Giratina! Can't you feel I'm right here with you?! It's me! Ash!" The trainer tried to connect with Giratina's aura, but found that reaching out to the Renegade Pokémon was having no effect. "Uh oh…I guess it doesn't work that well unless it's Riolu or a Lucario!"

"Ash! Come back!" Brock yelled, using his hands as a megaphone to try and increase the volume of his voice, "Ash is overestimating the extent of his abilities with aura, he thinks he can connect to Giratina!"

"He's gonna get himself _killed!" _Misty exclaimed worriedly, "ASH!"

"Come on Giratina, why aren't you getting the message?!" Ash had tried to send his aura out to Giratina's, but after several failed attempts he came to the sad realization that it simply wasn't going to work. "It's no use!" Ash snarled to himself, "I'm not as strong as Riley, I can only use my aura with Riolu…so how am I gonna stop Giratina?" Ash was suddenly swept off his feet by a wave created by the splashing of the two giants, and he wound up flat on his back after the water subsided, "Giratina, stop it!"

All of a sudden, Giratina stopped thrashing and looked down to where the trainer and his Pikachu had been swept, and recognized the duo as the same two that it had gone on an incredible adventure with to save its world. Seeing Ash and Pikachu, the Renegade Pokémon calmed down and allowed Dialga to fly off, "I don't believe it…did Ash _actually _manage to connect to Giratina's aura?" Misty said in shock.

"Giratina, you remembered us _after all!"_ Ash breathed a sigh of relief.

"Giratina's rage, it's gone!" Sheena was quite shocked at this development, but she quickly shook it off and focused back in on her goal, "Now's the time! Transcend…the confines of time and space!" Just like that, the girl's spirit connected to Giratina's just as before, only this time the Renegade Pokémon's aura was a peaceful blue as opposed to the red it was before. "You have misunderstood Dialga." Sheena said to the giant, "Please don't battle." Giratina nodded in understanding, and when the connection was broken, the dragon/ghost-type flew up into the air and opened a portal into the Reverse World, disappearing into it as if nothing had ever happened.

"It looks like Giratina gets it now." The man said satisfactorily.

"Nice if it's true," Sheena began, "But I should've seen it in its heart."

"Should've seen it in its heart?" Dawn asked, shyly walking up to the man and the woman he called Sheena. "Seen _what _exactly? If you don't mind my asking…"

"You see…I have the power to connect _my _heart with the hearts of Pokémon." Sheena explained.

"Connect hearts?" Dawn gasped in awe.

"That sounds like how Ash connects to Riolu with his aura." Misty pointed out.

"Your friend Ash is an aura guardian?" the man asked.

"Not _exactly, _he can _use _his aura to a certain extent, but it's not like he'll be making forcefields anytime soon." Misty replied thoughtfully.

"Hey!" Ash jumped back up to where his friends were standing, indignant at Misty's comments about his proficiency in aura, "I _did _make a forcefield once, remember?" the trainer boasted.

"You did it with a _real _aura guardian and his super strong Lucario, remember?" Misty quipped, causing Ash to face-fault. "But I digress, were you able to connect with Giratina? You obviously made _something _happen."

Ash got back up and rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed at what he was about to say, "Well to tell you the truth…I think Giratina just plain _recognized _me and Pikachu, my aura didn't really get through or anything." He chuckled bashfully.

Misty scoffed, "And here you are making a huge fuss over your 'abilities' with aura, you're gonna need more practice before you can brag about _that." _The water trainer used air-quotes to emphasize her point, and needless to say Ash wasn't happy about it.

"I don't see _you _using aura for anything." Ash crossed his arms and turned his back to the redhead.

"I don't think I'd _want to _even if I _could, _that aura of yours has gotten us into _a lot _of trouble." Misty replied, also turning her back.

"Oh dear…" Sheena was stunned at the argument that had just taken place, not knowing the couple; she thought they were actually mad at each other.

"Relax; this sort of thing happens _all _the time. Watch, in about five minutes they'll be smooching on each other like they were the happiest couple in the world." Dawn laughed, "Ain't that right Ash and Misty?"

The two didn't flinch, but there was a distinct color of red on each of their faces. "I see…" Sheena decided to take Dawn's word for it and dismiss the argument as nothing. "To finish answering your question," Sheena began, turning her attention back to Dawn, "Yes, I can connect my heart to the hearts of Pokémon, that's why I was able to connect with Dialga, and it let me share some of its strength."

"_Dialga's _strength? Whoa…" Ash said in awe, the argument between him and Misty already forgotten.

"I'm sorry; I don't believe we've been properly introduced." Sheena said, "I'm Sheena, and I'm a guardian of these ruins."

"Same here," the man added, "My name's Kevin."

"So were any of you injured?" Sheena asked.

"No, we're fine!" Dawn reassured with a nod, "My name is Dawn."

"_My _name's Ash, and this is my partner Pikachu, thanks for saving him and Piplup by the way."

"Yeah thanks! My name is Misty by the way."

"It's nice to meet you all." Sheena suddenly gasped as she noticed something, and she walked up to Ash and Pikachu, and made a move as if she was about to touch Pikachu.

"Uh Sheena…I wouldn't do that if I were you." Misty tried to warn the guardian, Pikachu had a history of zapping people he didn't know who tried to touch him, but the redhead and the breeder next to her both gaped in awe when Pikachu not only didn't object to the woman stroking his cheeks, but seemed to enjoy it as he let out a happy 'chaaa' at the contact. "I don't believe it!" Misty whispered to Brock.

"Long ago…there was a thunder creature and its master, and they changed the fate of this town." Sheena said.

"Huh?" Even as dense as Ash tended to be, he could tell this story would have something to do with him and Pikachu.

"Yes," Kevin continued the story, "You see, it's part of the legend of this town."

"Wait a minute," Dawn said incredulously, "A thunder creature and its master?!"

"You don't mean Ash and Pikachu do you?" Misty asked.

"I do…I have a feeling our meeting may have been fated." Sheena said.

"Well…I kinda have a girlfriend already…" Ash chuckled bashfully.

Sheena gave him a confused look, while Ash's friends just sweat-dropped in annoyance as Ash's density came back into play, "I think you may have misunderstood." Sheena said.

"I'm _positive _he misunderstood." Misty spat.

Ash glared at his girlfriend, "Sorry, geez."

"I merely meant that the legend may have something to do with you and your Pikachu, so would you mind coming with us?" Sheena asked.

"Hey, I'll do whatever you want! After all, you saved Pikachu's life!" Ash replied determinedly.

Suddenly however, Brock lost control and dropped to one knee on front of Sheena, grabbing the beautiful woman's hand, "Sheena, I never had a chance to introduce myself! I'm Brock, _another _fated person!" he said passionately. He got up and walked slightly towards the lake, "Why just a short moment ago I took a fated tumble and scraped my elbow which then led to the fated fact that you would kiss it and make it better, and also have you stroke me with that beautiful hand of yours! Which is the miracle that took away _all _of my pain!" Ash ran back towards Sheena and went back to his original position, "All because of the fickle finger of fate! And now, we get to know each other and build our feelings on the fated love that I _know _is there inside! Such a lovely silken hand…huh?"

"Thank goodness." Misty sighed in relief. Brock found that the hand he was holding was no longer Sheena's, but instead Croagunk's, "I was wondering what was taking so long, you made a fool of yourself less than halfway through your little soliloquy." As if to emphasize her point, Croagunk gave Brock the jab that was inevitably on its way, and dragged the now crippled breeder away from the group. "Sorry about that Sheena." Misty apologized for the breeder.

Sheena was simply confused, while Kevin seemed to be glaring at Brock, unnoticed by the other members of the gathered group. Suddenly, the water in the lake swirled into a spout once again, and enveloped Dialga who had been flying around waiting for Sheena, "Dialga!"

The winds and the waters became so rough that a tree snapped and started flying towards Misty and Dawn. "Look out!" Kevin grabbed the two girls and dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding being crushed by a flying tree trunk, "Sheena, we've got to go, _now! _Or we'll be caught in the water spout!"

"But wait! We've got to help Dialga!" Sheena replied.

But just then, the spout grew larger in size and started swirling towards them. Kevin stepped in front of Sheena to try and protect his friend, when all of a sudden a portal opened right in front of the spout, and yet another legendary Pokémon made an appearance and saved them, "It's Palkia!"

"The legendary Pokémon that rules space!" Brock added. With a powerful swing of its arm, Palkia unleashed a 'Spacial Rend' that broke apart the water spout, and then the Spatial Pokémon distorted the space around Dialga, and freed it from its trap.

"Hey, look at that! Palkia saved Dialga from the water spout!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Why is that a surprise? Aren't they _supposed _to be friends?" Misty asked naively.

"That's right…you weren't with us yet…it's a long story." Ash replied.

Seeing the two Pokémon conversing with each other, Sheena folded her hands, "Transcend the confines of time and space." Sheena connected her heart with the hearts of the two legends.

"Hold on…_transcend?" _Ash asked.

"It means rise above, or go over." Brock explained.

"Right, which means this _transcends _your head Ash." Misty added with a giggle.

"Hey!" Ash crossed his arms and huffed indignantly, much to Misty's amusement.

"You see children," Kevin said, getting the attention of the teens, "Right now, Sheena's connected with the hearts of _both _of those Pokémon."

"She's…_syncing _with them!" Dawn said in realization.

"Exactly!" Kevin said with a nod.

"Thank you…Palkia…Dialga…" Sheena broke the connection, and the two legends went their separate ways, each heading back to their own dimensions.

"Just like that, they're gone…whoa." Misty said in awe.

"They've returned to their own dimensions." Kevin explained.

"Ok…I'm _seriously _confused, forgive me for sounding dumb but I'm not from here, can someone _please _explain what's going on here?!" Misty exclaimed.

"Sorry Mist, see, Dialga and Palkia got into a huge fight with each other when we stopped in Alamos Town…me and Dawn managed to get them to stop fighting by playing a weird song that soothed them. After that though, I really don't know _what _happened." Ash explained.

"_I _can explain it further." Sheena said.

"Whoa, _really?" _Ash asked.

Sheena nodded and motioned for the group to follow her, "Come, we're going to the ruins…all of your questions will be answered there."

The group began the long climb up the mountain. By this time, Buneary and Riolu had come out of their Pokéballs and rejoined the group, and Riolu became the topic of a conversation between Ash and Misty. "So you _really _think my aura causes trouble? Without it, we wouldn't have Riolu!" Ash pointed out, as he balanced the young Pokémon on his shoulders.

"I was upset Ash, ok? I didn't mean it. Your ability with aura is a blessing that only a precious few like Riley seem to have," Misty plucked the Emanation Pokémon off of Ash's shoulders and cradled him in her arms, "And yes, I'm very grateful to have Riolu…I just…I wish you wouldn't try to do things _just because _you think aura would help. You're _not _Riley, you can't stop bombs from exploding all by yourself…my point is I wish you'd be more careful."

"I get it Misty." Ash sighed. "Maybe I should practice using it more; it might even help Riolu grow up stronger."

"Fine, just don't practice in life or death situations." Misty sighed and hugged Riolu to her chest, "I wouldn't want this little one to grow up without a daddy."

Ash smiled tenderly and rubbed Riolu's head, "Don't worry Mist." Ash then stroked Misty's orange locks, causing the redhead to blush lightly at the contact. "I'm not going _anywhere." _Ash pulled Misty in closer and laid his head on hers just as she laid hers on his shoulder.

"See Sheena? I _told _you that they'd go back to normal in just a few minutes!" Dawn laughed.

"A very strange relationship, I must say." Sheena replied.

When they reached the top of the mountain, Sheena and Kevin led the teens into the ruins, where a secret underground cavern was hidden, "I can't believe…we're under the ruins!" Brock said in awe, as his head swiveled in all directions to try and take in the sights. Sheena and Kevin then opened a large pair of doors, which led to a large room with a strange device in the middle, "What is this thing Sheena?" the breeder asked.

"This is the Time-Space Axis." Sheena replied.

"What's it do?" Ash asked.

"The Time-Space Axis indicates the condition of every minute change in the time-space continuum." Kevin explained.

"Wow…I didn't even know that kind of thing was _possible!" _Misty gaped.

"It _is _rather amazing isn't it?" Sheena replied, We use it to investigate those places where time and space have been disrupted."

"Time and space disruptions…" Brock pondered the meaning of that, "You mean…like what happened today with Dialga and Palkia?"

"Something like that, yes." Kevin replied, "You see, we were there to see the strange mutation of Alamos Town."

"You were _there?!" _Dawn exclaimed.

"Yes, and we were _also _present when that hole in time and space opened near the Glacier by Sonzonia City." Sheena said.

"I don't _believe _it…so, you were at the Flower Garden where Shaymin flew off from, and that means you probably saw Zero's ship!" Misty exclaimed.

"Come to think of it, we _did _see what looked like a strange vessel trapped in the ice." Sheena replied. Misty was about to question Sheena further, when a loud clang was heard from the Time-Space Axis. Sheena went over to the device and explained what every piece represented, "Here's _our _world," she said, pointing at the smallest sphere in the device, "Which is in turn supported by this," she pointed to the large sphere below the previous one, "Giratina's Reverse World." She then explained the two medium sized spheres at the top; "Here we have the dimension of Dialga…and here, Palkia's dimension…on top of that," Sheena turned her attention to a sphere protected by a mesh cage, "Arceus's dimension."

"What's _Arceus's _dimension?" Brock asked.

"Is Arceus…a Pokémon?" Misty followed up.

"Right Misty…Arceus is the legendary Pokémon that has been said to have _created _this _entire _world." Sheena replied.

"Our whole world…created by a _Pokémon?" _Dawn said in awe.

"He's _also _said to have created all of _these _worlds too." Kevin added.

"Wow…a Pokémon like _that _must be omnipotent!" Misty said.

"If the legends of Arceus creating worlds are true, then I'm inclined to agree with you Misty…" Sheena replied, "There is an omen that predicts Arceus will soon awaken from his long slumber…_massive _whirlpools of energy are beginning to form around Arceus…as he begins to awaken…these whirlpools are distorting space, and brought Dialga and Palkia's dimensions, which were designed to remain eternally separated, into contact with each other."

Kevin continued the explanation, "So Dialga and Palkia shouldn't _ever _have met, instead they _collided _with one another in Alamos Town!"

"And _both _of them thought the _other _was trying to _threaten _its territory!" Brock realized.

"Exactly." Kevin replied, "Their battle _also _affected the _Reverse _World, which brought _Giratina _into the conflict as well."

"No _wonder _Giratina was so angry with Dialga!" Dawn exclaimed, "But Sheena…you already _resolved _the conflict between Dialga and Palkia didn't you?" Sheena nodded at the coordinator.

"But wait a minute, why didn't _Giratina _understand when Sheena tried to connect with it, or when _Ash _tried to connect his aura to Giratina's?" Brock asked.

"I don't think Ash's aura was compatible with Giratina's." Kevin's statement made Ash sigh and bend over with disappointment. "As for Sheena, when a Pokémon's heart is overcome with rage, she can't connect with them."

"Rage?" Ash pondered this for a moment, when suddenly the Time-Space Axis began to rattle violently, "Whoa, what's happening?!"

Sheena and Kevin glanced at each other and nodded, "We've been using the Time-Space Axis to pinpoint the moment when Arceus will appear." Kevin explained.

"But why would it do _that?" _Ash asked.

"Arceus holds a grudge against humanity." Sheena sighed, "He is _intent _on bringing us _all _to justice."

"Justice?!" the teens gulped.

"Yes, justice." Sheena replied, "It's _possible _that Arceus will destroy us entirely."

"A Pokémon destroying all people?! That can't be!" Ash's adrenaline was beginning to race at the situation at hand.

"Have a look at this." Sheena pressed a button on the wall, and three waterfalls began flowing into a pool of water, and two lights began to show a visual presentation of the story Sheena was about to tell, "It's a legend of this place."

"Look at _that! That _must be Arceus!" Misty exclaimed, gasping at the Pokémon-like figure shining on the water.

"When it appeared that fragments from the stars would destroy much of the Pokémon, Arceus sacrificed himself in order to fend off the danger." Sheena explained.

"So it stopped _meteors? _That's _unbelievable…" _Brock said in awe.

"Arceus had been carrying the sixteen life plates around with it that could be used to counter all possible attacks." Kevin explained, "But he _lost_ the life plates colliding with the meteors, making his death a near _certainty."_

"Maybe Arceus _isn't _so omnipotent after all." Misty thought out loud.

"Perhaps…it appeared that Arceus had sentenced himself to death, but then he was saved by a man named Damos, who returned the life plates to Arceus…back then, Michina was little more than a wasteland, spreading out over the land…but when Arceus saw this, he was overcome with pity, so he removed the powers of water, grass, ground, and electricity from the life plates…and on top of _that, _dragon. He then combined the plates into one powerful artifact…the Jewel of Life. Arceus trusted Damos and bestowed upon him the Jewel of Life, even though he knew he was putting his _own _life into _grave _danger."

"This doesn't make any sense though…" Misty said to herself.

Sheena had missed Misty's comment and continued her story, "Arceus's magnificent strength flowed through the Jewel of Life, turning that wasteland that was Michina into a fertile paradise."

"Sheena," Misty interrupted, "If Arceus was so benevolent as to sacrifice his life to save all of us, and _then _give up his power to help a barren land…why is he coming to…well to put it bluntly…_kill _us?!"

Sheena sighed sadly, "Well…the day came that Damos was supposed to return the jewel, the day when the moon covered the sun."

"A solar eclipse." Brock said, modernizing Sheena's words.

"Yes…however, Damos _broke _his promise, and instead of _returning _the Jewel of Life, he _attacked _Arceus."

"What?! But why?!" Ash asked in shock.

"Well…Damos believed that if he were to return the jewel, this area would go back to being an uncultivated wasteland." Sheena replied.

Kevin decided to take a turn, "Feeling _profoundly _betrayed, Arceus went into a rage, and _destroyed _this shrine. And then, in order to heal himself from his injuries, Arceus began a long sleep." After that, the water stopped flowing and the lights turned off.

"I can see why Arceus was so upset." Ash said.

"And as bad as this sounds guys," Misty added, Humanity _deserves _to be brought to justice."

"After seeing _this, _I can't help but agree…" Dawn sighed, "And after Arceus went so far as to give up a _part _of himself to help Damos…no _wonder _Arceus hates us."

"So in the end, we have _Damos _to thank for Arceus's wrath." Brock said angrily.

"Unfortunately yes…and sadly…Damos…is my ancestor." The teens gasped in shock at that. Sheena took a brass container and brought it over to the teens, "And this…is the Jewel of Life."

"It's beautiful!" Dawn breathed in awe.

"Indeed it is." Sheena then turned her attention to a stone tablet hanging on the wall, with foreign writing carved into it. "Return thus to Arceus, the Jewel of Life. Placate his rage; less destruction visit this land…you see? It is written."

"It's a message to us from our ancestors." Kevin explained.

"So that means they realized their mistake!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yes…" Sheena glanced down at the jewel, "We _must _return the Jewel of Life to Arceus, so that we may calm his wrath."

Suddenly the Time-Space Axis began rattling more violently than ever, and what sounded like an alarm began to ring from the center of it, "What's going on?!" Ash gulped.

Sheena and Kevin glanced at each other and nodded knowingly, "It is time," Sheena said, "Arceus is coming!"

"Quickly! We must get to the shrine entrance before Arceus destroys it!" Kevin shouted.

"Right!" the group ran as fast as they could to get back outside, but when the shrine began to rumble, they knew something was very wrong.

"Arceus is here!" Sheena ran in front of the others, and when she reached the entrance, she saw Arceus preparing to attack, "Arceus please! You've got to stop!"

Arceus stopped momentarily and hovered over to Sheena, _"Who _are _you?" _Arceus said, disgust evident in the Pokémon's voice.

"He can talk!" Dawn squeaked.

"And he doesn't exactly sound friendly." Misty added.

"I am a descendant of Damos…Arceus I _know _my ancestor did a _terrible _thing to you…_please _forgive us." Sheena opened the container and presented it to Arceus, "This is the Jewel of Life!"

"What?!" Arceus spat.

"I humbly return it to you." Sheena placed the jewel on a pedestal and stepped back, "My family has been protecting it so that one day we may present it to you again!"

Arceus hovered down to the jewel and observed it for a moment, "Um…Arceus doesn't look any happier." Misty whispered.

Arceus backed up slightly and growled, "You're saying _this _is the Jewel of Life?!" Arceus brought his front leg down and shattered the jewel, much to the horror of Sheena and the others, "The Jewel of Life is a part of _me! _It cannot, and _will not _break!" Arceus cocked his head back and fired an incredibly powerful 'Flamethrower' that nearly destroyed the entire shrine, only Kevin's quick reflexes kept Sheena from being killed then and there, as he grabbed the girl and moved her out of the way.

"A forgery…but…how?" Sheena wondered, devastated by the revelation.

"I don't get it Sheena, what's going on?" Dawn asked.

Sheena shook her head, "I…I don't know…I truly thought that it was the real thing all along!"

"Ok, so where's the _real _one?" Ash asked.

"Uh guys," Misty pointed to the sky, "More immediate problems!"

Arceus honed in on the group and glared icily at them, "I won't let humanity deceive me anymore!"

"Arceus wait!" Sheena cried, "I _swear _I had _no idea _it was a counterfeit, _please _believe me!" Sheena folded her hands ad prepared to try and connect to Arceus, "Now transcend…the confines of time and space!" Sheena began the connection, but she gasped when she sensed the sheer power of Arceus's rage, and she realized she had made a grave mistake. Sheena cried out and fell to the ground as Arceus harshly rejected her, and she was quickly helped up by Kevin. "Arceus's rage is too strong!"

Suddenly the wheel around Arceus's middle began to glow, and Arceus charged another attack, "You shall be brought to justice! RRRAAAAAHHH!" Arceus fired into the sky, and like fireworks, the attack exploded and started falling down like meteors.

"Oh man, this is it!" Ash shouted. The group braced themselves for what was to come, but they were saved by the sudden appearance of Dialga and Palkia, who shielded them with fields of time and space. "It's Dialga and Palkia!"

"Are you siding with the _humans?!" _Arceus snarled and fired a blast of fire at the two lesser legends, Palkia was thrown back by the attack's power, but Dialga took the worst of it as the Temporal Pokémon crashed into a pillar, which almost crushed the humans below. Palkia then prepared to attack, and launched an attack that Ash and Riolu immediately recognized despite its pink coloration.

"That's 'Aura Sphere'!" the trainer exclaimed. Palkia's 'Aura Sphere' looked like it hit Arceus, but suddenly the golden wheel around Arceus's body changed from gold to black, and the attack disappeared without Arceus feeling a thing, "Oh man! What happened?!"

"Palkia's attacks aren't working!" Brock shouted in shock.

"Arceus must be using the life plates to defend against Palkia's attacks! And judging by the color, Arceus just used the ghost plate!" Kevin explained.

"Wait a minute, are you saying Arceus just _became _a _ghost-type?!_" Misty asked.

"Precisely!" Kevin replied with a nod.

Just then, Dialga let out a determined roar, and fired a 'Hyper Beam' at Arceus, but again Arceus utilized the ghost plate, and the attack was absorbed without any trouble, "Out of my way!" Arceus used a brand new attack that looked like 'Twister', and the dragon-type move bombarded Dialga and Palkia, and forced the humans to flee as more debris came crashing down as Dialga went down again.

"What are we gonna do?" Dawn wondered in horror.

Dialga then turned to Sheena, and grunted something to the young woman, "Dialga…it's trying to tell me something!"

"Not even creatures of my own kind shall be forgiven for siding with human beings! Take _this!" _Arceus unleashed a 'Flamethrower' that engulfed the already down Temporal Pokémon.

"Dialga!" Sheena cried.

Ash couldn't watch the battle go on any longer, he had to at least speak up, "Come on Arceus, stop this!" Of course his cry fell on deaf ears, as Arceus fired another 'Flamethrower' that struck Palkia and then scorched the walls of the ledge the humans were standing on.

"_That_ one was _really _close!" Misty exclaimed.

"If this keeps up we'll be toast for _sure!" _Dawn added.

Ash growled and clenched his fists, "Enough's enough! Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu gaped at his master in surprise for a moment, but then nodded determinedly and fired at Arceus who was now coming in for a close range strike. The electricity struck Arceus square in the chest, and the Alpha Pokémon stopped where he was.

"I don't _believe _it! Pikachu's 'Thunderbolt' actually managed to hit _Arceus?!" _Misty gawked in bewilderment.

"Of _course!" _Kevin said as he suddenly realized something, "Remember that Arceus lost several of his life plates, _including _the one that protects him from _electric_-type attacks!"

"That's _right!_" With this knowledge in mind, Ash ordered another attack, "Alright Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt' again!"

Pikachu fired again, and once again the attack managed to strike Arceus, but the Alpha Pokémon refused to be held back by a measly Pikachu, "Out of my way!" Arceus fired back with a 'Twister', one that was aimed directly at the humans, and the force of the gale winds blew everyone backwards and to the ground, "You _all _shall be brought to justice!" Arceus unleashed 'Flamethrower' to finish the group off once and for all, and at the last possible moment, they were saved once again…this time by the lone dweller of the Reverse World, their friend Giratina.

"It's Giratina!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yes! Giratina _understands!" _Sheena added. Giratina fired a huge 'Will-O-Wisp' attack at the Alpha Pokémon, but just as it did with Palkia, Arceus changed types to fire, and absorbed the fire-type attack before unleashing a 'Blizzard' attack that engulfed Giratina and further injured the already severely weakened Dialga. Palkia on the other hand had been protecting itself inside of a barrier of distorted space, and once the attack subsided, it lowered its defenses to fire a beam at Arceus. Instead of hitting Arceus however, the beam stretched out in front of Arceus and enveloped the legend into a pink bubble, momentarily trapping the enraged Pokémon. "Palkia is distorting space to stop Arceus!" With the Alpha Pokémon restrained for the moment, Dialga once again reached out to Sheena, "Dialga…" All of a sudden, the group found themselves being lifted off the ground as Dialga's power affected them, and moments later, they vanished without a trace.

Kevin was now faced with a huge problem all by himself, as he was forced to watch Sheena and the others be taken away by the now roaring Dialga's power, clueless as to what was about to take place. "Sheena…"  
_

**A/N: This will probably be the last author's note for a while. Once again I'd like to take a moment to thank you all for supporting me, and to my friends, I am sorry I didn't make this announcement in a more timely manner, but I just wasn't sure what to do. Now I am. I am moving on from my other projects and focusing almost solely on my goals in life. This story will live on because I still need something to relax with, but I can't devote too much time to other things anymore. There are more important things in life, such as family, the future, I'm sure you all can understand that. Thank you once again for making EchidnaPower an enjoyable experience for me. To my readers, the ride isn't over yet. But it will be a slow ride. If you don't mind waiting, I admire your devotion. Until the next update, enjoy.**


	59. Arceus and the Jewel of Life: Part 2

**So yeah, managed to pull this together. Enjoy  
**_

Chapter 59

**Misty's POV**

Looks like this is gonna be another big time adventure! After going into Michina Town and having a battle to win a snack, we found ourselves in the middle of a confrontation of…_legendary _proportions! A vortex of water appeared in the middle of the lake and sucked in Pikachu and Piplup, and…get this…they were saved by Dialga! A girl named Sheena had summoned Dialga to save our Pokémon, and then it forced the vortex to die down, only to have Giratina appear and attack moments later! Sheena tried to stop Giratina but it was too angry, so Ash tried to use his aura, hoping Giratina would recognize Ash's presence and calm down…that didn't work _at all._ Luckily Giratina _saw _Ash and cooled off anyway. After that, Sheena was able to tell Giratina to stop fighting, and it disappeared back into the Reverse World.

Just when we thought it was safe to go back into the water, so to speak…the vortex came back and sucked Dialga in! We would've been next if _another _legend hadn't come to our rescue. Palkia! Palkia freed Dialga and knocked out the vortex again. After all that, Sheena dismissed the legends and they went back to their respective dimensions. Sheena and her friend Kevin…maybe more than a friend? Anyway, she and Kevin led us to the ruins, and explained what was going on. Apparently a Pokémon rumored to have created the world and everything on it was coming to…heh…kill us! A long time ago Arceus, that's the Pokémon, was betrayed by a human who stole the Jewel of Life from Arceus, the man was named Damos, and he happened to be Sheena's ancestor. As a result of Damos's betrayal, Arceus went into a rage, and after getting tired, went into a deep sleep…well now he was waking up!

Arceus appeared and began to attack, just as Sheena came and presented the Jewel of Life to Arceus, as her family had been protecting it for generations…or so we thought. Arceus noticed that it was a fake, and smashed it to pieces, much to the shock and horror of Sheena. In a rage, Arceus attacked again, and we were saved once again by Dialga and Palkia who had just appeared again. After a rather lopsided battle, Dialga and Palkia were weakened while Arceus was able to change types to absorb their attacks thanks to his life plates. Just then Giratina appeared to give the other two legends some help against Arceus. The next thing we knew, we were being swept off our feet, and I don't even know what's happening!

**Normal POV**

"What's happening?" Misty and the others looked around in awe, as the world around them seemed to be nothing but waves of blue energy moving at high speeds, "It's beautiful and all but…I'd like to know how this is happening!" Before long, the phenomena ceased, and the world seemed to turn back to normal once the blue energy dissipated, "Is it over?"

"Wait a sec…something's not right." Ash noticed.

Dawn had realized it too, "Yeah…all of a sudden it's nighttime."

Sheena looked up in the sky and gasped, "Not exactly!" the girl pointed into the sky and revealed to the teens the sun being blocked by the moon.

"An eclipse…but…" Brock looked to his left and noticed something else that seemed impossible, "T-The ruins!" he stammered, "They look brand new! What's going on?"

Sheena suddenly came to a startling revelation, "Dialga must've sent us into the past!"

"What? The past?!" Ash exclaimed in shock.

"So that energy surge…it was Dialga sending us back through time!" Misty concluded.

"Yes…back to the day…of the fated promise with Arceus." Sheena and the others looked back into the sky, and noticed a portal opening up, and once it was open, Arceus flew from inside it. "Quickly, follow me!" Sheena ran down the shrine steps to a ledge where they could get a good view of Arceus and the temple entrance. "Arceus must be summoning Damos!"

"It is time to return the Jewel of Life." The Alpha Pokémon said, much calmer than his future counterpart.

"So this is Arceus before this whole mess started." Misty commented.

"Sure looks that way." Brock agreed.

Moments later, Damos walked out of the temple, but curiously remained in the shadows for the most part, as he revealed to Arceus the Jewel of Life which was being kept in his scepter, "Here is the Jewel of Life. I welcome you inside. Please…follow me." Damos turned around and walked back into the temple, and the Alpha Pokémon granted Damos's request and followed the man into the temple. Once inside, Damos placed the Jewel onto a pedestal and presented it to Arceus…or so it appeared. "There…now _take it!" _

Suddenly hundreds of Pokémon emerged from the walls above, and every one of them unleashed a 'Discharge' attack simultaneously, effectively immobilizing Arceus. Arceus groaned as the electricity surged through his body, "What are you _doing?!" _

The group then ran into the shrine and were shocked to see Arceus being bombarded with electricity, "What in the _world?!" _Brock gawked.

"The Time-Space Axis showed this…" Sheena harkened back to when she showed the teens the story of Arceus, "Damos never _returned _the Jewel of Life, instead…he _attacked _Arceus."

"So then _that _must be Damos!" Misty pointed to a man that was now crossing a bridge that had fallen from the wall, "We've gotta do _something! _I'm pretty sure Dialga didn't send us back in time just so we could _watch _this _in person_!" But as much as Misty wanted to take action, they were in no position to do so. Suddenly with Damos's signal, a chandelier fell from the ceiling and crashed down onto Arceus, and huge boulders soon followed in an attempt to crush the Alpha Pokémon.

Eyes glowing red with rage, Arceus struggled to fight the rock slide and the electricity still pounding him, and made his way to the altar to try and collect the Jewel of Life and replenish his power. To the Alpha Pokémon's horror however, just as it was with Sheena, this jewel was an imposter, "Can it be…?"

"You are correct, it's counterfeit!" Damos shouted from an above balcony, "The _real _Jewel of Life is _right here!" _Damos revealed the real jewel being held in his scepter, "I could _never _give you the _real _Jewel of Life!"

The attacks then continued and Arceus groaned loudly as he was continuously hurt by rocks and electricity, "You _fool!" _he managed to growl as he was entombed by the boulders.

"Michina will flourish _forever more!_" Damos exclaimed, "And _never _will it turn into a wasteland!"

Arceus was completely buried now, but despite that some attacks were still being fired at the tomb of rocks below just to ensure the deed was done. But just as the eclipse outside began to subside, Arceus burst out of the tomb with a powerful 'Twister' attack, his eyes glowing red with fury. "You have _betrayed _me…and are trying to _destroy _me!" With an anger fueled battle cry, Arceus unleashed his most powerful attack, a 'Judgment' attack that caused the whole temple to begin falling apart, and sent Damos and another man beside him to fall down to their apparent deaths.

"They're falling!" Ash shouted.

"_I'd_ say they're _dead!" _Misty added with a gulp. Just then Arceus fired again, this time a 'Flamethrower' which only added to the destruction inside the temple, "We're gonna be next if we don't get away from here!"

"But what'll we do?! There's nowhere to go!" Dawn shrieked over the rumbling.

"Please Dialga!" Sheena called upon the Temporal Pokémon's power, "Send us back _further _into the past!" Suddenly the floor underneath the group collapsed and they began to fall as well, luckily Dialga heard Sheena's call for help and transported everyone further into the past, in a last ditch effort to change the future.

Back in the present however, the battle was not going well. Giratina and Palkia were being overwhelmed by Arceus's power. "They don't stand a _chance _against Arceus!" Kevin then heard an exhausted roar coming from Dialga, and watched in horror as the Temporal Pokémon fell unconscious. "Oh no…without Dialga's power…Sheena…is trapped."

The group's warp through time came to an abrupt halt, as they appeared near the temple grounds once again. "The sun's shining again." Brock pointed out.

"Looks like Dialga did what you asked!" Dawn said with relief.

Just when they thought they could relax, the group was attacked by a Heatran who walked right up to them and launched a 'Fire Spin'. They leaped out of the way to dodge the attack, but were soon surrounded by humans holding spears, "What's your _problem _buddy?!" Misty spat.

"If it's a battle they want, it's a battle they'll get!" Ash said determinedly, as Pikachu and Riolu got into battle-ready with Piplup and Buneary flanking them.

Misty followed Ash and Dawn's lead and called out Staryu and Vaporeon to flank the other four, "Ready when you are creeps." Misty hissed, daring the guards to make a move. Meanwhile at the top of the stairs, Misty spotted a familiar looking man, "Ash, that's the guy who was with Damos!"

"What is this?" the man demanded to know, his Bronzong flanking him.

"Mr. Marcus, strange people have appeared!" one of the guards replied.

"_Us _strange? Look who's talking!" Ash shot back.

"Ash, _we're _the strangers here, remember this isn't our time." Misty reminded the black-haired trainer.

Marcus walked down the stairs and calmly made an order to his Bronzong, "Bronzong, use 'Hypnosis'."

"Hypnosis'?! Pikachu quick! It's Counter Shield time!" Ash's order came too late unfortunately, as Bronzong landed right in front of the group and sent waves of psychic energy towards them. As a result, not only were the Pokémon hypnotized, but the group of trainers were as well.

With their eyes safely glazed over, Marcus descended the remaining stairs and approached Sheena, who had been spared from the effects of 'Hypnosis'. "You people _clearly _are not from this land."

"Yes, we have come here from the future!" Sheena confirmed the man's suspicions, much to Marcus's shock. "We've come here to stop you from battling Arceus!"

Marcus was taken aback by this, "Such strange words you speak." He said.

"We know everything that's going to happen in the future!" Sheena rephrased.

"Oh?" Marcus asked skeptically.

"Please, believe me!" Sheena cried, as the guards prepared to take her away as well.

Marcus pondered Sheena's words for a moment before making his decision, "Well then…let us hear what this woman has to say." He then turned his attention to the hypnotized teens, "Have the children wait in the cells, and take good care of them…as for their creatures…you know what to do."

"Sir!" the guards stood at attention before escorting the teens to the cells and stuffing the hypnotized Pokémon into a large sack.

"Now, follow me please." Marcus walked back up the steps, with Sheena following closely behind. The girl was concerned for the well being of her friends and their Pokémon, but she knew if she were to object, she might risk them getting hurt, so she simply obliged with Marcus's wishes.

Speaking of the Pokémon, the guards had dumped the entranced creatures down into a dark pit, and when the sack landed, it opened and released Pikachu, who plopped onto the floor and stared blankly into space...until Piplup fell out of the sack next and landed on him, which provoked the electric-type to launch a 'Thunderbolt' out of pure instinct. The shock from the attack snapped both Pikachu and Piplup out of their trances. "Wh-wha...what happened? Where are we?" Pikachu wondered aloud, trying to figure out what had happened.

"I dunno." Piplup coughed a small puff of smoke from the 'Thunderbolt' before shaking his head to get his bearings, "Ugh...last thing _I _remember was getting ready to fight all those guards."

Pikachu's eyes widened in realization, "That Bronzong! It used 'Hypnosis' before I could start the Counter Shield!" When Pikachu suddenly heard growling nearby, he spotted a drowsy Manectric who apparently was not happy with them, "Uh...sorry." Pikachu chuckled nervously. Manectric snarled and went back to sleep. "I think we're in a jail cell..." Pikachu suddenly gasped, "The others!"

Pikachu and Piplup turned back around and helped the other still entranced Pokémon out of the sack, "Looks like they didn't get zapped by your 'Thunderbolt'." Piplup pointed out.

When Pikachu found Buneary his heart skipped a little, needless to say he didn't enjoy seeing her suffer. "No _way_ am I gonna zap _her." _

"Didn't have any problems zapping _me." _Piplup replied snarkily, as he gently slapped the face of Misty's Vaporeon who was slowly coming around.

Pikachu made an annoyed face and got back to tending the little rabbit, "C'mon Buneary, come back to me." Pikachu stroked Buneary's ears gently, trying to get some kind of reaction out of her. "Come on!" the next thing Pikachu knew, bubbles were being blasted at the rabbit's face, "Hey!" Pikachu growled.

"Chill out, at the rate _you _were going, Buneary wouldn't snap out of it until next _year."_ Piplup scoffed.

Pikachu glared at the penguin for a moment, but his attention was diverted back to Buneary when he heard her cough a couple of times and moan, "Welcome back." Pikachu said softly.

Buneary moaned again and held her head in her paw, "Thanks...where've I been?"

"The land of 'Hypnosis'." Piplup replied, "And keep it down, there're a lot of sleepy Pokémon in here with short tempers."

"Where're our trainers?!" Buneary looked around nervously when she came to realize the humans were nowhere to be found.

"They'll be fine, they should still have the other Pokémon with them, we have more immediate problems at the moment." Pikachu took one last look in the sack and saw that only Riolu had yet to be snapped out of his trance, "Be ready to cover Riolu's mouth in case he starts to panic, we don't wanna wake these guys." Pikachu motioned over to all the sleeping Pokémon behind them.

Buneary nodded and helped Pikachu pull Riolu out of the sack. Once Pikachu gently slapped the little Pokémon's cheek, Riolu blinked a few times and regained his senses. As Pikachu predicted, Riolu panicked, and his scream had to be muffled by Buneary's paw. "Quiet Riolu! It's _us!" _Buneary hushed as quietly as she could.

Riolu did eventually stop screaming when he ran out of breath, and Buneary removed her paw when the Emanation Pokémon began panting with fatigue, "Where are we?!" Riolu whimpered in fear.

"Jail." Piplup deadpanned.

"I don't like jail! Can we go?" Riolu looked back and forth between Pikachu and Buneary for an answer.

At the prospect of going, Pikachu began looking around for an exit, but every possible opening he saw was blocked off by metal bars with guards patrolling outside, "As much as I'd like to, it doesn't look like leaving is an option." Pikachu sighed.

"Then what'll we do?" Riolu asked.

Just then, the Pokémon heard something to the left of the cell, and when they turned to see what it was, they saw a Pichu scampering out of a hole in the wall, "Oh good! I'm not too late!" the Pichu said happily.

"Too late? What do you mean?" Pikachu asked.

"If I hadn't gotten here in time, those guards would've put obedience collars on all of you!" Pichu explained. "Listen, I know a way out of here, we can escape through there, and we can go find your masters!"

"Wait a sec, how do we know this guy knows what he's talking about?" Staryu asked accusingly.

"For your information, I happen to be a _girl,_ thank you very much." Pichu replied indignantly, "And trust me, it's not like you're putting your faith in some newborn Pokémon, I may be a Pichu but I'm _not _a baby."

"Now that you mention it, you _are _about as big as a Pichu can get." Pikachu scratched his chin thoughtfully, "You're _sure _you know your way around here?"

Pichu smiled at the larger electric-type, "I _guarantee _it! So come on, Pika-shake?" Pichu turned her tail towards Pikachu, and the larger electric-type smiled and touched his tail to hers, which caused electricity to shoot out from where they touched.

"Whoa, that was _cool! _Let _me _try!" Piplup jumped in front of Pichu and stuck his own tail in front of her, but he would quickly regret it as he wound up being zapped by the electricity instead. "Ohh...not cool."

"Probably should've warned you," Pikachu sweat-dropped, "It only works with Pokémon in my evolution line."

"Sorry about that." Pichu said with a guilty giggle. "Anyways, let's go!" Pichu ran for the exit, and the others followed behind her. Piplup of course had to run twice as fast since he had to recover from the shock. "Try to keep up now!" Pichu called.

As the Pokémon walked through the walls of the shrine, Riolu decided to bring something up that had been bothering him since he first saw Pichu. "Pichu, why's your ear all spiky?" he asked innocently.

"Riolu!" Pikachu scolded, causing the Emanation Pokémon to shrink back. Pikachu then turned his attention to Pichu, who was now twitching the very ear Riolu had brought up. "Sorry about that Pichu, unlike you, Riolu _has _only recently hatched."

"It's ok, I actually don't mind answering his question!" Pichu reassured, "The truth is, I was _born _this way."

"Does it bother you at all?" Vaporeon asked.

"Not really, it just makes me unique is all, that's what my mom used to tell me. I'm the only spiky-eared Pichu anyone's ever seen, and I kinda like it actually! Makes me feel special." Pichu giggled.

Pikachu laughed a little as well, "Well as long as you're happy."

"Thanks for being concerned though, I _really _appreciate it." Pichu smiled cutely at her evolved form, who of course smiled back.

"What's going on here?" Buneary whispered suspiciously to the penguin next to her.

"Looks to me like Pichu's trying to horn in on your territory." Piplup replied with a nonchalant shrug.

As Buneary watched the two electric-types interact, she could feel a twinge of jealousy beginning to well up in her heart, "If that's the case, Pichu better watch herself." Behind the rabbit, Vaporeon and Staryu glanced at each other. They could sense drama coming in the near future.

Meanwhile, Ash, Misty, Dawn, and Brock were still hypnotized, and the guards led them into a different jail cell. Once the door closed, the noise snapped the trainers out of their hypnotized state, and they realized where they had just been placed. "Hey! Come back here! Where are we anyway?!" Ash demanded to know. Naturally, the guards ignored his outburst. But a different guard didn't.

"Well well, what do we have here?" an elderly man in a guard uniform approached the teens behind the bars and answered their question. "This is the underground prison, and one of Master Marcus's creatures just used 'Hypnosis' on you."

"Creatures...wait a sec, that was that Bronzong! He means _Pokémon!" _Misty realized.

At the mention of Pokémon, Ash realized something. "Hey! Our Pokémon aren't here! Where are they?!"

"And where's Sheena?! _She's _missing too!" Brock added.

"They're safe." the guard assured, "Sheena is speaking with Master Marcus right now."

"So Sheena's talking to the guy who ordered Bronzong to hypnotize us." Dawn said.

"And he was with Damos when Dialga sent us back the first time, I wonder who he is." Misty added.

"Marcus is a backstabber." a voice said bitterly. The teens gasped at the voice in the darkness, and they turned to see someone sitting in the shadows, "It's true...you see, Marcus was an underling of mine, but he tricked me and threw me in jail."

The teens gasped again when the figure came into the light, and they growled at who the light revealed. _"You're _Damos!" Dawn snarled.

"Wait, are you saying you _know _me?!" Damos asked in shock.

"Without a doubt!" Misty hissed.

"But how? You're not _from _here..." Damos replied.

"Enough!" Ash barked, "I wanna know why you won't return the Jewel of Life to Arceus!"

"And why you're setting a _trap _for Arceus too!" Dawn added.

At this, Damos stood up with an angry expression on his face. "I am doing _nothing _of the sort! I have _every intention _of returning the Jewel of Life to Arceus!" Damos insisted.

Ash wasn't convinced, "You're a liar!"

Damos confronted Ash and looked down to him with an intense gaze, "It's the _truth!" _the man barked, "That's why Marcus put me in jail, to keep me from doing that very thing."

"Give us one good reason why we should believe _anything _you have to say." Misty challenged.

"May I say something?" the guard had spoken up again, and now had the attention of the curious teenagers. "That man is _definitely _speaking the truth...I absolutely know for a _fact _that Damos was attempting to return the Jewel of Life back to Arceus...what I'm completely _uncertain _about is whether or not that's the correct action for Damos to take."

"Well...I guess that's _one _voice in Damos's favor." Misty admitted.

"Hey guys, I just thought of something..." Brock said thoughtfully, "If Bronzong could use 'Hypnosis' on _us, _is it possible that Damos betrayed Arceus _because _he was hypnotized like _we _were?"

"Hold on just a minute, what _are _you four _talking _about?" Damos asked.

The teens looked at each other and nodded, "You were right when you said we weren't from here, we're from the future!" Ash said.

"The future?" Damos asked in awe.

"Yeah, take a look at this!" Ash took one of his remaining Pokéballs and summoned the Pokémon inside: Monferno.

"That sphere unleashed a creature!" Damos gasped.

"This sphere is called a Pokéball, and just about _everyone _in the future has one...Monferno, return." Ash called back Monferno much to the shock of Damos, "But in this time period, these don't exist."

"And what you keep calling creatures are called Pokémon in our time period." Misty explained.

"This is all very overwhelming..." Damos held his head in his palm and took a deep breath, "I need a moment."

"I'm not sure we have one." Brock said, "Some of our Pokémon are still missing...and Sheena..."

Speaking of Sheena, she was having dinner with Marcus, as she tried to plead her case. "I understand it now." Marcus said, "You said you all came here from the future, and you were telling the truth."

"Damos has _no _intention of returning the Jewel of Life to Arceus, I'm _certain _of that!" Sheena replied.

"I see..."

She clearly had Marcus's attention, so she continued, "But then...if Arceus doesn't get the Jewel of Life back, _terrible _things will begin to happen!"

"What kind of things?"

"Concerning you and Damos..." Sheena replayed the moment when Arceus killed Damos and Marcus the first time Dialga sent her and the others back in time.

Marcus gasped and got up from his chair with his hands planted firmly on the table, "What are you _saying?!"_

"You _must _trust me! _Please!" _At this point, Sheena was begging Marcus to take her word for it, what else could she do at this point? All there really was for her to do was to hold out hope that someone could come to their assistance, _"I hope the others are making progress somehow."_

While the humans were still trapped, the Pokémon were making headway through the walls of the temple...but unfortunately they had neglected to take one little detail into account, "You know what I just realized?" Pichu said, stopping in her tracks, "I know my way around the temple alright, but I _don't _know where your masters are being kept." she laughed with embarrassment.

"You're trying to tell us that even though we know where we're going...we don't know where we're _supposed _to go?" Staryu asked incredulously.

"Nice going kid." Buneary spat.

Pichu sneered at Buneary before looking up at Pikachu with a remorseful expression on her face and her ears drooped in sadness, "I didn't mean to get us all lost, if there was only some way of knowing where your masters were, then I could _easily _take you there!"

Pikachu smiled sympathetically at the spiky-eared electric-type and pat her head gently, which got Pichu to relinquish a small smile as well. What Pikachu didn't know however was that his action had received a second reaction, and a negative one at that. Buneary was about ready to blast an 'Ice Beam' at both him _and _Pichu, and probably would've gone through with it if Staryu and Vaporeon hadn't held her back. Blissfully unaware of what was going on behind him, Pikachu scratched his chin and then snapped his fingers when he got an idea, "Riolu! C'mere!"

Riolu did what he was told and walked up to Pikachu, "Yes Pikachu?" he said politely.

"Can you sense our trainers' auras from here? If you can, we might be able to use that to find where they're being kept!" Pikachu explained to the young Pokémon.

"I'll try." Riolu closed his eyes and pressed his palms together, as he tried to sense where the humans were being kept. After a few suspense filled moments, Riolu opened his eyes and frowned, "I can't find Mommy."

Pikachu chuckled and pat the Emanation Pokémon on the back, "Then try looking for Daddy ok? Try hard!" Riolu nodded and made another attempt to contact help.

"Daddy?" Pichu asked curiously, "I don't understand, are your masters both Lucario?"

Pikachu laughed a little, "No...see, my trainer...or as you would say, my 'master' has a girlfriend who he's very close to, and when Riolu's egg hatched, his aura was a perfect match for Ash's - that's my trainer by the way. He sees Ash as his daddy, and as a result, Ash's girlfriend Misty is viewed as his mommy."

"Wow...that's amazing." Pichu said in awe, "Your masters must be really special if Riolu likes them so much."

"Well they _are, _at least _we _think so. But I'm sure any other Pokémon would say the same thing about _their _trainers." Piplup said.

"Not really." Pichu's ears drooped, "Remember I mentioned obedience collars back in the cell? Well...almost _all _Pokémon have one. Luckily _my _master didn't put one on _me."_

"Who's your master?" Piplup asked.

"His name is Damos."

_"DAMOS?!" _the outburst caught Pichu off-guard and she jumped back in shock.

"Y-You know my master?" she stammered.

"We know enough to know that your master is the one who's planning to betray Arceus!" Buneary spat, "And there's a saying in our time period..." Buneary hopped in front of Pichu and stared her down, "Pokémon take on the behavior of their trainers." she snarled.

"You're lying!" Pichu cried, "My master would _never _betray Arceus! He's an honest human and he's planning on giving Arceus back the Jewel of Life the moment it's time!"

_"You're _the liar! You've probably been leading us on a wild goose chase this whole time!" Buneary argued back.

"You're wrong! I wanna help!" Pichu shouted.

"Ok, enough!" Pikachu shoved the two females away from each other and got in between. He then turned his attention to Buneary, "Let's not jump to conclusions here ok? There may be more to this story than we think."

Buneary's jaw dropped, "You're taking _her _side?!"

"I'm not on _anyone's _side. I'm on the side that might give us the best chance of finding our trainers, and right now that's Pichu. I'm not saying that it's for sure, but it's a chance I'm willing to take." Pikachu explained.

"Fine." Buneary spat, before turning her attention to Pichu, "But I'm keeping my eye on you pipsqueak." Buneary went back over to where Piplup, Vaporeon, and Staryu had been watching and turned her back on the two electric-types.

"What's she got against me?" Pichu asked her larger counterpart.

Pikachu shrugged, "I have no idea, she's _usually _really nice. Maybe she's just worried about Dawn - that's _her_ trainer by the way, I'd say she's just stressed out."

"Well...thanks for sticking up for me, no one except for my master has ever _dared _to come to my defense." Pichu suddenly wrapped her arms around Pikachu, and the larger electric-type took a non-electric shock to the system, "You're the nicest Pokémon I've ever met." Pichu swooned.

To say the least, Pikachu was stunned. He hadn't expected to be on the receiving end of an ardent embrace, nevertheless he clearly was. He didn't know very much about this spiky-eared Pichu, but he had learned enough to deduce that she hadn't been on the receiving end of very much kindness over the course of her life. He wasn't sure what to do now, but he decided to just reciprocate the gesture and comfort the smaller electric-type; he did feel sorry for her, the way she had described life as a Pokémon in this time period sounded like friendship was somewhat rare.

Meanwhile behind him, Buneary was ready to have a conniption. Seeing _her _Pikachu embracing Pichu was infuriating to say the least. "Just let me fire _one _'Ice Beam', I guarantee they won't feel it!"

Luckily, Vaporeon and Staryu managed to hold her back. "You've been hanging around Misty too long, you're starting to pick up on her temper!" Vaporeon replied.

Before Buneary could retaliate, Riolu's eyes snapped open. "Daddy!"

"You found Ash Riolu?" Pikachu asked.

Without turning, Riolu nodded. The little Pokémon's eyes were glowing blue with the power of aura. "I can see him in jail, he's talking to a man wearing a blue and white dress." The Pokémon couldn't help but laugh at that, even Buneary found it amusing. "What's so funny?"

"I think you mean he's wearing a _robe._" Pikachu said, "Men don't wear _dresses."_

But _you _wore one at Auntie Dawn's contest!" Riolu pointed out.

Pikachu blushed with embarrassment, and Pichu giggled at the larger electric-type's flustered expression, despite the fact that she had no idea what a contest was. "I was wearing a _kimono,_ that's a _totally _different thing." Pikachu defended, "Anyway, do you see anything else?"

"I see an old guy outside the jail talking to Daddy and the dress man." Riolu replied.

"I know that guard! He's one of my master's friends, that guy _Marcus _ordered him to put Master Damos in jail, which means your masters are in the same jail cell as _my _master!" Pichu explained, "Come on, I know where to go _now!_ Follow me!" Pichu took off running, and the other Pokémon followed closely.

"Don't worry Buneary, we'll get you to Dawn soon!" Pikachu reassured.

"You think _that's _what I'm mad at? You're more like Ash than I thought." Buneary turned her head away from Pikachu and hopped ahead of him, much to the electric-type's dismay.

Meanwhile back in the jail cell, Ash and the others were still telling Damos about the future. "So you see, _that's _how a Pokémon battle works." Ash suddenly felt his head start to throb and he grabbed it and groaned as the pain overtook him.

"Ash, what's the matter?!" Misty asked fearfully. Ash then released his head and stood up straight, and when he opened his eyes, instead of the usual chocolate-brown Misty had come to love so dearly, Ash's eyes were glowing in a mystical blue, much to everyone's shock. "Your eyes! Is...is that aura?" Misty asked.

"Riolu's looking for me." Ash replied in an almost trance like state.

"That means our Pokémon are all ok!" Dawn cheered.

Dawn may have been happy, but Misty was still worried about Ash. "Ash, we've lost Riolu before and your eyes have never glowed like that when you used your aura to find him, do you feel ok?"

"It's amazing Misty...it's like I'm seeing things through Riolu's eyes, that's never happened before...I think Riolu's aura is getting stronger as _he _gets stronger. Don't worry Riolu, we're ok, come and find us!"

A few moments later, Ash's eyes stopped glowing. "You alright Ash?" Brock asked.

"Yeah...Riolu cut off the connection, they're coming for us." Ash replied.

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand, is this another future thing?" Damos asked.

"See, Ash has the ability to connect his aura to other Pokémon that have a matching aura, and that's what just happened with Ash and Riolu." Brock explained.

"Interesting, that sounds similar to the way that _I _can connect to the hearts of creatures...I mean, Pokémon." Damos corrected himself.

The teens gasped, _"You _can do that too?" Dawn asked.

"Of course!" Brock realized, "Remember, Damos is Sheena's ancestor, so if _Sheena _can do it, it makes sense that _Damos _is the one she inherited it from over the course of several generations!"

"Wow, amazing!" Dawn said in awe.

"Come to think of it, I should check on my own Pokémon." Damos folded his hands and closed his eyes, "Transcend the confines of time and space." Moments later, Damos was alone with Pichu who had just stopped running, much to the confusion of the other Pokémon. "Pichu, time is growing short, you must hurry and find a way to free us so we can stop Marcus."

Pichu nodded, and the connection was cut off. "We're running out of time." Pichu informed the other Pokémon, "My master Damos has just informed me that if we don't free him soon, it may be too late to stop Marcus."

"How do you know that?" Piplup asked.

"My master and I just connected hearts, it's something special he can do." Pichu explained.

"Just like Sheena!" Pikachu exclaimed, "Well then there's no time to lose, let's hurry!" Pichu nodded and started running once more, but not before flashing a quick smile to the larger electric-type. "Heh, she's a sweet kid."

"So what's going on with you and Pichu?" Piplup asked.

Pikachu gave the penguin a weird look, "Nothing's going on, what are you talking about?"

"Well I mean she keeps smiling at you, she hugged you, giving you compliments, sounds to me like that little Pichu has a _big _crush on you." Piplup explained.

"You think so?" Pikachu raised an eyebrow. Then all of a sudden his other eyebrow came up as the electric-type realized something. "Ohhh-oh...is _that _why Buneary's so ticked off?"

"Hmm, _that _could be." Piplup's voice was laced with sarcasm, which Pikachu did not appreciate. "I'm just saying."

"Well here's what _I'm _just saying: Pichu is a friend, nothing more." Pikachu glared before turning away from Piplup.

"Maybe...and maybe not." Piplup said enticingly.

Pikachu looked back towards Piplup, "What now?" he asked in annoyance.

"What if...and I'm just throwing this out there...what if Pichu evolved into a Pikachu right now, and since Dialga sent us back in time, our visit here would now be a part of recorded history, what if you were meant to fall in love with that Pichu..and become your own ancestor?" Piplup suggested.

Pikachu gave the penguin a completely bewildered look, "Piplup...how long has it been since you last ate?" the electric-type asked.

"Uh...a while, why?" Piplup asked.

"Because you get a little loopy when you're hungry, that is _the _most _ridiculous_ thing I have _ever _heard." Pikachu scoffed.

"Fine," Piplup shrugged, "But I can't _wait _to see the look on your face when we get back to the future and you find out that you never existed." Pikachu was about to offer a rebuttal, but he decided against it. There was absolutely nothing he could've said that would've made any sense, so he just hurried on ahead. "I'm telling ya! I've seen these time paradoxes on TV all the time!" Piplup suddenly smelled something delicious coming from a fork in the tunnel, and the penguin stopped in his tracks before separating from the others.

"Wait a second!" Vaporeon shouted. The Pokémon stopped and brought their attention to the Bubble Jet Pokémon, "We lost Piplup!"

The group looked around and noticed Vaporeon was right, then Pikachu smelled something. "Uh oh...Pichu, are we near a kitchen?"

"Yeah, why?" Pichu asked curiously.

Pikachu face-palmed, "Alright, let's go get him. Lead the way Pichu." the Pokémon followed the Tiny Mouse Pokémon down the tunnel leading to the kitchen, and sure enough, there was Piplup, reaching for a basket of berries, "Piplup, get back here!" Pikachu whispered loudly. Unfortunately, Piplup hadn't heard the Mouse Pokémon's warning, and began to lose his balance.

"Catch him! We can't be seen!" Pichu grabbed Piplup's foot just as the penguin started to fall, but she wasn't strong enough and began to fall as well.

Pikachu reacted immediately and grabbed Pichu's foot, and now he had to hold up both her _and _Piplup's weight. "I need a little help!"

Before anyone could react however, Pikachu had already run out of strength, and the three Pokémon fell onto a shelf with ingredients on it; Piplup had the worst of it though as his head fell into a crown shaped jewel studded bowl. "Get me outta here!" Piplup then tumbled down to the ground and began blindly stumbling towards the terrified guard who had been forcing a Chikorita and a Cyndaquil to work on preparing dinner for all the humans in the underground.

"Stay back! Get away from me! What do you want?!" the guard bumped into the wall behind him, which caused a huge pan to fall from the shelf above him and knock him out cold.

Piplup finally bumped into a wall and fell onto his back, and the bowl finally fell off the penguin's head and gave him back his sight, "Finally...daylight." Piplup sighed.

By now the other Pokémon had hopped down to join Piplup, "What's the matter with you? Why'd you ditch us?!" Buneary asked incredulously.

"Uh...well, Pikachu said I get a little loopy when I'm hungry, so I tried to eat something." Piplup replied.

"Oh no you don't, don't blame this on _me! You _were the one going on about time paradoxes, all _I _did was tell you the truth!" Pikachu replied angrily.

While the other Pokémon continued to argue, Pichu had made her way over to the two working Pokémon. "Are you guys ok?"

"Are we _ever _ok Pichu?" Chikorita replied with a sad and weary sigh.

"I sure wish I could get this thing off." Cyndaquil added.

"Really? Well guess what? Today your wish is gonna come true!" Pichu's tail suddenly began glowing, and with a quick swipe, 'Iron Tail' destroyed the lock holding Cyndaquil captive, and the collar fell off the Fire Mouse Pokémon's back.

"Pichu, what are you doing?" Cyndaquil asked. "If any humans come in here and see what you're doing, _you'll _get one of these too, no matter _who _your master is!"

"It's the day of revolution!" Pichu replied, "We're gonna need all the help we can get, and you guys are my friends, I can count on you, right?"

"I dunno what you're talking about, but if it gets me out of chopping vegetables, count me in!" Chikorita said determinedly.

"Alright! Pikachu, could you get Chikorita out of that thing?" Pichu asked.

The other Pokémon had since stopped arguing amongst themselves and had watched Pichu free Cyndaquil. With a quick nod, Pikachu leaped onto the counter and confronted the grass-type. "You ready?" he asked.

"Just be careful!" Chikorita turned her head and closed her eyes as she braced herself for the hit, but it never came as Pikachu's 'Iron Tail' was so well placed that Chikorita never even knew he had done it, "What are you waiting for?" she asked with a strained voice.

"I'm done, you can open your eyes now." Pikachu said with a soft chuckle.

Chikorita did just that, and saw that the lock had been cleanly broken. "Whoa..." Chikorita stepped out of the restraint and stretched her body out as she felt freedom for the first time in a very long time. "It feels _great _to be free! Thanks so much!"

"Glad to do it." Pikachu smiled.

"Alright, let's get outta here before the guard wakes up!" Pichu hurried out the front door, and the other Pokémon followed close behind. "Nice 'Iron Tail' by the way Pikachu! I hope one day after I evolve I'll be as strong as _you _are!"

"All it takes is a lot of practice and you'll get stronger even _before _you evolve." Pikachu replied. With another smile, Pichu turned her head forward again, _"I sure hope this doesn't ruin what I have with Buneary."_

Back in the jail cell, Ash and the others had been telling Damos the story of how and why they wound up in the past, "So you're telling me that I betray Arceus in the future?" the man asked.

"That's what the legend says." Brock replied.

"And there's more..." Misty added.

"More?" Damos asked.

"Yeah...the people of Michina saw you as an evil man from then on." Dawn replied.

"As if I could _ever _betray Arceus!" Damos sighed and dipped his head, before looking back up as he remembered how he had come to meet the Alpha Pokémon. "Arceus...who saved us all...I was there when rocks began raining down from the skies, and I watched helplessly as they destroyed what little Michina had to offer at the time. I thought the end of all things had come...until I saw Arceus appear from a hole in the sky. I was momentarily stunned by his appearance, but what came next, left me in awe. Arceus summoned all of his life plates and created an unbreakable shield around himself, and he flew up to the giant rock that would've obliterated Michina. Arceus used all his power to destroy the rock, but as a result, he was severely weakened and crippled." Damos continued as he clearly had the undivided attention of the teenagers.

"I found Arceus lying in a ditch, surrounded by several other Pokémon who were worried about him. I connected my heart to his, and his heart led me to where his life plates had been scattered. I climbed up the rocky mountain and found one of them, and brought it back to Arceus, who upon receiving the plate, was able to summon enough strength to bring the rest back to him. Once they all returned, Arceus arose just as the sun began to rise, and I was privileged with the opportunity to speak to Arceus in person. Believe it or not, Arceus and I became friends that day..." Damos paused as the teens gasped when he mentioned his and Arceus's friendship.

"But then terrible things happened...that fateful night where Arceus had saved Michina had also crippled our chances of survival. Enormous holes had been left by the leftover rocks that had fallen from the sky, turning Michina into even more of a barren wasteland than it was before. One day when I was looking over the fields, Arceus came to visit me...he asked if I wanted to revitalize the land...I connected my heart with his again, and Arceus showed me what Michina could look like...he then created the Jewel of Life using the life plates of ground, grass, water, electricity, and dragon, and gave it to me to make Michina a rich and fertile land. But he informed me that without the Jewel of Life, his life was in jeopardy...that he was trusting _me, _with his life. I gave him my word that I would return the Jewel of Life...and I used its power to restore Michina...almost immediately, through the power of the Jewel of Life, Michina blossomed and flourished." Damos paused again, and saw the teens were enjoying his story, which brought a small smile to his face.

"We worked hard for years, harvesting the crops the Jewel of Life had granted us, while we cultivated the land so that in the future we would be able to return the Jewel of Life to Arceus and still be able to live. I would meet often with Arceus, and together we would look over the land that his power had revitalized. I told him soon we would be able to return the Jewel, and he said he would wait until the next time the moon covers the sun to return."

"The solar eclipse." Brock commented.

"I suppose." Damos wasn't sure what Brock meant, but he continued nevertheless. "And so..the days passed by...and I constructed a shrine dedicated to Arceus to show my enormous and eternal gratitude...and as it so happens..._today _is the day that the moon will cover the sun."

The teens gasped, "Then _today's _the day of the promise!" Ash exclaimed.

"We've gotta get out of here and stop Marcus!" Misty added determinedly.

Marcus was actually still speaking with the unsuspecting Sheena, who had not caught on to the fact that she was speaking to the wrong person. "So...from what you know, would you mind telling me what sort of attacks Damos might have used on Arceus?" Marcus asked.

"He used several electric attacks and then dropped boulders on Arceus." Sheena replied.

"What about silver water?" Marcus asked. Sheena gasped at that. "I guess he didn't use it..." he said to himself. Marcus then got up from the table, "Understood, I believe you. I shall stop Damos at once. We _must _return the Jewel of Life to Arceus."

Sheena sighed with relief and smiled, as she too got up from the table with her eyes shimmering in happiness. "Thank you."

Marcus held out his scepter and revealed the Jewel of Life to Sheena, _"This _is the Jewel of Life..._you _shall return it to Arceus." Marcus turned his back to Sheena for a moment to open the doors, and then turned back to her, "Come with me...you shall change history!"

Sheena gasped to herself quietly, "Thank you sir..." she said.

Meanwhile, the Pokémon had found their way back inside the walls of the shrine, and were currently trying to find their way around. "How much further Pichu?" Vaporeon asked.

"It shouldn't be that much farther!" Pichu replied.

At this time, Pikachu took a moment to fall back to the end of the line and try to patch things up between him and Buneary. "Why are you mad at me?" he asked.

"You're not smart enough to figure it out on your own?" Buneary scoffed.

"I think I have a good idea." Pikachu sighed, "Listen, Pichu's nice and all, but she's still technically a kid, even if she _isn't _ a baby Pokémon by age. If I had to draw comparisons, I'd say you're acting like Misty when Ash was being crushed on by Angie."

"Say _what?!" _Buneary hissed.

Pikachu flinched at her angry reaction, but he continued anyway. "What I'm saying is that you don't need to feel jealous because of Pichu, it's _you _I like, not her."

Buneary's expression softened a bit, "Even though she's your own kind?" she asked, "I mean, you really seemed to enjoy that whole tail sparking thing...I can't do that with you."

"It's just a Pika-version of a handshake, that's all." Pikachu assured, "Honestly, I'm more worried about_ Pichu_ than _you_ right now."

That got Buneary riled up again, "And why's that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because now I have to figure out how to tell Pichu without totally breaking her heart." Pikachu replied with a sigh.

Buneary's expression softened again and she suddenly felt a twinge of guilt in her heart, she didn't _really _want to hurt Pichu, after all she was running a big risk by helping them and all for nothing in return. "Pikachu, don't say _anything _to her." she said surely. "We'll eventually have to go back to our time anyway, and once we get there, she'll have already died along with everyone else we meet in this time period...there's no point in breaking her heart, she might as well get to enjoy you while she can."

Pikachu was relieved Buneary had taken such a compassionate stance on the matter, but at the same time it filled him with sadness. The thought of his new friends being dead and buried once he returned to his time period was not a pleasant prospect for him. "She really _is _a sweet kid Buneary...I wish there was something I could do to help her in her future."

Buneary thought about it for a moment and smiled as an idea came into her head, "Maybe there _is!" _Before Buneary could tell Pikachu however, Pichu had gotten their attention.

"Alright everyone, we've gotta cross over here. Now be _extremely _careful, these support beams are really narrow, and trust me when I say this..." Pichu directed her attention specifically to Piplup, "You _do not _want to fall off in there...there'll be no way to save you." Pichu then went through the hole in the wall and began crossing the beams, with the others carefully following.

The room was filled with large vats being filled with a steaming hot liquid, "Ugh, that stuff _stinks!" _Buneary gagged, "Pichu, what _is _that stuff?"

"Marcus calls it Silver Water...sometimes he has people use it for repairs around the shrine." Pichu replied.

"Kinda like glue I guess." Staryu figured.

Pikachu's eyes widened suddenly, "Or quick-drying cement..." Pikachu had an epiphany, "Pichu, do they _usually _have this much Silver Water being prepared all at once?"

"Now that you mention it, this _is _a lot compared to what we _normally _need on a regular basis." Pichu replied.

That confirmed it for Pikachu. "Guys, I think Marcus might be planning on dumping this stuff on _Arceus!" _

"That sounds familiar!" Chikorita suddenly spoke up, "During lunch break I heard one of the guards discussing how they were gonna stop Arceus! And they mentioned Silver Water!"

"Then we gotta destroy those vats _now _before they get a chance to use the stuff!" Staryu aimed its point at the nearest vat, which got Riolu riled up unfortunately.

"Yeah! Let's break them!" Riolu exclaimed.

"Riolu no!" Riolu had leaped off the beam to attack with 'Force Palm', but Pikachu had reacted fast and caught the Emanation Pokémon by the tail before he could fall to his death. "Seriously guys, I'm _tired _of being the end of a Pokémon chain, _help me!"_

Pichu and Buneary immediately came to the Mouse Pokémon's assistance, and they both grabbed onto the electric-type's tail. Taking a wary glance at each other, Buneary offered a smile to the Tiny Mouse Pokémon, and being the friendly type she was, Pichu gave the smile back, and together the two females pulled Pikachu and Riolu to safety.

"That was close...being a Pikachu statue for the rest of my life is _not _my idea of fun." Pikachu then turned to Riolu, "Riolu..." Pikachu was about to scold the child again, but seeing his terrified expression, he decided against it. "I'm glad you're ok." he said with a comforting smile.

Riolu was still trembling, but he managed to return the smile, albeit weakly. "Can we leave now?" he whimpered.

"Yes, we can leave now." Pikachu replied with a nod, "Staryu, we _can't _destroy the vats ourselves, there's too many humans down there and way too many vats to destroy, we're better off trying to free our trainers and getting the help of the other Pokémon first."

"I gotta agree with Pikachu, let's get outta here before someone _else _is in danger of becoming a living sculpture." Vaporeon replied.

The Pokémon nodded in agreement and carefully crossed over into the next room. "Wait a sec..." Piplup said, _"This _doesn't look like a jail cell, where are we Pichu?"

"We can't go straight there, we gotta get the keys first. The guards put them in here after everything's been locked up in order to make sure no one can get in or out." Pichu replied, "See, there they are!" Pichu pointed into the distance, and there resting on three separate hooks were three keys.

"Well alright then!" Piplup exclaimed, "Hey Chikorita, how about a 'Vine Whip' and we'll get the heck on outta here."

Chikorita blushed out of embarrassment. "Well...I'd _like to.._but..."

Pichu bailed her friend out, "It's ok Chikorita, you'll learn 'Vine Whip' eventually." she said with a pat on her friend's back. "We need to find another way to get those keys."

"Well...there _is_ _one _thing I can think of." Buneary said with a giggle, glancing at Pikachu.

Pikachu exhaled and sweat-dropped, "Alright...let's start the chain one more time." Pikachu, Pichu, and Piplup all crossed over to the weak looking support beam, and the two larger Pokémon lowered Pichu down to the keys.

"Hurry up!" Piplup strained, as he struggled to hold the weight of both Pichu and Pikachu, who was holding tightly onto the Tiny Mouse Pokémon's tail.

Pichu reached with all her might, but no matter how far she stretched, her arms just weren't long enough. "It's no use! Geez I wish I was bigger!"

_"I _don't!" Piplup puffed.

"Let's just make the chain longer! Come on Riolu!" Buneary was about to get on the beam when it started to crack.

"Don't get on there!" Pichu cried, stopping Buneary in her tracks, "That beam is almost rotted through, anymore weight gets added and we _all _fall!"

"Piplup, you gotta lower us _more!" _Pikachu said.

Piplup was already huffing and puffing, but nevertheless the Penguin Pokémon slowly tried to lower the two without losing any much needed leverage, "How's that?!" he practically squeaked.

Pichu reached again, and came within mere centimeters to reaching the key. "Almost...there!" Suddenly the door to the room cracked open, and everyone's hearts stopped as they looked to see who or what was coming in. Fortunately instead of one of the guards, it turned out to be a wandering Totodile, one that Pichu apparently knew. "Totodile! It's you!" Pichu exclaimed with relief, "You almost gave us all a heart attack!"

"Sorry about that." Totodile replied with a sheepish grin.

"Never mind. We gotta get that key! How about a little help?" Pichu said. Totodile nodded and backed up against the wall. "Uh...what are you doing?" Pichu asked suspiciously. Totodile opened his mouth, and Pichu's eyes opened wider. "No no no no! Not like _that!" _It was too late, Totodile fired an intense 'Water Gun' that soaked the key, the Pokémon chain, and all the other Pokémon who had been watching.

_"That's _your idea of helping?" Vaporeon asked with annoyance, as she had been the only one unaffected by the attack thanks to her 'Water Absorb' ability.

"It worked didn't it?" Totodile replied, "You got the key, so now you can tell me how awesome I am." the little crocodile said proudly.

Despite knocking the three Pokémon back onto the original beam with the power of 'Water Gun', his statement proved to be factual as Pichu now had the key in hand. "Finally!" Pichu shook herself dry and glanced down to her friend, "Thanks for your help Totodile, even if it _was _a little unexpected."

"Well, you _do _know how I do." Totodile replied smugly.

"Yeah, you do annoying." Chikorita teased.

"Sometimes obnoxious." Cyndaquil added.

"You're welcome." Totodile deadpanned, "Boy, some friends _you guys _are."

"Look, never mind." Pichu sighed, "We're on a mission Totodile, we gotta stop Marcus from betraying Arceus! Can we count on you to help?"

Totodile scoffed, "You have to ask? I've been wanting to take a chomp outta _that _guy _forever!"_

"Then let's go!" Pichu exclaimed. Totodile hopped up on top of a table, then a shelf, and managed to get up onto the beam with the other Pokémon. "Welcome aboard." the spiky-eared Pichu joked. Totodile saluted, and followed the other Pokémon back into the wall.

"Can we find Mommy and Daddy now?" Riolu asked.

Pichu laughed a little, "Yeah Riolu, that's where we're headed now!" Within minutes, the Pokémon reached their final stop. "Alright, once we move this rock out of the way, we'll finally be reunited with our masters!" Pichu gave the rock a shove, but to no avail. She blushed a little with embarrassment and scratched her spiky ear. "Uh...can I have some help?" she laughed sheepishly. Pikachu smiled and assisted the Tiny Mouse Pokémon in moving the rock covering the hole.

In the cell, Damos sensed a change in the atmosphere, and he got up and turned to face the back of the cell. "I must go." he said, "I must return the Jewel of Life to Arceus."

"But how are you going to get yourself out of here?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, as nice as your friend out there is, I don't think he's going to just _let you _out." Misty added.

"I have my orders, and I need to feed my family too." the guard said with regret.

"Worry not old friend." Damos assured the guard. Damos then turned to the teenagers, "He's not the _only _friend I have." he said. Just then, one of the rocks in the cell moved, and revealed a tunnel that a spiky eared Pichu popped out of, wearing a key around her ear.

"Pichu!" (Master!) Upon seeing her master, Pichu scampered up the man's arm and perched on his shoulder.

"Thank you my dear Pichu." Damos said, taking the key off of the spiky-eared Pichu's ear.

"Pichu pi." (You're welcome.) she replied with a sweet smile.

"What a cute little Pichu you have!" Dawn squealed.

"Yes, she's very special to me." Damos scratched the electric-type behind her ears and she trilled with pleasure at the show of affection. "But I sense _more _Pokémon nearby."

"Pikapi!" (Ash!)

"Pikachu! It's you!" Ash laughed as Pikachu came running and perched on his shoulder, "Where are the others buddy?" he soon got his answer when Riolu, Piplup, Buneary, Vaporeon, and Staryu all came running out of the hole to greet their respective masters. "You're all ok!"

As the trainers had a heartfelt reunion with their Pokémon, Damos smiled as it was very obvious that the children cared deeply for their Pokémon, as friends rather than servants. "Pi chu pi pi chu, pi chu chu pi." (These are my friends, they helped me save you.) the spiky-eared Pichu told her master.

"Well it's nice to see that you've made some new friends Pichu." Damos replied. Damos then reached through the gate and placed the key in the keyhole, and he turned the key and unlocked the door, finally granting himself and the others freedom.

"It was only a matter of time before your little friend would find a way to get you out I suppose." the guard sighed.

Damos walked out and tossed the keys to the guard, "Worry not old friend, you did your job, and I harbor no ill will towards you for doing it." Damos knelt down in front of the elderly guard and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Have faith, in allowing me to escape, you may have just saved the lives of not only everyone who lives in Michina, but the lives of our descendants as well." Damos then turned his attention to the teenagers, "Time is growing short, I must hurry...thank you...children from the future." Damos then hurried up a flight of stairs, leaving the others behind.

"Hey Damos!" Ash called out to no avail. "Come on guys, we've gone this far, we might as well go all the way!" he said determinedly.

The others nodded, and they followed Damos up the long flight of stairs. "I hope Sheena's alright, wherever she is." Brock said.

"I'm sure she is Brock! She can take care of herself!" Dawn replied.

"I hope you're right." Brock sighed.

"Ash, this is the biggest thing we've _ever _tried to pull off, do you think we can do it?" Misty asked, hoping for a comforting answer.

"I can't say for sure Mist..." that wasn't the answer Misty was looking for, and his next statement didn't help much either. "But what I _will _say is this...for the sake of everyone here, and in the future...we've _got to."  
__

**A/N: Um...I know it's been a while, but again...life. Sorry guys, hopefully next one sometime soon.**


	60. Arceus and the Jewel of Life: Part 3

**Admittedly it's a little easier to update when all other spare time projects are cancelled...but don't expect updates to come this quickly very often, it's merely because this is the end of a movie that I'm hurrying this one along. Also keep in mind something else, there will be a mentioning of something that you may or may not agree with, I ask ahead of time you keep flames to yourself. With that in mind, here is the last chapter of Arceus.  
_**

Chapter 60

**Misty's POV**

Well now I know what that weird blue energy was...Dialga had sent us back in time in order to essentially try and change history! But when we got there, we were immediately attacked by a Heatran and were surrounded by several men in guard uniforms of the current time period. Before we could even try and fight back, a Bronzong landed in front of us and used 'Hypnosis' on all of us before Ash and Pikachu could start the Counter Shield. The next thing we knew, we had been locked in a jail cell and separated from our Pokémon, with no way of getting out.

But that wasn't even the weirdest part, as if it could even _get _much weirder than it was already...locked in the jail cell with us, was Damos! Sheena's ancestor and the man responsible for our current predicament! Or so we thought...when we accused Damos of being the one planning to betray Arceus, Damos became livid at the mere _thought _that he would do such a thing. He explained that the entire reason he had been thrown in jail was because he was planning to return the Jewel of Life to Arceus, and his assistant Marcus was responsible for his imprisonment.

Then I remembered something, the name Marcus was familiar. Marcus was the name of the man who ordered Bronzong to hypnotize us, and the guard outside, who just happened to be a friend of Damos's, explained that Sheena was safe and was currently speaking to Marcus. Now the idea that the guard was a friend of Damos's seemed unfathomable to me, especially since he wasn't exactly about to just let him out. But I understood why: He wasn't sure if returning the Jewel of Life was the right thing to do, plus he had a family to support and it wouldn't look good on his job resume if he just let Damos out. What we won't do for our families.

After speaking with Damos for a while, Ash suddenly yelped in pain and went down, and when he stood up, his eyes were glowing with the power of aura...it was Riolu! Remember I said we had been separated from our Pokémon? Riolu was one of the Pokémon. Riolu was looking for Ash using his aura, and once he apparently found him, he cut off the connection. Now that was weird, because Ash's eyes never started glowing like that any other time their auras connected. Ash suggested it was because Riolu's aura was getting stronger as the Emanation Pokémon got more experience. I wasn't totally convinced, but given the current circumstances, I decided it wasn't worth pursuing.

After all that, Damos explained the story of how he met Arceus, and how the Jewel of Life came to be. Sheena had already told us this same story, but this time it was in the perspective of Damos himself, and it gave us a totally new way of looking at what happened. This whole time we thought it was all Damos's fault...when in reality that couldn't be further from the truth. Damos then stood up as if he was going to leave, and the next thing we knew a Pichu had popped up from the under the ground with a key hanging around its ear, and our Pokémon weren't far behind. Once we "escaped", since the guard didn't make it a huge point to try and stop us, Damos took off up a flight of stairs to try and stop Marcus, and we followed closely behind. I just hope this doesn't come back to bite us.

**Normal POV**

"Damos, how are you going to stop Marcus?!" Ash asked as they ran.

"It isn't _Marcus _I'm after! I must _warn Arceus _of the impending danger before he falls into Marcus's trap! If Arceus enters the shrine, I fear the worst." Damos replied. Damos then stopped in his tracks, much to the shock of everyone else.

"What's the matter?" Brock asked.

"It may already be too late...I can sense Arceus has appeared!" Damos replied. The teens gasped and began chattering worriedly amongst themselves. Damos then spoke up again, "Quickly, if there's any chance at all to save Arceus, we _must_ hurry!" Damos ran as fast as he physically could, with the teens trailing as best to their ability.

Meanwhile outside, the solar eclipse had reached its pinnacle, and Arceus had indeed appeared. The Alpha Pokémon flew to the shrine, and slowly entered. "It is time to return the Jewel of Life." Arceus looked down upon a platform where a figure was approaching him. But as he was expecting Damos, he was surprised to find a girl holding a staff in her hand, "Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is Sheena! Here is the Jewel of Life!" Sheena shouted.

Arceus flew lower to confront the young woman, "Where is Damos?" he asked.

"He isn't coming." Sheena replied.

"Did something happen to him?!" Arceus exclaimed with concern for his friend.

Sheena looked away from Arceus for a moment and frowned, "He was going to betray you." she said sadly.

Arceus was shocked by this, "It _can't _be!"

"It's _true! _But _I _have the Jewel..." Sheena gasped in horror when she opened the scepter...and found that the Jewel of Life was no longer in her possession. "No!" Sheena was forced to just stand and there and watch as Arceus gave out a cry of pain as he was suddenly bombarded by hundreds of electric attacks from every direction.

"You have...deceived me!" Arceus snarled, glaring furiously at the poor girl.

"No, that's not true..." Sheena dropped the scepter and let it fall into the water below, _"I've _been deceived." Sheena was helpless to do anything as Arceus was mercilessly attacked, and then from above, a strange liquid like substance smothered Arceus and sent the Alpha Pokémon careening downward. "Arceus, no!" she cried.

Arceus fell to the bottom and tried to move, but the liquid had instantaneously become solid, effectively holding him in his place, "What's this?" he growled.

By this time, Damos, Ash, and the others had appeared on the scene. "No, we're too late!" Ash exclaimed.

"Look, there's Sheena!" Brock pointed down to a lower platform where Sheena was watching in horror, "We've got to help her!"

"I see Marcus!" Misty pointed above Sheena, who was now glaring with rage at the man who had fooled her.

"The Jewel of Life is right here...but I'm not just going to give it _back _to you." Marcus said to the Alpha Pokémon as if he could hear.

"You!" Sheena seethed, "How could you do this?!"

"Many thanks for telling me all about the future dear," Marcus chortled. "Because _now _history's about to change!" Marcus signaled for more of the liquid to pour down on Arceus, and it was then Sheena realized Marcus's plan.

"You're going to bury Arceus alive!" Sheena looked around in horror as the Pokémon all continued to attack under orders, and the Silver Water continued to fall onto Arceus, "Stop it, please, all of you!" Sheena then gasped as the Silver Water found its way onto her platform, and she backed up in fear of being smothered.

"That platform won't hold!" Brock shouted.

Damos didn't wait any longer, he hurried to where Sheena was standing, and just as she was about to fall to her painful demise, Damos grabbed the woman's hand and pulled her to safety, then he led her away from the danger.

"Damos saved her!" Dawn exclaimed.

"But now we're back to our original problem!" Misty pointed out.

By now Ash had had enough. "I'm gonna take Marcus _out!" _the trainer snarled and ran off to confront Marcus, "And I'm gonna get the Jewel of Life back before it's too late!"

"Ash, wait for us!" Dawn called. Ash didn't respond of course. "Come on Misty, let's give him some help!"

Misty nodded and turned to Brock, "Brock, help Damos and Sheena!"

"Right!" Brock separated from the two girls, just as they went to follow Ash.

Meanwhile, Sheena was trying to regain her bearings after almost being killed on the spot. "Are you hurt?" the man who saved her asked.

"Who are you?!" she cringed in fear when the man reached for her hand and helped her stand, Sheena tried to fight him as best as she could, but to no avail. Suddenly however, a feeling of peace washed over, as her heart was connected to the man's. She stopped resisting as she realized just who this person was. "Damos..." she sighed, "I now know this wasn't your fault."

"You must be Sheena, the girl the children keep talking about." Damos realized.

"Right..." Sheena looked back outside at what was happening, "I did something foolish." she scolded herself.

Damos shook his head in disagreement. "It wasn't your fault either...if only I had known Marcus would betray me this way."

"We _must _do something!" Sheena exclaimed.

Damos nodded in agreement, and the two hurried to find a way to get to Arceus. However after turning a corner, they found themselves in grave danger as a river of Silver Water came gushing towards them, "There's no way out!" Damos shouted.

"Sudowoodo, let's go!" Luckily for the two, Brock had just appeared to come to their aid. With a salute, Sudowoodo awaited the breeder's orders. "Use 'Hammer Arm' on the ground! Stop that stuff!" Using his newly learned move, Sudowoodo pounded the ground and caused the ground ahead to crumble, leaving the Silver Water to harmlessly fall below. "Good work! Return!" Brock returned the rock-type to his Pokéball, "Damos! Ash, Misty, and Dawn are heading Marcus's way!"

Marcus was busy watching his glorious plan coming to fruition, and gazing upon the beauty of the stolen Jewel of Life. "And now Michina will forever flourish..." he said to himself, "The end of decimation."

"At what cost?!"

Marcus turned to see Ash, Pikachu, and Riolu all growling at him. "You? But how?"

"I dunno what you think you're doing, but if you think you're doing something noble you are _dead wrong!_ How could you betray Arceus like this after all he did to help you and the people of Michina?! It makes me _sick!_ Now you give the Jewel of Life back to Arceus _right now _or you're gonna be sorry you ever _met _me!" Ash snarled.

"It's _too late _for that!" Marcus replied as he backed up a few steps with his Bronzong by his side, "It belongs to _us _now! Heatran!" Marcus ordered the fire/steel-type that had been hanging on the ceiling to attack, and the Lava Dome Pokémon unleashed 'Fire Spin' on the trainer below and his Pokémon.

Ash and his team managed to dodge the attack, "Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu acknowledged the order and fired. The electricity hit its target, and Heatran fell from the ceiling and back onto the ground after the hit.

"Enough of this! Heatran, Bronzong!" Responding to Marcus's order, Heatran and Bronzong prepared to launch 'Fire Spin' and 'Flash Cannon'.

"Uh oh!" Ash and his Pokémon braced themselves for the incoming hits, but they never came as the attacks were deflected by a 'Water Gun' and a 'Bubblebeam' from behind. Ash turned to see Misty and Dawn behind him, their Pokémon ready for battle. "Thanks guys!"

"Look out!" the two girls shouted suddenly.

Ash turned back around only to see Bronzong hurtling towards them with 'Gyro Ball', and the Pokémon Trainer dove out of the way holding Pikachu and Riolu in his arms, "Guys, out of the way!" Ash shouted as he saw Bronzong keep going to try and hit the two girls. Luckily they were ready and they also dove out of the way, and watched as Bronzong swung back around to land next to Marcus.

"I'm sure one day you all will thank me!" Marcus said.

_"Thank you?! _What for?!" Misty asked incredulously.

"Because _I _am saving the future!" Marcus replied.

"Saving the future?" Dawn asked.

"Arceus will perish _here!" _Marcus exclaimed, "Which means there won't be a way for Arceus to appear in the future ever again! _I _am changing history!" The whole time they were arguing, Arceus was growing weaker and weaker as the electricity continued to bombard him and the Silver Water continued to rise around him. "Now we _end _this! Heatran attack!"

"Piplup, 'Bubblebeam'!"

Piplup fired just as Heatran unleashed 'Fire Spin' and the attacks negated each other. "Now Vaporeon, 'Water Pulse'!" Misty ordered. Vaporeon launched the follow-up attack and knocked Heatran back just as Bronzong prepared another 'Gyro Ball'.

"Ok, that does it!" Ash looked down at Riolu and closed his eyes, _"Time to fight back Riolu, use 'Counter'!" _Riolu nodded at Ash and leaped ahead to confront the incoming Bronzong.

"No Ash! Use Pikachu instead!" Misty shouted worriedly. But Misty felt like biting her tongue when she saw Riolu's body gain an orange outline, and the next thing she knew Bronzong had been sent flying into Heatran. "I forgot about 'Counter'." she said sheepishly.

"Ash, combination time!" Dawn shouted. Ash looked back and nodded at her. "Piplup, use 'Whirlpool'!"

"Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!"

The two attacks combined and went flying towards Heatran and Bronzong, but Heatran managed to activate 'Protect' and deflected the attacks, then it fired 'Hyper Beam' at the teens who just barely managed to dive out of the way. Once they started to get up, Bronzong fired 'Flash Cannon' and the teens flattened themselves against the ground and watched the shiny beam just barely fly over them. _"That was _too _close."_ Ash thought with a silent gulp.

Meanwhile, Damos, Sheena, and Brock watched in horror as the hundreds of Pokémon continued to attack relentlessly. "If this keeps up, Arceus is doomed!" Brock exclaimed.

Damos growled and looked at Pichu, "Pichu, take your friends and help the other children!" With a nod, Pichu, Cyndaquil, Chikorita, and Totodile all ran to help Ash and the others. Then Damos turned to Sheena, "Sheena, take my hand!"

Sheena nodded and took the hand of her ancestor, and together they combined their power to try and get through to the hundreds of Pokémon, "Transcend the confines of time and space!"

With their combined power, Damos and Sheena managed to connect their hearts with the hundreds of attacking Pokémon. "Everyone..." Damos began, "Arceus sacrificed himself to save us all, and our entire land."

While Damos communicated with the attacking Pokémon, Heatran and Bronzong had been wearing down the teens' Pokémon. "Come on guys, we can't give up now!" Ash encouraged. Heatran and Bronzong blasted 'Fire Spin' and 'Flash Cannon' once more, but this time the attacks were deflected by a 'Water Gun' and an 'Energy Ball' from behind. "Misty, was that _Staryu's _'Water Gun'?"

"No." Misty replied in confusion. The teens looked behind them and saw Pichu, her friends, and an army of Rattata they had recruited on the way backing them up. "It's Damos's Pichu! And she brought the cavalry with her!"

Pichu scampered over to Pikachu and smiled, "Pichu pi pi chu?" (Need some help?)

"Pika chu, pika pika pi ka chu." (Pichu, I'm proud to be your friend.) Pikachu smiled back, and the spiky-eared Pichu blushed slightly and coyly looked up at her larger counterpart. "Pika pika chu!" (Let's take them!)

Back with Damos and Sheena, they were still desperately trying to get the Pokémon to stop hurting Arceus. "Please, do not destroy Arceus. Everyone stop your attacks!" Sheena exclaimed. Finally their message seemed to get through, as one by one all the Pokémon stopped firing.

"What?!" Marcus looked down and saw that all the Pokémon had stopped attacking. "What's happened?!"

"They stopped attacking!" Dawn exclaimed in shock.

Now with one task completed, Damos and Sheena moved on to their biggest challenge: Getting through to the heart of the Alpha Pokémon himself. Using their combined strength, Damos and Sheena managed to get close enough to confront Arceus beyond time and space, but the sheer rage and hatred inside the Pokémon's heart vehemently repelled the two humans. "Arceus..." Damos begged, "Please, look at me!" Arceus did, but doing so only made his rage grow stronger, and the two humans were blown back by the Alpha Pokémon's rage. On top of that, the connection between Damos and Sheena was broken, leaving Damos to confront Arceus by himself.

"It's Damos." Marcus snarled to himself.

_"He's mine!" _Seeing an opportunity to strike, Ash charged towards Marcus and reached for the Jewel of Life, unfortunately Marcus had gotten his arm up and gained leverage up on the Pokémon trainer.

Marcus threw Ash off of him and sent the trainer to the ground, "Heatran, Bronzong, take care of this meddlesome child once and for all!" he ordered.

"Pichu pi chu!" (Don't do it!) Pichu cried. Now Heatran and Bronzong were beginning to have second thoughts about whose side they should be on, as they glanced at one another to see if either one would follow through on the order. After seeing that neither of them were going to make a move, they stood down. "Pichu, pi pi chu!" (Pikachu, let's free them!)

Pikachu nodded and unleashed 'Iron Tail' on Heatran's obedience collar, freeing the Lava Dome Pokémon from its restraint. Once that was done, Buneary moved in on Bronzong, and used 'Dizzy Punch' to shatter the lock on its collar. "Pika pika chu!" (Let's take him!)

Now all the Pokémon surrounded Marcus, staring him down with threatening looks in their eyes, "This can't be...Heatran, Bronzong, can't you see they've deceived you?!" Marcus's pleas fell on deaf ears, it was clear that the two Pokémon were through following his orders.

"Marcus, you're _mine!" _Ash charged one more time, and this time instead of merely reaching for the jewel, he dove towards Marcus and tackled the man to the ground. Ash once again reached for the Jewel of Life, but once again Marcus had the advantage, and he used both his legs to kick Ash off of him.

"I suppose I'll have to handle this _myself!" _Marcus got up and grabbed the Pokémon trainer by the collar of his shirt and walked over to the edge of the ledge to throw the struggling trainer down to his death.

Ash refused to go down that easily, his hands were still free so he reeled back with his fist and pounded Marcus in the eye, which got Marcus to drop him just before he got too close to the edge. "You'll pay for what you're doing!" While Marcus recovered, Ash continued his assault, and began to punch Marcus in the face over and over again, "Give back the Jewel!"

After about the fourth consecutive punch, Marcus snarled, blocked the next incoming punch, and answered back by swinging the hand holding the Jewel of Life at Ash's eye. Ash spun around and fell to the ground, holding his eye which was now in searing pain after being hit by what felt like a rock. "You're all _fools!_ You _truly _believe that saving Arceus will save the future?! The only way to do that is to end Arceus's very existence!"

Ash wobbled back to his feet and took his hands away from his now swollen eye, it was barely open a slit now. He took a deep breath and answered back, _"You're _the fool Marcus, Arceus is the one who saved your land in the first place, without him you probably would've starved to death...and you repay him with murder. You don't _deserve _to have the Jewel of Life, and I'll die before I let _you _keep it!" Ash moved in one more time, and this time he decided to try a flying kick. Marcus was caught off guard and stumbled backwards, and that was when Ash went for the tackle again. On the way down, Ash grabbed Marcus's wrist and punched the Jewel of Life out of the man's possession at last, letting it fly freely. "Misty!"

Misty ran to catch the Jewel of Life before it fell, but even with a desperate dive she failed to reach it in time, as it fell into a metal track that surrounded the area and began to roll down to where Misty saw a hole that led to who knows where. "It's gonna fall!" she shouted.

Dawn and the other Pokémon began to chase it, but it was moving too fast for them to catch. It started to fall down just as Chikorita got there and used the leaf on her head to try and pull it back up, unfortunately she just wasn't strong enough, and she watched in horror as the Jewel of Life fell down the hole. Reacting fast, Dawn looked over the edge to see if there was an opening to where the Jewel would come out, and she saw a hole in the wall below that she saw a mysterious green glow that was gradually growing stronger. "Ash! It's gonna come out of the wall!" she shouted.

Ash nodded at Dawn and acknowledged, then he looked back down at Marcus, reeled back his fist and unleashed an uppercut to the man's jaw with all the strength he could put into it. Satisfied with that, Ash ran to the edge, _"I hope I know what I'm doing!" _Ash took a leap of faith and plummeted downwards, and the trainer managed to grab hold of a log that was sticking out of the wall, and he used the swinging momentum to swing his legs up and catch the Jewel of Life between his feet. "I got it!"

"Ash, are you ok?!" Misty shouted.

"Yeah Mist! But I could use a little help!" Ash replied with a strained voice, as he began to grow fatigued from hanging.

"Hang on, help is on the way!" Misty summoned Gyarados and used the water dragon's body as an elevator, and managed to jump down to a ledge underneath Ash. "Ok Ash! Drop it!" Ash nodded and let go of the Jewel of Life, and waited with baited breath to see if Misty would make the catch. Misty did, but not before she accidently juggled it a little trying to get a good grip. "Caught it!"

"Good job Misty!" Ash cheered. Now Ash looked down and let go of his handhold, and he fell down to the ledge Misty was standing on, losing a balance a little before ultimately recovering. By this time, Pikachu had joined the two humans. "Now there's only one thing left to do." Taking the Jewel of Life from Misty, Ash began leaping from log to log to get to another platform where Brock and Sheena could see him. "Hey guys! We've got the Jewel of Life!" he shouted.

Upon hearing Ash's voice, Brock and Sheena turned their attention to the Pokémon Trainer in the distance, and saw that he did indeed have the sacred gem in his possession. "Return it to Arceus! Quickly!" Sheena cried out.

"Right!" Now Misty and Pikachu had joined him on the platform, "This is it Mist, you with me?"

"Like you have to ask." Misty replied. Ash chuckled and the three began making their way towards Arceus.

"No, I've got to stop them!" Marcus had since recovered and tried to make a break for it, but he was immediately stopped by a threatening 'Bubblebeam' at his feet.

"Where do you think _you're _going?" Dawn sneered.

Ash, Misty, and Pikachu finally made it down to where Arceus had been half buried by the now hardened Silver Water. "Arceus! Look, I brought you the Jewel of Life, so please take it!" Ash said, holding the Jewel out to the Alpha Pokémon. Much to their horror however, Arceus didn't move a muscle.

"Ash...his eyes are all glazed over..." Misty gasped.

"No..." Suddenly more Silver Water came pouring out from above, and the trio had to leap up to higher ground in order to avoid being buried alive. "There's gotta be _something _we can do." Ash said. Suddenly however, Pikachu's body seemed to start fading away. "What the...Pikachu?!"

"He's fading away!" Misty exclaimed. Then the redhead examined herself as well, "I-_I'm _fading away!"

They weren't the only ones being affected by whatever was happening. "What's happening to me?!" Dawn panicked.

Marcus then began to chortle evilly, "You're disappearing! With Arceus no more, there's no reason for you to have come here! With any luck, your very existence will soon be erased from all of history, since it's quite clear at this point that it's been dramatically changed."

"No Arceus, you _can't_ die!" Ash held out the Jewel to the now almost completely buried Alpha Pokémon, "You _can't _leave this world hating us! I won't let you!"

"Ash it's...it's no use." Misty whimpered, "Arceus is non-responsive, he couldn't accept the Jewel even if he _wanted _to listen to us."

"So what am I supposed to do?!" Ash spat back desperately, "I can't let history just change like this!"

Just then, Pikachu's body began to disappear completely from the feet up, "Pikapi...Pikachupi..." with that, Pikachu was gone.

"PIKACHU!" Ash then noticed that Misty was disappearing now, "No, Misty, not you too!"

"Guess it's _my_ turn now." Misty sighed sadly.

"No, it's _not _over! I _won't _let you die!" Ash looked back at Arceus and yelled at the top of his lungs, "ARCEUS!"

By now Misty had almost completely disappeared, with her upper torso half gone and everything below it gone as well. "Ash, look at me." Misty pleaded. Ash bowed his head and began to sob before turning his head to his ever disappearing girlfriend. Seeing Ash so heartbroken finally got her to open the floodgates of her own tears, as she got up close to Ash. "I don't know what's going to happen...but I want you to remember something very important."

"And what's that?" Ash choked, his voice cracking badly.

Misty smiled sadly and pressed a kiss on his lips before her mouth disappeared, "That I'll always love you." That was the last thing she said before the redhead's existence was completely erased.

"I love you too..." Ash fell to his hands and knees and just sobbed, mourning the death of his two best friends with whatever time he had left. He was now aware that his body was disappearing now too, but he didn't care. He would've rather taken the fall by himself than fail to save his friends...which is exactly what he had done. "Misty...Pikachu...I'm so sorry."

But all was not lost, not yet. Damos was still going up against Arceus's rage, and he had just penetrated the shield of anger Arceus had put around himself in an attempt to prevent Damos from reaching him. But the determined man refused to give up, and he kept slowly pushing forward, until he finally managed to touch the Alpha Pokémon's head. "ARCEUS!" Damos closed his eyes as the contact he now had with the Alpha Pokémon caused a blinding light to shine...seeing through his eyelids that the light had faded, Damos opened his eyes and saw that Arceus's rage had seemingly disappeared. "Arceus?"

Arceus's eyes slowly went to normal, and the Pokémon looked up to see Damos smiling at him, "Damos..."

Damos nodded in relief, "The Jewel of Life...please take it."

Back with Ash, the trainer hadn't moved from his original spot, as his body had almost completely disappeared...but then through the corner of his good eye, he noticed the Jewel of Life had begun to glow brighter than usual. "Wha...?" Ash watched as the Jewel of Life floated over to Arceus and transformed back into the five life plates Arceus had used to create it. The plates went through the Silver Water as if it was air, and entered back into Arceus who was now glowing in a brilliant white light. Ash sighed and for a brief moment felt happy that Arceus had gotten the Jewel back...but he soon became sad again, as the reality that it had happened too late to save his friends hit his heart, and he buried his head into his arms and continued to sob.

"Ash..."

_"That voice..."_ Ash was wary to look up, he thought he might be hallucinating, and that when he looked up what he thought he heard wouldn't be there. When the voice called him again, Ash risked looking up, and sure enough, there she was, with an electric-type perched on her shoulder. "M-Misty...Pikachu..." he breathed.

Misty knelt down in front of the trainer and caressed his face, wiping away the tears that had fallen down his cheeks, "We're back."

Ash's heart began to swell almost beyond what he could handle, and he sat up and embraced his two friends as tightly as he could, "You're alive! You're alive..." Ash began to laugh, he was overjoyed to see that history had been reverted back to its original state, and his friends along with it.

"Ash come on!" Misty laughed, "We just got back from _one _death, don't _choke _us to another!"

"No way Mist, after watching you both disappear like that, I may never let go again." Ash did however loosen up a little, he certainly didn't want to hurt them. As for the others, they had returned to normal as well.

"We're alive!" Brock cheered.

At this point, Damos had fallen to his hands in knees in exhaustion. He crawled to the edge of the ledge and looked down to see Arceus begin glowing brightly, and the Alpha Pokémon burst out of the hardened Silver Water with a surge of blinding energy that reached all the way up to the top of the temple. Arceus raised his head and saw Ash, Misty, and Pikachu watching in awe. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I-I-I'm Ash..." the trainer stammered, "And this is my partner Pikachu, and my girlfriend Misty." Suddenly though more Silver Water came flowing out of the walls, and it began to rise once more, "There's nowhere else to run!" Just before the trio could be buried alive, a forcefield surrounded them, and they began to rise up into the air with Arceus, "Arceus, you saved us..."

Arceus came up close to them as they rose up, "Ash, Pikachu, and Misty, are _you _the ones who saved my life?"

"It wasn't just us!" Misty replied. By this time, Arceus had placed them back on the platform with Damos, Sheena, and Brock, just as Dawn and all the other Pokémon came running in to join them. "You see? Each and every human and Pokémon here did everything they could to save you!"

Arceus looked on at the humans who had sacrificed so much to save his life, then Damos stepped up to speak. "Arceus, _please _forgive me."

"I already saw it in your heart." Arceus assured, "It's alright." For a moment at least, there was peace. But then the last of the Silver Water came bursting through the walls and caused the temple to begin to crumble, everyone inside, humans and Pokémon alike began to fall down to what would've been a slow and agonizing death, until Arceus utilized his full power and stopped everything. The Alpha Pokémon's glowing form had all of his life plates hovering around him, as he caught the Silver Water, the falling humans and Pokémon, and the debris of the temple. He then disintegrated the harmful debris and Silver Water in order to keep it from doing anymore damage, and then placed the humans and Pokémon back onto solid ground. "You are no longer slaves," Arceus said referring to the hundreds of Pokémon, "Be free!" With a wave of green energy, Arceus destroyed the obedience collars restraining all of the surrounding Pokémon, and the creatures rejoiced in their freedom.

"Amazing." Dawn breathed.

Misty then realized something, "Wait a sec, where's Marcus?"

Damos had the answer. "I no longer sense his presence...he is no more." Despite being betrayed by his former underling, Damos couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that Marcus had died as a result of his efforts. Marcus was at one point a trusted friend, and despite everything he had done, he believed that Marcus did what he did in an attempt to save Michina from a fate he sincerely feared would come to pass. Of course he didn't condone the man's actions, he merely understood why he had taken them.

"So..." Brock tried to break the silence, "Are we done here?"

"Yes, our mission has been completed." Sheena replied.

"My friends..." Arceus said, getting their attention, "If you would all join me outside for a moment." Arceus led the humans out of the temple and hovered in front of them once more. "I have used up all of my strength, so for now...I must rest...farewell Damos...and you as well, Ash, Pikachu, Misty..._all _of you." After saying his piece, Arceus turned and flew off into the sky where he opened a portal to his dimension.

"Well gang, we did it!" Ash said.

"Yes, and now the time has come for us to take our leave." Sheena added.

That statement brought sadness to the young Pichu who was perched on Damos's shoulder. "Pi pi chu pi." (I'll miss you all.)

Pikachu's ears drooped, "Pika pika chu." (We'll miss you too.)

"Bun!" (Hey!) Buneary remembered what she had been trying to tell Pikachu earlier, and motioned for the electric mouse to join her on the ground. Pikachu complied and the rabbit whispered something in his ear.

Buneary's suggestion brightened Pikachu up considerably, and the electric-type hopped back onto Ash's shoulder. "What's up Pikachu?" the trainer asked in confusion. Pikachu whispered his request to the boy, who seemed shocked what was being asked of him. "Are you sure buddy?" he asked. Pikachu nodded in response. Ash smiled and pulled off his backpack.

"What's Pikachu saying Ash?" Dawn asked curiously.

Ash didn't respond, and instead just pulled out an object that was very familiar to him, Misty, and Brock. "Damos, have you ever seen one of these before?"

Damos wasn't sure what was happening either. "Yes," he acknowledged, "But we haven't been able to figure out if they actually do anything, I _have _noticed that some appear to be differently shaped and colored, but I've never known why."

"See, this is called a Thunderstone." Ash explained, "It helps certain Pokémon evolve and become stronger, like my buddy Pikachu."

"Incredible!" Damos was then given the stone, but was unsure of what to do with it. He touched Pichu's head with it, and was surprised to find that nothing had happened, "How does it work?"

"It won't work on your little Pichu," Misty explained, "At least not yet, but one day Pichu will evolve into a Pikachu like Ash's, and then if she really wants to, you can use the Thunderstone to make her become a Raichu, which is the most powerful Pokémon in her evolution line."

"See, Pikachu wants to give Pichu something to remember us by." Ash added.

Once Ash said that, the Pokémon all gathered into a corner away from the humans so they could talk uninterrupted. "I don't understand, why are you giving me an item that could make you so much stronger?" Pichu asked.

Pikachu chuckled, "I don't _want _to evolve." he said, "Oh sure, I would be a lot bigger and stronger, but I really have no desire to become a Raichu. I can get stronger the old fashioned way, with hard work and training. _You _could too! But that doesn't mean that one day _you _won't want to evolve...I just wanted you to have something to remember us by."

"I didn't need a stone for that." Pichu replied in adoration, "I'll _always _remember you, _all _of you. The fact that we've become friends in such a short time is amazing, and I'm sad that I'll never see you all again."

"Me too." Pikachu replied with a sad smile.

"That goes for me too Pichu." Buneary spoke up.

"Really?" the Tiny Mouse asked.

"Yeah...we've had our differences, butted heads a little...but I'm gonna miss you too, I can tell you're gonna do great things in your lifetime, and I figure that Thunderstone will help you along."

Pichu sighed, "I figured out it was because you were jealous of how close I was getting to Pikachu a while ago, just for the record."

Buneary was stunned by that, "Are you serious?"

"Of course! I told you, just because I'm a Pichu doesn't mean I was born yesterday. I know what jealousy looks like. I _am _sorry if I offended any of you by what I did." Pichu replied.

"No," Buneary said with a shake of her head, "If anything _I _should be the one to apologize, I severely overreacted and I had no right to treat you the way that I did. I just wish now there was some way I could go back in time and change things."

"Uh, we kinda already did." Vaporeon commented.

The entire Pokémon group began to laugh at that, then Pichu spoke up once more. "Thank you...thank you _all!" _Pichu said happily, "You all have given me the greatest gift I could ever ask for, and I'm not talking about that stone...I have enjoyed your friendship from the beginning, and now you've freed my other friends so that I'll never be lonely again...I am forever grateful."

When a soft sniffling was heard, all the Pokémon turned their attention to Riolu, who they expected to be crying from all the sadness in the air. But they were surprised to see that Riolu was in fact looking at Piplup. "Piplup..._you're _crying?" Buneary asked.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Piplup spat before turning around to hide his face, "I just have something in my eye, that's all."

"Yeah, they're called tears." Staryu chuckled, "Don't worry Piplup, we all feel the same way."

"Well before we go, how about one more Pika-shake, for old time's sake?" Pikachu held out his tail for Pichu, and the Tiny Mouse Pokémon happily sparked hers with his. But then immediately after, Pichu scampered over and embraced Pikachu tightly, not wanting to let go. "I'll miss you Pichu, you behave yourself ok?"

"I will." Pichu nodded, just as Pikachu and the others began to sparkle. "Oh no...already?"

"Sorry, but we had to go sometime." Pikachu sighed. Reluctantly, Pikachu released Pichu from the embrace and gently played with her spiky-ear to get a giggle out of her, "One day you'll meet another Pikachu or Raichu, and he'll be ten times better than me! You deserve the best."

"Not possible, I've already _met _the best. But, maybe I'll get to meet someone close enough." Pichu replied with a sad sigh.

The Pokémon joined their humans who had also begun to sparkle as Dialga's power overtook them. "Dialga is calling." Sheena said, "Time to return to the future."

"There's so much more I wanted to speak to you all about." Damos sighed sadly, "But to be able to meet my future children...I am grateful. Farewell." With that, the group disappeared right in front of Damos and Pichu's eyes. Damos sighed and looked into the distance, "The future...wow."

Back in the future, the group appeared in the same place they disappeared from, "Are we back?" Brock wondered. They looked up on a ledge and saw Giratina groaning in pain, "It's Giratina."

Sheena then looked down below and saw Dialga down for the count. "And Dialga!"

And finally, Dawn noticed Palkia. "Palkia too..."

"But then..." Misty spoke up, "Where's Arceus?" A sudden battle cry got their attention, and they saw Arceus charging up one final blast, _"There's _Arceus!"

"But why is he still angry?!" Dawn exclaimed worriedly.

With a mighty roar, Arceus sent his 'Judgment' attack into the sky, and the falling blasts of energy came hurtling down to destroy all life on Michina. "No!" Ash yelled, "No Arceus, no!"

Arceus heard Ash's voice and looked down, and the Alpha Pokémon stopped the attack, "Who are you?" Time seemed to stop for a moment, as history caught up with what the group had done in the past, and the events of what happened so long ago flashed in the Alpha Pokémon's mind, "Ash..." Upon Arceus's realization, the damage that had been caused as a result of the battle between the four legendary Pokémon slowly began to undo itself.

"History's been corrected...wow..." Brock commented, just as the dark clouds that had been rolling overhead cleared and allowed the sun to shine back through, and the three fallen legends were instantly revived, as was Arceus as his missing life plates were restored to where they belonged: within him.

"Everything's back to normal!" Ash exclaimed.

"Thank goodness." Dawn sighed in relief.

"Wait a minute!" Brock had realized something, "We returned the Jewel of Life in the past...which means _this _place should be totally desolate!"

"Arceus?" Sheena assumed the Alpha Pokémon had been responsible for Michina's continued abundance despite the lack of the Jewel of Life's assistance.

"This isn't _my _doing." Arceus replied, "Your ancestors dedicated their _entire lives _to cultivating and restoring this land. This place was brought back to life by the efforts of people and Pokémon alike."

"I understand!" Sheena laughed in delight.

"Sheena, we did it!" Ash replied.

"Sheena!" that was the voice of Kevin, who had just noticed the return of Sheena and the others. He bounded up the steps to meet her and immediately placed his hands on her shoulders, "Thanks goodness you're alright."

"Oh Kevin..." Sheena happily leaned into the man's embrace, much to the horror and dismay of a certain Pokémon Breeder.

"I had a sneaking suspicion those two were more than just friends." Misty giggled.

"Why can't _I _ever get past 'just friends'?" Brock groaned.

"Oh hush and let them enjoy their moment." Misty whacked the already depressed breeder in the back of the head, which only added to his suffering, "By the way Ash, nice shiner."

Ash suddenly remembered his fight with Marcus, and touched his hand to his black and blue eye, which he recoiled at once he felt the pounding pain from touching it. "Well...I'll look on the bright side, at least I still _have _my eye." he sighed.

By this time, the sun had begun to set, painting the sky with brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. Arceus turned his attention to the three lesser legends he had battled with, "I wish to thank you three for trying to stop me from carrying out my mindless revenge...you are all quite worthy of your roles in creation."

The legends nodded at Arceus, and then flew off into the sky to return to their given dimensions, with the humans below all waving goodbye once more. "Sheena, look at this!" Once the legends were gone, Kevin called Sheena over to a large stone with engravings in it, the teens followed to get a look as well.

"Wait a sec...that looks like..." Ash gasped.

"It's _us!" _Dawn finished, just as awed.

"Damos must have left this here _knowing _we would see it!" Brock figured. The engravings showed how Sheena and the others assisted Damos in saving Arceus and returning the Jewel of Life, giving them all a permanent place in the now glorious history of Michina.

Sheena got up close to the carved out drawing, "There's something written here..." she began to read the message, "To all of my beautiful future children who taught me how to believe, I offer you now all of my sincerest hopes and wishes that the future world will become more and more beautiful...and that is exactly the kind of world you'll find yourselves in..." Sheena's voice began to crack near the end of her reading, as she was deeply moved by the message left behind by her now long dead ancestor Damos and began to cry tears of joy, "Thank you Damos." she laughed through her tears.

"Pika pika chu?" (And Pichu?) the electric mouse asked.

"Oh, right," Ash replied, "Sheena, was there more to the message? Maybe something from Pichu?"

Sheena looked at the drawing once more and pointed something out, "It isn't long, but it's _definitely _from Pichu. Look." the group saw an outlined carving of Pichu's head, spiky-ear and all, with a small message next to it. "It says...thank you." Sheena read.

"There ya go buddy, I'm sure Pichu had a great life, and it's thanks to you." Ash rubbed his Pokémon partner's head, and the electric mouse also started letting loose tears of joy.

"Ash." Arceus's voice got the attention of the humans and other Pokémon, and they ran up next to him. "This world of yours...is truly a magnificent place."

"Yeah...it is, thanks for making it for us." Ash replied.

But instead of nodding, Arceus was stunned. _"I _did not create your world, _my _Master is the One responsible for such a glorious masterpiece such as this."

The humans were shocked by that, "You mean there's a Pokémon out there even _more _powerful than you?" Ash asked.

Arceus chuckled, "My Master isn't a Pokémon, He is a being that transcends all knowledge and understanding, and He put _me _in charge of _protecting _this world...however I'm afraid I have much to answer for after what I've done."

"Are you gonna be ok?" Misty asked.

"There's no reason for you to worry, my Master is a forgiving, benevolent being...He created this entire world...all of you as well, and nothing happens without His permission...the Creator of all things...the Creator of this world..." Arceus then began to fly off into the sky, "And now...it is with great joy that I finally come to understand...that I am truly a part of His glorious creation." with that, Arceus disappeared into a portal, with the humans and Pokémon below shouting farewells to the Alpha Pokémon.

With the breeze blowing softly and the sun setting ever lower, the group looked into the sky where Arceus had disappeared, pondering the words the Alpha Pokémon had spoken. "A being beyond all understanding..." Misty said.

"The Creator of all things..." Brock added, "Do you think it's possible that one day we'll get to meet Him?"

"Who knows Brock? The way Arceus talked about Him, we may have already and not even realized it..." Ash grabbed his head and groaned, "Gah...brain pain."

"Hence why he said 'beyond understanding' you goof!" Misty replied.

"Well I understand _one _thing." Dawn sat down on the ground and exhaled loudly, "I am _exhausted! _Can we go home now?"

"It's a _loooong _walk to Twinleaf Town." Misty replied.

Dawn decided to change her statement, "Can we go to the Pokémon Center now?"

The whole group laughed as Ash and Brock helped the coordinator back to her feet. "I want to thank you all for your help." Sheena spoke up, "Me, Kevin, and all of Michina are forever in your debt...without your help Arceus would've destroyed all of mankind, but you changed all that. We're forever grateful to you all."

"Aww, it was no big deal." Dawn shrugged nonchalantly.

"No big deal?!" Ash said a little too loudly, "We all almost died!"

_"You _'almost die' all the time, why are you getting all worked up over this time?" Misty asked in annoyance.

"Because!" Ash lost much of his fire suddenly, "Because...this time I almost lost _you."_ Ash took the redhead's hands and stared earnestly into her gorgeous green eyes, "Mist I was _devastated_, watching you and Pikachu just disappear like that...I mean my heart...well...I realized what it means to have your heart broken."

"Oh Ash..." Misty caressed his face for a moment before leaning in for a gentle lip lock, much to the disgust of the fatigued and cranky coordinator.

"Oh sure, and how would he feel if he watched _us _vanish into oblivion? I doubt he'd wanna swap spit with you or _me." _Dawn huffed, Piplup now squirming in her too tight grip.

"Now Dawn, you know that's not true...well, the spit swapping part is but...you know Ash would feel just as bad if it had been either one of us and..." Brock then caught what Dawn had said, "Wait a sec, are you saying you _want _to kiss Ash?!"

"I didn't say _that!"_ Dawn vehemently denied, "I was _trying _to make a _point! _Can't they wait until _after _we're checked in and I'm in a nice warm bed before they give us a display of their undying love for each other? I mean seriously, talk about bad timing!"

Finally their kiss came to a reluctant end, "Ok Dawn, we're done here, feel better?" Misty asked.

"Not particularly. I _still _don't see a bed in front of me." Dawn replied.

"I can see that Dawn is eager to get some well-deserved rest, so we won't keep you any longer." Sheena bowed in respect to the heroic teenagers, "Thank you all once again for your help."

"You're welcome Sheena, glad we could make a difference." Ash replied with a smile.

"We're gonna miss you guys, hope we see you again soon." Misty added.

"The feelings are mutual," Kevin nodded, "Good luck to you all on your journey."

With that, Sheena and Kevin parted ways with the teenagers, who had since returned all their Pokémon (with the obvious exception of Pikachu and Piplup) and finally made it to the Pokémon Center by nightfall. "Finally...cushions." Dawn staggered over to a nearby couch and groaned in exhaustion as she plopped face first into an arm pillow, "Nobody wake me until ten years ago." she said through the pillow.

Unfortunately for Piplup, who was wrapped in Dawn's arms, he was now being crushed by his trainer who had forgotten to let go before falling face first onto the couch. "Piiii pluuuuuup!" (Get off!) Piplup squirmed and shouted for help, and while the squirming was getting him nowhere, his cry for help did reach someone.

"Pikachupi," (Misty,) Pikachu tugged on the redhead's ankle to get her attention, "Pikaka pika chu pi Pi-Kachu." (Dawn's sitting on Piplup.)

"Oh boy. _That _can't feel good." Misty went over to the couch and yanked on Dawn's shoulder, but Dawn resisted. "Come on Dawn, up up." Now she tried to life Dawn by lifting her up by under her shoulder, but that didn't work either. "Good grief." Misty mumbled, "Are you aware you're suffocating Piplup?"

"Go 'way." she mumbled in response.

"Pi pi plup pi pluuup!" (Get me outta here!)

"I'm not in the mood for this. Ash, gimme a hand here." Misty went back to pulling until Ash arrived and grabbed Dawn's other shoulder, and together the two lifted her up off the couch, letting her dangle just slightly above ground.

"No! Let me sleep in peace!" Dawn whined. Piplup just took deep breaths of much needed oxygen.

"Let's go Dawn, bed's just a few yards away." Ash assisted the redhead in getting the drowsy, droopy, and limp coordinator to their room, and upon reaching their destination, Dawn escaped their grasp and gave one last burst of energy just long enough to leap onto her bed. "For an exhausted person she sure moved fast."

"Pip pi plup." (Tell me about it.) Piplup had been smart enough to break free of Dawn's grasp before she landed on the bed this time.

"I would say that was fueled by desperation." Misty replied, "And while I'm not _nearly _as crazed as Dawn," Dawn gave a dry chuckle at that comment, "I will admit I am dead tired too...just from coming _back _from the dead."

"And by the way Dawn, I _would _be just as hurt if it had been you or Brock." Ash was amused when he witnessed Dawn's head shoot up from the pillow, the coordinator now looking quite alert.

"You heard that?" she asked nervously.

"How would you like to swap some spit with me Dee Dee? Might make you feel better." Ash laughed mockingly.

At the sound of the ever annoying nickname, Dawn was now ready to pounce on Ash and beat the living daylights out of him. But then she came up with a much better plan, one that would get revenge on not only Ash, but Misty as well. _"This'll teach them not to mess with my sleep."_ With a mischievous smirk and a naughty glint in her eyes, Dawn spoke up, "Ok then Ashy, as long as you're offering free kisses."

Ash stopped laughing immediately, so did Misty as she had joined in on the laughter. But she definitely wasn't laughing now. "You're not _serious _are you?" Ash asked in shock.

Dawn responded by puckering up and closing her eyes, "I'm waiting for my goodnight kiss." Dawn had to choke back a giggle, seeing their faces was just too funny.

Ash looked around the room for no apparent reason, just trying to think of something to do...but all that came to mind was to follow through on what he had been dared to do. He was smart enough to know Dawn didn't _really _want a kiss from him, but he sure as heck wasn't gonna let _her _get the last word, so the only way to one-up her would be to do the one thing she'd least expect. _"This is gonna be _weird."

When Misty saw him take just one step towards Dawn's bunk, she quickly got in his way and spread her arms out. Ash didn't know whether to be scared or grateful, seeing as she was furious to the nth degree. "Don't. You. Dare." she hissed quietly.

"Look, I don't _want _to do it!" Ash defended, quickly getting his hands up, "But I can't let her beat me!"

"You won't." Misty smirked evilly and grabbed a Pokéball. At this point, Ash was scared of what might happen, was she about to unleash Gyarados on Dawn? Misty caught his expression and sighed, "No Ash, it's _not _Gyarados." Ash noticeably relaxed after getting that affirmation. "She'll get a kiss alright, but not what she expects." Misty called out the Pokémon of choice, and Ash had to stifle a laugh that was now begging to come out.

"What's the hold up? My lips are getting tired!" Seconds later, lips came into contact with lips...really strangely shaped lips, _"Something's not right." _Dawn opened her eyes a little to see what was going on, and they widened to the size of dinner plates once she saw an all too familiar face in front of her. Dawn shouted through the forced kiss and jumped back all the way to against the wall, spitting and hacking in total disgust and horror, "Psyduck?! _Really?!_ You jerks! That is _the most _vile thing I have _ever _done!"

Psyduck meanwhile hopped out of the now hysterically laughing redhead's grasp and eagerly waddled over to Dawn for further affection, which he was foolish enough to assume was real. Seeing that only made Misty and Ash and now even the other Pokémon laugh harder than ever, "Psyduck's in love! I can't believe this!" Misty cackled, pointing a finger at Dawn and clutching her stomach.

"Dawn used 'Attract', it's super-effective!" Ash almost fell over backwards from laughter. Needless to say he was more than happy with the way things turned out.

"Psyduck please, don't take that the wrong way!" Dawn whined as the duck hugged her leg affectionately, his stubby little tail wagging back and forth. "Oh what's the use?!" Dawn hobbled over to the bathroom door and pounded on it as hard as she could, "Brock! Are you finished?!"

Brock opened the door and revealed that he was. He then noticed the laughter of the others and the dismay of the coordinator in front of him, but even that wasn't the most confusing thing. "This may seem like a stupid question..." the breeder began, "But why is Psyduck attached to your leg?"

"Because _Misty _made me kiss him! Now if you'll be so kind as to _move over, _I have to wash my mouth out with soap!" Dawn's sad attempt to be polite was further betrayed when she shoved Brock out of her way and slammed the door behind her. However Ash, Misty, and the two Pokémon got one last burst of laughter in when they heard Dawn through the door, "No Psyduck! I am _not _giving you another kiss!"

"You guys do very strange things when I'm not around." Brock shook his head and headed over to his bunk.

"Hey look, in our defense, _she _started it!" Ash replied, pointing at the closed door.

"I wasn't here, I don't care, I'm tired, goodnight." That was all Brock said before he pulled the covers up over himself.

"Looks like we got away with it then." Misty figured. She had seconds thoughts though when Dawn came back out with Psyduck desperately clutching her leg, "Still?"

"Yes still!" Dawn growled as she hobbled over to her bunk. She laid out and tried to shake Psyduck off, but the enamored Pokémon refused to let go. Dawn whined loudly and turned her attention to the redhead, "Look, you win ok? Uncle, aunt, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa! Whatever you want me to say just _get him OFF!" _

"That's all I needed to hear." Misty replied all too sweetly for Dawn's tastes. "Ok Psyduck, maybe you and Dawn can have a date tomorrow, return!" Misty called back the Duck Pokémon and allowed Dawn to have her leg back. "Let that be a lesson to you, don't even _think _about trying to mess with my man."

"I wouldn't _dream _of it." Dawn laid on her side facing away from the others, but she quickly turned back around, "Although if I _did _dream of it, it would probably be a nightmare!" Dawn turned around once more and soon fell asleep.

"Well...it's just you and me Mist." Ash was suddenly snared into a kiss by his redheaded girlfriend. It took him a moment, but he was able to adjust and enjoy the surprising action. After a moment, the kiss was broken. "What was that for?" Ash asked, slightly out of breath.

"Well you were actually thinking about kissing _Dawn, _so since that kiss was gonna go to waste, I figured _I'd _take it. They _are_ after all meant for me." Misty then kissed Ash again, and broke it not long after, "And _that _was meant to make up for even _thinking _about kissing someone else."

"I...don't suppose there's _another _reason, is there?" Ash asked cheekily.

"Lemme mull it over for a while." Misty patted Ash's head and walked by him, grabbing her pajamas and heading to the shower for a much needed clean up.

"Worth a shot." Ash just shrugged. Being technically alone, since Dawn and Brock were asleep, and Piplup and Pikachu had already left the room to give themselves their own baths, he began to think about the day's events. _"Gotta admit...I _am _exhausted. I wonder if all the time travel made us actually stay up for longer than just one day...it feels like I've been awake for thirty-six hours straight..."_ he yawned and stretched and sat down on the edge of his bunk. He began to rub his eyes but he quickly pulled his hand back when he was given a nasty reminder of what happened a while back. _"I wonder how long _this _injury's gonna last._" he grumbled in his head. It had been a very emotional day to say the least. Meeting up with the most powerful Pokémon in existence, losing his friends and then getting them back again...the trainer was simply drained. _"I wonder if Misty would give me a massage if I asked real nice." _the thought made him smile.

Finally Misty returned, "Ok Ash, you're up."

"Hey, I don't suppose you'd be willing to give me a back rub? I've got a knot right about here." Ash reached behind and pointed to where his alleged pain was.

Misty got up close to the trainer and smiled, "Maybe I could...lemme mull it over."

"You're already mulling over another reason to kiss me." Ash replied with a frown.

"True. But it's necessary, a girl has to be sure about these things." Misty got by Ash and laid down on the bunk, much to Ash's disappointment.

"I'll just take that as a no." Ash sighed and grabbed his pajamas.

"I didn't _say_ no. Don't put words in my mouth." Misty wagged her finger in disapproval. Ash responded with an annoyed smirk and then went to shower. _"I'll _put words in my mouth." Misty giggled, she had no intentions of giving in to her boyfriend's desires, but thinking about what had happened over the course of their latest adventure, she began to have second thoughts. _"Maybe Ash _does _deserve to be pampered a little, it's not like he'd ever tell _me _no if he had a choice."_ Misty then heard the water stop running in the shower, and minutes later, Ash came out, still obviously disappointed.

Ash got in the bed next to Misty and turned his back to her, giving a sad sigh in the process. Moments later however, he was surprised to feel Misty kneading his back with her slender fingers. "Mist?"

"I mulled it over. After everything that happened today, you deserve a little special treatment." Misty then bent over Ash and reached to kiss his nose, "I mulled _that _over too."

With a smile on his face, Ash eagerly turned onto his stomach and let Misty work his back, "Oh man, that feels _awesome." _Ash moaned when Misty hit a tense spot on his back, "Wow...I'm tighter than I thought, that kinda hurts."

"You want me to stop?" Misty asked.

"Nah, it's the good kind of hurt." Ash inhaled and exhaled, allowing the last bit of stress from the day's events leave him as Misty continued to rub and massage his aching back. "Thanks Misty, I _really _appreciate this." He didn't realize it, but his fatigue combined with Misty's massage, he was beginning to doze off.

"Aw Ash, you know I'd do almost anything for you." Misty expected a response, but was stunned when she didn't get one. "Ash?" Misty stopped massaging for a moment to look over and see why Ash had neglected to answer her. She smiled sympathetically when she found that Ash had fallen asleep. She shook her head and leaned over to kiss the top of his head, "Goodnight Ashy, sweet dreams." she whispered. Ash seemed to smile in his sleep, which made the redhead's heart swell a little. To think that just a few years ago Ash didn't even understand the basics of love...and now it felt like they'd been together since day one. _"I love you so much." _Misty nestled under the covers and masterfully tossed a Pokéball at the light switch, plunging the room into a soothing darkness. She caught the ricocheting ball and placed it back where she got it, and happily dozed off with another day full of adventure finally through.  
_

**A/N: Well there you go. The idea that Arceus is omnipotent is laughable to me, he can't even stop a meteor without needing rest afterwards? So I made it so that Arceus merely watches over the world instead of being the creator of it. Anyways, as I said before, don't expect updates to come this frequently very often, maybe a little faster than they had been before this whole mess started, but I'm still a very busy man...and somehow, I enjoy that too. Well, until then dear readers. Enjoy**


	61. Promoting Healthy Tangrowth

**It's Pokéshipping day...so I tried to hurry and get this next chapter out. Enjoy.  
_**

Chapter 61

**Misty's POV**

Wow...that's all I can say about everything that happened yesterday. We saw every legendary Pokémon involved in the Sinnoh Time-Space legend, met Arceus, the most powerful Pokémon in the world by far, went back in time, changed history, almost _died _in the process...after all that, I could use a break. Funny thing is I'm probably not gonna get one. As happy as I am being on the road again with Ash and the others, even it has its pros and cons. If I were back home in Cerulean, my life would be a bore: Battle challengers, feed the Pokémon, do paperwork, rinse and repeat the next day. It's boring, but at least it was safe. Of course I'm not saying I _want _to go back to the gym, that would be absolutely ludicrous, all I'm saying is I wish our lives weren't in mortal danger every other hour.

I mean really, I swear we've gotten into more trouble here in Sinnoh than all of our other adventures _combined._ At least that what it _feels _like. I just want a day of peace and quiet, one where I don't have to look over my shoulder and see if a legendary Pokémon is coming to use 'Hyper Beam' on me every five seconds. Actually, you know what I need? I need a day to just be alone with Ash, we haven't gone on an official date in a while it seems. You may think that being on the road with him twenty-four-seven is like being on a perpetual date, but dates...normal ones at least...don't consist of death-defying struggles or painful injuries. I want him to hold me close, tell me how much he loves me, which he does anyway, but it never seems to be in a romantic setting.

Alright, enough's enough. I'm not gonna stay here and just talk about what I want, I'm gonna find a way to make it happen! Right now we're in the middle of the woods on our way to Lilypad Town for Dawn's next contest...now normally I'd be doing everything I said I didn't want to do, looking over my shoulder and all, except replace "legendary Pokémon" with any bug-type. But I'm too focused on finding a way to get some alone time with my boyfriend. That's not such a horrible thing is it?

**Normal POV**

"Hey Brock, I'm getting kinda hungry, how much further until we can take a break?" Misty asked the spiky-haired breeder leading the way through the forest for them.

"You sure you're Misty?" Brock replied in amusement, "That sounds more like something _Ash _would say."

"I'm pretty darn sure I'm me Brock," the redhead's tone clearly communicated she wasn't joking, "All of my body parts make it perfectly obvious I am a female." Misty quickly diverted her attention to her boyfriend who was walking right in front of her, "And as for _you _Ash Ketchum, don't you start imagining any of those parts or I'm gonna have to perform a little impromptu brain surgery if you get my drift." she snarled.

Ash looked over his non-Pikachu shoulder and held his hands up in self-defense, "Geez Mist, I wasn't even paying attention to whatever you were saying! Don't take your anger out on _me!"_ Ash knew he had a valid point, but that had never helped him much in the past so he wisely widened the gap between himself and his currently tweaked girlfriend. Deciding to change the subject, Ash spoke up once more, "Hey Brock, when's lunch? I'm _starving!"_

"Now _that's _Ash!" Brock laughed heartily much to Ash's confusion, "Alright, I guess here's as good a place as any to take a break." Brock began unloading his backpack and got out all his cooking equipment, which included a large grey stew pot. "Alright then, I need firewood to get started. Any volunteers?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Misty almost broke into a full-out sprint to grab Ash's hand and drag him into the forest, "Me and Ash'll take care of it! Be right back!"

"H-Hey wait! You guys aren't gonna..." Brock words died in his throat, why bother stating the obvious? It was pretty clear that the last thing on Misty's mind was finding firewood. "Oh forget it...Dawn, think you could take some of the Pokémon with you and find some firewood? I get the feeling that if we wait on Ash and Misty, we won't be eating until _dinnertime."_

Dawn rolled her eyes and nodded, "Honestly though," the coordinator's expression changed to a sympathetic one as she looked back towards where Ash and Misty had run off to, "I think they _need _a little time to themselves. After all the stuff we've gone through these past few days, they deserve to be able to relax a little."

Brock relinquished a small smile, "True that."

"Misty, slow down!" Ash had been caught completely off-guard by Misty's sudden burst of speed. Eventually the redhead did come to a stop once they put a substantial distance between themselves and the camp. "So what was all that ab-mmmm?!" Misty's sudden speed burst was nothing compared to the surprise Ash was on the receiving end of now. The water-trainer had turned around and in an instant had her arms wrapped tightly around Ash's neck as she gave the startled boy a kiss more passionate than anything they shared before.

All those pent-up feelings and emotions had been building inside of Misty like a 'Stockpile' move, and now after several days of not being able to truly be alone with Ash, Misty was unleashing it all in one powerful display of unbridled passion and love that would've caused someone like Brock to faint. After several moments of having her lips smashed up against Ash's, she finally came up for air with a content but loud sigh. "Sorry about that..." Misty said as she gulped in air, "But I just _really _needed to do that."

Ash couldn't help but let a goofy grin spread across his face, Pikachu however just rolled his eyes and hopped off Ash's shoulder to go do what they were supposed to do in the first place. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, because that was just..._wow..._" Ash chuckled, "But what's the occasion?"

"It's 'Misty-Wants-to-Be-Alone-With-Ash-Day', how's that?" Misty would've gone in for another kiss but she could see that Ash still hadn't caught all his breath yet, so she settled for just going in for another really tight hug, one where if she could, she would just melt into Ash's skin. As far as she was concerned, she just couldn't be close enough to him.

Ash managed to get his bearings and reciprocate the embrace, although something in the back of his mind was raising red flags. This sudden display of emotion wasn't random, something was bothering Misty and in turn that bothered him. "Uh Mist..." he said hesitantly, "Is something the matter?"

Misty looked up at him and smiled, "Not at all Ashy, everything's alright." she replied dismissively, _"Everything's alright _now _anyway." _she added in her head.

"Mist..." Ash was beginning to get a little nervous, he knew that there could potentially be serious consequences involved in rejecting the redhead's affections, but the current circumstances just didn't sit right with Ash...he needed to know what was really going on. Gently and slowly, Ash removed Misty's arms from around his neck, making sure to keep a firm grip on her hands however to try and convey the message that he wasn't upset or anything. "Normally I would love getting that hug, but something's not right here...come on, tell me what's bothering you."

Misty was already ready with another denial, but seeing the deep concern that Ash was showing in those chocolate-brown eyes of his...she just couldn't help herself. She backed down and dropped her hands to her sides, effectively cutting off the physical connection between them. With a loud sigh, she plopped down onto the grass and leaned against a large rock with Ash following her down soon after. "Ash...I'm really not sure how I'm gonna be able to explain this to you..."

"Try being honest about it."

Misty sighed again and looked up through the trees into the sky, "It's stupid really..." she began, "It just feels like we haven't had any time to ourselves in a long time...between the drama with Paul and that full battle between you two; our recent death-defying adventure into the past with that whole Arceus situation...I guess what I'm trying to say is..."

"You just wanna relax." Ash finished the sentence for her. Now he understood why Misty was so adamant about getting some time alone. She was tense. Now Ash felt perfectly fine about showing the frustrated water trainer some evidently much-needed affection. Scooting over so their hips were pressed together, Ash wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leaned her in close so that her head rested on his shoulders. Then as an added bonus he kissed her several times, gently and slowly on the top of her head.

Misty moaned with contentment under the shower of love Ash was giving her. Somehow, this tender display meant more to her than that steamy lip-lock she had ambushed him into just a few moments ago. Maybe it was because now his heart was in it? Whatever the reason, she was thoroughly enjoying the attention. "Ashy?" she cooed.

"Yeah?" his voice was muffled because he was currently in the process of kissing her head again.

"Could you...could you maybe...rub my shoulders a little? After all...I _did _give _you _a massage the other night." she looked up at him with pleading eyes and a little bit of a smiling pout on her lips. Not that she needed it of course.

"Your wish is my command." he replied affectionately, planting a tender kiss right between her eyes, earning another soft moan from Misty. He carefully shifted Misty forward a little and then placed himself directly behind her. Once he was sure he'd be comfortable in his seating position, he reached up and began to gently knead her shoulders, causing her to moan again, this time though it seemed to consist more of relief than anything else. "Wow Mist," he said sympathetically. "You really _are _stressed out, your muscles are _really _tight."

"Well...that's what happens when you're on edge for almost a week." she suddenly gasped in surprise when she felt Ash start to move lower down her back, "What are you doing?" she turned her head as far as she could to try and get a look at her boyfriend.

"Push against me Mist, I'm gonna see what I can do about this." Not sure what she was agreeing to, Misty hesitantly complied and offered resistance against Ash's touch so Ash could work. She gasped when she felt pops near her spine. "Oh man, this might take a while."

"What are you _doing _Ash?!" she almost screamed.

"I'm giving you a massage Mist, it's not just your shoulders, your whole _back _is in knots!" he replied, "Those pops you felt were my thumbs going up and over the lumps in your back that are your back muscles."

Misty wanted to keep being angry, but she couldn't get over the fact that Ash actually sounded like he knew what he was talking about. "You make it sound like you've done this sort of thing before." she said.

"That's because I have." Ash leaned back against his hands for a moment. "When I was seven, my mom taught me how to give a massage so I could give her one on days when she was really stressed out." Ash stood up for a moment, "Lay down on your stomach please." Misty arched an eyebrow at him, but she eventually complied, resting her head in her arms while he got on his knees so that he was straddling her from behind. A cheeky thought suddenly popped into his head, and he couldn't resist letting it out. "Now isn't _this _a sight?" he snickered.

Misty twisted her head around to glare at him, "Head out of the gutter Ketchum," she warned. "Just go about your business."

"Ok ok." Ash laughed and started working, immediately getting a gasp from Misty. "See, what you have to do is start from the spine and go out...you feel those lumps?"

"How can I _not?!" _

Ash chuckled at that, "Eventually, as I continue with this pattern, the lumps will start to flatten out." Misty suddenly arched her back in shock when Ash hit a particularly tight muscle, "That is...if you _let them_ flatten out, you gotta relax Misty."

"Ok ok...relaxing now." Misty took a deep breath and exhaled, flattening her back once more so Ash could continue. She had to admit, as she got used to Ash's touch, the process was getting more and more relaxing and soothing all the time. "Ash Ketchum...Massage Master...actually sounds better than Pokémon Master if you ask me." she said whimsically.

"You _would _think that, that's why I _didn't _ask you." Ash replied teasingly. "Feel the lumps going down?"

"Actually I do! And come to think of it, I haven't felt this good in a _long _time."

"Works every time." Ash hummed, "Gotta admit though...it was kinda boring when I had to do this for my mom...somehow...doing it for _you isn't _boring."

"That's horrible Ash." she tried to sound disappointed, after all, the very idea that Ash would gripe whenever he had to massage his mother but he would voluntarily do it for her was something that shouldn't have been condoned...but on the other hand...Ash would gripe whenever he had to do it for his mother, but for _her _he was more than happy to offer his services...in her mind, that was Ash's way of saying how special she was to him, and she instantly became grateful that her face was hidden in her arms, as she was beginning to blush at the thought.

"I know," he said guiltily. "Next time I see Mom I'll be sure to treat her to a massage to make up for it. After all, if it wasn't for her I wouldn't know the first thing about massages." Finally, Ash sat back and admired his handiwork...even if it didn't look any different outwardly.

"Why are you stopping?" Misty asked, almost whining.

"You're done! No more lumps, you should be totally loose now." Ash got up and held out a hand to help his girlfriend up.

A little disappointed that the massage had ended, Misty accepted Ash's hand and rolled her shoulders a little and then twisted her torso back and forth to test it out. She was astonished to find that Ash's little procedure had worked wonders. "Wow Ash, I feel like a new woman!"

Ash blew on his knuckles and rubbed them against his chest, his ego couldn't help but be a little inflated whenever Misty paid him a compliment. "Better than anything you'd get at some stupid spa, am I right?" he asked smugly.

"Better than a professional?" Misty smirked, "Don't get ahead of yourself Ash, it's not like you trained for years and years like people who work at spas did." Ash seemed a little crestfallen at that, but Misty could easily remedy that. After all, she was extremely grateful for Ash's tender ministrations. Wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling up against him she smiled lovingly, "But I wouldn't want anyone else to touch me." That quickly brought Ash's spirits back up.

"So...I guess now we gotta go and look for that firewood now." Ash sighed in disappointment and was about to walk off into the forest to search for his objective, when he saw Pikachu coming towards them, pushing a pile of dry twigs and branches with his face. Ash rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled a little guiltily, "You know...I was wondering what happened to Pikachu."

"Pika pika pika chu." (Someone's gotta do it.) the electric-type said with a roll of his eyes.

"Thanks Pikachu, you're the best buddy a guy could have." Ash said gratefully, picking up the pile to relieve his Pokémon.

"I'd say you _owe _him Ash...maybe you should give _Pikachu _a massage too." Misty suggested.

"I'd rather _not _get zapped, thank you very much." Ash scoffed.

After a while, the couple returned to the campsite and found Brock filling the pot with water thanks to a 'Whirlpool' from Piplup. They endured the good-natured ribbing from their two travelling companions and moved on to other things. Ash called out Monferno who started the fire with a 'Flamethrower', and then the trainer quickly returned him, while Misty went over to chat with Dawn, who was just standing in the middle of the clearing with a seal-covered Pokéball in hand. "What are you up to Dawn?"

Dawn just smirked and looked at Misty with a gleam in her eye, "I'll show you!" With a dramatic twirl, Dawn tossed the Pokéball into the air, "Mamoswine! Spooootlight!" With a bright flash of swirling light, Mamoswine appeared and landed on the ground with a thud.

The noise got the attention of Ash and Brock, who were just about finished with the prep-work for lunch and now merely had to wait for the stew to come to a simmer. "Wow, is Mamoswine finally gonna compete in a contest?" Ash asked.

"Yep!" Dawn chirped, "But first the trick is to come up with a fancy move that'll allow Mamoswine to strut his stuff and charm the judges." Dawn then turned her attention to her enormous Pokémon, "Mamoswine, you ready to go?" Instead of agreeing, Mamoswine just turned his head away, much to Dawn's confusion, "Huh?"

The group sweat-dropped and chuckled a little, "Mamoswine's always Mamoswine." Ash said.

Dawn didn't let the dismissive expression of her Pokémon bother her, and instead got up closer to the Twin-Tusk Pokémon and placed a gentle hand onto his side. "See, in a contest we have to win battles, but we're _also _judged on how beautiful our moves are." At this, Mamoswine rolled his eyes to look at her, "So let's work hard and learn the _flashiest _contest moves that we can!" Mamoswine at last looked determined, as he charged forward towards a tree and rammed his tusks into it, causing the tree to shake and let loose several green leaves. "Ok...but that's not exactly what I meant..." Dawn said with a sweat-drop.

Mamoswine didn't even acknowledge Dawn's presence and began scratching the trunk of the tree with his tusks. "I don't think Mamoswine's in a 'flashy' sort of mood." Misty said with some amusement.

Dawn gave a little groan out of embarrassment, "Guess not."

"Maybe if you tried demonstrating a beautiful contest move, _that _would inspire Mamoswine, you know?" Brock suggested.

"Great idea!" Dawn replied with a snap of her fingers, "Hey Piplup, help us out 'kay?" Piplup happily chirped his agreement. Now Dawn turned her attention back to Mamoswine who was still scratching against the large tree. "Hey Mamoswine, turn around and watch us for a second please?" Mamoswine did, and then Dawn called her move. "Piplup, use 'Bubblebeam'!" Piplup leaped up above Dawn and fired into the air, and the bubbles from his attack starting swirling in the air, much to Mamoswine's well-hidden awe. Finally the bubbles popped just as Piplup landed on Dawn's head. "See? Don't you think contest moves are pretty Mamoswine?" Mamoswine narrowed his eyes at Dawn before looking away dismissively, much to Piplup's chagrin. Dawn however wasn't fazed, this was just part of who Mamoswine had become after evolving, so she was mentally prepared for his attempts at having a poor attitude. "Hey, why don't _you _try using a move too?" Mamoswine opened one eye to look at her. Dawn took that cue and gently patted the Twin-Tusk Pokémon's side, "And don't worry, your moves are really pretty so you have _every reason _to be confident, 'kay?" Mamoswine's nose twitched, and that was all the confirmation Dawn needed. "Alright then!"

"I gotta say, I'm impressed with how well Dawn's handling the Mamoswine situation." Misty said quietly enough so Dawn couldn't hear.

"Yeah, she's taking it all in stride and working through issues as they come, she's come a long way." Brock added.

Now that Dawn had Mamoswine's attention, she called out a move. "Ok Mamoswine, let's start things off by using 'Ice Shard' towards the sky!" After a moment's hesitation, Mamoswine acknowledged and fired the chunk of ice into the air. "Now shatter that ball of ice with your tusks!" Mamoswine blinked in surprise for a moment, but he followed through and destroyed the falling 'Ice Shard' with his left tusk, causing it to fall in tiny pieces like snowflakes around the Twin-Tusk Pokémon. "Wow! That was _beautiful _Mamoswine!"

"I gotta say, that was a really good move for a first attempt!" Brock said.

"Yeah, a keeper for sure!" Ash added just as Riolu popped out of his Pokéball. Ash laughed when he saw the Emanation Pokémon's excited expression, "I think Riolu wants to see that move again Dawn!"

Dawn nodded with amusement and turned back to Mamoswine, "Whaddya say Mamoswine? Should we give Riolu a show?" The sparkles in Mamoswine's eyes were all the confirmation Dawn needed. "Alright then! Let's do that move again, only this time do a little twirl before you shatter that ice! That'll break the ice into smaller pieces and it'll look prettier!" Mamoswine didn't need any persuasion this time, as he fired the shard into the air and leaped up with agility the teens didn't know was possible for the giant. Spinning in the air with the intent of destroying the ice, Mamoswine unfortunately missed his target and wound up shattering the ice with his head, much to Dawn's horror as her hand made its way in front of her mouth when she gasped. To make matters worse, two larger pieces of the ice got stuck in Mamoswine's nostrils just before the Twin-Tusk Pokémon fell on his back.

"Oooh...that's gotta hurt." Misty groaned.

Dawn ran up to her large Pokémon with concern written all over her face. "Mamoswine, are you ok?" Mamoswine managed to flip back onto his feet, with the two ice chunks still sticking out of his nose. The sight worried Dawn, however Piplup thought it was hilarious as he suddenly burst into laughter. "It's not funny Piplup!" Dawn scolded. Piplup couldn't help himself though and just kept laughing.

"Hey come on Piplup, it's not funny!" Ash then heard a soft snort next to his shoulder, and he realized that even Pikachu was holding back laughter, "Wha? You too Pikachu?" Then Ash looked down and spotted Riolu, he too was laughing at Mamoswine's misfortune. "Et tu Riolu?" he said disapprovingly, his hands on his hips as he bent down to loom over Riolu. That got Riolu to flinch and stop laughing as he looked back and gave a remorseful frown to his scowling trainer.

This whole time Mamoswine was getting more and more irritated, as he gave a forceful snort and that shot the ice out of his nose, only to have them bounce off a tree and come flying back at his head, giving the Twin-Tusk Pokémon a sizeable lump. This only got Piplup to laugh even harder, and even Pikachu couldn't hold back anymore as he too burst out into laughter, which got Riolu to laugh again as well despite Ash's scolding. Enraged, Mamoswine stomped the ground and started chasing after the three Pokémon who were laughing at him. "I think we need a mediator here." Misty launched a Pokéball, and Gyarados emerged right in front of the angered ground/ice-type, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

Not in the mood for a fight with the water/flying-type, Mamoswine turned towards the forest and disappeared into the trees. "Huh? Mamoswine, come back!" Dawn removed Piplup from her head and took off after the Twin-Tusk Pokémon, leaving Piplup behind.

"Pikachu, Riolu, Piplup, how could you be so mean to poor Mamoswine while he was trying to learn something new? Your friends never laughed at _you _when _you _messed up a new move." Misty scolded, wagging her finger at the three in disapproval. All three Pokémon looked down remorsefully, they knew they messed up. Returning Gyarados to his Pokéball, Misty turned to Ash. "Watch these three will you? I'm going after Dawn."

Ash nodded, "Sure thing Mist." Ash watched Misty disappear into the forest, then turned back to the three frowning Pokémon. "Ok, you three _know _you messed up, so the right thing to do would be to apologize when Mamoswine shows up right?" They nodded solemnly. "Then that's what you'll do. Sulking won't help, so when Misty and Dawn get back with Mamoswine, you'll apologize, and everything can go back to normal."

"As normal as things get for us that is." Brock commented. Ash couldn't help but laugh.

"Mamoswine! Where are you?" Dawn so far hadn't had any luck in locating her demoralized Pokémon, "How can I lose something that big?" she said to herself. She then heard her name being called, and she turned around to see Misty jogging up to her, "I can't find him Misty!"

Misty looked around where they were standing, and her eyes caught onto something big and brown. "Um...did you look _over there _yet?" She pointed towards a particular spot through the trees.

"No, why?" Dawn looked towards where Misty was pointing, and sure enough there was a big brown blob of fur with a tail sticking out the end. Dawn couldn't help but giggle a little. "I think we're a _little _too big to hide there." The two girls walked up to Mamoswine, who was looking down at the ground despondently. Dawn made a move to stroke Mamoswine's fur, "I was looking for you." Mamoswine pulled away stubbornly and turned his face away from her. She wasn't fazed however. "Come on, let's go back...you know...I've got a _poffin _waiting for you." she said enticingly. The offer of a poffin was more than enough to get Mamoswine's attention, he'd never turn away a chance at one of Dawn's signature treats, as he nuzzled his face against her, "Ok ok," she laughed as the fur tickled her face, "I'll give you the poffin as soon as we get back to camp."

"When all else fails." Misty shook her head with an amused smile on her face. But then she noted Mamoswine's suddenly intense expression. "Hey, what's the matter with Mamoswine?"

"Mamoswine, what's wrong?" Dawn asked. Mamoswine simply growled as he stared deep into the forest. "Is something in there?"

"We _could _go investigate...but the guys might get worried." Misty pointed out.

Speaking of the guys, they were _already _getting worried. Brock had already put out the fire and set the table, and the fact that they weren't back yet was sending up more red flags in Ash's mind. "They've been in there a long time..." he said almost to himself. "Brock, I'm going after them. Come on you three!" Ash, Pikachu, Riolu, and Piplup made a move to enter the forest after their friends, but he was stopped by a young woman who showed up seemingly out of nowhere. "Hey, what's the big idea?!"

"You need to stop right there!" the forest-green haired woman exclaimed, her arms outstretched to create a barricade.

Of course, the barricade was quickly broken down by a love-stricken Brock with hearts for eyes. "Stop here?! Great!" Brock ran up to the young lady and grabbed her hand, immediately earning an annoyed sweat-drop from her. "The problem is my heart can't be stopped, and nothing can stop the love that dwells within it!" Right on cue, Croagunk jabbed him. "Except maybe that..." Brock crumpled to the ground and was dragged away by the poison frog.

Having since recovered from Brock's come-on, the woman introduced herself. "The name is Verona and I'm the local Forest Ranger in charge, and _no one _is allowed to enter this forest with a Pokémon." she said.

"But why not?" Ash asked.

Back in the forest, the two girls and Mamoswine were about to find out exactly why not. "Hey, did you hear that?" Misty whispered.

Another moment revealed a rustling above them. "Sounds like something's in the trees." Dawn replied just as quietly. A much louder rustle got their attention, and they saw a wild Pokémon swinging from tree branch to tree branch in their direction. "Looks like whatever was making that noise just found us." The creature landed on a tree branch almost directly above them. "What _is _that?" Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan it.

"Tangrowth, the Vine Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tangela. Tangrowth captures its prey by extending its arms, which are made of vines." the Pokédex chirped.

"So that's a Tangrowth?" Dawn said. Just then, Tangrowth extended its arms and fired two red lasers out of its hands, which Mamoswine was just barely able to dodge with an instinctive jump back. "What was _that _for?!" Dawn shouted. Not happy with the attack, Mamoswine reared back and then launched an 'Ice Shard' that Tangrowth was easily able to dodge by jumping out of the tree. "Hey come on Mamoswine, no fighting!" Dawn then turned her attention to Tangrowth. "You too Tangrowth!"

Neither Pokémon took Dawn's words into consideration, as they both fired off attacks at the same time. Mamoswine's 'Ice Shard' and Tangrowth's 'Bullet Seed' collided, causing a bright flash of light that forced the humans to shield their eyes. "You didn't _really _think you could convince them to just _stop _did you?!" Misty shouted incredulously.

"I was _hoping!"_ Right then, Mamoswine surged ahead with a 'Take Down' attack, but again Tangrowth easily dodged by latching on to a nearby tree branch. "Looks like we have no choice but to defend ourselves!" Dawn exclaimed.

"My thoughts exactly!" Misty pulled a Pokéball off her belt and threw it, "Misty calls Gyarados!" Once Gyarados emerged, he flanked Mamoswine and used his superior height to glare directly at the now slightly unnerved Tangrowth. "Use 'Hyper Beam'!" Gyarados charged the orange beam, and Tangrowth's eyes widened in fear and it quickly leaped away to a different tree branch.

With Tangrowth on the run, Dawn made her move. "Let's help them out Mamoswine! Use 'Ancient Power'!" Mamoswine briefly glowed white, and the energy seemed to peel off of the Twin-Tusk's Pokémon and accumulated at the end of his tusks. Finally Mamoswine fired, and the attack destroyed the branch Tangrowth was hanging on, but in the process it allowed Tangrowth to leap down and unleash a 'Poison Jab' onto Mamoswine's face. "Oh no, Mamoswine!"

Once the attack stunned Mamoswine, Tangrowth decided to try and retreat by swinging from tree branch to tree branch, realizing that this match was too much for it to handle alone. "I don't think so! Gyarados, 'Hydro Pump'!" Gyarados blasted at the retreating form of Tangrowth, and managed to hit his target, soaking Tangrowth and changing the Pokémon's trajectory so that it missed the next tree branch and instead did a face-plant on the ground. "Now we've got 'im!" Both Gyarados and Mamoswine began charging towards the grass-type, but suddenly Tangrowth leaped back to its feet and fired two beams out of its hands. "Uh oh! 'Protect' Gyarados, quick!" Unfortunately, Gyarados couldn't get the barrier up in time, and both Pokémon were hit by the beams.

When Tangrowth was finished with its attack, both Mamoswine and Gyarados seemed to go limp from exhaustion. "What just happened?!" Dawn exclaimed worriedly.

"I dunno, but it looks like Tangrowth's coming for more!" Misty was about to reach for another Pokéball when she noticed the odd demeanor Tangrowth was approaching them with. Instead of hostility, it seemed to be...skipping towards the two Pokémon. Once it got close enough, it bent down and placed an object in front of both Gyarados and Mamoswine, then it waved goodbye and disappeared into the forest again, swinging from branch to branch. "That didn't just happen." Misty said in disbelief, shaking her head. "First it attacks us, then it tries to become friends with us? And it's not like it was a prank like with Snover, that thing seemed like it was _trying _to hurt us."

While Misty was in the middle of speaking, Dawn went to examine the items Tangrowth had left behind. She bent down and picked one of them up, gasping when she realized what she was holding. "I think these are Sitrus Berries!" she said, "But...why would it leave these?" Dawn's train of thought was derailed when Mamoswine started sniffing at what was in her hand. With no warning, Mamoswine took both the berry _and _Dawn's hand into his mouth, much to Dawn's very audible shock as she shrieked and then fell to the ground once she got free. Almost immediately, Mamoswine's strength was restored and the ground/ice-type got up and glared in the direction Tangrowth had gone in.

"Now I'm _really _confused." Misty said as she fed Gyarados the other Sitrus Berry. "It attacked us, drained the strength of our Pokémon, then left us berries to give the strength back?" Gyarados got up and roared with rage once the effects of the berry kicked in. "All I can think of is that Tangrowth just used us as training dummies."

"Could be...but...since when does a wild Pokémon challenge trainers to a battle for no apparent reason?" At that moment, Mamoswine snorted forcefully and charged into the forest to chase after Tangrowth. "Mamoswine no! Come back!" Dawn had no choice but to go after the Twin-Tusk Pokémon, Misty and Gyarados right on her heels.

Back at the campsite, which Brock had since cleaned up, Ash and Brock were getting an explanation from Verona the Forest Ranger, and what they heard, they didn't like one bit. "Wha?!" Ash blurted, "So there's a Tangrowth living in that forest that would drain all my Pokémon's power?"

"It's true!" Verona replied, "And apparently, the larger the Pokémon, the more determined it is!"

"I don't get _why _though." Brock said almost to himself. "What possible reason would a wild Pokémon have to just attack any trainers who come by with Pokémon?"

"That's _exactly _the riddle I'm trying to solve." Verona explained with a perplexed frown, "But until I do I can't let _anyone _into the forest due to the risks of Tangrowth possibly draining more Pokémon."

At this, Ash's determined scowl returned, "Look, I'm sorry Verona, but we _can't _accept that! We've got two friends who wandered into that forest with their Pokémon and we've _gotta _help them!"

Verona gasped at this news, "Well why didn't you say so?!" she exclaimed in concern, "Follow me, we've got to find them before Tangrowth gets the chance to drain their Pokémon!" Verona turned to run into the forest, with Ash, Brock, and the Pokémon following close behind.

"How about I bring out the aerial search party?" Ash suggested as they ran, holding three shrunken Pokéballs in his hand.

"Good idea except for one thing." Verona replied, "The foliage in this forest is much too thick, your Pokémon wouldn't be able to see anything from up there anyway."

Ash growled and put the balls back on his belt. _"Maybe I should just go look by myself." _Unfortunately, Riolu had caught on to Ash's feelings, and quickly decided to follow that implied notion. The little Emanation Pokémon took a sharp right turn and went on his own mission to find his mommy and auntie, with Ash completely oblivious to his absence.

After a moment or two however, Brock managed to notice that Riolu was missing. "Um...Ash...someone's missing."

"Huh?" Ash looked down and noticed that Riolu was no longer running in front of him. "Aw man, not again." Ash face-palmed.

"Your Riolu's wandered off? That's bad, splitting up would be a terrible idea and now with two targets to search for..." Verona never got a chance to finish her sentence.

"Relax, I've got this." Ash took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused solely on his aura, using it to search for a match somewhere in the forest. After a moment of searching, Ash opened his eyes and pointed Southeast. "Riolu's in that direction, come on!" This time Ash took the lead, and Brock and Verona followed him.

"How on earth does he know where his Riolu went?" Verona asked.

"Ash has the ability to sense his Riolu's aura with his own, I don't fully understand it myself, and don't bother asking Ash because he knows less than _I _do." Brock replied with an amused chuckle. Verona simply chuckled back and went back to focusing on keeping up with the zigzagging Pokémon Trainer. After a few minutes, the sound of battle was heard through the trees, "Sounds like Riolu got himself into trouble again." Brock commented.

Ash grunted and burst into the scene. "Riolu!" When Ash arrived, he saw Riolu in a scuffle with an enraged Ursaring. The large bear charged and fired a 'Hyper Beam', but Riolu managed to dodge with a determined leap. "Whoa, nice dodge." Ash said in awe. He then witnessed Riolu shift gears from defense to offense as he unleashed a 'Quick Attack' and then a 'Force Palm' immediately after. "Pretty impressive."

By this time, Brock and Verona had caught up with Ash. "Maybe Ash, but take a look at Riolu." Brock said grimly. Ash did, and the trainer gasped in realization. "Riolu's getting more tired from dodging and attacking so much than Ursaring is from taking his hits."

"Your Riolu's very determined," Verona complimented, "But unfortunately it just doesn't seem strong enough yet to do any lasting damage."

"I gotta help him!" Just before Ash could get into the fray though, two beams of red energy came from opposite directions of each other and struck both Riolu and Ursaring. "What the?!" When the beams dissipated, both Riolu and Ursaring crumpled to the ground in a heap. "Riolu!" Ash ran up to his now exhausted Pokémon and picked him up into his arms. At the same time, a berry emerged from the bushes next to both Pokémon, and Ursaring quickly ate it and gained his strength back. "Back off Ursaring, you have no idea what you'll be getting into if you challenge us again!" Luckily for Ash, or Ursaring depending on point of view, the bear had no interest in continuing the battle and disappeared into the forest.

Meanwhile, Verona was examining the berry that had seemingly come from nowhere. "Wait a minute, the reports said that for some reason whenever it drains a Pokémon of its power, Tangrowth always leaves a berry!"

"And from the looks of it, it's a Sitrus Berry!" Brock took the berry from Verona and offered it to Riolu, who wearily took a bite and almost instantly was brought back to his normal hyperactive self. "Now you need to behave and stay with us ok? No more running off alone." Riolu nodded and hopped out of Ash's arms to join the other Pokémon.

"What bothers me though..." Verona said thoughtfully, getting the attention of the two other trainers, "Those beams came from opposite directions...could there be more than _one _Tangrowth in this forest draining Pokémon?"

"If there is, it makes finding Misty and Dawn even more important! Come on, we gotta keep going!" Ash rushed back into the labyrinth of a forest, with Brock and Verona trying their best to keep up with him. _"Don't worry Misty, Dawn, I'll find you guys!"_

"Dawn, if we don't turn back soon, the guys are gonna come looking for us." Misty said, having since returned Gyarados to his Pokéball for a much-needed rest.

"I know Misty." Dawn took a deep breath and walked up to her Twin-Tusk Pokémon, who was still determined to find that Tangrowth and give it a beating it would remember forever. "Mamoswine...we really _should _head back...I'm sure everyone's worried." Mamoswine turned away and mumbled dismissively. "Remember it's a _wild _Pokémon, I'm sure it's out of the forest _by now." _Mamoswine stubbornly shook his head.

_"I gotta admit," _Misty thought to herself. _"Dawn's been handling Mamoswine pretty darn well so far."_

"STOP BEING SUCH A _BRAT!_ I _TOLD YOU _TO GIVE IT UP _THIS INSTANT!"_

_"Whoops, spoke too soon."_

"Fine!" Dawn spat, "Then do whatever you want, as for _me, I'm _heading back!" Dawn turned her back on Mamoswine and walked right past a stunned water-trainer without even acknowledging her presence. But after a few determined stomps, Dawn stopped and turned to see if Mamoswine was following her, and was discouraged to find that Mamoswine had decided to abandon her and go after Tangrowth. "Aww man! Wait Mamoswine! Don't leave!" It was too late, Mamoswine had once again disappeared into the forest.

"Call me crazy, but I think you might still have a little work to do on _that _one." Misty said with a sympathetic smile.

Dawn slouched and gave a small smile in return to the taller girl, "What am I gonna do Misty? I thought we had already dealt with this."

Misty placed a comforting hand on the coordinator's shoulder, "It isn't an overnight thing Dawn, sometimes certain Pokémon take longer than others to really come around." then a thought occurred to the redhead. "Then again, some Pokémon _never _really reach the ideal stage a trainer may want."

Dawn looked up at Misty in horror, "What? _Never?!" _

"What I mean is...take a look at Ash."

"Ash? What does _Ash _have to do with this? He's already dealt with _his _issues."

"Exactly my point. You would _never _accuse Charizard of being disloyal would you?"

"No, but I still don't see where you're going with this."

Misty sighed and frowned slightly. "Dawn, I know you two were friends when he was still a Swinub, and even when he evolved into Piloswine he was affectionate towards you for a while, that was the leftover Swinub in him." Misty felt a pang in her heart when she saw how sad Dawn was becoming. "The truth is Dawn, your little Swinub may very well be gone forever, but that doesn't mean Mamoswine doesn't care about you...he just...shows it differently than he used to. Even Charizard was affectionate when he was a little Charmander, but now his personality is different. And even though Charizard doesn't show _love, _I don't think Ash has _one _Pokémon besides Pikachu himself, who is more loyal than Charizard. That could be what you have now in Mamoswine."

Dawn suddenly found her pink boots to be very interesting as she looked down to avoid looking at her redheaded friend. As much as she hated to admit it, everything she had heard made perfect sense. "But Misty..." she whimpered. "How can I just let go like that?"

"There is no _how _Dawn, you just make the adjustment. You were doing really well up until that last little blowup you had just now. Mamoswine still loves you Dawn, he's just not gonna be as open about showing it anymore. Just be patient, eventually, Mamoswine will come around and who knows? Maybe he _will _go back to being affectionate, that's the mystery of Pokémon."

Dawn looked up at Misty and gave her a sad smile, "Thank you Misty."

"No problem. Now come on, we gotta go find Mamoswine before it starts getting dark!"

"Yeah you're right, wonder how long we've been gone?"

"The sun's going down." Ash grumbled to himself. "Misty! Dawn! Mamoswine! Someone answer me!"

"I wonder where they could've gotten off to." Brock scratched his chin.

"We have to hurry, if it takes too much longer we'll be searching blind." Verona said with concern.

Ash didn't need that reminder, his worry for his friends was growing by the second. "Riolu," Ash got the attention of the Emanation Pokémon, "Could you use your aura to try and find Misty?" Riolu's ears drooped and he frowned at his father figure. "What's the matter?"

"Pika pika Pikapi." (He can't Ash.)

"Whaddya mean he _can't?" _

"Pi pi pika chu, pika chu pi pika." (He tried already, his aura isn't strong enough.) Of course Pikachu was referring to when Riolu had tried to locate Misty back during their adventure into the past. He was strong enough to find Ash's aura, but finding an independent person was still too much for the little fighting-type to handle.

Ash exhaled forcefully through his mouth, he wasn't frustrated with Riolu, but he was getting annoyed that they had had no luck for a couple of hours now and he was running out of options. "I think we need a little help right about now." Ash took a Pokéball of his belt, "A grass-type might do the trick. Now, Grotle! I choose you!" Grotle emerged, but was immediately forced to leap back as two lasers appeared from above them. "What the?!" Looking up in the tree, the group gasped when they saw a figure standing on a branch. "Tangrowth!"

"Verona...is that the Tangrowth you were telling us about?" Brock asked.

"That's right, be careful not to let it drain your Pokémon's power." Verona replied.

Tangrowth fired again, and Grotle barely managed to avoid the attack again. "Tangrowth just used 'Absorb'!" Brock exclaimed.

"Quick Grotle, use 'Razor Leaf'!" Grotle fired, but Tangrowth easily dodged the attack and jumped from tree to tree, "Oh man, that thing's faster than it looks...but where is it now?" Ash then spotted Tangrowth hurtling towards Grotle from above the tree. "To the left! 'Energy Ball'!" Grotle acknowledged and fired the attack, but Tangrowth once again was able to dodge.

"Croagunk, let's go!" This time Brock sent out the poison-frog on purpose, and Croagunk emerged in front of Grotle right when Tangrowth used 'Absorb' again. "Croagunk, no!" Croagunk had been caught in the blast, and Tangrowth relaxed when it saw it had succeeded. It was about to give Croagunk a berry when it realized much to its surprise that Croagunk had not been affected that much.

"But how?" Verona wondered, then she gasped. "That's right! 'Absorb' is a grass-type move, and Croagunk is part poison-type which gives it resistance against grass-type attacks!"

Croagunk didn't react beyond firing a 'Poison Sting' at Tangrowth, who merely leaped back up into the tree and fired 'Absorb' again, this time it hit its original target, which was Grotle. "Grotle, no!" Usually Grotle would have some resistance as well due to being a grass-type, but after failing once, Tangrowth put even more effort into its attack, making up the difference. Grotle fell off his feet and sighed in sudden exhaustion.

"Croagunk, watch out!" Brock shouted. After watching Grotle get drained, Croagunk had been caught off guard as Tangrowth fired 'Absorb' once more, and this time Croagunk couldn't hang on as he fell to his back. "Oh man, Croagunk."

"That does it! Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt'!" Ash shouted in rage. Pikachu responded to the call and blasted a furious electricity burst at Tangrowth, who once again dodged the attack. Flying through the trees around them, Tangrowth dropped down two Sitrus Berries and started swinging away.

"Tangrowth wait! Don't go!" Verona called out. It was no use, Tangrowth was not coming back. "Tangrowth..."

"How's Grotle doing Ash?" Brock asked as he fed the Sitrus Berry to the now suddenly alert Croagunk.

"Grotle'll be fine." Ash reassured, kneeling down to give the berry to his tired grass-type. "Here Grotle, eat this, it'll get you back on your feet." Surprisingly though, Grotle refused the berry. "Huh?" Ash then remembered Grotle's unique way of healing, "Oh yeah, you could always just use 'Synthesis', go ahead Grotle!" Fighting back to his feet, the bushes on Grotle's back began to glow as Grotle absorbed the slowly fading sunlight. After a few moments, Grotle grinned as his power fully restored itself. "Awesome, feeling better than ever I bet."

Allowing herself a small smirk as she watched the Pokémon and trainer interact, Verona crossed her arms and went deep into thought. "I'd _really _like to know why that Tangrowth insists on draining so many Pokémon of their power."

"Brock, could Tangrowth just be trying to heal _itself?"_ Ash suggested.

"I doubt it, if that was the case it could just eat a Sitrus Berry."

"And according to the reports and what we've just seen, Tangrowth certainly has no shortage of those." Verona added.

Suddenly Grotle cried out, startling the human trio. "Grotle, did you pick up on Tangrowth's scent?" Ash asked. Grotle nodded. "Great! Maybe if we find Tangrowth, we'll find Misty and Dawn too!"

"Then let's go!" Verona exclaimed.

Speaking of the two girls, they were still looking for Mamoswine. "Can't believe this happened _again!" _Dawn sighed in exasperation, "Mamoswine is _huge! _How many places can he _possibly _hide?!"

Misty then spotted yet another big brown blob of fur, "Well, there's _right there." _

Dawn looked where Misty was looking, and she put both hands over her mouth to try and stifle a laugh. "Oh dear, it's kind of hard to hide _that _caboose." Dawn walked over to the hidden Pokémon and patted its rear-end. "Mamoswine!" she said in a sing-song voice, "You'll never guess who's here!" Dawn cheerful disposition quickly changed however when the figure stood up and turned around with an enraged roar, revealing itself as an Ursaring. "Y-You're not Mamoswine!" Dawn turned and ran screaming at the top of her lungs with Misty not far behind.

"Hang on! I'll send out some help!" Misty reached for a Pokéball, but when a sudden 'Hyper Beam' narrowly missed her, she tripped up and lost the Pokéball, knocking down Dawn in the process. "Help!"

Just before Ursaring could finish off the two cowering humans, out of nowhere Mamoswine came from behind them and pounded Ursaring with a 'Take Down' attack, immediately sending Ursaring running as it was sick and tired of being bothered by trainers and their Pokémon for one day. Dawn got up and watched Ursaring run, feeling a sense of gratefulness welling up inside her. Hands clasped in happiness, she looked up at her and Misty's savior. "Wow, thanks _so much _Mamoswine!"

Mamoswine didn't respond though, and just simply walked off again, much to Dawn's dismay. "Dawn, remember what we talked about." Misty reminded.

Dawn nodded and put on a determined expression as she hurried to catch up with the ground/ice-type. "Wait up Mamoswine!" She got side by side with the giant Pokémon and looked up at him, "Are you still looking for that Tangrowth?" Mamoswine just grunted, "I _know _you really hate to lose Mamoswine, and that must've made you really upset." Mamoswine just grunted again, "You know, _I _hate losing too, so that means we're actually a lot alike!" Mamoswine stopped and looked down at the coordinator, "Alright...I'll help you look for Tangrowth, ok?" Mamoswine didn't react at first, but eventually he nodded in thanks.

"Looks like we're in this for the long haul then huh?" Misty caught up with the younger girl and her Pokémon.

"That's right, we're gonna keep looking until we find Tangrowth!" Dawn replied determinedly.

"Great...just one thing."

"What's that?"

"The sun's gone down."

Dawn looked back up and noticed that the sun had been replaced by the moon, "Oh wow...we've been gone for a _long _time."

"I hope Ash and Brock are ok, they must be worried sick about us by now." Misty sighed.

"And it's gotten really dark...it's starting to look like we'll be spending the night again Mamoswine." Dawn patted her large Pokémon's side. Then Mamoswine sniffed the ground intently, "What's wrong?" Dawn asked. The blue-haired girl shrieked when Mamoswine suddenly used his tusk to throw her onto his back, and together they took off running deeper into the forest.

"Hey wait for me!" Realizing she wouldn't be able to keep up on foot, Misty grabbed the Pokéball she had previously dropped and tossed it, and once again Gyarados emerged and gave a roar, and the redhead quickly leaped onto the dragon's back. "After them Gyarados!" Gyarados roared once more, and they went after the other duo.

"Mamoswine, you think Tangrowth's close by?" Dawn asked. Mamoswine acknowledged with a determined grunt. Dawn suddenly gasped when she noticed something up ahead. "Look at the Forest Pokémon!" Despite the fact that a Bellsprout, Cherrim, Seedot, and Shroomish were all blocking Mamoswine's path, the ice/ground-type refused to slow down, "They're not gonna let us through Mamoswine!" Mamoswine just didn't care, however it wouldn't be his choice to make. Cherrim and Seedot leaped up and fired 'Magical Leaf' and 'Bullet Seed' respectively, stopping the Twin-Tusk Pokémon in his tracks. Immediately after, Bellsprout and Shroomish launched red beams of energy at Mamoswine, and his energy got sapped once again. "That's the move that Tangrowth used!"

By this time, Misty and Gyarados had caught up, just in time to see Mamoswine collapse. "What happened Dawn?!" Misty then looked forward and saw four apologetic looking Pokémon giving a Sitrus Berry to the Twin-Tusk Pokémon, "A Sitrus Berry? They drained Mamoswine's power?"

"Yeah! They...waah!" Dawn was cut off by Mamoswine suddenly getting up and rushing forward, much to the shock of the small collection of grass-types. After chasing them for a few moments, Mamoswine stopped when he reached a super tall tree that dwarfed all the others in the forest, "Wow...what a gigantic tree!"

Misty finally caught them once more, "Ok, this whole running off thing needs to stop now!" her eyes then caught the same thing Dawn and Mamoswine were staring at, "Whoa...that tree is _enormous!" _Just then, a figure slowly emerged from a hole in the tree's trunk, "It's Tangrowth!"

Behind Tangrowth popped out the other four Pokémon who Mamoswine had just chased off, "So all those Pokémon are your friends." Dawn slid off Mamoswine's back, just in time for Mamoswine to take a few challenging steps forward. But instead of making a move to battle, Tangrowth just shook its head despondently. Unshaken by Tangrowth's apathy towards a fight, Mamoswine stomped the ground forcefully, causing it to rumble around the area, "Mamoswine, can't you see that Tangrowth _doesn't _wanna battle with you?" Mamoswine ignored Dawn's words and took a few more steps forward, frightening the smaller Pokémon who Tangrowth had just ushered behind it. "Mamoswine, stop it!"

Gyarados was about to make a move to intervene, but Misty stopped the water dragon with a shake of her head, "This is something Dawn and Mamoswine need to work out on their own, we can't get in the way every time Mamoswine starts getting out of control or she'll never learn how to handle him." Gyarados relaxed a bit, but remained on guard nevertheless.

After a few tense moments of staring at each other, Mamoswine finally turned away and grunted dismissively, giving in to Dawn's wishes to drop the issue. Dawn exhaled with relief and put a hand on her chest, "Thank goodness, I'm so glad _that's _over with."

"Misty! Dawn!"

The two girls turned around and spotted Ash, Brock, and another woman dressed in a Forest Ranger uniform running towards them. Needless to say, Misty was ecstatic to see Ash again as she rushed to meet him in a tight embrace, "You found us!"

Ash pulled back a little to look into Misty's viridian-green eyes. "Thanks to Grotle, he picked up Tangrowth's scent and we figured that's where _you'd _be!"

"And it looks like he was right! It's Tangrowth!" Verona exclaimed.

"Who's she?" Dawn asked, having since been reunited with Piplup who was now in her arms.

"See, her name's Verona and she's a Forest Ranger." Brock explained.

"Yeah, she's been trying to help us find you." Ash added.

"Thank you!" Dawn exclaimed gratefully, "Sorry for causing you any trouble."

Verona's attention was momentarily taken off of Tangrowth as she looked over her own shoulder to smile at the teens, "Don't worry, I'm just glad you're both alright!"

"So what's with the huge tree?" Ash asked.

Verona looked back to the tree and explained, "This tree actually watches over and protects the forest. It's over a thousand years old and its roots are spread out deeply for miles and miles!" Suddenly the moon came out from behind a cloud, and Tangrowth motioned for the group to follow it. Curious as to what was going on, they obliged and followed Tangrowth as it circled the giant tree, and they gasped in horror when they saw what Tangrowth had stopped in front of, "Oh no!"

"The tree's been split into two!" Dawn gasped.

"It must've been struck by lightning the other day! This is terrible!" Verona said in concern, "That poor tree won't make it at this rate!"

"What?! But if _this _tree dies, won't the entire _forest _go with it?!" Brock realized.

"It's like the Tree of Beginning..." Ash said to himself.

He did not however say it quietly enough. "Don't you _dare _Ash Ketchum!" Misty growled at him, explicitly remembering the story Ash had told her a while before the Wallace Cup had started, "You're _not _gonna try and sacrifice yourself for this, it isn't even the same situation!"

Since he was there when the event took place, Brock remembered the story as well. "I don't think he'll have to, take a look at what Tangrowth is doing." Tangrowth fired beams at the tree, only this time they were green instead of red. "That's a move! It's called 'Growth'!"

"Of course! Now that I see what's going on here, it all makes sense!" Verona realized, "Tangrowth was going around draining Pokémon of their power so it could _use _that power to save this tree!"

Soon the other four Pokémon joined Tangrowth in using 'Growth' on the tree, "Now I get it!" Ash exclaimed suddenly, "It must've been _those _four that drained the power from Riolu and that Ursaring we ran into earlier!"

_"You_ ran into that Ursaring too?!" Misty was about to pry further, but her attention was captured by the weary sighs of Tangrowth, Bellsprout, Shroomish, and Seedot, "Looks like they don't have enough power to get the job done..."

"Isn't there something _we _can do?" Dawn wondered aloud.

Verona chose that moment to speak up, "Tangrowth, I'd like to help you!" Tangrowth replied with curiosity. "You see, _I _want to save this tree and protect the forest just like _you _do!" Tangrowth eagerly accepted the Forest Ranger's assistance, "Tangrowth, thank you." Verona gasped suddenly however when a strange machine appeared behind Tangrowth and the other four Pokémon, "What _is _that thing?!"

The machine had a vacuum nozzle in the front, and its powerful suction grabbed onto Tangrowth who was now holding the four smaller grass-types protectively in its arms. "Of _course_, it just figures!" Misty hissed.

Jessie: "Don't you know great when you see it?"

James: "Of course to know great, you must _be _it!"

Meowth: "And great you don't fake!"

"Team Rocket! What are_ you_ doing out here?!" Ash growled.

"Give those Pokémon back right now!" Dawn added.

"Sticky fingers!" Jessie and James taunted.

"Yeah! And we're holdin' tight ta dese Pokémon 'cause we got our brand new Mega Serious Suction Vacuum Mark Two!" Meowth cackled.

"That's what _you _think! Gyarados, unleash 'Hyper Beam'!" Following Misty's command, Gyarados blasted at the tank, but the attack didn't do much at all. "Impossible!"

"Not at all! We've devised a way to repel your twerpy attacks so we're ready for anything you can throw at us!" Jessie guffawed.

"Let's try taking them head on! Mamoswine, use 'Take Down'!" Mamoswine rumbled forward to attack, but in some bizarre twist of fate, history seemed to repeat itself as Mamoswine merely hit the machine with a loud thud, not making any headway at all just like when it was a Swinub trying to attack Team Rocket on Fullmoon Island.

"Ooh, that kinda tickles." Jessie snickered.

"Ya see? Da skin on dis baby's three times as absorbent, dig?" Meowth screeched.

"That's three times the power to clean up a mess like you!" James added.

"Hang on guys, let's see how confident they are once Charizard joins this battle!" Ash was about to reach for a Pokéball when Dawn grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Thanks anyway Ash, and you too Misty, but you just leave this to Mamoswine and me!" Dawn said determinedly. Understanding why Dawn wanted to handle the problem solo, Misty nodded and stepped back, "Ok Mamoswine, 'Take Down' again!" Mamoswine surged ahead and struck the tank once more with the same result.

"Give it a rest." Jessie scoffed.

James nose-thumbed the group to add insult, "After all, our armor is currently ten times thicker than before!"

Meowth however was starting to get a little nervous, "I'd like ta know where you get _your _stats!"

Meowth's sudden apprehension was not lost on Dawn, "They must be weakening! Come on Mamoswine, you can do it! Focus all of your power on one point on that thing!" Mamoswine started exerting energy, and his tusks began to glow yellow as bright neon orbs began swirling around his tusks. "Whoa, what's that?"

"That's 'Hidden Power'!" Brock explained.

"Awesome! Mamoswine just learned 'Hidden Power'! Ok then, go for it!" Mamoswine fired, and the orbs pounded on the shell of Team Rocket's vehicle.

"Silly twerps!" Jessie suddenly heard cracking noises, and the woman groaned nervously, "Uh oh..."

"I could've sworn the armor's a hundred times thicker than before..." James gulped.

Meowth just screeched, _"Three _times you dope! Dial it down!"

Once the damage had been done, the vacuum lost power and Tangrowth was able to clear the area. "Now's our chance! Mamoswine, use 'Hidden Power' and send them blasting off!" Mamoswine acknowledged and struck the same area once again, and this time the tank exploded and ejected Team Rocket.

Jessie: "Are we blasting off faster or is it me?!"

James: "Yes! By a thousand!"

Meowth: "Will you stop cookin' da speed record books?!"

"Wobbu!"

"We're blasting off again!"

*Ping*

"Nice job Mamoswine, you were awesome!" Dawn rushed up and embraced the Twin-Tusk Pokémon's face, and Mamoswine made no moves to stop her, "And learning a brand new move, how awesome is that?"

"Hey Mist, did something happen while we were looking for you two out here?" Ash asked, curious as to why Dawn seemed so attentive all of a sudden.

"Let's just say Dawn had to finish making some adjustments to her training style with Mamoswine." Misty replied with a shrug.

"Are you alright everyone?" Verona knelt down in front of the four frightened grass-types in front of Tangrowth, and they all nodded in affirmation. Verona then stood to her full height to face Tangrowth, "And you Tangrowth?" Tangrowth smiled with his eyes, assuring the Forest Ranger they were all none worse for wear. "Excellent." Verona then turned to the teens, "I wanna thank you all for helping me with this mystery, we'll find a way to help this tree somehow, so you're all free to go."

"No way!" Dawn exclaimed, confusing the Forest Ranger, "We're gonna help you figure out how to help this tree! We didn't come all this way just to waste our efforts, right Mamoswine?" Mamoswine nodded.

Verona smiled and nodded, "Ok then, but it _is _very late, so let's at least get some sleep and we'll finish solving this puzzle in the morning."

Luckily for the group, Brock had already packed up their campsite before heading out to find the girls with Verona, so all they had to do was roll out their sleeping bags and they'd be good to go...except for one thing. "I will not allow a beautiful creature such as Verona to sleep in discomfort!" Brock's passion was quickly extinguished by a 'Poison Jab' from Croagunk, "I think...I'll do that...instead." Brock's crippled body hit the ground, and Croagunk dragged the breeder into his sleeping bag, where he would remain the rest of the night whether he liked it or not.

"As much as I enjoy watching Brock make a fool of himself," Misty rolled her eyes before turning her attention to the Forest Ranger, "He's right, it's not fair that we have sleeping bags and you don't."

Verona chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm _used _to these types of conditions, this won't be the first time I've spent the night out here while on a mission."

"It _still _isn't right." Ash insisted, "I'll sleep without a sleeping bag and Verona can have mine, we're about the same size." Ash was in fact a couple of inches shorter than Verona, but for one night he figured it would be just fine.

"No Ash, _I'll _go without a sleeping bag, I probably worried you almost to death today, you deserve a good night's rest." Misty cupped the trainer's face in her hands and tried to convince him with her viridian eyes. It might've worked too, had Dawn not spoken up.

"Can we skip to the part where you two just agree to compromise and share a sleeping bag? It's pretty obvious to everyone here that you'll eventually wind up getting to that conclusion anyway." Dawn rolled her own eyes and smirked knowingly with her hands on her hips.

"Who's everyone?" Both Ash and Misty asked.

"Me, Brock, and Verona...who did you _think _I meant?" Dawn tilted her head in confusion.

"Never mind." Ash sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled nervously, "Your call Mist...feel like sharing?" Misty didn't respond verbally, but that was just fine with Ash since the way she answered was much more pleasurable to him, "I'll uh...take that as a yes." Ash grinned as he tried to regain his composure after the sweet kiss the redhead had placed on his lips.

"Ohhh, so you two are boyfriend and girlfriend! No wonder Ash was so adamant about finding you!" Verona realized.

Misty perked an eyebrow at that, "Ash...did you cause trouble for Verona?"

"N-No..." Ash gulped, "What would make you think that?"

"The fact that you're sweating bullets all of a sudden! C'mon Ash, I understand you wanna protect me and all, that's actually very sweet of you, but I can take care of myself! You don't have to fly off the handle every time you don't know where I am!"

"Well _excuse me _for being worried about my girlfriend, maybe next time I should just take my dear old sweet time!"

"Did I say that? No! You're twisting my words!"

"No, I'm _interpreting _your words!"

"Then you interpreted them _wrong_ you moron!"

_"You're _the moron!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

Before things could escalate any further, Pikachu unleashed a 'Thundershock' that got the couple to quit quarreling. "Pika chu?" (Had enough?)

"Um...if it's going to cause problems between you two, I'd be fine without a sleeping bag." Verona was shocked at the sudden turn of events to say the least, Dawn however was not the least bit affected.

"Don't even worry about it, arguing is like their strange little way of saying how much they love each other." Dawn waved dismissively. She also chuckled to herself as she recalled a few months ago when she stated that she would probably never get used to their arguments, _"Boy, things sure can change quickly."_

"Well...if you say so." Verona wasn't convinced, but she graciously accepted the sleeping bag from the black-haired trainer...who was now also black-skinned thanks to the remaining ashes of the 'Thundershock'. "Might wanna get cleaned up before bed."

"Nah," Ash dusted himself off, as did Misty, "This kinda thing happens almost on a daily basis."

"Yeah, it's just the way we are, I know my Ashy would never leave me out in the wilderness all alone." Misty hugged her boyfriend and drew him in for a soft kiss, which he had no trouble reciprocating at all.

"Um...wow." Verona turned her back to the kissing couple and shook her head, _"They're an interesting bunch, I'll say that much."_

Simple goodnights were exchanged between the group, and just as planned, Ash and Misty shared a sleeping bag, spooned against each other which allowed Verona to get a good night's rest. Once the sun started rising however, the group was already up and about as Ash had gotten an idea. "Ok Grotle, we're counting on ya!" Grotle nodded and allowed Tangrowth to use 'Absorb' and drain his strength. Once the attack was finished, Grotle collapsed. "Ok, now use 'Synthesis'!" Grotle struggled back to his feet and absorbed the nutrients of the new sun, quickly recharging him. "Ok, again!"

"Hey that's a great idea!" Dawn exclaimed in approval, "This way Tangrowth can just keep absorbing power without having to worry about what happens to Grotle!"

"Yeah...but still, Grotle can only use 'Synthesis' so many times." Brock said grimly.

"Exactly, I mean...is Grotle gonna have to do this until Tangrowth manages to heal the tree? That could take _days_ for all we know!" Misty added.

Upon hearing that, Mamoswine stepped up to Tangrowth and volunteered himself, much to Tangrowth's surprise. "Wow Mamoswine, you wanna offer up your power to help out too?" Mamoswine nodded and turned to Tangrowth, and the Twin-Tusk Pokémon groaned slightly as he felt his power leave him once more. Fortunately for Mamoswine, Tangrowth still had a large supply of Sitrus Berries at its disposal, and it quickly fed one to Mamoswine, who jumped back to his feet almost immediately. "Looks like those two are good friends now." Dawn smiled.

"Look everyone!" Verona suddenly exclaimed, getting everyone's attention, "I found the spot on the tree that contains all of its nutrients! So everyone use 'Growth' right here!" Tangrowth, Bellsprout, Seedot, Shroomish, and Cherrim all came around and fired at where Verona was pointing, and sure enough the tree started to re-grow itself. After a few more moments, the tree was back to normal. "The tree should be fine now!"

"Thanks to Tangrowth and the others." Ash said.

"So from now on Tangrowth," Verona said, turning back to the Vine Pokémon, "Let's protect the forest together." Tangrowth agreed whole-heartedly, it was definitely looking forward to having some help.

"And Mamoswine, let's you and I figure out a way to use that awesome 'Hidden Power' of yours in our next contest, 'kay?" Mamoswine nodded at the coordinator without hesitation, giving Dawn a boost in confidence which would hopefully carry all the way to Lilypad Town for her next contest.  
_

**A/N: Yes, even a lame episode like the Tangrowth one can be used to my advantage. Twist coming in the next chapter. Stay tuned**


	62. Rotom's Betrayal

**Next chapter up...twists abound.  
**_

Chapter 62

**Misty's POV**

Well the past couple of days have been relatively peaceful given the way our lives go, we helped a Tangrowth and his friends save their forest, and then we defeated Team Rocket who had fooled several trainers into a competition, oh yeah, and that same day we helped Officer Jenny arrest two other Pokémon thieves not named Jessie or James. If we're being totally honest, I'm actually grateful that the most we've had to deal with for the past couple of days have been Jessie, James, and Meowth. As much of an annoyance as they can be, they're actually a relief given the nature of the situations we've been finding ourselves in lately.

I mean think about it...first Snowpoint City...it started out ok enough, even though Ash and I got into a brief little spat before he made up for it, in his own way. But after the battle against Candice, stuff started happening. Paul showed up, and things very quickly got tense just because of his presence alone. Then a Kanto Frontier Brain shows up in his flying facility, and not just _any _Frontier Brain mind you, the Pyramid King Brandon! Paul's fights him and loses, so Paul's older brother Reggie suggests a full battle between Ash and Paul. Ash of course accepted.

Then Hunter J and Regigigas happened and she almost killed us...no big deal right? Wrong. After that was Team Galactic again, still, we could handle it right? Sure, but it wasn't fun. Training for Paul got a lot of emotions to run high, then the battle itself was brutal beyond words. Ash called on his most powerful Pokémon in Charizard, Sceptile, and Snorlax, and everyone needed nothing short of intensive care from Brock and Nurse Joy once it was all over. I swear Ash was contemplating quitting training after seeing the pounding his team had taken despite their victory. But we managed to get his spirits up thanks to a pounding we gave to Team Rocket that same day.

So now we can relax right? WRONG! Now we're sucked into a time-travel conspiracy where the most powerful Pokémon in all of existence wanted to kill us! And I actually _died_ for a few minutes before the timeline was repaired. Poor Ash, his heart was beyond broken when me and Pikachu disappeared right before his very eyes. And when we came back, I don't think I ever saw his eyes light up so strongly before in my entire life. So we saved the world again, and by now I was actually _expecting _something life-threatening to happen again...what a relief to find that all we've had to deal with lately has been Team Rocket. I'll probably never say this again, but thank you Team Rocket for giving our lives a certain sense of normalcy again.

Now we were at a Pokémon Center near Mt. Coronet, taking a brief rest before we start walking towards Lilypad Town again for Dawn's next contest. Now I'm here with Ash in our room, enjoying a nice little cuddling session...so why do I feel so uneasy?

**Normal POV**

"You feeling ok Mist?" Ash shifted a little to try and make him and Misty a little more comfortable, they were both sitting in the loveseat in their room, their sides intentionally pressed together while they watched a movie on the television. They were ok for a while, but about halfway through the movie Misty started getting a little fidgety. "You gotta go to the bathroom or something?"

Misty swiveled her head to narrow her eyes at him, "No I do _not." _she poked him rather harshly in the chest in an attempt to discipline him for his moronic insinuation, but when she saw the sudden hurt in his chocolate-brown eyes, she immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry." she sighed, looking away from him.

Ash felt better knowing she wasn't really angry at him, but her sudden temper tantrum confused him. "What's the matter Misty?"

What _was _the matter? Even Misty didn't necessarily know for sure, but she _did _know that _something _was bothering her. "I dunno Ash," she said exasperatedly. "I dunno if I'm bored, nervous, or a mixture of both..." Misty took a hold of Ash's hand and squeezed it, "I don't mean I'm bored with _you," _she relinquished a small smile before continuing. "I mean I wanna _do something_, but at the same time I _don't _because I'm afraid we'll go back to fighting for our lives all over again if we tempt fate."

Ash nodded slowly, "Yeah I think I get you." Ash roped the redhead around her waist into a one-armed hug and kissed the top of her head, and he smiled as he pulled away a little and saw her sea-green eyes twinkling back at him. "We've still got a little daylight to work with, how about we go and do a little bit of training? You know, just for fun."

"Gosh_ I love him...how does he manage to make me feel better so easily?" _Misty kissed him tenderly on the lips, caressing the sides of his face as she did so. After a few moments she pulled back and sighed contentedly before leaning in to kiss his nose. She then leaped out of the loveseat and headed towards the door, looking over her shoulder at the boy she loved so much. "Well you coming or what? We can't have you falling _too _far behind me in skill." she then rushed out laughing as Ash chased after her in playful annoyance.

When he finally caught her he lifted her up in the air for a moment, earning a joyous squeal from the redhead and also the attention of everyone else in the room. He immediately put her down and blushed profusely as the other people and Pokémon in the room went back to their own matters, muttering to themselves about young love or getting a room, depending on their mood. "Heh...got a little carried away there." he mumbled.

"No _I _got carried away! It wasn't _you _who got lifted up in the air!" Misty teased, shamelessly latching onto the brown-eyed trainer, "So come on, let's train!"

Before they could go outside however, they were confronted by Nurse Joy, "Excuse me, are you Ash?" the pink-haired woman asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Ash replied.

"You have a call from Prof. Oak, he apparently has something fairly urgent to discuss with you."

"Um...thanks..." Ash watched the nurse nod and return to her duties before turning his attention back to his girlfriend. "Wonder what he wants."

"Only one way to find out." Misty took Ash's hand and led him to the videophones, and sat down next to him on the bench before he called.

Moments later, Prof. Oak appeared on the screen, "Ash! And Misty too! Thank heavens you received my message!"

"What's up Professor?" Ash noted the scientist's exhausted demeanor, "Why do ya look so tired?"

Prof. Oak sighed in fatigue, his form looking older and more decrepit than he truly was, "Truth be told my boy, Tracey and I have been running ourselves ragged these past couple of days trying to keep up with Haunter and Rotom...they seem...particularly mischievous as of late."

"You want me to talk to 'em?"

"No Ash...this may seem incredibly petty of me to ask...but I was hoping you could take them off my hands for a couple of days, just so I can get everything back in order...and between you and me, I think Tracey and your Pokémon would enjoy the days off."

"Oh boy," Misty sighed and rubbed her temples, "This probably means I'm gonna get a call from Daisy soon, she's gonna wanna chew me out for keeping her boyfriend away from her."

"YOU GOT _THAT_ RIGHT!" All of a sudden Daisy came barging into the picture, knocking the Professor off his chair and almost scaring Misty out of hers, "I've been stuck battling challengers for the past three days and instead of enjoying some alone time with my sweet, adorable man afterwards, I've been coming to help him keep _your _boyfriend's Pokémon under control!" Suddenly Rotom appeared in the picture, which made the blonde scream in fear, "Don't _make _me get the glove you little pest!" Rotom zoomed off, and the sound of a Pokéball return light came from off-screen and Tracey walked on-screen moments later.

"Ok Dais, that's both of 'em." the artist sighed in relief, then noticed the two friendly faces on the screen. "Oh...hey guys, how's it hanging?"

"Look guys, I really _am _sorry about those two...tell you what, send 'em over and I'll send you two of my better behaved guys in return for a while." Ash suggested, holding two shrunken Pokéballs in his hand.

"We'd really appreciate that actually, I wouldn't mind getting some time with my precious water flower." Tracey cupped the blonde's chin, and she giggled sweetly in return.

"Oh baby, you're so cute." she blushed and took the hand that was cupping her chin into her own hands, kissing it lovingly.

"Is _that _what we look like to people? Suddenly I kinda regret all that stuff we did back in the lobby." Misty gagged.

Daisy made a face at her baby sister before turning back to her love, "Go and get that creepy Haunter's Pokéball, I think I put it somewhere over by Prof. Oak's desk." Tracey nodded and walked off, then Daisy turned her attention to Ash, "Say Ash, think you could go do something _else _for a second? I wanna talk to my sister alone."

"Uh...sure." Ash hesitantly got up and handed Misty the two Pokéballs, "I'll uh...meet you outside Mist." With that, Ash walked off and left the two sisters to themselves.

"Alright Daisy," Misty crossed her arms and her legs in annoyance, "What's so important that Ash isn't allowed to hear any of this? You do realize that even if he's not here, it won't take Tracey more than thirty seconds to come back with Haunter's Pokéball."

"Oh please," Daisy scoffed, "Have you ever _seen _Prof. Oak's desk? He'll be looking for that Pokéball for _at least _ten minutes. Plenty of time."

Misty huffed, "Fine. Go ahead."

"First of all, I wanna thank you for that talk we had a few weeks ago...gosh Misty, he makes me so happy I feel like my heart's gonna _burst!"_

The redhead couldn't help but smile, "I'm happy for you big sis, it's good to see you made up with him. After all the work you've been putting in at the gym, you deserve to experience what true love feels like."

Daisy leaned into the screen and whispered conspiratorially, "Would you think I'm crazy if I said I wanted him to ask me to marry him?"

Misty's eyes widened in shock, "Are you _serious?"_

Daisy nodded vigorously, her blonde hair shaking around her face as she did so, "He's the one Misty! I can just _feel _it! I've gone out with _dozens _of guys, but _no one's EVER _made me feel the way Tracey does..." Daisy's expression morphed into a dreamy one as she got a far-off look in her eyes. "I love him _sooo_ much, when he touches me, I feel safe somehow, like nothing can ever hurt me as long as he's there. Have you ever felt that way with Ash?"

"All the time." Misty sighed with contentment.

"Tracey's just the sweetest thing, and he loves me for _me, _not for my celebrity. I mean, almost all the other guys I've ever dated just wanted to be able to say they dated one of the Sensational Sisters, it could've been Lily or Violet and it wouldn't've been any different for those pigs...but with Tracey...I feel _special..._with Tracey, I'm not Daisy Waterflower, one of the Gym Leaders and Sensational Sisters of Cerulean City...I'm Daisy, a girl in love with the most sincerely sweet man in the world."

"Stop Daisy." Misty took a deep breath and shook her head, "You're making me get all emotional..."

"Sorry...it's just...I had to tell _someone,_ Lily and Violet are too wrapped up in their own affairs...and besides, they don't have the same viewpoint on this that I do...I was hoping _you'd _be more open to something like this." Daisy shook her head with a sad smile, "Never thought I'd ever find myself drifting away from them."

"Drifting away from Lily and Violet? C'mon Daisy, aren't you being a _little _overdramatic about this?"

"Maybe...it's not like we don't hang out or anything, but lately they've been going off to do their own thing more than they usually do, so a lot of the time I'm in the gym all by myself. Tracey shows up whenever he can and we get a little bit of training in...among other things." Daisy grinned a little at that, "But I miss having my little sisters around...if you ever repeat this I'll deny it...but at this point I feel closer to _you_ than I do to _either _of _them."_

"Daisy...I..." Misty was stunned to say the least, "I-I'm sorry sis."

"Don't be," Daisy put her hand up, "And don't even _think _about playing the martyr and coming home, 'cause I'll boot you right back out again. I can handle things here."

Misty couldn't decide what was more shocking, the fact that she was hearing these words coming out of her oldest sister's mouth...or the fact that she was for the briefest of moments _actually _considering going home to help Daisy and keep her company, _"I never thought I'd come to care so much for _any _of them." _the redhead thought to herself. "Hey Daisy."

"Yeah?"

"If I remember my old schedule, the Kanto League should be starting in a few days right?"

"I think so...why, what are you thinking?"

"Well, since the gyms close once the League begins, why don't you make plans with Tracey and find a way to come and visit us here in Sinnoh?"

Daisy gasped, "Baby sis, we think more alike than I thought, I was _actually _planning on doing that not two days ago!"

"We think alike? _There's _a scary thought." the two sisters laughed for a moment, "If we're being totally honest with each other, I guess I can admit that I miss you guys too."

"You have _no idea_ what that means to me Misty. I know you already told me you forgave us for all the stuff we did years ago, but hearing you say that makes me feel like we haven't totally lost you...I don't care _what _Lily and Violet have to say about this, there _are_ _four _Sensational Sisters, and _you're _the greatest of us."

That did it, Misty just couldn't hold it in any longer. So much had changed since months ago when Ash first arrived at the Cerulean Gym and taken her to Sinnoh, all of a sudden she and Daisy were a picture perfect example of what sisters were, and this heart-to-heart they were sharing only confirmed it for her. The redhead felt her eyes starting to water as what Daisy had told her began to truly sink in. At one point in time she was considered nothing more than the runt of the litter, not even technically a Sensational Sister in her sister's eyes...now she had just been told that not only was she one of them, but she was the _best _of them. "I love you big sister." her voice cracked a little, but she didn't care at this point.

"I love you too little sister." For a moment the two girls just stared at each other, reveling in the new sisterly love that had recently blossomed between the two of them. Daisy wiped at her eyes and chuckled a little, "Um...this may seem like an inappropriate time, but could I possibly have a couple of your Pokémon? I'd like to give the gang the rest of the week off until the Kanto League."

"Aww way to ruin the moment!" Misty laughed and pulled a Pokéball off her belt, "How about Staryu? It could use a nice vacation after all the stuff we've been through lately."

"Staryu's fine, thanks."

Misty nodded and sent the Pokéball to Daisy, "Actually I'm kinda happy you asked, I've been wanting to catch some of these awesome new water-types that are here in Sinnoh and now I can!"

"Sounds like a plan to me...and hey, I'm looking forward to seeing you guys, I'll give you a call when Tracey and I get to Sinnoh."

"Looking forward to it! Although you _do _realize that we're gonna be doing some training while you're up here right?"

"Aww Misty! I wanted to take a vacation!"

"You _will! _But I'm not about to let you go without at least a _little bit _of training. As much as I appreciate what you've done, you _did _let the gym fall a bit in the rankings, not that that's entirely _your _fault or anything, it's not like you were training for years before I left. But lemme tell ya something Daisy, these Sinnoh gyms have inspired me. Ash is so powerful now that if he wanted to take a shot at the Kanto League he'd probably blow Sabrina and Lt. Surge away without even breaking a sweat, and he _still _has to give it his all up here or he'll take a pounding."

"They're _that _strong?"

Misty looked around to make sure Ash was still outside, "I'd never admit this to him, but he makes _me_ look like a rookie trainer sometimes...gotta say...it's been bruising my ego."

"And you haven't said anything to him about it?" Daisy asked.

"What could I say Daisy? 'Hey Ash, could you not train so hard so I can catch up to you?' Forget the fact that'd be completely humiliating for me, it's flat-out selfish too."

"This is gonna sound really weird and dare I say hypocritical coming from _me, _but why don't you just train _harder?" _

"I'm actually going out to train with him right now before it gets too dark. I guess if nothing else I've learned a lot out here, and I'm gonna bring those techniques back home one day and turn our gym into the strongest gym in Kanto."

"You mean like that totally awesome 'Ice Aqua Jet' that Ash used?!"

"Exactly." Misty sighed and looked away almost shamefully, "Still...somehow I wish I could..." Just then, the two girls' significant others arrived, so Misty immediately quit talking.

"Come on Mist, what's the hold up?"

"Boy, I thought I'd _never _find that Pokéball."

"Ok boys, Misty and I are about done here, go ahead babe, send Ash his two creepy ghost-types." Daisy grimaced as she brought up the two pesky Pokémon.

"Hang on, gotta send you _these _first." Misty still had Ash's two Pokéballs, so she placed them in the transfer slot and within moments they materialized in Prof. Oak's lab, "Alright, go for it."

"Two ghost-types, coming up!" Tracey made the exchange, and Ash grabbed them and placed them on his belt the minute they arrived, "Thanks guys, we really appreciate it."

"No problem! Could you guys do me one favor though?" Ash asked.

"What's that?" Tracey replied.

"I want you guys to introduce Monferno and Gliscor to the other Pokémon, I'd like them to start making friends with the others."

"Is _that _all? Piece of cake!" Tracey gave the boy a thumbs-up, "Well if that's it then, Daisy and I are gonna go and get some dinner..." Tracey turned his attention directly to the blonde woman, "My treat."

"Oh Tracey, you're so sweet." Daisy pulled Tracey in for a kiss, and the gesture was happily returned by the artist. When they pulled away, Daisy giggled, "You _taste _sweet too."

"Get a room!" Misty gagged.

"Good idea! C'mon baby, I'm in the mood for one of our..._special _nights."

"Special nights?" Tracey cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Aa - aa - AAH! Bad images! Good luck Tracey!" Ash immediately hung up and began slapping his face in an attempt to get the dirty ideas out of his head.

Misty wasn't nearly as expressive, but she was just as mortified. _"Never again...never talking about love with Daisy again."_

"Well _that_ worked!" Daisy was laughing hysterically back at the lab.

"We don't _have_ 'special' nights, you did that to freak them out!" Tracey replied in disapproval.

"Not Ash so much, just didn't want Misty interrupting our 'us' time with her little remarks." Daisy kissed him again, and she could feel the anger just melting out of the young man. She pulled back and smiled lovingly at him, "Come on," she whispered. "Let's get something to eat, I want a table outside that's the farthest away from any other customers so it'll just be you, me, and the stars above."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Tracey took her hand and placed a feathery kiss on it before helping her up from the bench, then they walked out hand in hand to find a place where they could truly be alone. "Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something though?"

"That's it." Prof. Oak had finally gotten up after being knocked out by Daisy, "I'm getting a videophone in my private quarters."

Back in Sinnoh, Ash and Misty were wordlessly walking through the Pokémon Center, heading towards the back door where the battlefields were. On the way there, they ran into Dawn, who was working with Piplup and Buneary on contest techniques. Pikachu was there too, only to be close to the little rabbit he loved of course. Dawn noted their blank expressions as they walked by, "Guys...you ok?" they didn't even acknowledge her presence, which confused the coordinator greatly, "What's up with _them?" _Dawn scratched her head.

Pikachu shrugged, "Pika pika." (No clue.)

Once they finally got outside, Misty broke the horribly awkward silence. "We will never speak of that again." Ash nodded without a word and took his place on the battlefield, _"Geez Daisy, you sure know how to ruin a moment." _the redhead just shuddered again before fingering her Pokéballs, thinking about which choice she would make.

"Ok then!" Ash was determined to break free of the weirdness Daisy had inflicted on him, "Since I just got these guys back, I'll give 'em some training right now! Haunter, Rotom, I choose you!" Ash launched two Pokéballs, and the two ghost-types appeared and started flying around the area, "Hey guys!" Upon hearing his voice, the two ghosts swarmed Ash, "I'm glad to see you too!" the boy laughed.

"Hey, pleasantries later! Battle _now! _The sun's going down!" Misty grabbed two Pokéballs and tossed them, "Misty calls Surskit and Vaporeon!" The two Pokémon emerged and immediately got into battle-ready stance. "Well?!"

"Alright then!" Ash turned his attention to the ghosts, "Whaddya say we get a battle going you two?" Surprisingly, the two normally mischievous ghost-types were actually ecstatic about getting to battle. _"Now _I get it, you guys were just _restless_ at Prof. Oak's lab! Well now we'll get some training in! Lemme just give you two a scan so I can find out what moves you can use." Ash pulled out his Pokédex to do just that.

After a few beeping noises, the Pokédex gave its analysis. "This Haunter's main moves are 'Lick', 'Shadow Ball', 'Shadow Punch', and 'Destiny Bond'...this Rotom's main moves are 'Shock Wave', 'Ominous Wind', 'Double Team', and 'Confuse Ray', Rotom can also use moves depending on the nature of electrically powered devices it inhabits, such as 'Air Slash' when it inhabits an electric fan. These Pokémon know other moves as well, would you like to hear more?"

Ash closed his Pokédex, satisfied with what he heard. "Wow guys, that's impressive! Rotom, we'll have to do some experimenting with different appliances and stuff to see what we can do when we battle!" Rotom nodded and grinned widely. "Ok Misty, here we come!" Haunter and Rotom took their places on the field, shuddering with excitement.

"I'm up first! Vaporeon, use 'Shadow Ball' on Haunter! Surskit, use 'Bubblebeam' on Rotom!" The two attacks were fired, and Ash called his counters.

"Dodge 'em!" The ghost-types split up and avoided the blasts, "Now Haunter, get in close and use 'Lick' on Vaporeon!" Haunter whooshed over to the Bubble-Jet Pokémon with his tongue waggling out.

"Quick Surskit, cut him off with an 'Ice Beam'!"

"Rotom, stop Surskit with 'Confuse Ray'!" The two small Pokémon rushed towards each other, but with her greater experience Surskit was able to fire first, and stopped Haunter in his tracks while still managing to dodge Rotom with a graceful spin. "Annoying little acrobat." Ash muttered to himself. "Alright Rotom, 'Shock Wave' Vaporeon'!"

"Shadow Ball', go!" Vaporeon immediately leaped up to meet the electric-ghost who had simply kept on flying after missing Surskit, and she managed to get off a good hit with her 'Shadow Ball', "Atta girl Vaporeon! Alright, let's follow that up with a 'Water Pulse'! And Surskit, use 'Bubblebeam' on Haunter!" The two Pokémon began to unleash their attacks.

"Not _this _time! Ok Rotom, 'Double Team' now!" Rotom immediately split into ten different Rotom and surrounded the two water-types, effectively confusing them. "Pour it on Rotom! 'Confuse Ray'!" Rotom's blue eyes suddenly turned purple, as did Surskit's and Vaporeon's. "Perfect! Now Rotom, 'Shock Wave' on Vaporeon! Haunter, 'Shadow Ball' on Surskit, let's go!"

"Come on you guys, snap out of it!" Much to the redhead's dismay, her Pokémon were simply too confused to listen, as the attacks struck them and put them in major distress as they cried out in pain. "No!"

"Yeah! Keep it up guys! Haunter, 'Shadow Punch'!" Haunter flew back and forth, unleashing a ghostly fist on the two Pokémon with each run. "Now Rotom, 'Shock Wave' again!"

"This is starting to get intense, Ash isn't letting up at all..." Misty was quickly reminded that Ash was no longer the same trainer she knew years ago, like she had just admitted to Daisy not ten minutes ago, Ash's strength made her feel like she was in over her head against him. _"Well there's only one way to get back above water so to speak!" _she thought determinedly, as she watched her team take another hit from Rotom's electrical attack. "Surskit! I know you're confused but you _have _to listen to me! Use 'Rain Dance'! You understand?! _'Rain Dance'!" _Miraculously, Surskit managed to hear the words of her trainer, and strained to get off a ball of water that rocketed towards the sky and caused a storm cloud to appear overhead.

"Aww not again." Ash groaned.

Sure enough it started to rain, effectively soaking them both. "Yeah I know, I kinda didn't wanna do that either, but if my theory is right..." Once the rain started coming down, Vaporeon and Surskit blinked a few times and came back to their senses. "Yes! The rain snapped them out of it! Alright Surskit, let's use the rain to our advantage! Use 'Bubblebeam' on Vaporeon!" Surskit needed no convincing. The bug/water-type aimed directly at Vaporeon and unleashed a stream of bubbles that hit and allowed Vaporeon to feel the relief her special ability 'Water Absorb' granted her.

"Shoulda _known _they'd do something like that." Ash had been trying to get Rotom's electric attacks to focus mainly on Vaporeon since he knew that 'Water Absorb' would make it very difficult to knock the Bubble-Jet Pokémon out. _"Wait a minute! I've been going about this the wrong way!" _he realized. _"If I wanna keep Vaporeon from healing, I gotta take out _Surskit! _As long as Surskit's still in the battle, I'll have to deal with her blasting a 'Bubblebeam' and giving Vaporeon a recharge every time she starts getting too weak!" _With that in mind, Ash called out his next attack. "Alright Rotom, use 'Double Team' and then use 'Shock Wave' on Vaporeon!" Rotom split up and surrounded Vaporeon and got ready to fire.

_"That gleam in his eyes...he must be baiting me! Trying to get me to have Surskit run interference, if he _really _wanted to attack Vaporeon he would've fired already...ok, I can play your game Ashy, you want Surskit? You'll _get Surskit!" Misty grinned and called her move, "Surskit, 'Sweet Scent'!"

"Rotom, pull back!" Too late. Ash wanted to face-palm as he watched Rotom totally lose focus on his attack thanks to the 'Sweet Scent' Surskit just used. Instead he settled for a low growl. _"Shoulda just let Rotom hit Vaporeon..." _Ash instead formed a new plan. "Ok Haunter, 'Lick' on Surskit!" Haunter was spared the effects of 'Sweet Scent' as he was waiting for Surskit to get close with an actual attack, so the ghost/poison-type was able to swoop towards the bug with his tongue hanging out for a swipe.

"Duck Surskit!" One advantage the Pond Skater had was her size, being as small as she was she was able to flatten herself down and avoid Haunter's strafing run. "Now, use 'Shadow Ball' Vaporeon!" Vaporeon escaped from the still slightly distracted electric/ghost-type and aimed a shadowy blob at Haunter who had yet to turn around after his attack.

"Dodge it Haunter!" Unfortunately Haunter couldn't comply fast enough as the attack reached its target right on the money. Haunter fell to the ground with a wet plop and growled a little as he used his disembodied fists to get back up. "Haunter needs help Rotom! Use 'Ominous Wind'!"

_"Haunter's looking weak...time for me to bait my _own_ hook!" _the redhead thought to herself, "Surskit, keep Haunter down with 'Sweet Scent'! Vaporeon, use 'Quick Attack' to dodge Rotom's attacks!" Misty's Pokémon followed their orders to the letter. Surskit emitted a sweet smell that distracted the ghost/poison-type enough to not care about getting back in the battle, while Vaporeon managed to use 'Quick Attack's' extra speed to dodge the blasts from 'Ominous Wind'. "Alright, this is it Surskit! Now that Haunter's distracted, finish him with 'Bubblebeam'! Point-blank range!" Misty took a moment to look up at Ash, _"Is the fish gonna take the bait?"_

"No way! Haunter, 'Destiny Bond'! Rotom, 'Ominous Wind' on Vaporeon again! Full power!"

_"Hook, line, and sinker!"_ Misty couldn't help but grin, Vaporeon had gotten in perfect position for their trap to be sprung. "Dodge it Vaporeon! Surskit, fall back!"

"What?!" It was only then Ash realized his mistake. He watched in horror as Haunter's body became enveloped in a purple outline just as Rotom's 'Ominous Wind' which had been aimed at Vaporeon instead struck Haunter as the Bubble-Jet Pokémon had been standing right in front of him when he fired. "Don't give up Haunter, please!" Unfortunately Rotom's attack was too much for the weakened ghost-type to handle, and since Rotom was the one responsible for Haunter's knockout, the two orbs that came out of Haunter's eyes headed straight for the horrified Plasma Pokémon. "Rotom watch...out." The orbs hit Rotom before Ash could finish his warning, and sure enough, 'Destiny Bond' did its job as Rotom fell to the ground with swirls in his eyes. Ash had fallen for the exact same trap he had tried to set for Misty.

"We did it you guys!" Misty jogged onto the battlefield and knelt down in front of her two Pokémon to celebrate their victory over Ash just as the rain came to a stop. _"Guess I'm stronger than I've been giving myself credit for."_

"Return guys, you did good for a debut battle." Ash returned the two Pokémon and walked over to the love of his life, who was still happily embracing her own Pokémon. "Gotta hand it to you Misty, I never saw that move coming."

"Thanks Ash." Misty accepted the hand he was now holding out and got back to her feet, returning her Pokémon as she did so, but something started twitching in the back of her mind. "Um...Ashy...you didn't um..." she suddenly looked rather timid.

"Mist...what's the matter?"

"You didn't..._let _me win did you?"

Ash actually dropped her hand and looked at her as if she had suddenly turned into a sort of human Dodrio, _"Let _you win?" he scoffed, "When have you _ever _known _me _to throw a battle?"

The redhead crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow, "Well I _do _recall at least _one _instance when you threw a battle, say a few months ago?"

"That was _different!" _Ash threw his arms up in the air in exasperation, "The only reason I threw _that _battle was to show Daisy how it felt to win a battle and give her confidence, you _know _that!" Ash shook his head and huffed in confusion. "Misty, what is the _matter_ with you? Why are you acting so..." Ash struggled to find an appropriate word, "Unconfident?"

The water-trainer scowled at him, "Oh I dunno Ash, maybe because this is maybe only the second battle I've actually won since I've been out here with you?"

"What are you talking about? We've battled _plenty _since you came out here and you've won _a lot_ of those battles!"

"Battles where I'm teamed up with _you _don't count!" Misty was now breathing heavily, "I don't wanna have to rely on _your _power to win, I wanna be able to say that _I'm _the reason I won a battle! But I can't do that out here, the trainers are too strong, including you ok?! There, I said it! Happy now Ash Ketchum?! I just admitted it, I am not strong enough to compete out here!"

"Misty that's ridiculous!" Ash was about to continue when he noticed that it was now totally dark, "It's already dark...can we go inside to discuss this?"

"There's nothing to discuss." Misty turned her back on him and started to walk away, but Ash wasn't about to let her get away like that.

"Oh no you don't." He grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around, looking straight into her somewhat shocked bluish-green eyes. "I know I'm not the smartest guy out there, but if there's one thing I've learned it's how to read your feelings when it comes to me. I've known you too long and I think we've gotten too close for you to just pretend like what you just said never happened. I don't want there to be anything we can't tell each other, isn't that one of the most important things in a relationship? Trust? I trust _you _completely, don't you trust me?"

Stunned, Misty nodded. "I _do _trust you Ash...but...this isn't really a matter of trust..."

"Then what is it then? Pride? C'mon Mist, I thought we were closer than that! I don't wanna lose you over something as dumb as a bruised ego!"

That put a little fire back in her heart, "It's _not _dumb!" but the fire died out pretty quickly when she processed the other part of what he said. "Lose me? You're _still _worried about me leaving?"

Ash let go of her and let his arms fall to his sides, breaking eye contact as he looked at the ground. "You already told _me _something you didn't wanna admit, so now I'll tell _you _something." Ash took a deep breath and sighed loudly, "I haven't even told _Brock_ this...not a day goes by Misty, that I don't worry that you might leave me. I mean, look at you," he gestured at her beautiful form, "You could have any guy you wanted! But you chose _me? _I consider myself the luckiest guy on the planet to have someone like you as my girlfriend, but I can't help but feel like I don't deserve you."

"Ash, you..."

Ash raised his hand up, "Lemme finish...I know I do a lot of stuff that drives you nuts, like the way I eat, or how I manage to get lost all the time when we're on the road...and of course I remember those really big fights we had when I eavesdropped on you and Dawn or when I opened my big mouth with Barry. I'm always afraid that eventually I'm gonna screw up even _worse _and you'll finally get fed up with it...that's part of the reason I've been training so much harder ever since I brought you out here, and battling you all the time is the best way I can get stronger, I'm trying to...impress you, I don't want you to have to deal with the fact that your boyfriend is a weak loser on top of being a stupid idiot."

Her own insecurities momentarily tossed aside, Misty reached up to caress his face, slightly hurt when he flinched at her touch. But she understood why he did, so she wouldn't let it linger in her mind. "Ash, how many times do we have to go through this? _I love YOU! _I couldn't care less if you were the worst trainer in all of recorded history, it's your _heart _that makes you so special, if you were just another handsome face or even just another strong trainer I never would've even bothered to follow you around those first couple of years of your journey. I didn't fall in love with Ash Ketchum the future Pokémon Master, I fell in love with Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, just a regular guy with a heart bigger than anyone I've ever met or ever _will _meet."

"I know what you've said Mist...but..." Ash took a shuddering breath, trying to keep his now stirred up emotions in check, "I can't help what I feel! I want you to be proud of me!"

"I _am!_" the redhead wrapped her arms around and squeezed him tightly, and she felt the boy start to heave a little as his heart began to overflow. "I am so, _so _proud of you. I always have been, I've always taken pride in the fact that I'm so close to a guy who would quite literally give the shirt off his back to someone who needed it and expect nothing in return. That has nothing to do with Pokémon, it's just you." Misty pulled back a little and looked into his moist brown eyes, and when he used the back of his finger to wipe a tear off of her face, she realized she had in fact been reduced to tears as well. "And I haven't been totally fair to you, I had forgotten for a second why I loved you because of my...dumb ego," she chuckled slightly as she quoted his words, "Yes, I'll admit I'm a little jealous of how much stronger you've gotten than me, but that's not _your _problem, you're just doing what you _always _do. It's up to _me _to pick up the slack and get stronger myself...I guess you can chalk this whole mess up to me reverting back to the old Misty."

"Naw," Ash snorted as a weak smile formed on his trembling lips. "We both just had a couple issues to deal with."

Misty giggled a little and snuggled her head into the crook of Ash's neck, hugging him tighter, "I love you so much." she kissed his neck a couple of times, "Oh I love you..." The two trainers simply stood in place, stroking and kissing each other until all traces of their sadness was chased away by their love for each other. "We must be quite a sight." Misty said after a while.

"Yeah, couple of lovesick kids standing in the middle of a wet battlefield in the dark, we probably look crazy." Ash pulled back and locked eyes with the redhead in his arms, "But I can live with that."

"So can I." she kissed him passionately on the lips, and felt her heart melt for what seemed like the third time in the past ten minutes as Ash reciprocated the gesture with all his heart. They might've stayed out there all night long, but someone had gone after them.

"Hey guys?"

The couple reluctantly broke apart and glanced at the breeder who was peeking his head out the back door of the Center. "What is it Brock?" Misty asked.

"Time to come inside guys."

Misty nodded and placed one last kiss on Ash's lips before breaking the embrace just so she could entwine her fingers with his. "C'mon Ashy, I'm exhausted."

"Me too." Ash led Misty into the Pokémon Center, and the couple walked with Brock to their room. "Misty...would you mind going out to the balcony with Dawn for a second? I'd like to talk to Brock about something." Misty just smiled and squeezed the boy's hand before walking out to join Dawn on the balcony. "Thanks Mist." Ash then turned his attention to Brock, who seemed to already know the nature of what Ash wanted to talk about as he had an understanding smile plastered on his face. "Brock?"

"What's up big guy?"

"What just happened to us? Me and Misty I mean?"

Brock breathed a chuckle, "Why don't you tell me what happened the way you saw it?"

"Well...we were just having a battle and the next thing I know, Misty's shouting at me and I'm shouting back...then we're hugging and crying with each other like two three year olds. Are we _that _insecure? I thought we were pretty solid..."

"Ash, _all _relationships, no matter _how _solid are gonna have their share of problems. You and Misty are still two different people no matter how close you are to each other. If you don't mind my asking, what were you two so insecure about?"

Ash gulped, "Uh...I'll tell you what _I _was worried about, you can ask Misty yourself later, I'd rather not tick her off after what we just went through out there."

"Smart move." Brock chuckled.

Ash smiled and explained, "I was just still kinda worried about losing her is all. You know me Brock, always trying to impress. I was trying to make sure I didn't screw up and make her angry, the last thing I want is for her to get fed up with me and take off."

"If it's any consolation, I can pretty much guarantee she won't do anything like that. She loves you too much. As for Misty's problem, I'll ask her myself, _you_ get in the shower, you smell like road kill." Brock held his nose and pointed towards the bathroom, and the black-haired trainer just rolled his eyes before leaving. Brock then got up and slid open the balcony door, where Misty, Dawn, Pikachu, Piplup, Buneary, and Azurill were all hanging out. "Hey Misty, got a sec?"

"Sure thing Brock." Misty replied and got up from her chair, "You behave yourself for Dawn ok Azurill?"

"Azu azu!" (I will!)

Misty nodded with a satisfied smile and joined the breeder in the room, "So what's up?"

"I was just curious as to what happened to you two out there, Ash already explained_ his_ side of the story but he suggested I ask you _your_ side _myself._ He didn't wanna invade your privacy by telling me what was up with you without your consent."

Misty beamed, "He's such a sweetheart...ok Brock..." Misty exhaled and gave her side of the story, "I was feeling kinda jealous over how strong Ash has gotten, so I started feeling like I couldn't measure up to him...so when I actually _won _our battle...I asked if he _let _me win."

Brock looked at her like she had just turned into a sort of human Dodrio, _"Let _you win? Since when have you known _Ash _to throw a battle?"

"That's the exact same look Ash gave me, and the exact same question too...it doesn't matter Brock, everything's alright now and I'm perfectly happy. I'm not weak, but I _do _have to start training harder to keep up, I can accept that challenge!"

Brock smiled, _"That's_ the Misty I know and love."

"Don't be stealing her now Brock!" Ash came out of the bathroom with semi-wet hair and a wide grin on his face, "She's _mine!" _He gave her sides a quick squeeze for emphasis and the redhead reacted with a surprised squeal.

"Don't do that!" she playfully swatted at his hands, unable to hide her own grinning at his mischievous antics, "You know we're lucky to have such a great couples counselor in Brock."

"Yeah, sure are. Thanks Brock." Ash exchanged fist-pounds with the breeder, who ruffled the boy's hair right after.

"Anytime guys, you ever have a problem, you can be sure to come to ol' Brocko for some wise, sagely advice." Brock puffed out his chest with pride.

"Now if only you could take _our _advice and stop making cases for every Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny to accuse you of sexual harassment." Misty smirked evilly.

Brock face-faulted at that but he recovered quickly, "In any case, think we can bring Dawn back in now? She's probably tired of waiting outside."

"Of course!" Misty hurried to the balcony and poked her head out the door, "In case you're interested, it's safe to come inside now."

Dawn didn't need to be told twice. The coordinator practically jumped out of her chair and scampered off to the bathroom, closed the door with a slam behind her, and it took everything in her power to not let loose a very unladylike "Aaaahhhh" as she took care of some rather long overdue business. _"Note to self: Always make sure to use restroom _first _just_ _in case Ash and Misty are going through couple's issues." _Not much happened after that incident, showers were taken, goodnights were exchanged, and the group of teens fell into a peaceful slumber.

The next morning, they got up bright and early and headed out after giving their Pokémon a recharge from Nurse Joy, and they soon found themselves in a foggy forest near Mt. Coronet._ "Man _does it feel super muggy here." Ash grumbled, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"That's because this is no ordinary forest, it's _also _a marshland." Brock explained.

"Good!" Misty exclaimed cheerfully, much to the shock of the others.

"I thought for sure you'd be complaining about how hot and humid it is here." Ash smirked as he looked over his shoulder to glance at the redhead.

She smirked back and softly whacked the back of his head, "I'm not a whiner like _you," _she stuck her tongue out at him playfully. "But in all seriousness, I'm glad we're in a marsh because I'm looking to capture some new Pokémon!"

"Trying to expand your team a little huh?" Brock asked.

"Yep! Vaporeon and Surskit were nice surprises, but I never technically _caught _them. Besides, I have a couple of empty slots since I sent Staryu to the gym, and all of these awesome Sinnoh water-types are just passing me by! Well no more!" Misty ran ahead of the group and pulled a Pokéball off her belt, "Misty calls Vaporeon!" With a mewl and a stretch, Vaporeon appeared from the sphere and looked back at her master with a smile. "Ok Vaporeon, this marsh has gotta be _crawling _with water-type Pokémon and we're gonna catch one! So be on the lookout!"

"Va po!" (Got it!)

"Funny you should mention _crawling..." _Ash snickered.

"Ash, don't do it." Brock warned.

Ash paid no heed, "You _do _remember the Pastoria Marshland right? Those weren't water-types, those were Croagunk, and probably a bug or two or twenty."

_"He's toast."_

Misty froze up and slowly turned around, an extremely agitated look on her face making her look scary to behold. "Why did you say that?" she snarled quietly.

Ash gulped and put his hands up in self-defense, backing up a few steps, "N-Now come on Misty, Mist? C'mon it was just a joke! Remember? We tease each other all the time!" Much to the boy's dismay, Misty actually said nothing, and instead pulled her mallet out of nowhere and twirled it around in her hand, "Oh I am so dead..."

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Misty charged with her mallet swinging dangerously, but Ash was able to duck the initial assault and ran past her deeper into the marsh, "Oh no you _don't! _Get back here Ash Ketchum! You think preying on my fears is funny?! Well turnabout's fair play! C'mere and face your fear!" Misty chased after him with Vaporeon hot on her trail, and she eventually caught up with him as he had stopped dead in his tracks, "Good! Now stay still and maybe I'll make this hurt less than usual!"

"Misty stop!" Unfortunately Misty couldn't quite the brakes quick enough and she soon found half of her body dangling over a raging river with a current so strong she'd most likely be swept away for miles if she were to fall in. Thankfully Ash was there and he grabbed her arm and yanked her back over dry land and into his protective hold before she could lose her balance and fall in. "That was close." he sighed in relief, squeezing her tight in a hug.

"Uh...yeah..." Misty stammered in shock. She took her mallet and softly bonked his head with it, not even enough to inflict pain. "Serves you right." she mumbled, still trying to catch her breath after almost falling into the rapids.

By now the other two teens had caught up with them, "Whoa, check out that current!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Yeah..." Brock then looked on the other side of the river, "Hey, look over there!"

The teens did, and they noticed a whole swarm of what appeared to be Shellos huddled together near the edge of the river, "Hey, those are Shellos right?" Ash said.

"Yeah, but _Zoey's _Shellos is _pink." _Dawn recalled. "Come to think of it..." Dawn pulled out her Pokédex to scan them, "Here, lemme check this out."

"Shellos, the Sea Slug Pokémon. A mysterious purple fluid oozes out of its soft body when Shellos is strongly squeezed. Two kinds of Shellos, pink and blue, have been confirmed." the Pokédex chirped.

"Blue is the color for me! Let's catch one!" Misty broke free of Ash's embrace and was about to send Vaporeon into battle, when she noticed something out of the ordinary, "Why do those Shellos look so worried?"

Then over the sound of the rapids, the teens heard desperate squeals for help, "Down there! Look!" Brock pointed at a rock in the river and there were two Shellos, one pink and one blue being crushed by the current. "They'll get washed away!"

"No they _won't!_ Vaporeon, go for it!" Vaporeon followed orders and skimmed across the raging water towards the two distressed Shellos.

"Piplup, no!" Dawn cried out just as Piplup leaped out of her arms and began swimming towards the Shellos to help out Vaporeon in the rescue mission.

"Vaporeon, hurry!" Misty shouted. Unfortunately the Bubble-Jet Pokémon couldn't get there in time to save the blue Shellos as it started getting swept away, "Go after it Vaporeon!"

"Piplup, don't let that pink Shellos get swept away too!" Piplup managed to get to the pink Shellos just before it got swept away by the current, holding tightly onto the rock Shellos was previously being smashed against. "Hang on Piplup, we're coming!"

"Misty, we got this, go after Vaporeon!" Brock exclaimed as he started yanking on a nearby tree branch to bend it down.

As Ash and Dawn assisted Brock with that task, Misty sprinted along the river to try and catch up to her own Pokémon. "There they are!" she shouted to herself. As she started passing up Vaporeon and the flailing Shellos, her eyes widened in horror, "Oh _no!" _The sight of the rushing water taking a sudden downwards direction caused Misty's stomach to drop. "A waterfall! Vaporeon, a waterfall! You gotta get to Shellos _now!" _Vaporeon nodded determinedly and poured on the speed, finally managing to grab a hold of Shellos's head with her mouth. Unfortunately, the extra weight caused Vaporeon to no longer be able to maintain her control over the current.

"Vayyy!" (Heeelp!)

"If I don't do something now they're gonna go over!" Misty looked around desperately, when her eyes caught a slim branch hanging over where the waterfall began. "Of course. Like something out of an action movie." she grumbled to herself. Misty pumped her legs harder and managed to get some significant distance, but as she started to climb the tree that distance rapidly began to close. The redhead hung upside-down by her legs with her arms outstretched, "Grab on Vaporeon! Use your tail!" Just as Vaporeon passed by, Misty grabbed her Pokémon's tail and tried to reel her and Shellos in. Unfortunately she couldn't muster the necessary strength to get them out of the current. "It's too strong!" Suddenly Misty heard a crack, and the redhead's heart stopped as she saw the branch she was hanging on start to give. "Don't..._please _don't break!" It broke. With one loud snap the branch dropped into the water taking Misty with it, and the three went over the waterfall screaming at the top of their lungs. _"This is it!" _However instead of a painful splash, the next thing Misty knew, her trajectory had been abruptly changed by something as she made impact with it. _"Am I dead?" _She nervously and slowly opened her eyes, and what she saw made her heart soar.

"Need a lift?"

"Ash!" she squeezed him tightly in her gratitude. The two humans plus the Pokémon were now safely riding on Charizard's back, and the dragon soared back up above the falls and onto the dry land. "You saved me again...you really are my guardian angel aren't you?"

"Nah." Ash scratched the back of his neck, "Honestly, I was terrified when I saw you go over, it was like all of a sudden everything was in slow motion. I tossed Charizard's Pokéball over the waterfall and then I jumped down after you...next thing I know I'm on Charizard's back and seconds later we catch _you."_

Finally feeling her heart rate dropping to normal, Misty dropped to the ground and breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Well...I said I wanted to do something...and at the same time..."

"Yeah, didn't wanna tempt fate...looks like you didn't have to." Ash chuckled wearily.

"Ash! Misty!" the two looked to see Brock and Dawn heading towards them with the pink Shellos following close behind. "Are you guys ok?!" the breeder asked.

"We're alive, so I guess we are." Misty got up from the ground and held the blue Shellos in her arms, "How 'bout you, are _you _ok little guy?"

"Shell shellos." (I guess so.)

"Thank goodness!" the teens turned to see Nurse Joy running towards them with a first-aid bag on her shoulder, "You all saved those Shellos, right?" the nurse asked.

"Right!" they replied.

Brock however did not answer that way, as his eyes turned into hearts and he did nothing short of squeal at Nurse Joy's presence. The breeder got down on one knee and tenderly took Joy's hand into his own, "Who would've thought I would see the beautiful Nurse Joy out here?" he said huskily, much to the annoyance of the younger teens. "Look into my eyes...I am overwhelmed with tears of joy as wet as the marshlands of this humid area!"

"And you're all wet Brock!" Misty decided to take this one as she grabbed his ear and dragged him away from the stunned Nurse, dropping the blue Shellos to the ground in the process. Shellos of course landed quite easily and slithered over to its pink counterpart.

Once Nurse Joy recovered, she knelt down in front of the two Shellos, "Well now, this is strange."

"Strange, whaddya mean?" Ash asked.

"You see, pink and blue Shellos live on _opposite _sides of Mt. Coronet, so you never see them together...but since we're on the eastern side of the mountain, there should only be _blue _Shellos here...an unusual situation to be sure." the nurse explained.

By this time, Misty and Brock had returned. "So how come Shellos are different colors on either side of the mountain?" the water trainer asked.

"Well you see, long ago the Shellos got separated around the same time Mt. Coronet was beginning to form; it's said they evolved to their current shape and color to adapt to their new environment...but lately there've been a lot of _pink _Shellos that have gotten lost on _this _side of the mountain." Nurse Joy explained.

"Got lost?" Dawn wondered aloud.

"Do you have any idea _why?" _Brock asked.

"Oh, if I only knew." Nurse Joy sighed, stroking the back of the pink Shellos. "So for now, let's just take these two back to the Pokémon Center so I can check them out." The teenagers agreed, and they followed Nurse Joy to her Pokémon Center where she was able to examine the two Shellos for injuries. Moments later, they emerged from the treatment room. "I'm happy to say that neither of these Shellos were hurt one bit."

"We're glad you're both ok!" Dawn said.

"Shell shellos!" (Thanks!) they replied with a smile.

"If it's alright with _you_ Nurse Joy, we'd like to take the pink Shellos back to its buddies on the west side of the mountain." Misty said.

"That'd be wonderful! I'm sure you'll find them easily, just head to the marshlands there and you'll have no trouble!" Nurse Joy replied.

"Shellos shellos!" (I wanna help!) the blue Shellos suddenly shouted out.

"You wanna come along Shellos?" Misty asked.

"Shell!" (Right!) it nodded.

"Well ok then! Let's get a move on!" Ash exclaimed.

"Well well...another lost Shellos I see." the teens turned around after hearing the somewhat familiar voice.

"Whoa, Mr. Looker." Ash said in shock.

"Hello, nice to see you again." Looker replied.

"Oh my, do you know each other?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Sure do!" the teens replied in unison.

"Yes well," Looker said quickly, "I'm in a hurry, so I'll see you later!" With that, Looker rushed off into the Pokémon Center.

"Huh, wonder what he's in such a hurry for." Dawn said.

"Who knows?" Brock replied, "So why don't we get on our way too?" The younger trainers nodded in agreement, and they began their trek up Mt. Coronet to return the pink Shellos to its home.

As they went up the mountain, Piplup marched on ahead with the pink Shellos happily perched on his head, "Piplup sure is in a good mood." Dawn noted.

"I think he and that pink Shellos have really hit it off." Ash replied.

"Shellos shellos." (Fast friends.) the blue Shellos said from his position next to the redheaded trainer.

They kept climbing, but after a few moments they noticed something somewhat out of the ordinary. "All of these holes in the mountain," Brock said, "I wonder if they're all caves."

"If they are, there sure are a lot of 'em." Ash replied.

Hearing Piplup's curious chirping from up ahead got the teens' attention. The penguin and the Shellos on his head were both peering into a hole in the mountain, a little too closely for Dawn's tastes. "Careful Piplup, it could be dangerous!" Piplup simply waved it off as nothing, and leaned forward so he could get a better look. But as a result of doing so, the tiny water-type perched on his head slid off and started falling down the hole. Piplup did manage to catch it, but all that did was ensure that he went down the hole with it. The teens gasped and ran to where they fell, "Piplup!" Suddenly however the ground gave way, and the teenagers found themselves falling down a deep pit.

They landed with a painful thud, groaning as they tried to sit up after the impact. "Is everyone alright?" Ash strained.

"I think so." Dawn shook her head a little to try and regain her bearings.

"Got the wind knocked outta me." Misty struggled for a breath, "Gimme a couple minutes, I'll be alright." she laid back down and tried to focus on getting her breathing back to normal.

"So for the most part we're ok." Brock said, "So now we have to focus on getting ourselves out of here."

The teens looked up, and they were reminded just how far they had fallen, "I don't think we'll be _climbing _out of here." Dawn sighed.

"How 'bout Charizard? Think he could get us outta here?" Ash held up his Pokéball in preparation.

"I don't think that'll work," Brock shook his head, "That hole looks too small for Charizard to get through...we'll have to think of something else."

By this time, Misty had managed to start breathing regularly again. "Shell shellos?" (You ok?) the blue Shellos asked in concern.

"Aww, you're worried about me?" Misty cooed, "It's ok Shellos, I'm just fine." Misty took Ash's offered hand and got back to her feet, stretching out a little to work out some leftover soreness.

"Looks like you and that blue Shellos hit it off about as well as Piplup and the pink Shellos." Dawn giggled.

Misty smiled, "Yeah, guess so." the smile quickly vanished as the gravity of the situation came rushing back to her. "So since straight up isn't an option," Misty turned her attention to the dark cave to their right. "The only way we can go is _that way." _

"But it's pitch-black in there! If we can't see where we're going there's a good chance we might fall down _another _hole!" Dawn exclaimed in worry.

"Have no fear, Brock is here!" Brock opened his backpack and pulled out a flashlight, "It always pays to be prepared!" Brock turned on the flashlight and it came to life, but it soon flickered out much to the confusion of the spiky-haired man. "Hey, what gives?" Brock whacked the flashlight a few times to try and get it to turn back on, but it was no use. "Dead batteries? Great." Brock grumbled and tossed the flashlight back into his backpack. "Anybody got a Plan B?"

"I might have one..." Ash reached for a Pokéball and tossed it, and Rotom emerged with a cheesy grin.

"What are you gonna do with Rotom?" Dawn asked.

Ash went into Brock's backpack and pulled the flashlight back out, "Hey Rotom, think you could jump into this flashlight and make it work again?" Rotom nodded excitedly and zipped into the flashlight, which made it change shape slightly. Once the transformation was complete, Rotom's face could be seen on the front of the lens. "Way to go Rotom! You - ow!" Ash dropped the flashlight like a brick, and moments later Haunter appeared out of his Pokéball and began to laugh along with Rotom.

"What happened Ash?" Dawn asked.

"Rotom zapped me!" Ash flexed his slightly tingling hand.

"Oh, the old gag flashlight prank. Classic." Brock couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"And _you_ came out because you saw this coming huh?" Ash grumbled at the ghost/poison-type.

"Haunter haunt haunt?" (What can I say?) the ghost shrugged innocently.

"Come on, we're wasting time!" Misty picked up the Rotom-flashlight and stared into its face, "You behave yourself, for all we know we could be in danger down here!" Rotom grimaced and chittered out an acknowledgement. "That's better." With that said and done, the redhead led the other three teenagers through the cave.

But as they kept going however, they noticed it was getting harder and harder to move forward, "Boy, we're sure talking steep aren't we?" Dawn panted.

"Piplup!" (Guys!)

"What is it Piplup?" Dawn asked.

"Pip piplup pip!" (Check these out!)

"Shellos shell!" (Footprints!) the pink Shellos added.

The group walked up to the two water-types and shined the light towards the ground. "Footprints...down here?" the breeder scratched his chin in thought. "Misty, point Rotom this way." Brock gestured towards another hole in the mountain. Misty complied and illuminated the tunnel to their right. "Look at this side tunnel, it doesn't look like it was formed naturally." Brock pointed out.

"And look," Misty aimed closer to the ground, "More footprints leading into it...that means we're not alone down here...the only question is...are they friend or foe?"

Curious of the situation, the pink Shellos decided to just crawl on into the tunnel on its own, "Wait Shellos, where are you going?" Dawn asked.

Shellos looked back but didn't stop, "Shellos shellos!" (Follow me!)

"You think there's something down there that Shellos knows about?" Ash wondered.

"Could be...but even if there isn't, we can't let Shellos wander around all by itself." Brock replied.

"Right." the younger teens nodded and followed Shellos into the tunnel.

As they kept going though, a feeling of anxiety started to wash over the young adventurers, "Why do I have this queasy feeling in my stomach?" Misty gulped.

"You feel it too?" Ash replied.

"Piplup, stop wandering off without us!" Dawn scolded as her penguin waddled on ahead to try and catch up with the pink Shellos. Piplup paid her no mind however and turned left to follow his new Pokémon friend.

"Another tunnel!" Brock exclaimed, "Now I'm _positive _someone dug the tunnels inside these caves."

"Yeah...but why?" Dawn scratched her head.

"Guys," Ash turned to face his friends, "I dunno what's going on here, but I think our best chance of finding our way out of here is to find whoever made these tunnels and ask them for directions."

"But what if the people who made them aren't exactly friendly?" Misty asked.

Ash shrugged helplessly, "That's a chance we're gonna have to take." Ash turned to Haunter, "Haunter, be ready to fight in case we run into trouble." Haunter nodded and saluted the trainer with a grin. "You too Rotom, as of right now we're on high-alert!" Rotom jiggled a little in Misty's hand, which Ash took as an affirmative. "Alright, let's go!"

The teens started running down the tunnel, following the fast moving pink Shellos ahead of them. "Hey look!" Dawn exclaimed, "A light at the end of the tunnel! I'll bet you that's an exit!"

They hurried towards the light, but when they finally reached the end of the tunnel, they were stunned by what they saw. "Team Galactic!"

Saturn and another much older man were standing in the middle of the room while other generic grunts went around doing various jobs with strange equipment. Needless to say, Saturn was extremely unhappy with the trainers' presence. "Of all the people to wander in here off the street, it _would _be _you _troublemakers." Moments later, the teens were surrounded by Team Galactic grunts. "Take them into custody."

"Pikachu, Counter Shield time!" Pikachu immediately leaped off of Ash's shoulder and started up a carousel of electricity, shocking the grunts around the teens and giving them some breathing room, "Haunter, Rotom, it's battling time!" Haunter flanked Pikachu just as Rotom popped out of the flashlight and took the other flank next to Pikachu.

"Your efforts will only earn you greater suffering." Saturn snarled, "Give up now."

"Make us!" Ash snarled back.

The grunts moved in to attack, when the old man next to Saturn suddenly shouted out. "Stop!" the old man walked over to the teenagers, staring directly at the Plasma Pokémon hovering next to Pikachu.

"Charon, what is the meaning of this?" Saturn demanded.

Charon didn't respond, instead he just kept staring at Rotom. "Can it be?"

"Dude, quit staring at my Rotom!" Ash growled.

Charon again didn't acknowledge what had been said to him, instead the old man's face brightened dramatically, his former scowl now upturned into a joyful smile, "Rotom! My old friend, is it really you?!" Rotom tilted to one side in confusion. "Oh of course, surely you don't recognize the old man I've become. But I have a feeling you'll recognize _this!" _Charon reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a very old, rusty, metallic toy robot. "Do you remember now?" Rotom stared in awe, and after a moment began zipping around the man's head in ecstasy before landing inside the toy robot, causing it to transform.

"Rotom, wha?" Ash gawked.

Charon suddenly seemed to be the exact opposite of the stoic business-like man he was moments ago, as he chortled and hugged the toy robot like a little child. "It's good to see you my old friend, how I've missed our time together."

At this point, Ash couldn't take it anymore, "Alright, what'd you do to my Rotom?!" he roared.

At this Charon scowled at Ash, just as Rotom emerged from the robot to look at his current trainer, "I did nothing, Rotom and I are simply old friends from several years ago. Who do you think discovered and came up with its name?" Charon chuckled with pride.

"That was _you?" _Brock asked.

"Yes of course, we met when I found my old toy robot having misplaced it one day, Rotom appeared to me from my lawn mower, and moments later we became friends. I named him Rotom because it came from the motor of my lawn mower, surely you can see the link between the two names."

"Surely." Misty grumbled.

"In any case, I do thank you for returning my old friend to me, but now my use for you has come to an end. Seize them!" Charon shouted, "Come Rotom."

The grunts grabbed the teenagers and their Pokémon, all except for Haunter who couldn't be grabbed due to his gaseous form. "Rotom, no!" Ash cried, reaching out towards the Plasma Pokémon.

For a moment Rotom looked back, a worried frown on his face. Charon noticed this and grinned maliciously, "Do not concern yourself with those children my old friend, now that we're together once more we'll create a brand new world where nothing will ever separate us again." Rotom hesitated and actually locked eyes with Haunter who was looking at him in despair, but he eventually turned away and followed Charon.

Angry tears now threatening to pour down his face, Ash barked out an order. "Stop them Haunter!" Haunter was feeling the same betrayal that Ash was, and flew at Rotom to unleash a vicious 'Shadow Punch' on his former friend. Just before Haunter could reach Rotom however, he was sent careening towards the wall by a 'Dark Pulse' attack. "Haunter no!"

"Well, now that _that's _settled, restrain the children and place that troublesome ghost in a secure holding container." Saturn ordered, his Toxicroak flanking him.

"Sir!" the grunts saluted.

As Ash and the others got tied up, the tears started flowing for the betrayed trainer, "Rotom, why?!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Come back Rotom! We're your friends too! Don't go with Team Galactic! ROTOM!"

"Silence!" At Saturn's shout, a grunt came and gagged the sobbing Pokémon Trainer, and now that he was bound by both his wrists and ankles, Ash was pushed to the ground along with his friends, but despite that the enraged trainer tried to get back up. "Nuisance." Saturn scoffed. Ash was then karate chopped on his neck, and moments later Ash fell limp, his eyes closed and his consciousness gone.

"Ash?!" Misty cried. "Ash, please wake up! Ash? ASH!"  
_

**A/N: There you have it. Another game element being infused into the story. Charon and Rotom were friends in the game if you remember. What happens next? Stay tuned.**


	63. A Trainer's Turmoil

**Welp, here it is. The second part of this shocking chapter, meant as an early Christmas present to my readers. Wanna know what happens with Rotom? Just read on.  
**_

Chapter 63

**Misty's POV**

Our small respite has come to an end...we've just run into Team Galactic in the middle of Mt. Coronet while on our way to return a Shellos to its side of the mountain. I said I didn't wanna tempt fate, but it didn't need much tempting. Not all of the day was bad though, I managed to have an incredible heart-to-heart with Daisy...and now I'm officially a Sensational Sister! Look, I know I've always said that I don't care what my sisters had to say about me, but no matter how tough a person is, approval from family is always desirable. This trip to Sinnoh has been life-changing in more ways than one, now not only do I have the sweetest boyfriend in the whole world, but I've finally obtained the love and respect that I was denied for so long from my sisters...and I couldn't be happier about it, I have a family again!

Well, I have a family _by blood _again. Ash, Brock, and to a slightly lesser extent Dawn, they've become honorary family members to me, and vice versa. I'll forever be grateful to them for that. But where was I? Oh yeah, Team Galactic. We found them...Rotom betrayed us...and Ash is...Ash is unconscious! Ash, wake up!

**Normal POV**

"Ash, Ash! Please wake up Ash!" Misty continued to cry out. Unfortunately, Ash remained motionless. "Brock!"

"I know, I know!" Trying his very best to shift over towards Ash, Brock leaned down to try and get in front of the trainer's mouth, "He's breathing, he's alive Misty." he said in relief, but then he frowned deeply as a thought occurred to him. "Maybe it's best that he's out right now."

Misty looked horrified, "Maybe that's _best?!" _she snarled, "He is _unconscious!_ He got knocked out!"

"Which means that Ash has a little relief from the betrayal he was feeling a few minutes ago." Brock sighed.

Now the redhead understood Brock's point. Looking down at Ash with a sorrowful expression on her face, she wished her hands were free just so she could caress the boy. She then looked back up at her older brother figure in sad bewilderment. "Why Brock? Why would Rotom just up and leave us like that?"

"Maybe that old guy was telling the truth." Dawn spoke up, her tone also revealing her sympathy for her unconscious mentor, "Maybe he and Rotom really _are _old friends."

"Even if you're right, that's _still _no excuse for ditching _new _friends. Ash took him in! Rotom made friends with Haunter!" Misty huffed, turning away from the coordinator, "I take it back, Rotom was _never _our friend."

"I'm...not willing to accuse Rotom of that just yet." Dawn said, almost ashamed to admit it, "Maybe Rotom just has some questions for him, or maybe he's trying to find a way to help us by pretending to switch sides!"

"Those are good points Dawn," Brock said, "But I think we have _bigger _problems to worry about first."

Just then, Ash began to stir, his eyes fluttering slightly as he tried to regain his senses. "Mmmph mmm?" his eyes quickly shot open and he sat up straight as the memories of what had just happened to him came rushing back. "MMM MMM HMMM!"

"Ash, you're gagged, don't try to talk!" Misty exclaimed in worry. Ash growled and slumped, his expression nothing short of furious. "Listen, we've gotta find a way outta this mess!"

"But how? We're completely tied up!" Dawn said, "Maybe Croagunk..."

"Could we at least _try _to come up with a better plan before we go straight to the barbaric approach?" Brock practically begged, not wanting to be on the receiving end of yet another 'Poison Jab'.

"There is _one _thing I can think of." Misty said thoughtfully. "Ash...do you think you could get Riolu to come out of his Pokéball using your aura?" Ash nodded and closed his eyes, trying to concentrate. Moments later...nothing happened. He opened his eyes in rage and growled unintelligible curses through his gag. "Ash, Ash! Calm down!" Ash did, and he just seemed to go limp as his anger ran dry, replaced by sorrow. "It's ok Ash, Brock's just gonna have to man up and take one for the team."

Ash shook his head, _"That's not why I'm sad. I wish I had a connection with _you _the way I do with Riolu...but even _that_ isn't strong enough. I can feel that Riolu knows something's not right, but I couldn't get the message that we're in danger through the Pokéball...I'm not strong enough...is that why Rotom left with that Team Galactic guy? Because he's stronger than I am?"_

"Ashy, listen to me." the redhead said softly, scooting over to try and comfort him as best as she could considering she was tied up, "I know you're upset about Rotom,"

Ash's eyes widened and he looked at her in shock, _"Wait, did you actually _hear _that?!"_

"I dunno why Rotom left with that Team Galactic goon, but I _do _know that it's Rotom's loss! He betrayed you and now he'll pay for that!" Misty's voice then softened as she leaned against him, "Just know this, _I'll _always be there for you, no matter what."

"That goes for me too Ash." Brock added.

"And me!" Dawn chirped.

"Pika pika chu!" (Don't forget me!)

_"You guys are awesome..."_ the trainer could feel his eyes starting to get a little damp, when suddenly a light flashed from Ash's belt. _"Riolu?!" _Ash quickly tried to get a message through, _"Riolu, hide quick!" _Unfortunately the Emanation Pokémon didn't understand Ash's command, and simply walked up to his master and hugged him. _"What's going on? Why am I having so much trouble using my aura lately?!"_

"Sir! One of the children's Pokémon is loose!" a grunt shouted out.

"Seize it!" Saturn ordered.

"Run Riolu!" the three non-gagged humans shouted.

Riolu was fully able to understand that, and the frightened baby Pokémon took off like a shot to avoid the incoming grunts. "Rotom, go after it!" Charon exclaimed. Rotom frowned in confliction, at this point he didn't know what to do. "Well what are you waiting for? Stop that Riolu!" Charon's demands at last got to the electric/ghost-type, and he zoomed off after the fleeing Emanation Pokémon.

"No Rotom, don't do this! We're your friends remember?!" Dawn cried. Rotom just ignored the coordinator, and popped up in front of the now startled fighting-type. "Riolu, watch out!"

"Attack it Rotom!" Charon ordered. The conflicted frown once again appeared on Rotom's face, he simply did not want to continue to hurt his friends...but on the other hand...Charon was his first real friend, and he had questions he felt needed to be answered. Thinking fast, Rotom used 'Double Team' to confuse Riolu rather than attack him, and he allowed the Team Galactic grunts to take care of it instead. "Good work Rotom!" Charon then turned his attention to the teenagers. "Make sure those children are kept secure! I must be allowed to concentrate!"

The grunt who grabbed Riolu took some rope and tied the Pokémon up, "Now you behave yourself or you'll be sorry you didn't!" The grunt then went to work on the humans. "The same goes for you four! Gotta make sure these ropes are tight!"

"You just wait until we get out of this...I'll...!" Misty was quickly quieted by the grunt's hand over her mouth.

"Silence!" at the grunt's insolence, Misty made an attempt to bite the man, but before she could the grunt leaned in close, "Just calm down!" he whispered, "Don't say anything and just listen! Team Galactic is looking for the legendary ruin here inside Mt. Coronet, and _I'm _here to find out what they want with it." the whole time the man was discretely loosening the teens' binds, "Don't worry, I'm gonna get you all outta here so stay cool until the opportunity arises!" the man then stood up and shouted, "Excellent! You're not going _anywhere!"_

"Who are you?" Saturn asked in suspicion.

"Sir!" the grunt went and stood at attention in front of Saturn and Charon, "I've been sent by headquarters to assist with the expedition sir!"

"They shouldn't have done that," Charon said, "We already have more than enough manpower to handle this."

"I arrived in a hurry sir, so I only know this concerns ruins. Please sir, bring me up to speed if you would." the grunt requested.

"Dear me, what a bother." Charon sighed in annoyance, "Very well...our mission is to find the gateway to Spear Pillar, which is located somewhere here on Mt. Coronet...the tricky part of course is to find out exactly _where." _

"Gateway?" Misty whispered.

"It must be something else that involves Dialga and Palkia somehow." Brock whispered back.

"Of course when we _do _finally find the gateway..." Charon looked over his shoulder towards a grunt holding a briefcase. "Show him."

"Sir!" the grunt opened the briefcase and revealed its contents.

"We will then employ this key with which to open it." Charon chortled.

When the teens saw what the key actually was, they gasped in horror, _"That's _a key?!" Dawn squeaked.

"That's the thing Team Galactic was using on Iron Island that made the steel-types there go berserk!" Misty added.

"So _that's _why they dug out all those tunnels back there, they're looking for the ruins!" Brock said, "And it also explains how the pink Shellos wound up on the east side of Mt. Coronet, it got lost in here thanks to Team Galactic messing with the regular layout of the mountain."

"Take note of this Charon, remember our leader has entrusted that key to us." Saturn said warningly, "So be _extra _careful."

Charon just scoffed at Saturn's intense stare, _"Your _leader Saturn." the old man said, "I couldn't care less about Dialga and Palkia, and I could care even less than that about your so-called new world, which by the way I _still_ feel is a waste of time. Remember when you employed me to help you find Spear Pillar, you did so with the promise that your organization would find a way to make me relevant in the scientific community once more..." Charon took a glance at Rotom, "Discovering Rotom was my biggest success ever, and I would have been perfectly content to simply be able to interact and learn more about it for as long as I could."

"Spare me your diatribe Charon," Saturn said in annoyance, "I'm all too aware of your pathetic life story, the only reason we chose you specifically is because your disappearance would not garner any attention from the rest of the world. Rest assured that your place in our world as a top scientist is guaranteed, as we promised."

Charon growled at Saturn's indifference. "I don't consider the way those foolhardy former colleagues of mine wanted to study Rotom as pathetic, Rotom is not simply an electrical current that can be plugged into, it is a living being that deserves every right that any other Pokémon is entitled to, and it is most _certainly _not a toy to be played with by reckless children." he glared at Ash when he said that, and the trainer glared right back at him.

"Your agenda against Pokémon Trainers is not our concern Charon," Saturn said dangerously, "Remember that your status as a Commander is merely complimentary due to your importance in our plans, and I _am _in fact your superior, and I could very well _order _you to remove your precious Rotom from the premises. Ever since its arrival you've been far too easily distracted and it's making us fall behind schedule."

"I'm aware of your authority _Commander _Saturn." Charon spat, "But your superiority over me is in rank only." Charon exhaled and turned back to the grunt who had been patiently waiting for the two bickering commanders to stop. "Well? Now you're up to speed, get to work! That's what you were sent here to do, right?"

"Oh yes sir." suddenly the grunt leaped back and got into a battle stance.

"What's this?!" Charon gasped.

With a snap of the grunt's fingers, the bonds holding the teens mysteriously fell off, including the gag that had been keeping Ash from talking. Then he ripped off his uniform, and revealed his true identity. "End of the line Team Galactic!"

"Mr. Looker?!" Ash exclaimed in shock.

"Alright, who are you?!" Saturn demanded.

Looker took a step forward, "I'm a member of the international police! The name's Looker!"

"I knew something was out of the ordinary," Saturn growled, "I recently received a report about some meddling outside agent spying on our work...and that would be _you."_

"We're _always _keeping an eye on everything you do!" Looker intensely glared at the ranking Team Galactic officer.

Unfortunately, all of this drama was too much for the young pink Shellos to take, as it began to crawl away in an attempt to escape, sobbing as it went. "Shellos, wait!" Dawn called.

"You four, protect Shellos!" Looker exclaimed, "I'll handle Team Galactic."

"Right!" the teens ran after the little pink Shellos, leaving Looker to take care of the rest of the goons.

"Put away the key and capture that man!" Saturn ordered. With a roar, the majority of the Galactic grunts charged to attack the police officer, but Looker quickly juked them all and managed to gain some distance.

"Drat! Hurry up and catch him!" Charon shouted.

"Hello!" a new voice said, earning the attention of the two commanders. "Quick Seviper, use 'Haze'!" a large serpent appeared from the thrown Pokéball, and the commanders were immediately enveloped by a thick black cloud.

"What's going on?!" Charon coughed through the smoke. Once the smoke cleared, Charon shouted in horror, "The key is gone!"

Cackling was then heard on top of a ledge in the cave, "The key to the whatchamacallit is now putty in our hands!"

By now the teens had caught Shellos, and were watching in disbelief at what was happening. "Team Rocket _again?" _Dawn asked.

"They always _do _manage to get in the middle of messes they have no stake in." Misty replied.

"I've had enough of this nonsense!" Charon roared, "Who are you?!"

Jessie: "When it comes to _this _team, too much is _never _enough!"

James: "Since we're so strong and tough!"

Jessie: "On the wind!"

James: "Past the stars!"

Meowth: "Ready and wi -..."

"SILENCE!" Charon voice echoed throughout the cave, effectively cutting off Team Rocket's motto, "Give us that key at once!"

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to interrupt?!" Jessie hissed.

"Someone needs ta teach you manners Jack!" Meowth added.

The trio then cackled victoriously, "After all, with the key in _our _care there's no need to share!" James chortled.

"Alright, enough of this foolishness." Saturn scoffed, "Surround them!" At Saturn's order, ten Golbat flew up to the Team Rocket trio and removed every possible escape route for them. "Now stop that man!" With another battle-cry, the grunts again advanced on Looker, hoping to use their metal rods to subdue him. Unfortunately the man was apparently trained in several forms of martial arts, as he was easily able to block the downwards strike of the rod and then spun around to smash the grunt's face with his elbow, knocking him out. "He's just one man! Take him!" more grunts came rushing in an attempt to gang up on him, and after dodging a couple of strikes, Looker did a backwards flip that left him kneeling safely on a ledge.

"Look at him go!" Dawn exclaimed in awe.

"Yeah, he's pretty impressive, but we've gotta help him out!" Ash said determinedly.

"Well, here we go again." Misty sighed.

Ash surged ahead with Pikachu, Riolu, and Haunter at his sides, and once he got what he deemed to be close enough, he began his assault, "Let's do this! Ok Pikachu, use 'Thunderbolt', and Haunter, you use 'Shadow Ball'!" The two Pokémon obeyed their orders and fired, and once the attacks hit several grunts fell to the ground, _"Ok Riolu, now you use 'Quick Attack'!" _Riolu stood still, awaiting his orders...which Ash had already tried to give through his aura. _"What is going on here? Is something wrong with my aura?"_

"Ash look out!"

Misty's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, as he saw a grunt ready to strike with a metal rod. "Whaa! Riolu, 'Counter'!" Riolu leaped in front of Ash without hesitation, and the orange outline around the Emanation Pokémon's body kept the grunt from attacking and knocked him backwards. "Nice job buddy!" At that moment however, Ash spotted Haunter floating in the air, almost totally unmoving. When he looked in the direction that Haunter was, he realized that the Gas Pokémon had locked eyes with Rotom, who was staring back at him with a frown on his face. "Rotom..."

"How often will I have to put up with these petty problems?" Saturn huffed in annoyance, "Toxicroak, take care of the children!"

"Rotom, help Toxicroak, we mustn't fail our mission!" Charon added. Toxicroak hopped forward without question, Rotom however hesitated a moment before lethargically hovering over to the teenagers. Once in front of Ash, Rotom frowned deeply, hoping to explain the inner conflict he was feeling. "Rotom, attack them!" Rotom looked back at Charon, then back at Ash, but he wouldn't get a chance to do anything as Haunter came out of nowhere and unleashed a vicious 'Shadow Punch' that sent the Plasma Pokémon flying.

"Haunter?" Ash watched as Haunter went after Rotom with an anger he had never had before. "I guess I won't have to worry about Rotom then." Ash shook his head to try and get back in the game, "Alright...Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!"

While the teens fought with Toxicroak and the swarming Golbat, now high up near the roof of the cave, Rotom was busy trying desperately to avoid Haunter's attacks. "Haunter please! Let me explain!"

"Explain _what?!" _the Gas Pokémon spat, "You flat out betrayed us! Betrayed _me! _Your so-called best friend!" Haunter launched another 'Shadow Ball', which Rotom managed to negate with a 'Shock Wave'. "All that fun we had back at the lab, the cream pies, scaring Prof. Oak and Tracey, you spat on all of it!"

"No I didn't!" Rotom scowled and used 'Double Team', surrounding Haunter on all sides, "Listen to me! I didn't betray you guys!"

"Fine Rotom! Then explain what you're doing with them instead of us!"

"I have to know what happened!" Rotom's whole form seemed to slump as he looked down in sadness. "I have to know what happened. What happened to Charon? He was my best friend for years! Then all of a sudden one day he was just _gone!" _

"So he abandoned you, is that it?" Haunter fists now looked as if he was crossing his arms, if he had them that is.

"No!" Rotom thought a moment, "Yes...I dunno! That's why I have to find out! The day before he left was one of the best days we ever spent together! It just doesn't make any sense!"

"How do I know this isn't some trick? After all, once a prankster always a prankster. I would know, it takes one to know one after all."

Rotom floated up to Haunter and stared him in the eyes, "I am _not _joking, this isn't some prank. I've _got _to know the truth...I don't wanna hurt any of you, I've been trying this whole time to find ways to work around what Charon tells me to do so I don't hurt anyone!"

"So when you used 'Double Team' to catch Riolu..."

"It was so I wouldn't have to use 'Shock Wave' or 'Ominous Wind' to knock him out."

The two stared each other down for a few moments before looking back down at the battle below. Ash and Co. were losing due to the sheer numbers against them. "Alright Rotom...I'm gonna give you one chance to prove yourself...find a way to help us, I don't care how, but find a way to help us."

"Deal." With that, Haunter flew back down to rejoin the battle, leaving Rotom with his thoughts. "Now I just have to find a way to help without raising suspicion." Rotom looked around and spotted two grunts with a radar; they were noticeably distracted by the battle taking place. "That's it!" Rotom zipped back down and jumped into the radar, silently praying that the grunts wouldn't notice the transformation. _"I hope this works!"_ Rotom then activated the radar's alert function, getting the attention of the two grunts who had been scanning the walls.

"Charon sir! We have a signal!" one of the grunts shouted.

"What?! Let me see!" Charon and Saturn hurried over to the grunts, and the scientist quickly used his computer to try and verify the signal, "Well that's strange, my readings don't correspond with the signal the radar is giving us...the nearest I can tell there's nothing there but another cave...we should get the radar checked out, you two continue scanning with our backup radars."

"Belay that order."

The grunts stopped in their tracks, now confused as to who to follow. "Saturn sir?"

"What is the meaning of this Saturn? I told you there's nothing back there!" Charon said.

"This is the first signal we've had for hours, I'm convinced that if the gateway to Spear Pillar is anywhere around here, it's right here." Saturn replied coolly.

Charon sighed in defeat, "Knowledge is wasted on the young." he mumbled to himself. "Very well _Commander _Saturn, if you feel the need to prove me right, by all means do so."

Saturn smirked victoriously, "Toxicroak, to my side!" Upon hearing Saturn's order, Toxicroak leaped over the incoming Pikachu and Croagunk and landed right in front of its master, "Use 'Rock Smash' and destroy the wall!" Toxicroak faced the wall, and its knuckle claws glowed white with power as it began punching away at the wall.

"We gotta stop 'em!" Ash shouted, "Pikachu, 'Thunderbolt'!" Pikachu fired a bolt of electricity, but several Golbat flew in front and cut the attack off with a combined 'Protect'. "It's no good! We need more firepower!" At that moment, the blue Shellos joined in with an attack of its own, and the attack blinded the swarm of Golbat.

"Whoa, that was 'Mud-Slap'!" Brock exclaimed.

"Wow Shellos! That's pretty impressive!" Misty complimented, "Try and keep it up!"

Now with Shellos and Pikachu both launching attacks, the Golbat were unable to continue protecting Toxicroak as the frog got blinded by mud in its eye from Shellos's 'Mud-Slap'. "How hard can it possibly be to subdue four children and one police officer?!" Saturn snarled, "Just one more Toxicroak!" Despite being blinded, Toxicroak managed to use a wild 'Rock Smash' to punch the wall once more, and that was all it took to destroy what was left of it. Before the dust even had a chance to settle, Saturn turned his attention to the still surrounded Team Rocket, "I'll be taking that key back from you now."

"Dream on dweeb!" the trio unfortunately didn't have a choice in the matter as the Golbat all began biting and scratching them until they released the briefcase, at which time the Golbat immediately took it back and dropped in front of Saturn.

"That's _our _treasure!" Jessie screeched.

"Stealing what's been stolen is bad luck!" James added.

By now Toxicroak had rubbed the mud out of its eyes, "Hmmph. Now Toxicroak, use 'Dark Pulse'." Saturn ordered coolly. Toxicroak leaped up and fired, and the attack instantly sent Team Rocket blasting off, right through the mountain itself. "Excellent. Now for the gateway."

"Ahem." Charon cleared his throat somewhat dramatically, "If you'll look inside _Commander _Saturn, you'll find that I was indeed correct when I said there would be nothing there."

"What?!" The Team Galactic commander looked inside, and sure enough the only thing behind the cave wall was even more cave. "This is impossible."

"Not at all, I warned you that there might have been some sort of malfunction with the radar, you merely decided to ignore my counsel and do it your way." Charon said.

Saturn growled and clenched his fists. "Very well." he said lowly, "Pull out!" Immediately the grunts began putting away all the equipment, and in seconds they were ready to retreat.

"Saturn, what are you doing?" Charon asked.

"We've wasted enough time and gotten enough attention from the authorities already, it's time we took our leave." Saturn replied. At that moment, all the grunts who were not busy keeping Looker and the other trainers at bay came and stood at attention in front of their commander. "Move out!" the grunts quickly cleared out, including the ones guarding Looker, so to replace them several Golbat began attacking him and the trainers.

Now everyone was heading out of the cave except for Charon, who was busy running around the cave frantically, "Rotom! Rotom where are you?!"

Rotom was in fact still hiding in the case the grunts had placed his radar in, and he managed to zip out without anyone noticing him. He was about to reenter the cave when he was confronted by Haunter who had his hands crossed. "Haunter..."

"Your buddy's looking for you in there." Haunter said apathetically.

"Yeah...listen, Haunter...I don't _wanna _leave...but..."

Haunter raised a hand and closed his eyes, "I get it." he opened them and gave a small smile to the Plasma Pokémon. "That prank you pulled on Team Galactic was brilliant, you sent them on the mother of all wild goose chases, and you got them to leave us all alone without them getting what they wanted."

Rotom gave a timid smile back, "Thanks."

Haunter's smile faded, "I won't pretend to be ok with what you're doing, you're basically joining up with the enemy, an enemy that if I caught what they were saying right, is trying to destroy the entire world as we know it."

"I know..."

"But I can understand _why _you're doing it." Haunter sighed, "Are you _sure _you won't reconsider?"

"I _have _to know Haunter...but I promise, once I get my answers, I'll come back and find you guys. Just because I need some answers to my questions doesn't mean I plan on staying with Charon forever. You guys took me in and I'm grateful, I just hope Ash will forgive me for this."

"Knowing Ash, he will. I'll try and explain it to him."

Rotom smiled, "Thanks Haunter...are we...still friends?"

Haunter grinned and gave a thumbs-up, "Best friends. Pranksters stick together through thick and thin, gotta watch each other's backs."

"True that." Rotom laughed.

"Just promise me one more thing."

"Name it."

"While you're there with Team Galactic...drive them _crazy, _maybe you can slow down their plans a little."

Rotom grinned widely, "They will be my greatest victims. By the time we meet up again, they'll be ready to yank their hair out!"

"Good." the two ghosts then heard Charon shouting again even over the cries of dismay from their friends, "You better get back in there, those Golbat are probably tearing them to shreds."

"Right." Rotom nodded, "Thanks again Haunter, and I'm sorry."

Haunter shook his head, "Don't be sorry, just try not to take too long!"

"I'll do my absolute best, I swear it!" Rotom zipped past Haunter and emerged in front of the worried scientist.

"Rotom, there you are!" Charon exclaimed. Rotom nodded at that, "Come, we must escape from here!" As Charon started to run out, the Golbat began to retreat with him. They were all about to exit the cave when Ash cried out once more.

"Rotom please! Don't go with Team Galactic!"

"Foolish child, he was never yours to begin with." Charon sneered, "Come Rotom, our destiny awaits." Charon walked out of the cave, and Rotom took a moment to smile and wink at the Pokémon trainer before zipping away with Charon.

"Rotom..." Ash sighed in sadness, the bitter feeling of betrayal beginning to well up in his heart again. At that moment however, Haunter returned to his trainer with a sympathetic smile. "He's...gone, just like that." the trainer said almost in monotone. Haunter shook his head at that comment, which confused the black-haired boy, "Whaddya mean no?"

"Haunter haunt haunter." (He's on a mission.)

"A mission? Whaddya mean?" Ash asked.

"Haunt haunt haunter, haunter haunter haunt." (He'll be back, he promised me.)

"Pika pika chu." (I believe it.)

"Well...if you guys are convinced...then so am I!" Ash said.

Now Looker came down from the ledge, his clothes shredded from the attacks of the Golbat, "I'm glad you all are alright, I just wish Team Galactic hadn't gotten away."

"Us too." Misty said. The redhead then narrowed her eyes at the man, "So...international police officer huh? And when exactly were you going to tell us this?"

"If I could've helped it, never." Looker replied, "Just knowing who I am is dangerous, and I didn't want to put you kids into any unnecessary danger by association."

"I guess we can understand that." Dawn said thoughtfully.

"But you know what?" Misty shrugged, "At this point, I'm just gonna have to accept the fact that danger follows us around everywhere, and rather than be worried about what might happen, I guess it'd be best if I met it head-on when the challenge arises!"

"Shellos shellos!" (You said it!) the blue Shellos exclaimed in approval.

"Seeing Shellos reminds me!" Brock said in realization, "We still have to get the pink Shellos back home!"

"Hey yeah! I guess we forgot all about why we came up here in the first place." Ash chuckled sheepishly. But the group gasped when the cave suddenly started to rumble, provoking a nervous whine from the pink Shellos in the process. "What's going on?!"

As if to answer that very question, water began bursting through the walls of the cave, rising up around Looker and the rest of the teens, "Oh no, the subsurface water is rising! It's all flooding out because Toxicroak destroyed the rock!" the police officer reached into the remains of his jacket and pulled out an inflatable life raft that inflated when Looker yanked on a cord, "Quick! Get in everybody!" the teens wasted no time in following through, and it was a tight fit as the raft normally would've held only four total, without any Pokémon involved. "Hang on tight!" the water pressure forced the group to go flying out of the mountain and down a slope of water, seconds later they were level again, and the water was finally slowing down. "I think we're home free."

"Thank goodness." Dawn exhaled in relief.

"I think my heart stopped." Brock commented.

They rode in relative silence for a while after that, each of them lost in their own individual thoughts. By the time they reached the western side of the mountain via the raft, the sun was setting. "Thanks for everything Mr. Looker." Dawn said as they got out of the raft.

"It was my pleasure, I'm just glad you're all in one piece after all this...well, I'm gonna head back to headquarters now and make a report on what happened. What are _you _all going to do?" Looker asked.

"Well we _did _promise our little pink friend here that we'd take it back to its friends." Misty said, pointing to the pink Shellos on Piplup's head.

"Well if this map is correct," Looker took a glance at a piece of paper showing the rivers around Mt. Coronet, "We _should _be on the western side of the mountain, so it shouldn't take you long at all to find them...well, I must be off. Thank you for your assistance!" With that, Looker hurried off.

"Bye Mr. Looker!" Dawn exclaimed after the man. The coordinator then turned to see something she wasn't expecting, "Hey guys, check out the mountain!"

"Whoa, it looks like all the tunnels that Team Galactic dug out got sealed by the sediment in the subsurface water." Misty explained.

"Huh?" Ash scratched his head.

Misty sighed in exasperation, "Stuff in water plug holes." she rephrased.

"Ohh..." Ash realized, "Well that's great then! Now the Shellos won't be able to get lost anymore!" At that moment, the teens heard several familiar cries from behind them, and when they turned around they saw several pink Shellos all rejoicing at the sight of their formerly missing family member. "Hey, that must be Shellos's herd!" Ash was indeed correct, once Shellos saw its family and friends, it hopped off of Piplup's head and crawled over to greet two larger pink Shellos that were apparently its parents. "Well Shellos, now you're back with your family and friends."

"You take good care." Dawn said.

With that, the pink Shellos said goodbye and hurried away with its herd. "Well, that's that." Misty said.

"Shellos shellos." (Mission complete.)

The group blinked and all looked down simultaneously, on the ground next to Misty was the blue Shellos that had tagged along with them for all this time. "Oh no! We forgot about the _blue _Shellos!" Dawn exclaimed.

"I think we've done enough walking for now, I think it's time for Charizard." Ash grabbed a Pokéball and held it in his hand, "Don't worry little guy, we'll get you back home too."

"Shellos shell!" (No wait!) Shellos crawled closer to Misty and rubbed against her leg in apparent affection, "Shell shellos shell." (I wanna stay.)

At this, Misty knelt down in front of Shellos, "Are you serious? You wanna stay with us?" Shellos nodded vigorously in response.

"Well, I _did _say you and that Shellos really hit it off." Dawn giggled.

"Guess you were right then." Misty smiled and reached for an empty Pokéball, "Alright then Shellos, hop on in." Misty placed the Pokéball on the ground, and Shellos tapped it with its tiny leg. Seconds later, Shellos was officially a part of Misty's team. "Alright! I just got myself a Shellos!"

"It's great to have a happy ending." Brock said with a smile, "I think it's time we set up camp though guys, it's getting really late."

"Camp? I was kinda hoping to get a shower at the Pokémon Center after all this." Dawn whined.

"How far away is the Pokémon Center Brock?" Misty asked.

Brock pulled out his guidebook and checked the map inside, "Well...if we hurry we might be able to make it before the sun goes all the way down, according to this it's just beyond this last part of the marshland."

"Perfect! Let's not waste anymore time!" Dawn took off sprinting, provoking the others to do the same to keep up with the youngest member of their group. Half an hour later, not all of it spent at full-throttle of course, the teens reached the West Mt. Coronet Pokémon Center, just as the sun was about to disappear. "You know what? We should probably ask this Nurse Joy to pass along the message to the Nurse Joy on the _eastern _side of the mountain that we got the pink Shellos back safe and sound."

"I'll do it!" Brock dashed over to the reception to begin flirting with Nurse Joy, but seconds later he was on the ground groaning as Croagunk jabbed him.

"I guess _I'll _do it then." Dawn calmly went over to Nurse Joy to ask for the message to be sent and also for a room for the night.

"So...what's up with you Ash? You feeling ok?" Misty asked.

"Hmm?" Ash glanced at the redhead, "Yeah, I'm fine." he said dismissively. Ash was not fine. Late that night after everyone had fallen asleep, Ash was still twisting and turning in bed, trying to get comfy enough to let sleep take him. But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't get his mind to relax enough. _"I can't even hug Misty because I probably wouldn't be able to stay still long enough to enjoy it...and the last thing I want right now is to have to deal with a cranky and tired Misty." _Ash finally gave up and carefully got out of bed, and quietly went out onto the balcony to be alone with his thoughts. As he stared out into the starlit sky, the events of the past day started replaying in his mind. _"Rotom's on a mission Haunter said...but what kind of mission? Is Rotom trying to stop Team Galactic from the inside? He seemed really happy when he met that Charon guy...but he didn't wanna hurt any of us like Charon wanted either...and what's going on with my aura? I can barely feel the connection between me and Riolu anymore, it wasn't like that when I found Riolu in the forest a few days ago...am I...drifting away from Riolu?"_

"Ash?"

Ash lowered his head and closed his eyes, a knowing smile on his face, "Misty." he felt a little emotional relief when Misty came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sorry if I woke you."

"I went to hug my favorite pillow and it was gone." the redhead smiled softly at him, "What's the matter Ash?"

Ash sighed, "I'm just thinking."

"About Rotom?"

Ash flinched slightly, "Partly."

Misty frowned sadly, "Listen Ash, I dunno what Rotom was thinking, but you can't let it destroy you!"

"It isn't because he left Misty...at least, not anymore. Haunter said that Rotom made him a promise, and even _Pikachu _was willing to believe it...I guess what's really bothering me now is I don't know what's going on, one of my Pokémon is out there with the bad guys doing who knows what?"

"So that's all that's bothering you? You're worried about him?"

"Yes and no." Ash inhaled and exhaled, "Misty, would you think I was crazy if I said that I don't think that Charon guy is necessarily evil?"

The redhead's eyes widened at that, "I would start to wonder if you were getting sick or something, but I wouldn't say you were _crazy."_

Ash chuckled dryly, "Yeah that's _way _better."

"Well can you blame me? He's a part of Team Galactic!"

"I dunno...Charon seems...different, the way he was arguing with Saturn on Rotom's behalf, and the way they butted heads over almost everything...it's almost as if Charon doesn't wanna be a part of Team Galactic at all."

Misty thought about that for a moment, "I'll admit that was a little strange, it wouldn't make much sense if they staged all that for _our _sakes." Misty looked up at her confused boyfriend, "So what are you saying then Ash?"

"I guess...what I'm trying to say...or at least what I'm trying to _convince _myself of is that as long as Rotom sticks close to Charon, he'll be ok. All I have to go on is the hope that Charon was telling the truth about him being old friends with Rotom."

"I'm willing to believe that much was true, Rotom wouldn't have left with a total stranger...it doesn't sit right with me though, you don't just leave like that! It isn't right!"

Ash dropped his head down, "You _left." _he thought to himself. _"Actually no, that isn't fair. Misty had no choice."_ Ash shook his head and looked back to the redhead, "What can I say Mist? I'll just wait and see what happens with Rotom." he shrugged.

"Fair enough." Misty kissed the boy's ear, and then got him to look her in the eyes, "What else is bothering you?"

Ash's frown returned full force. "Mist...I...I-I don't even have a _clue _about _this one." _

"I can't help you if you don't tell me Ashy."

"I'm not sure _anyone _can help me. Not you, not Brock, not Mom, not _anyone." _Ash gulped down his emotions, "Mist...I think...I think I'm drifting away from Riolu!"

The redhead was stunned, "What? What gave you _that _idea?"

"You know how I couldn't tell Riolu to come out with my aura?" the redhead nodded at him, "Well even after he came out of his Pokéball, I tried to tell him to hide and he didn't get the message! And then during the battle against Team Galactic, I tried to use my aura to get Riolu to attack, but he didn't get _that _message either...I think our connection might be dying out."

"Ash, I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. Riolu loves you _to death!_ The idea that you and Riolu are drifting apart would be _laughable _if I didn't know you were actually worried about it, which makes it just plain sad..." Misty exhaled out loud before continuing, "I won't pretend to be able to explain what's going on with you and Riolu, but I know for a fact that it has _nothing _to do with your connection when it comes to how much he loves you."

Ash looked back into the sky, "So it's _me _then."

"Maybe." Misty shook her head helplessly, and sat down in the chair behind her, "Ash, come here." the water trainer opened up her arms, inviting the poor boy in for a comforting embrace. When Ash saw her offer, he went to her, squeezed in next to her and wrapped his arms around her, trying to hold down his confusion induced emotions. "No matter what we go through, I'll always be here for you from now on." Misty placed a feathery kiss on the inner part of his cheek, and she began to feel Ash starting to lose control of his feelings, "It's ok to cry Ash, it's _me_, you don't have to be tough for me, I love you no matter what." she cooed.

As much as Ash didn't want to let loose, he simply couldn't keep it in him. His tears began to roll down his face, and he began to sob and heave in Misty's arms. "I dunno what to do anymore Misty! I'm just so lost! I've never had to deal with so much all at once!"

"Shh...it's ok. It's ok." Misty began to slowly rock Ash back and forth, letting him cry and get it all out. _"Now where have I seen this before?" _Misty got a sudden flashback about the last time this had happened, when Sho and his Raichu had almost killed Pikachu. _"Maybe it'll work again." _

Ash was starting to feel slightly relieved by letting go, but then his heart leaped when he heard something incredibly beautiful.

_When I see your smile  
Tears run down my face  
I can't replace  
And now that I'm stronger I've figured out_

_How this world turns cold  
And breaks through my soul  
And I know, I'll find deep inside me  
I can be the one_

She was singing, not humming like she had done when she comforted him when Sho had almost killed Pikachu, she was really singing, with a voice that would make even the angels themselves turn green with envy.

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven_

_It's okay, it's okay, it's okay_

Ash no longer felt sad, Misty's song had woven its way into his heart and was now kissing away the pain with each melodic note.

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven_

_'Cause you're my, you're my, my-y-y-y  
My true love, my whole heart_

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven_

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to Heaven_

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever_

Once Misty's song finished, Ash pulled back to look deep into her beautiful green eyes which were twinkling back at him, they were damp with unshed tears, evidently she had gotten herself all emotional as she sang to him, but to Ash, that just meant that she meant every word she had used, and he couldn't have been more grateful. He wrapped her up in a very tight hug and buried his face into her silky orange hair, "I love you Misty." he mumbled into her hair.

"I love you too Ash." she breathed back.

After simply nuzzling for a few moments, Ash pulled back again to look at her gorgeous face once more, "An angel, _my _angel, I have my own personal angel here on Earth and she has the best singing voice in all of existence."

Misty giggled as she blushed at the compliment, "Have you been stealing lines from Brock again?"

"That _does _sound like something Brock would say isn't it?"

"Mmm hmm." she nodded.

"Well I don't care, it's one-hundred percent true. Thanks Mist, for being here."

Misty beamed at him, and then she pulled him in for a soft and sensual kiss that made her heart sing with happiness. After their lips finished dancing with each other, they found themselves getting lost in each other's eyes. As much as Misty wanted to stay there though, it was still 2 A.M., and sleep was becoming a necessity. "So...you ready to get some sleep?"

Ash nodded and kissed her forehead, then he got up from the chair and held out a hand to help her up, she accepted it and also got back to her feet. "We'll be fine, right?" Ash said.

"Of course we will!" the redhead chirped, "And hey, the whole Riolu thing is just another puzzle that you need to solve, just like when you came up with the Counter Shield to beat Fantina. Maybe all you need is a little extra support."

"Support..." Ash whispered to himself, _"That's it!" _he thought.

Early the next morning, Misty woke up and found that Ash was no longer in the bed. _"Guess nature called him." _she stretched and got out of the bed herself, and then went over to the bathroom door to give it a knock. "Ash, you almost done in there?" When she got no answer, she knocked again. "Ash?" No response. _"That's weird." _Misty tried the knob and was shocked to find the door was in fact unlocked. _"Oh boy, please don't tell me he forgot to lock the door." _She closed her eyes and opened the door slowly, then she nervously opened her eyes a slit and was once again shocked to see that Ash wasn't even in there. "If he isn't using the bathroom, then where is he?" She walked in and her eyes scanned the room, until they eventually rested on a piece of paper that was next to the sink. "What's this?" she picked the paper up and started to read, and the more she read the wider her eyes got. "Brock! Dawn!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Seconds later, Misty's two other travelling companions burst into the room, "What's the matter?!" Brock panted.

"Ash is gone!"

**{Flashback}**

**Ash's POV**

Misty had just given me the best possible solution to my problem, but I knew that if I was gonna pull it off, I had to do it alone. So after Misty fell asleep again, I snuck out of bed and got dressed, grabbed my Pokéballs and my backpack, and carefully picked up Pikachu off of Dawn's bunk so as not to wake either him or Buneary. Then I tiptoed into the bathroom and quietly closed the door behind me. _"I sure hope he won't mind." _I tapped Pikachu's head a few times, and eventually my little yellow buddy groggily looked up at me, "Gotta be quiet buddy...listen, we're taking a little trip."

Pikachu's ears perked up and he seemed a little more alert now, "Pika pika chu?" (Where are we going?)

"We're gonna get on Charizard and we're gonna get some help with my aura problems...alone."

Now Pikachu was _definitely _awake. "Pika pika chu pi pika?!" (What about the others?!)

"I wish I could bring them pal, but the less distractions I have the better. Now, are you in or are you out?" Pikachu thought about it for a moment, and eventually decided to hop onto his usual place on my shoulder, which effectively answered my question. "Alright then..." I pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil out of my backpack and I began to write up a note. I certainly wasn't gonna disappear without at least telling them what had happened, I just really hoped Misty would understand.

_Hey guys, listen, I'm gonna be gone for a few days, I have an issue that's gotta get fixed as soon as possible. You said it yourself Mist, maybe what I need is some support, and I'm gonna go and get some. You guys just keep on heading towards Lilypad Town and I'll meet you there in a few days, I'll do my best to get there in time for your contest Dawn, but since I've never done what I'm about to do before, I don't know how long it'll take. If I don't make it in time, know that I'll be giving you my support from where I am, and don't worry, I'm ok, and I promise I'll be back soon. And Mist...in case you're worried I'm going after Team Galactic and Rotom, lemme just say right now that that's not what I'm doing. I promise that where I'm going I'll be completely safe. I love you and I miss you already, and I wish I could've taken you, Dawn, and Brock with me, but this is something I need to do on my own. I'll see you guys soon._

_- Ash_

"Well, whaddya think?"

"Pika pi Pikachupi pika pi." (I think Misty's gonna flip.)

I couldn't but chuckle a little at that, "Well, if that's the case then it can't be helped. This _has _to happen." I opened the window and crawled out, now that I was outside I ran several yards away so that Charizard wouldn't wake the others when he came out. Sure enough, once I tossed Charizard's Pokéball he emerged with a mighty roar. "Charizard, we're heading out." Hours later, the sun had come up and I knew that soon Misty and the others would be up as well. Charizard was holding up just fine and the few hours of flight hadn't seemed to do much to him or his energy levels. "I guess after flying across an entire ocean to get to Kanto this is barely even a warm up for you, huh buddy?" Charizard looked back at me and smirked. "Well we're almost there, let's start going down."

As we descended, Pikachu tapped the side of my head to get my attention. "Pika pika pika chu Pikapi?" (You sure about this Ash?)

"I'm sure Pikachu. If anyone can help me, it's him." We finally got low enough that we were able to see the land below, and eventually I spotted the person I was looking for, "There he is! Ok Charizard, down!" With a roar, Charizard swooped down towards the man and his Pokémon who were examining something in the rocks below. I saw him and his Pokémon glance in my direction, and they watched us land in front of them. This was it, it was time.

"Ash! Well this is definitely a nice surprise! What are you doing here so early in the morning? And where are the others?" the man asked me.

I took a deep breath and looked the man dead in the eyes, "Riley...I need your help."

**A/N: So yeah, Rotom went with Charon after all, but not under the circumstances we all thought. Also, getting these copyright issues out of the way - "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus obviously does not belong to me. And yes, I changed the lyrics because not everything fit what I needed, you can even change the melody to something else if you can think of it, I know I do. New Pokemon for Misty too, a blue Shellos. Also, Ash is looking to fix things up with Riolu. Will he succeed? All that and more in the next chapter. Merry Christmas everybody, and Happy New Year.**


End file.
